Blogs from South, Iceland, Europe - page 2

Le sud-ouest de l’Islande offre aussi son lot de grandioses beautés dont il faut absolument profiter par temps ensoleillé. À l’est, entre Reykjavík et le village de Vík, on roule au bord de l’Atlantique sur près de 200 kilomètres parsemés de beautés brutes, révélant chacune toute la magnificence de l’Islande. Les montagnes sont ici d’un vert clair et tendre, recouvertes de mousses variées, ce qui confère au paysage une couleur fraîche et vivifiante. Des milliers de chevaux et de moutons paissent librement à leurs pieds, ajoutant à ce tableau une touche carte-postale. Du haut des immenses falaises abruptes se jettent de somptueuses cascades qui viennent exploser, une centaine de mètres plus bas, dans des bassins coulant vers des rivières qui, elles-mêmes, s’agitent vers la mer. C’est un spectacle magnifique qu’il faut prendre le temps d’admirer, si ... read more

Leaving Hotel Jökull near Höfn Hoffellsjökull, a part of Vatnajökull was in prominent view. Vatnajökull is Iceland's largest glacier and it, or its subsidiary outlet glaciers like Hoffellsjökull, were visible all day. Iceland's may rivers and waterfalls have their origin in glacial runoff. As we continued our drive along the south coast of Iceland, several Caribou were spotted. Herds stay in the highlands most of the year but come down to the coast in summer. Reindeer were introduced to Iceland in the 18th century. (The animals are known as Caribou in North America and Reindeer in Europe.) They are hunted for food during a limited hunting season. At the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, we saw another product of glacial action: icebergs. A marvelous sight here were the icebergs calved by Vatnajökull floating out to sea. They were ... read more

Pysähdyttiin jäälaguunissa, syömässä, kahvilla ja kanjonissa. Höfnistä eteenpäin tie oli jo aika tasaista ja tylsempää ajettavaa kuin sisämaassa ja itärannikolla. Ensimmäinen pysähdyspaikka oli Jökulsárlón. Jäälaguunissa uiskenteli jäävuoria. Laguuniin olisi päässyt maksusta veneajelulle, mutta sen jätimme väliin. Laguunista laski joki mereen ja meren rannalla oli Timanttiranta, jonne aallot olivat huuhtoneet jääpaloja. Ei jääty laguunin kahvilaan, ja olikin sitten hieman vaikeaa löytää ruokapaikkaa. Poikkesimme Hofin kylässä hotellissa. Siellä ei ollut ravintola auki, mutta siellä osattiin neuvoa ruokapaikka, joka löytyikin matkan varrelta Freysnesissä. Otin siellä lohta ja perunoita. Ajoin seuraavaaan taajamaan, jonka nimi on Kirkjubaerjarklaustur (lyhyemmin Klaustur). Siellä oli lämmintä varmaan 15 astetta, joka tuntui aiempien päivien jälkeen jo lämpimältä. Käytiin Systrakaffis... read more

We began our day waking up in the freezing rain and howling wind that had gone on for most of the night. May is considered shoulder season in Iceland, while considered technically summer to the locals, its still late winter by all reasonable accounts and the weather is highly variable. But the trade offs are no hordes of instagramming tourists and buses of cruise ship travelers. We hiked up a few miles up into the Reykjadalur Valley, meaning “steam valley.” The valley was dotted with billowing steam vents as far as the eye could see ,amongst snow capped peaks-truly capturing the namesake of Iceland as the land of ice and fire. Our destination was a natural hot stream to bathe in the waters , what a way to start a day, and the first of many ... read more

EPIC day of glacier-related adventures. We have experienced a number of glacier ‘outlets’ today, none of which I have any hope of pronouncing, but all stemming from the big one that google tells me is called Vatnajökull. Started early, amid a high level of feedback, and related response. Drove for a few hours through the ‘wasteland’ where the mud/flood from the 1918 eruption had made its mark. And then, just as suddenly, we returned to fertile farmland. Arrived at our tour check in and got kitted up and headed off for our glacier hike. The first part was hot and boring as we walked through the rocky terrain the glacier had created at its front and sides. We finally reached some of the cold white stuff and learned to put on our crampons and how not ... read more