Iceland For Four – In A Car – May 2016

The Fearless Four Peaking Through An IceBerg

Going to Iceland was not our idea. Actually, we had never considered going there. Then, some friends of our’s, Zack and Sharol Wittke from Wisconsin, asked us if we would like to travel somewhere with them. Zack was a classmate of Nancy and mine and we have known him and Sharol for many years so … of course we would like to travel somewhere with you!! We discussed places that might be interesting and they proposed Iceland … Really … Iceland? So off we go getting ready to go to Iceland. We were a little constrained for time as they only had a week off so we decided to drive the road that goes all the way around Iceland … they call it “Ring Road” … how original is that? We read a great deal about what there is to see along the way and decided to give it a go.

We divided the days up based on how far we wanted to travel each day (determined by how much we wanted to see in that area).  We started in Reykjavik, went counter clockwise across the South, up the East side, then West across the top and South back to Reykjavik along the Western side … 1333 Kilometers or 828 miles.  We actually ended up going much farther than that as we often took deviations to sites that were along the way either on the coast or up into the mountains.

There are not many roads that go inland because most of the inland is either mountain, glacier, or volcano.  There are roads but open only parts of the year and not real automobile friendly … so we just stuck to the main roads.  We drove a Hyundai I30 Combi that proved to be quite sufficient in space, power, efficiency, and comfort.

So now we had the things we wanted to see, our route, proposed stopping points, and all we needed were airplane tickets and hotel reservations.

Icelandic Air had some great deals from New York to Iceland and connected to Tampa and Minneapolis so we went with them.  Hotels were another matter. More on that in a bit.

We got to Reykjavik, got the car, our luggage, and found our way to our hotel. We checked in and were all ready to go exploring … so off we went. We were a short walk from down town and the harbor so we walked around taking in the sites.

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Of particular interest was a fish market we found by the harbor … actually what was interesting was the fish they had on display that had been caught in the local waters.

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Once you leave Reykjavik, none of the towns or cities along the route have a great choice of accommodations.  Most are old, few offer private baths, and all were expensive.  We did find a few but what really saved us were campgrounds and private enterprises that set up small, completely furnished cabins that were mostly all new.  Apparently someone saw the need for lodging tourists so many people put up, what appeared to be kits, that included a kitchen, small living room, one or two bedrooms, and a bath.  All were neat and clean, very comfortable, and well furnished … and available at reasonable rates.  So, we stayed at two different hotels in Reykjavik (one when we arrived and one when we were leaving)

and the rest of the time stayed in the little cabins.  We found them all on Booking.com.  I can’t say there were no hotels available but for the price, these cabins could not be beat … and the were all conveniently located.  They were also mostly located on the outskirts of the towns they were by so you could take walks from them without city traffic, two were by rivers.  

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One night, we could not find a place to eat that we liked so we went to a local grocery store and bought “Dinner”.  All the foods were labeled in Icelandic so we kinda had to go by the pictures on the packages and what we could get from other shoppers who spoke english.  We went home and prepared a very nice dinner that included wine and desert. …. Never Go Hungry!!

Speaking of hunger … Many ships carrying U.S. Soldiers to and from WWII in Europe stopped in Iceland for refueling and resupply. The Americans left their mark in the form of Hot Dogs. Made famous during the the U.S. Soldiers visits, the Hot Dog can be found everywhere and is a favorite lunchtime staple. Zack was determined to have a different one each day and he succeeded … Who would’ve thought!

Back to our arrival: We found a little restaurant in the early evening and had some dinner, walked back to the hotel, and hit the sack!!! It was a long but interesting day.

Okay … So I mentioned I was going to write about the geological features of Iceland … I am … in a minute.  But first, something not Geologic but both interesting and cute.  The Icelandic Pony.  You see these little guys most places you go.  They are in pastures, farm yards, even some more generous residential areas.  The pony is unique to Iceland and is a product of having been the only breed of horse on the Island for the past two centuries.  They are unique in that they are the only breed of horse in the world that has five different gaits.  Most horses have three gaits; walk, trot, gallop.  Some add a fourth gait known as a canter.  The Icelandic pony has five; Walk, trot, Canter, Tolt, and Flying Pace.  The Tolt and Flying Pace are a gait only these ponies have.  The Tolt is special in that one hoof is always on the ground and is exceptionally smooth … even at high speeds.  The Flying Pace, as the name implies, is the fastest where both feet on one side are on the ground at one time and is likened to a fast gallop, and at one part of the gait, all four legs are in the air at the same time.  If you are into horses or gaits, there is ample info on the internet.  It’s just what makes these ponies special.  I think it’s their extra long and bushy bangs that makes them special, but that’s just me.

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Enough about horses!

The next morning we had a nice breakfast that came with the room (we love European breakfasts), loaded up the car, and headed out of town.  In this Post, rather than describe our trip day by day, I am going to describe areas or features.  I’ve shown you where we drove, and told you where we stayed so now I will just focus on the things in Iceland that we found most interesting.  They will not be listed by preference, just as they come to mind.

Here are some photos of the terrain in SouthEastern Iceland as we drove from Reykjavik East then North along the coast. One of the photos is a sign that describes the area. Most of the terrain along the coast has to do with Lava Flows. Some old and grown over with a spongy moss, others washed out by water, some look like they just cooled yesterday. There was a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2010 that put so much ash in the air it shut down transoceanic air routes.

This photo is of a farm that is nestled against the mountains on the East side of Iceland. The people that live there documented the volcano I just described with films, narratives, and anecdotes regarding their experience as they lived through it. Right aside of the road, across from this farm, they have set up a little museum that has pictures of the volcano and features a movie they show that captures the entire event … from them motorbiking up next to it to their having to evacuate as it erupts. An incredibly interesting story, well worth the few dollars it costs to see. They ended up hauling tons of ash away as they cleaned up their farm buildings and roads leading to it. Some of the actual family members work in the museum and you see them in the film! That eruption placed layers of ash over many of the glaciers which now appears as a layer of dirt on the ice. Some of it is thin, other areas very thick … all nasty and black. You will see it when I post the pictures of the glaciers and icebergs.

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Here are some of the Waterfalls we saw. They are in no particular order and I won’t try to replicate the names. Just enjoy them and if you really like them a great deal and want to see or have more to do with them, have a go to Iceland. Some of these groups of pictures include signs or names of the site we were at … you can Google that name and get more info if you are curious. Following is one of the grandest. It is a long dusty drive out to it but very well worth it.

Following the Grand Ones are a series of tall ones. This tall one is unique in that you can hike to the top of it from the side, or you can walk behind it … which we did. Some of the end photos are from behind the falls or coming out on the other end. The noise is deafening!

Enough waterfalls for now … How about some Glaciers? … Glaciers Calving, and Ice Bergs? As I mentioned, volcanic ash covers most of the glaciers and snowy areas giving them a black look. However, when they split or change the white and blue of the ice is exposed. One early morning we walked out to a large glacier and hiked around on it. Here are some of what we saw.

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Driving North along the East side we came across a large lake that had a glacier running down into it. As nature has it, the glacier was calving icebergs into the lake. The lake is several miles long and at the end runs through a narrow channel that runs under a bridge and into the sea. The Icebergs follow that flow and can be seen floating along the lake, rushing down the narrow flow, and drifting out to sea. Some wash ashore after the bridge and slowly melt creating beautiful ice sculptures.

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There were people all around the lake watching the Bergs float by. There was even a Couple Taking Wedding Pictures along the shore with the Ice Bergs as background.

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Iceland is known as “The Land of Fire and Ice” … you have seen some of the ice, and I’ve mentioned the fire … so, as you know, when you have fire and ice, you get a lot of hot water!! There are thermal pools, vents, geysers, and hot mud fields all around Iceland. Most municipalities have a community pool that is heated by underground water sources that are hot. Many of the ares reminded us of Yellowstone and the thermal activity there.

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One place even had a volcano you could climb to the top of and peek into the center. Long dormant the center is cool and a little filled in, there is a worn path to the top … however, the view from the top is great, there are little flowers growing on the volcanic rock, and its a cool experience.

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Another area that we found to be very interesting was near the volcano we climbed and was a huge area of lava that apparently had flowed from the volcano at one time … there are now roads through it and vegetation growing but it is clear what come first.

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The first settlers of Iceland came from the Scandinavian countries. As such they were accustomed to building with wood as there are a lot of trees in Eastern Europe. Consequently, they built their early structures using the trees they found in Iceland. Whether due to neglect, forgetfulness, or naivety they used up all the trees and didn’t have any growing to replace them. As a result of the lack of wood and the critical need for shelter they turned to using sod. In Northwestern Iceland is a restored village where the sod homes are able to be toured. They are very well presented and in addition to the structures, all of the furnishings, tools, storage facilities, and personal items are there for the visitor to see. Very impressive. In the village, there is a very old church … made of wood. Of interest was the organ that had pipes made of wood.

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In the Northern part of Iceland were rolling pastures that were punctuated with crater like holes. There is a picture of the explanation. This are was populated with sheep and infested with flies. Note on the pictures from inside the car all the black spots on the window … they were flies. So first the Lava flow:

Then the craters, sheep, and flies!

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To follow the Ring Road around Iceland is experiencing nearly every kind of terrain, environment, and feature of the country. The Sea is always on one side and the mountains on the other. Regardless of which way you travel you will pass over the mountains in the North.

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As you can imagine, fishing is a big industry in Iceland. It follows that fish farming would also be a big deal. Here are a couple of Photos of a ship with food lines running back to “Fish Corrals where the fish are raised and harvested. We saw many of these in the various protected inlets.

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Then we got to the very top of Iceland. Just South of the Arctic Circle. Couldn’t get real close but we were there!

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Following is a collection of photos taken by myself and Sharol. Some more water falls, some mountains, some lakes, a little of everything. All of us found the country very interesting. The only thing we did not do, and will if we go back, is to spend more time with the locals. The bars, coffee houses, markets, etc all offer anyone a chance to rub elbows with someone interesting and, as we find nearly anywhere, people, for the most part, are kind, friendly, and helpful. They love to talk about their families, their country, and their lives, as well hear about yours. Enjoy the rest of the photos.

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