Blogs from South, Iceland, Europe - page 19

.....The ice was all around : It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound! Not quite as dramatic as the Ancient Mariner's trip but still very impressive! Today began with an early morning boat ride of the Jokulsarlon lagoon and definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I believe it was even worth losing the feeling in my feet and hands for the whole day to see the blue icebergs at close proximity. Not exactly the monsters I was expecting but still very impressive to see. The lagoon is formed by chunks of ice melting off of the Breidamerkurjokull glacier I promise these photos are just the tip of the iceberg (pardon the pun) - it's truly amazing the ridiculous number of photographs that you can take of exactly the ... read more

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. So I turned my gaze from civilisation and soon I was miles aways amonst the icebergs and yes, seals! The glacier is melting more and more each year so I'm not sure what this place will look in a few years? The blue ice is an illusion and due to the ice being so compressed with no air inside. The boat trip was not long enough for me and I wished we'd had longer there. Once out in the water the boat steadied and there was plenty of time ... read more

We enjoyed our first night in our hotel in Skaftafell. The hotel has fantastic views of the surrounding countryside,a turf church on site and three little fairy houses by the front door to welcome any of the Hidden People who might pay a visit! Our plan for the day was to spend the morning searching for puffins and then head for the National Park where we would have opportunities to explore the local trails, visit the Black Waterfall and maybe do some ice climbing. We were all very excited about seeing the puffins. Iceland is home to one of the world's largest colonies of puffins. Over half of the world population of the Atlantic Puffin breeds in Iceland. Our guide also told us how during breeding season Icelandic children mount rescues of baby puffins. A baby ... read more

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 it was the most beautiful waterfall 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. It's amazing how few people there are at each place. A real pleasure for us! It was a beautiful place and the waterfall with its backdrop was tranquil and peaceful. We drove onto the Skogar Folk Museum which was fascinating. This is known as one of the best folk museums in Scandinavia. At last we discovered a little bit of history amongst the dramatic ... read more

We set out this morning from Hella to the Skaftafell Region to visit Seljalandsfoss, our first waterfall of the day. This waterfall of the river Seljalandsá drops 60 meters over the cliffs of the former coastline and it is possible to follow a walkway behind the fall of water. We arrived early and found the place very quiet. Although the waterfall was undoubtedly stunning the whole area proved to be very picturesque with sunlight streaming through the clouds to light the surrounding fields and distant farmhouses. Walking behind the waterfall was a lot of fun, although obviously very wet. We followed the path round behind the fall and then back up the rocks on the other side. We headed next towards Skógar Folk Museum. We drove past several other waterfalls along the way - tiny streams ... read more