Today was to be a long day. So, my husband K and I had to be up at 6 to be all packed up and washed up before breakfast.
At 6:50, we went next door to our daughter J's room to go down to breakfast with her. We had our usual filling breakfast, before going up to the first floor to wait for the bus at 7:25.
He took longer to get here than usual, which threw us off. When he did come at 7:50, it was not in a regular bus, but rather a smaller bus. It was lightly raining as we set off.
We did not go to the bus station, but rather made other stops before pulling up along a curb downtown at 8. We were told our bus was the big one behind us. We realized that this difference must be because today's tour was with Grayline, whereas all of our others were Reykjavik Excursions.
The bus departed on the South Coast and Glacial Lagoon tour at 8:05. Our tour guide was Lorenzo and I have no idea what the name of the driver was. And, during the whole 13 and half hours of the tour, I never heard it. There were less than 15 people on the tour and yet we had a full-size bus.
Like other guides, this one talked whenever we were on the bus. We learned that all the sheep run free in the summer and get collected back to their respective farms in the fall. The The farmers trust each other and there is no theft. 40% of the economy depends on tourism. So, the loss of it must have hurt them badly.
We stopped at the same Hliðarendi gas station and convenience store as yesterday at 9:31. I was grateful for the stop, because, just like yesterday, my hips were feeling crampy. It felt good to stretch. I bought coffee for K and chocolate for me for 1064 kr. Then, I went outside and took photos of nearby horses. I'm not willing to ride them, but I am impressed with what all Icelandic horses can do. K, meanwhile, was chatting with the guide and learned that he'd been rehired just last week as a freelance guide, which was better than no job. He also learned he had some vaccine hesitancy due to a friend who was an epidemiologist and who said it had problems. So, K tried to convince him to get the shot.
We had a new view of that waterfall as we crossed a footbridge over the stream carrying its water. We had to work our way around some folks doing a private photo shoot there.
It really was a pleasant walk, in spite of the clouds. There were other waterfalls and lovely flowers. The water we passed was crystal clear. In the distance, we could see campers. We passed a sign pointing the way to the falls we were seeking.
When we got to the end of the path, there was a cleft in the cliff from top to bottom, 131 feet tall. At the top, you could see a bit of spray, which was the only visual hint that anything much was here. At the bottom, it was relatively dark. However, you could hear falling water.
See those dry rocks next to the running water in the first photo? They shouldn't have been there. I've read, that to access the waterfall, you have to wade through water. I also saw a photo online of the entire expanse from greenery on the left to greenery on the right full of water. We however, were able to enter and stand on some wet rocks to take photos. We couldn't go too far in, if we didn't want to get wet, plus there was that time problem. But, oh, the delight awaiting you inside! It was just so awesome! Water from the Gljúfra River above makes this dramatic fall just off of the Ring Road (route 1).
We had warned a couple of people from our group that climbing up to go behind the other falls would take a fair amount of time. Suddenly, we saw them here and they said that they'd decided we were right and came to see this one.
When we turned to walk back, we were treated to this great view of the ancient former sea cliff which is now green and has so many waterfalls.
As we drove through Skaftárhreppur, which is the second largest region in the country, the sun came out. It made for beautiful pictures of the ice cap far above a farm. It also made the lake we passed absolutely glisten.
By 11:40, we were in Vik for the second day in a row. Today, we were taken just a bit past the gas station and directed to go in the Lava Café. It was a cafeteria setup. We got a Lambwich for 1590 kr., a Vegetarian Viking for 1230 kr., a Rusty Kispelt (had bacon) for 1210 kr, a Pepsi and a Pepsi Max for 470 kr each, and a piece of chocolate cake for 950 kr. ( I had to break down and drink Pepsi Max, if I wanted a cola today. These people just don't stock Coke enough!) We took our trays to a table away from other people, just to continue to be careful. The sandwiches and cake were good and we were ready to leave at 12:30.
We were on a tight schedule, because we had a reservation at the next stop, and we still had a ways to go to get there.
Our view out the windows really varied. I was on the ocean side of the bus. The scene outside ranged from lush to desolate. Lorenzo reminded us that not all deserts have sand.
At 2:36, we crossed the bridge over the outlet of Jökulsárlón (the Glacial Lagoon). What a beautiful sight!
The lagoon is the most famous glacial lagoon in Iceland. The lagoon formed around 1935 filling with the meltwater and icebergs from the glacier Breiðamerkurjökull, which is a tongue of the largest ice cap/ glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull. Like everywhere else, climate change is affecting the glacier, which is melting faster. They actually expect it to turn into a deep fjord in the not too distant future. The lagoon has been in a couple of Bond movies, as well as a Batman.
Lorenzo warned us about the arctic terns that were in nesting season. They've been known to attack people. Much safer are the seals in the lagoon. They like to breed and eat here, because the opening is too shallow for a killer whale to enter.
We parked at 2:40, which gave us time to use the restroom, look around at the land view, and stop in the shop to buy 3 postcards and a key ring for 1535 kr.
I have to say that the views were incredible. The mountain with the glacier was in a bit of a haze, which really added to the atmosphere.
Recognizing that our group wouldn't be the only ones taking this tour, and wanting to make sure we got good seats, we were waiting by our amphibious craft by 3. Sure enough, the line got bigger in no time.
When we boarded around 3:05, we were each handed a thick life jacket. It was none too easy to strap it over my big coat, but I managed. The seats were all around three of the sides of the back of the boat. Seats were even created by dropping a plank in front of the gangway. K and I wound up at the edge of that and J was on the opposite side. We were moving by 3:12.
It is incredibly hard to choose just a few pictures to put in this blog. Everything just looks so amazing and almost otherworldly.
The lines on this mountain were formed by the glacier scraping along it. How cool is that?!
At one point a guy came speeding up to the boat on a sort of jet ski. He handed the guide a hunk of ice he'd just taken off of the glacier. We all got to hold it. The look of pure joy on J's face was priceless.
We saw birds on the surface of the water that looked like ducks. These fellows found a great perch on this berg.
Remember the bridge we'd crossed over? The water flowing under that was from the lagoon. The icebergs float around carried by currents, wide and tides.When the icebergs get small enough, they float out through that channel to the ocean.
At 3:45, we were back on land, and per Lorenzo's directions, we set off to hike down to the Diamond Beach. Along the way, we passed signs with lots of good info. We were walking along the channel and had a great view of a seal playing near an iceberg. I managed to get video of him.
By 4, we'd reached the Diamond Beach. Now this was a black sand beach! Literally. Unlike yesterday, this was sand and it was black. And it was beautiful. It absolutely glistened. Today, I'd remembered my Ziplock bag and spoon. So, it was easy to scoop some up for my collection of beach sands.
Now, there were plenty of rocks closer to the shoreline, but they were bigger. Closer to the shoreline you could see why this is the Diamond Beach. Small icebergs that were pushed ashore by the breakers offshore glistened in the sunlight like diamonds. It was quite a sight.
The photo below is of the spot where the channel meets the ocean. It would have been more dramatic, had an iceberg been coming through at that point, but it is what it is.
We now had less than 15 minutes to get back up to the bus. However, this shot looking up the channel to the glacier could not be missed. It just looked so awesome and the flying bird was a nice touch. I snapped it as we came out from under the bridge.
We were back at the bus at 4:18- two minutes to spare!
At 5, we came upon this beautiful scene of the vast expanse of Alaska lupine with the snow-covered mountain in the distance.
Five minutes later we stopped to see the twisted metal from one of the bridges that was destroyed by a glacial flood after an eruption of a volcano. It would have been nice if people had not felt the necessity to graffiti it. There were helpful signs that explained what had happened. And, way across the way, we could see two glaciers.
This whole bit of the possibility of the Ring Road (route 1) being wiped out in this region would really make me leery of living down here. Of course, the whole isolation thing would be off-putting, too. But, boy, is it beautiful down here.
There was a helpful sign that told what the various features were on the mountains (yes, plural, even though it looks just like it's only one) to the right of the glacier on the right. It turns out that we were looking at the tallest point in Iceland- Hvannadalshnúkur. I've read it described as pyramidal, but it looks like a dome to me.
At 5:15, we continued our westward journey. At 6:12, I saw the most amazing cloud and got its picture. I swear, it is impossible to take a bad picture here!
We pulled back into Vik at 6:43. We've been here so much, I wish we'd had time to explore it. The Lava Café was now closed, but the Ice Cave, which had been closed earlier, was now open. Basically, it was a much bigger cafeteria, but nicer looking. We did not slide along a counter, but rather just ordered at the register. J and I both ordered Lamb Soup for the last time and he just dished it and handed us it and a plate with bread and butter. They cost 2190 kr each. I needed caffeine and broke down and got a Pepsi Max again for 420 kr. I was shocked to receive a cup to fill myself at a dispenser. I haven't seen this the whole trip. K and J had water. K ordered fish and chips for 2350 kr and had to go back and get them, when they were ready. I somehow failed to get a photo of his meal, probably because I was already eating.
Before we left, I checked the weather. It was a surprisingly high 59°, but felt like 57°. Although, I was surprised, because it seemed nippy to me. It was still mostly sunny.
We were on the road at 7:30 and saw some really beautiful scenery as we motored along.
We even saw a truly rare sight- an intersection.
This shot captured color on the mountain, a bit of waterfall, and those beautiful purple Alaska lupine.
It was 8:02, when we pulled into the Skogafoss parking lot, which we'd visited yesterday. However, it was nice to see the falls in a different light. Not only that, but there were now campers there cooking on cook stoves. And, we noticed that they and the farm sort of experience a twilight, due to the mountain directly to the west. My photos had a different vantage point, because J and I had taken advantage of the restroom near the entrance to the parking lot.
As we walked down to take a bit of a closer look at the falls, we noticed a couple taking photos by the stream coming off the falls. They caught my eye, because the woman was wearing a spaghetti strap white dress with bright colors. I watched her cup her stomach and realized they were taking pregnancy photos. It seemed way too cold to be doing that, but I bet the photos looked great.
We were back on the bus and on the road by 8:30. The guide was quiet now and we either dozed or looked at scenery. We passed the occasional-very occasional community and got a quick look at the homes.
The Ring Road does go over a ridge to get to Reykjavik. So, there are some broad switchbacks.
As we climbed, I could see the valley behind us. There was a hint of color in the sky, even though sunset was a couple of hours away. I could also see some geothermal venting on a hillside. Whether that was just natural or part of a power supply, I couldn't say.
I had stayed awake all during this drive back, unlike many of the others, who had scattered themselves around the bus. (Even K and I had taken separate seats ages ago, when it became clear there was room to do so). I don't know if I just wasn't tired, or if it was simply that I knew I was unlikely to ever be here again and this place fascinated me. It is called the Land of Fire and Ice. While we didn't see the Fire directly, we saw the plume from the volcano, when we arrived, although not since, and plenty of signs of what the Fire has done and continues to do. We did see plenty of the Ice. Iceland lives up to its nickname.
When we were dropped off at Hotel Klettur at 10:30 pm, K gave the driver 1500 kr as a tip and he seemed surprised. He also gave the guide a tip of 3000 kr.
When we got upstairs, J did something that we had not thought to do the entire time we were here. Our room was at the end of the hall on the left. However, the hall continued past us and turned left. J decided to see what was over there. We decided to go, too. Around the corner above a stair and the visible floor below, there was stenciling on the wall about the beach near Vik.
There were rooms that obviously belonged to the windows across from ours. And there were windows that looked out toward the ocean. I'd been in the lobby one day, when a woman checked in and wanted a room with an ocean view. I've been thinking that was crazy, because I couldn't see how a room had an ocean view. But, now I could see that down at the end of this hall, rooms would be able to see the ocean as we were seeing. They'd also be able to see Foss Hotel, which we've seen several times and now know it means Waterfall Hotel.
Rain was expected and the clouds confirmed it. As we headed back to our rooms,we discovered more stenciling.
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