Blogs from South, Iceland, Europe - page 10

Another day, another hotel, but we are slowly making our way back towards Reykjavík. We woke this morning to rain, but not to be put off we headed out to the glacial lake Jökulársón where the glacier slowly breaks up into icebergs and they float out to sea. We went out to see the main glacier on a zodiac boat which was fantastic. No seats – you just perch on the inflatable edge and hang on to rope handles. Although we were layered up and they dressed us up in survival suits and life jackets, it was still cold with the rain and spray but the views were fantastic. Because it is warm the tops of the icebergs slowly melt away and then they flip over and the undersides are bright turquoise, the tops are mixtures ... read more

Today was a day on the road, travelling from the highlands, to the south west and then across to the east of the island (due to the presence of Vatnajökull, taking up most of the central eastern part of the island it was not possible to take a more direct route). Yesterday we saw the western side of this monster glacier and today we have seen most of its southern edge and it dominates the whole south eastern area with little between the glacial mountains and the sea. En route we stopped at Dyrhólaey, named for the arch stretching into the sea (holey door). This place is well known for its puffins and windy aspect. We experienced both today. The puffins were fantastic but the wind was so strong that it was hard to stay on ... read more

I think we can describe today as river deep, mountain high, plenty of both and a distinct lack of bridges. And it’s been a long day on the road over 7 hours. We started out this morning heading the same way as yesterday planning to go and visit a lake and then go on to the hotel. However, that got aborted as we watched a lorry go through one of the fords that we needed to go through and decided it was too deep and too rough for us to attempt in the car. After all, there is a sticker on the dashboard reminding you that no insurance covers you for damage in river crossings. So after consulting with the map we planned an alternative route. The journey took in the vast volcanic desert for miles, ... read more

A quiet day today: most people go on holiday to take R&R; we have R&R days within our holiday. Not that the holiday isn’t a holiday, but if you read our other blogs you will figure it out. Today we checked out the local town Hella, population 810. Our transatlantic cousins may refer to this as a one horse town but as it is surrounded by horse farms a one horse town it definitely isn’t. What’s more, it is full of amenities: petrol station, supermarket, handicraft centre, other shops, hotels, restaurants and bars. We then moved on to Selfoss. One of our guidebooks describes it as “witlessly ugly”; this is rather cruel to the 6570 people that live there. Although it is described as a city, it is basically a town, it serves the local population, ... read more

On quitte l'hôtel plus tard aujourd'hui. On a une liaison de seulement 200km à faire sur le malbik (pavage) aujourd'hui. Le programme est tout de même d'essayer tous les petits chemins de travers que nous rencontrerons. Il fait beau aujourd'hui. 12 degré Celsius et le soleil brille malgré l'averse avec qui on jouera à cache cache toute la journée. Les oiseaux protecteurs de leurs poussins auront été la constante de la journée. Des oiseaux blancs et noirs aux pattes orange volant devant le camion pour servir d'appât et attirer notre attention. De gros oiseaux bruns battant des ailes pour impressionner. Un oiseau gris qui feint la blessure pour nous sembler une proie facile. Des sternes arctiques agressives au point d'attaquer le camion... Le premier chemin vers les montagnes commence sur une digue de protection. Les courants ... read more