Blogs from Mývatn, North, Iceland, Europe - page 2

Rano prselo. Prekvapive. Mam pocit, ze zde ve fjordech meli hezky tak v roce 1987. Kde je nejake globalni oteplovani, kdyz ho clovek potrebuje? Nebo alespon lokalni oteplovani? Takze jsme se trochu poflakovali v kuchynce a cekali na otevreni mistnich lazni. I kdyz jeste prselo, tak jsme preci jen vyrazili na prohlidku mestecka. Opravdu to nezabralo dlouho. V podstate tu maji jeden modry kostel (zavreny), jednu barevnou ulici (opravuji: ulicku) a asi 5 otevrenych obchudku s design vecmi, ktere bych si nekoupil asi ani v pripade, ze by staly tretinu penez. Mistni restaurace (jedna ze dvou) mela akci 2 za 1, coz nas presvedcilo, ze si tedy poprve dame poradne jidlo. O houbovou polevku a fish&chips pozdeji jsme nesetrili superlativy. I kdyz Katce prislo jako skoro svatokradezne smazit lososa v trojobalu, tak se pri jeho konzumaci ... read more

We crept out early, but Filip still managed to see us off. We first visited Gođafoss then headed to Húsavík where we boarded Náttfari, got decked out in overalls and headed out to sea to search for whales! The sea was very, very rough & we had to hang onto the rails to stay upright - many people ended up hanging over the back rail losing their breakfast. We did spot 2-3 humpback whales and Chavaunne managed to get some good photos – I’m claiming some credit for them as my job was to brace her against the rail allowing her two hands to hold the camera! Lots of sea birds, guillemot & fulmars. Plus they gave us hot chocolate and cinnamon buns on the way back to port. The sickness tablet Vicky took meant she ... read more

Today we left the Glacier Hotel at Hoffell and set out on a huge driving day. It was grey and showering and quite cool. Every time we got out of the car we needed puffer jackets and our little beanies! Continued up the coast driving along many fjords. The road was really something. Up and down, blind corners, direct drops from high on the mountain sides look straight over the side into the ocean. All made for a spectacular coastal drive. First stop was at the Eggs of Merry Bay at a town called Djupivogur. The town was a tiny fishing village and an artist had sculptured large granite eggs in colors representing local bird species. There were 34 eggs making quite an artistic sight along the harbor front. Driving on we saw amazing scenery including ... read more

Departed early this morning for url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/M%C3%BDvatn/@65.4610223,-16.2711969,9z/data=!4m21!1m15!4m14!1m6!1m2!1s0x48cd9c44953c07dd:0xcde4cb0dbf732a88!2sLake+Myvatn,+Iceland!2m2!1d-16.9961055!2d65.60386!1m6!1m2!1s0x48cc04800da89ed3:0x95bf416b2c7c7f54!2sEgilssta%C3%B0ir,+Iceland!2m2!1d-14.3948469!2d65.2668743!3m4!1s0x48cd9c44953c07dd:0xcde4cb0dbf732a88!8m2!3d65.60386!4d-16.9961055Lake Myvatn (2 hr 10 min from Egilsstadir), formed during a massive eruption 2,300 years ago. The region is still a site of geothermal activity, with fresh lava flows coming from the most recent eruption of Krafla volcano in 1984. One of the premier birdwatching areas in the world, Lake Myvatn’s marshes provide habitat for huge numbers of migratory birds during the summer. More than 115 species have been sighted at the lake, including 13 species of nesting ducks. Numerous... read more

Geologically speaking, Iceland is a new country, only 10 million years old. By contrast, Uluru is more than 400 million years old. Iceland has more than 30 frequently erupting volcanoes who, spectacularly, contribute to the growing land mass of the island. They famously curtail international air flights at will and create wastelands that are thoughtfully being revegetated. Iceland also has five lumbering giant glaciers who are retreating 500 metres each year, thanks to climate change. Several volcanoes lie below glaciers and make for powerful and unique natural disasters. Unsurprisingly, ICE-SAR is a world leading search and rescue organization with 30 thousand volunteers (10 percent of total population) who specialize in volcano, glacier and ocean operations. Running through Iceland is the only place on the planet where the Mid Atlantic Ridge exists above sea level. The zone ... read more