http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Iceland en-us Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:56:57 BST Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:56:57 BST Today was a visit to Lake Myvatn area. A strange place will volcanos in the distance. The immense bird life seemed to be on holiday elsewhere but we can clain on our trip so far to have seen as well as our delightful puffins some..... eider duck red throated diver and the great northern diver. Apparently I should have been very pleased to have seen thatThis area has so many diverse volcanic si http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/blog-317320.html Today was incredible. After a stay at an unusual hotel which looked a bit like a prisoner of war camp we left in 5 degrees of cold. We headed towards the most powerful waterfall in Europe...Dettifoss The journey to get there took us over high peaks again with baren lunar looking landscapes. The road to Dettifoss was narrow and made of gravel. The skills of our driver was tested particularly when http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Northwest/blog-317311.html Today was meant to be one of the highlights of our trip with a visit to the Jokulsarlon Lagoon. Yes it was certainly spectacular if you pointed your camera in the right direction but I was expecting a larger lagoon not quite so near the main road. I appreciate it was a natural feature and the glacier is melting more each year. The blue ice is an illusion and due to the ice being so compressed wi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/blog-316867.html We had a good night's sleep at a lovely guest house with fairy houses outside. Yes we are still waiting to spot them. We were looking forward to the trip to the Puffin island. We had been told they were still there but not in great numbers. It was a little too late in the season and most in the west had already gone. We arrived at the place where the tractor would pull the open wagon over the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/blog-316851.html After a night in a somewhat interesting guesthouse we journeyed on towards the National Park. Our first stop was at the most beautiful waterfall in the world. Yes I've changed my mind today or at least the most beautiful today. We stopped at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall where it is possible to walk behind. Once again there were only a few people ahead of us so photos came out well. We drove onto http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Vik/blog-316837.html We started our Iceland adventure on a busy Friday evening at Heathrow. The flight to Reyjavik was smooth and we were soon there. Our first accomodation was at the university just across from the main cathedral. Memories of 1970's college halls of residence came flooding back. The furniture even looked the same. We awoke throughout the night to the sound of what seemed to be a seal clapping but in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-316826.html Here we are The last leg of our journey in Iceland. Ill get to that in a bit. First thigns first. Scotland.We got up a bit to 7am on Wednesday morning and got ready to leave on the train headed for Edinburgh. It was all going so well. We made perfect time acturally. 45 minutes into the train ride we are asked to get off to due to the lack of air conditioning and loss of power in the resturan http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-315077.html The little fella redeemed himself It was the windiest weather I have ever seen or felt all night in Vik thus keeping my tent thoroughly vented and not one drop of condensation was able to buy property in my tent. So I woke up Sunday morning completely dry and caught a bus to the next village of Skogar. I met up again with Ethan the med student from Taiwan and he was also going to Skogar. We http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Vestmannaeyjar/blog-314285.html Well well Still havent gone anywhere except a litle bit in Iceland.Last winter I went on some jeep tours in the highlands and not much in the summer was working.The first week of August I went with my boyfriend and our friends to the south of westfjords had amaizing weather and a great time.Probably in september me and my boyfriend will go somewhere but we havent desided jet whereWell probabl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-314139.html Midnight Arrival It was a murky misty arrival close to midnight. Out of the window there had been solid cloud all the way and now we were treated to our first real glimpse of Iceland bare rock lava and mist. My first thoughts were how do people scratch a living off thisIn fact what were we doing flying from one damp island off the Atlantic to another more northerly one situated at the e http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Northwest/blog-313990.html A very very white xmas was spent in Iceland. We headed over on the 23rd and as we were landing were confronted with the moon like landscape. Completely different from all the photos we had seen of iceland. The ground was flat and rocky with a light dusting of snow. It was also barren with no trees or bushes.First day in we went to check out the town and to purchase our christmas presents for t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-313450.html Happy Belated Birthday Dagny Sad I can't be there for you.Yesterday we went downtown with Mom and Dad met Uncle Atli and Auntie Barbie for some hot chocolate. Mom bought some wool we did a bit of souvenir shopping then we came back to the house to start to get ready for the big party. Auntie Barbie brought a hair straightener. I was in heaven. Plus Mom had a bunch of eye shadow. I thin http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-313191.html So now it's Saturday afternoon. I passed on staying at the National Park because it was as usual raining. The bus ride today took me past one of the nicest places I've seen in Iceland so far. It's a lagoon near the ocean and there is a glacial tongue at the end of it. As ice breaks off the glacier it becomes icebergs that float in the lagoon for up to 5 years before finding their way to the ocea http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Vik/blog-312849.html Friday August 15Today I arrived in Hofn Iceland. A town of about 1800 on the southeast coast of the country which sits near the tongues of 3 major glaciers. My previous 2 nights were spent in Egalsstadir which was one more night than originally planned but when I woke up at 6 a.m on Thursday to catch the bus I decided that it was entirely too early to get up on a Thursday so I went back to sl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/North/Seydisfjordur/blog-312847.html Well we have somehow managed to pack a lot of stuff into 2 days in Iceland I will start with yesterday probably with agonizing detail. Have fun.We woke up early still on the old European time zone 2 hours ahead and managed to catch Iceland lose to Korea. Mom just told me that Iceland beat Russia and Germany the world champions and this is Iceland's hope to win a medal this Olympics. We http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-312569.html invellir nacionalinis parkas yra svarbus savo istorine reiksme. Cia 930 buvo ikurtas vienas is seniausiu pasaulio parlamentu Aling. Cia vykdavo debatai buvo baudziami nusikalteliai skandinamos nusidejusios moterys...ir kitais budais vykdomas teisingumas. Geografine reiksme nacionalinis parkas svarbus tuo kad cia viena nuo kitos slenka Amerikos ir Eurazijos plokstes. Regione dazni zemes dreb http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/blog-312470.html We spent our last day in Hveraderdi off route 1 about half an hour south east of Reykjavik. Its situated the other side of the mountains from Eggy Valley my name for it and the first glimpse you get of the town is when you are decending down the main road which curls round the side of a mountain. Its in the highly active geothermal area so there are plumes of steam randomly popping up from t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-312327.html Had a bit of a cry this morning. Our time in Iceland is coming to an end and I don't want to go home I have fallen head over heals in love with this place. I loved Australia but this is different. I have done so many amazing things here and I want to do so much more. I could easily stay here for a month and never tire of it. Today we went to the geothernal springs at Krysuvik which is not fa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-312085.html We arrived in Reykjavik yesterday afternoon. So happy to see Mom and Dad I almost cried.They drove us straight downtown where Ash had her first Icelandic hotdog I had a bun with the fixings. We walked through the downtown which isn't big and drove back to amma and avi's. Had a lovely dinner met with some family got some icecream and went to bed.This morning we got up early and watched Ic http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-312045.html Ok so first an appology. I didn't really think anyone would read this journal so I have been really rather lax with the spell check. I have just read back through a couple of entries and it is really annoying and I am so sorry I type really really fast and make a lot of mistakes and I am too bone idle to read back over my entires and correct them. I will try harder to type properly from no http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Vestmannaeyjar/blog-312035.html Is Selfoss isvykome labai v279lai nakti. Susivelinom po darbu taciau per daug nieko nepraradom linksmybes Reikjavike prasideda nakciai isibegejus. Taip tai garsusis Reikjaviko naktinis gyvenimas Jeee Ir ne be reikalo jis pasaulyje yra liaupsinams. Islandai tikrai moka linksmintis na arba galima pasakyti moka selti. Tuo isitikinom tik pasieke Laugarvegur gatve. Tai ne tik pagrindine a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-311773.html After Akureyri I made it to Lake Myvatn. It's in an area of significant volcanic past. It's also known as an area that get's very little rain because it's in the rain shadow of a major ice cap. I could go for a major Ice Cap right now. Where's a Timmy Horton's when you need one. Back to the rain story. It absolutley poured all day on Monday when I arrived in Myvatn. I was sick of putting up sl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/North/Seydisfjordur/blog-311704.html Above iceland. We try hard to drink ourselves into a stupor and sleep it off for the rset of the flight to Miami. It is James039 turn to go to the kitchen and get us some more cans of Grolsch GOOD DUTCH BEER MON but a group of germans have the same intentions as we have and block his way to the kitchen and all the icecold beer in it the very purpose of his trip. Being physically speak http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Vik/blog-311250.html Satuday we needed a little rest from all the madness so we decided to head to the blue lagoon in the morning and then hang out and explore Reykjavik in the afternoon.It was well worth getting to the Blue Lagoon early as it was much less crowded than when we went last wednesday afternoon. The tour busses tend to turn up around lunchtime so before that its much nicer. The changing rooms were a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-311017.html Sunday August 10So it rained Saturday night. The tent did what it does. Not that I'm not impressed by the microclimate created in such a small area but waking up with my hair soaked and the risk of getting all my stuff wet isn't fun. I packed up the tent and headed to the gas station to catch the bus to Akureyri around noon. I met a German school teacher who was also going to take the bus. He ha http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/North/Akureyri/blog-310827.html Saturday August 9Well my second and third day in Reykjavik went off pretty smooth. After my rain out night I stayed at the hostel the second night and then used a hostel tent the third night. The third day I spent laying in a hot tub at the natural pools next to where I was staying. They are a lot like the ones at Radium. Then I walked downtown and bought a bus passport which allows me to go arou http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/North/Akureyri/blog-310824.html Need I say we had another wonderful day I am seriously so in love with Iceland. I never want to leave. It is the most beautiful country on the face of the earth I love every bit of the scenery it's all so amazing. The mountains the black sand beaches the glaciers the friggin' ICEBERGS It's heaven here. Today we flew to Hofn right on the other side of the country.We started off at the crack http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Hofn/blog-309904.html I am bone tired right now. Its so great to finally be in bed Another fantastic day although I fear I will go home with a hole warn in my walking boots The hire car did us proud today as we embarked on a 190km drive from Reykjavik to Dyrholaey on the south coast. It was a brilliant drive actually route 1 is incredibly scenic you drive right at the foot hills of the most beautiful mountains. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/South/Vik/blog-309545.html Avui s dijous dia 7 d'agost i s el sis dia de viatge. Aquests dos ltims dies hem estat a la zona est de l'illa. A partir de dema ens dirigirem cap a la zona nord la qual a priori sembla ser una de les zones ms interessants de l'illa. El paissatge continua essent espectacular i el temps sembla que millora poc a poc tot i que les temperatures continuen sent ms baixes del previst. El que http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Northwest/Isafjordur/blog-309503.html So it was onto my next adventure Iceland. As the name suggests I was expecting it to be pretty cold there but I was pleasantly surprised when I turned up and it was actually warmer than London My first day it was about 2325 degrees. Very nice It didn't last though and although it got cooler there was no need for the thermals I took along.Anyway I landed in Iceland in a place called Kefl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/Southwest/Reykjav-k/blog-309344.html