Day 5: South Iceland
Fauskasandur beach: interesting rocks and black sand. Touched Arctic Ocean!
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Iceland's deepest lake 248m. Jökulsárlón first started forming in 1934, when Breiðamerkurjökull glacier started retreating, leaving the lagoon in its path. It's a mixture of glacial melt and seawater, giving it unique blue color. Icebergs made of ice over 1000 years old. Seals can be spotted here.
Vatnajökull icecap in the back, but too cloudy! Large pockets of water formed from volcanoes underneath that cause floods during eruptions (last 1996).
Diamond Beach: Icebergs float out to the ocean from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and then get washed up by waves. So the beach is covered with ice, making it look like diamonds.
Fjallsárlón Glacier and lagoon.
Rain stopped and clouds parted enough for us to see the glacier so we walked as close as we can to it. Also lagoon with a ton of icebergs you can pickup!
 |
| Glacial water is usually brown because of the glacial "flour" from ground up rocks |
We saw a seal here! 
Saw an Arctic fox! 🦊
Stayed at Skaftafell campground (part of Vatnajökull ntnl park)
Svartifoss: don't miss this waterfall with hexagonal basalt columns. Park at visitor center or campground and hike 1.7km. Pass Hundafoss and Madnúsarfoss (waterfalls).
Day 6 - Southwest Iceland
Skaftafellsjökull glacier. Easy flat walk 30 min to glacier. Can obtain an online brochure that matches with number signs on the trail. It talks about where the glacier had been in the past, rock composition, etc. If you continue along the left, can touch pieces of glacier and be on blocks of glacier!
 |
| Touching glacier! |
Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon: what's unusual about this canyon are the rocks that jut out from the sides and the lush green all around that give it a soft appearance. 1km to viewpoint. Palagnite from the Ice Age, 2 mill years old.
Eldhraun Lava Field: one of the largest in the world. Took us a looong time to drive through.
Reynisdrangar: black sand beach in Vic. Basalt sea stacks, very windy.
Hálsanefshellir cave (basalt columns). Very cool beach!
 |
| Formed from rapidly cooling rock. Hexagon is largest polygon that still tessellates |
 |
| Forms perpendicular to cooling |
Reynissfjara beach.
Sólheimajökull glacier: originate from SW part of Myrdalsjökull glacier (4th largest in Iceland). Glacier here is so dark.
Skógafoss: large waterfall, often with rainbow bc of the mist.
Seljalandsfoss: elegant waterfall you can go to the back of.
Walk 560m farther and there is another waterfall hidden in a cave: Gljufrabui.
Day 7 - Golden Circle and Volcano
Gullfoss: name from golden evening hue or rainbow that often appears. Legend also that a farmer didn't want anyone else to have his gold so he threw it into the waterfall.
Area of many geysers:
Geysir: dormant. Erupts after earthquakes, last in 2000, higher than old faithful. Used to go up 80m.
Strokkur "a churn": Erupts every 5-10min.
Surface 80 to 100C.
Precipitation of silica forms the white deposits everywhere.
Sódi "the slob" geyser only erupts if soap is added.
Kerid Crater: lies in row of craters called Tjarnarhólar. It's a scoria crater: magma chamber underneath, empties and stone from top falls down into the now empty magma chamber. Not from eruption.
Returned to Reykjavik and saw this church:
Day 8 - Blue Lagoon
Expensive, but totally worth it! Felt good to be in this body temperature water while it was cold and raining outside. The lowest package comes with a silica face mask and a drink. They have local story telling time around 1pm. We spent about 4 hours here enjoying ourselves.
The only times we ate out:
Baejarins bestu hotdog $5 yummy sauce with onion and crispy fish flakes.
Diner near airport, Olsen Olsen: fish and chips and lamb hoagie: so good to eat something other than oatmeal, pbj sandwich and dried foods/instant noodle!
...looking forward to the warmth of Greece and delicious food!
No comments:
Post a Comment