Blogs from Iceland, Europe - page 79

Geo: 64.1353, -21.8952Finally we reach Reykjavik in Iceland after 2 days of plunging through 40 foot waves in a force 10 gale. We are 24 hours behind schedule and have already had to cancel a stop in Stornoway because of the storms. It was hoped that an extra stay in Belfast would have allowed the gale to pass over, but it was not to be so. Fortunately neither of us gets seasick so we were still able to go to the bar and meet like minded people.Iceland is a fascinating island, larger than Ireland but with a small population. There were still lots of factories and infrastructure and 7 universities mostly catering to people who study geology. The houses tend to be single story and constructed of cement reinforced with steel because there are earthquakes which ... read more

Just a short drive from Rykholt are two well known waterfalls called Hraunfosser and Barnafoss ("Children's Falls"). The Hraunfosser waterfall is both beautiful and very unique. It is about 1 kilometre in width, but it doesn't flow from a stream over a ledge (as most waterfalls do) it flows from an underground stream and magically appears through some lava rocks on a steep sloping hill. The water from Hraunfosser flows into a stream which showcases Barnafoss ("Children's Falls") just upstream. The Children's Waterfall isn't that grand, but it does have strong powerful waters gushing through it. Sadly it got its name 100's of years ago when two small children fell into the water while playing on a crossing a bridge. After the falls we hit the road and our next adventure had us involved in some ... read more

Can you be a guide with some Indian ladies? They are coming to Iceland in March, six ladies all from the same family. Ah, I haven’t had many Indians on tours so I welcome such an opportunity, nice to get to know people from all around the world, hear how they live their lives, their culture. Worst is they arrived around midnight. I can’t say I enjoy picking people up at midnight. Well, let us make the most of it and since the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) will most likely be in the sky that evening then I will stop on the way to Reykjavik to show them this phenomena. And they were! A great show in the sky. I think my Indian ladies were tired after a long flight, they did not show much interest ... read more

We have been taking our time leaving these towns but we hit the road quick in Egilsstadir as we had a long road trip in front of us. The road trip was once again scenic and other worldly; at times you could have convinced us we were driving on the surface of the moon. Our first stop was Dettifoss waterfalls. The road to Dettifoss was unpaved, barren and a little bumpy. We were wondering how they managed to locate their most powerful waterfall in a dry, barren, rock-like desert, but locate it they did! Dettifoss was spectacular. If you've ever seen the movie "Prometheus" these are the falls that were used in the opening scene and seeing them in real life was no less epic. After Dettifoss we made our way to Asbyrgi which is a ... read more

Hæ, góður dagur!!! I finally visited one of my top-3 countries I really want to visit: ICELAND!!! Yes, a paradise for those who like geography like I do. With volcanoes, glaciers, geysirs, thermal waters, waterfalls and areas where two tectonic plates moved away from each other....Iceland is a "must" for everyone who loves geography! I listed a couple of random things about Iceland, which I found interesting: - Icelanders don't have a last name, they use the names of their fathers and add "son" or "daughter" behind. If I had a son called "Adam", his last name would be "Eltonson". - Iceland is expensive, I think only electricity and water are "very" cheap! - There is no Mc Donald's in Iceland, YES!!! It left the country after the 2008 crisis. - There are almost no trees ... read more