Iceland – glaciers

Written by: Jessica
Captions by: Diego

Our flight arrived in Iceland after 11 PM. The Reykjavik airport was quiet as we went through the immigration/customs procedure. It was pretty quick, thankfully.

We then headed to the Budget car rental desk as we had reserved a vehicle there.  They tried to sell us car insurance, but our credit card covers car rental. However, most credit card insurances don’t cover damage specifically caused by volcanic gravel and ash, which is all over Iceland, so we did get the cheaper insurance for that ($50 for a little Ford Fiesta). Honestly, by the end of the drive, that was a mixed result. We did get some small little chips on the windshield, but nothing large enough to be noticed or cared about by Budget. Still, it made us feel more comfortable throughout the trip. I’d advise checking with your credit card for specifics on your coverage for rental vehicles, if your card includes such a program.

Once we had our card we drove to a small bed and breakfast style hotel in Keflavik, a town very near the airport. We hadn’t wanted to make the nearly hour-long drive into Reykjavik, the capital, due to the hour. Our room was pretty nice, and we settled into bed.

In the morning we slept in late. We figured out the showers—the plumbing is very different as to how to set the water temperature and pressure, and the pipes are extremely narrow in Iceland. We periodically needed to turn the water off to let it drain out of the shower pan. Unfortunately, bed and breakfast style didn’t mean breakfast was included.  We assumed it had, per reviews, but they were no longer offering it for free to keep costs down. However, we had slept through breakfast hour for the local recommended café, and the others we tried weren’t open.

So, we determined to have an early lunch in Reykjavik. However, we were struggled to find any open café along the freeway. Instead, we ended up making it to Thingvellir/Pingvellir.  That is a very interesting place as it is the site of Europe’s first parliament and has a lot of history. It is also the site of two tectonic plates meeting which creates unique geography. For fans of Game of Thrones scenes have been filmed at this large national park.

Following that, we went to a nearby cafeteria and got our first taste of Icelandic food. There weren’t many options, and we ended up with pizza. Iceland seems to have adopted a lot of American and European food. The pizza was not very good and was a bit pricey. The price wasn’t a surprise and we assumed that the taste of the food was due to it being a cafeteria. Still, it was what was available, and we were very hungry by that point.

Our next stops on the Golden Circle were Strokkur Geysir and Gulfoss. The geysers were fairly regular, erupting much more frequently than Old Faithful in Yellowstone, although they were also much smaller.

Gulfoss was extremely impressive.  Apparently, Game of Thrones has also had scenes of the waterfall filmed, but never used.  This is actually a common theme: several shows and movies have had scenes filmed in Iceland, more on that later. The weather was quite cold, about 32F (0C) with very strong winds, and occasional snowfall.  At the waterfall, the winds of winter were blowing so strongly that you had to hold onto the rails to prevent yourself from being blown backward. I bet, if I’d been crazy enough to open my coat to either side of me, I could have truly been blown away.

After the geysers and waterfall, we ventured back into the car (it was like hiking up Everest). Our next stop for the day was our cabin for the next couple of nights. Diego drove, and he needed all of his skill at driving in snowy weather in Wisconsin to make it safely to the cabin. I spent my time checking the road map of Iceland, showing road conditions. To anyone ever driving in Iceland, check your online road safety guide religiously. Conditions change rapidly and most sound negative.

Most common conditions (with Diego’s take):

• Slippery – the road is now ice for miles
• Icy spots – black ice, good luck seeing where it’s at
• Snowed – you better have a big vehicle to ford snow banks, Oregon Trail-style
• Extremely slippery – you’ll be doing 360s on the road

Worse categories:

• Impassable – Gandalf blocked this road
• Difficult driving – Only stunt drivers allowed
• Difficult condition – A cute way to say, “this is suicide”

“Easily passable” was the rarest road condition but the most hopeful to drive through. I had us avoid snowy and difficult roads, and even then, we came to a spot that was snowed over with cars stuck. We made it through, barely, by following a large SUV and not stopping otherwise we would not be getting out. Said road was then listed as “Snow” instead of its previous “Icy spots” after our drive through it. We should note that highways are generally two-way roads. During snowed in roads, most people tend to drive in the middle of the highway unless there is oncoming traffic from opposite direction. This is probably the safest thing you can do because the sides are slush and full of snow, making it really easy to plow right into a bank or lose control of your car.

We stopped in Vík (small Icelandic town) to pick up groceries and dinner. This is where we realized that Icelandic food just isn’t that great. Dinner was no better than lunch. We picked up some groceries for breakfast and dinner and continued our journey. Darkness had fallen and road conditions were even worse. We saw a tour bus that had gone off the road. We kept the car running for the heater and to prevent frost build-up on the windows. We eventually made it safety to the cabin.

The next morning, we got up and drive on icy roads to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon where we met our tour guides for a tour into an ice cave. It was beautiful to see the cave, although the crowds were very thick and it was honestly frustrating to try to get photos and look around when mostly you are seeing other people in such a small space.

The guides tried to convince all of us that the rock formations that look like they have faces are trolls, frozen into rock permanently because they were caught by the sun. They also tried to convince us to believe in elves. Honestly, not sure how much of it was trying to con foreigners for a laugh, and how much was serious. The guides also told us that the “Super Jeeps” some companies drive are worth $400,000 USD! Our company was a bit smaller, but still had an extremely expensive vehicle as that is the only way to reach some outdoor areas. Normal off-road vehicles wouldn’t last very long in this country. Companies buy new trucks (they like American vehicles made to take a beating, no Hummers) and then gut the vehicle. A new suspension, frame, transmission, and just about everything needs to be reconfigured.

Afterward we enjoyed a look around the Glacier Lagoon and Black Diamond Beach, where small pieces of the glaciers, battered by the rough waves, get spat back onto the beach.

Luckily, although the wind remained strong, it wasn’t as cold so we could enjoy the sights for longer. On the way back to our cabin, we stopped to take photos of the beauty along the way. Just about any photo in this area of Iceland, or most of Iceland really, is worthy of a postcard.

The next morning, we drove to Skaftkafell, a glacier very near to Jokulsarlon, where we went on a guided hike on the glacier. On the way, we stopped at a strange chunk of twisted metal. Apparently, it had been part of a bridge destroyed by mud flows after a local volcano erupted.

Before our hike, we put on crampons (ice hiking accessory for your shoes), grabbed an ice axe (emergency use and photographic prop only, not actually needed), and then our guide took us out onto the Svinfelljokull glacier. Apparently, you are allowed to go out on your own, but it’s not very safe if you don’t know what you are doing. Approximately a week before we were there, someone went out alone, got lost about and died from the cold when he didn’t make it in before dark. The guide told us about this, as he and the other guides form the rescue groups for those who get into trouble on the glacier. It’s also fairly easy to fall into a hidden hole within the glaciers – a 30 to 50ft (10-15m) drop.

Movie note: Interstellar’s ice planet, Die Another Day (007), and Game of Thrones have all been filmed on this glacier, or the connecting ones, including Jokulsarlon, where we were the day prior. For GoT junkies, this was where the icy scenes North of the Wall have been filmed.  During the hike, we were taking into a crevasse in the glacier. If you spot any dark flecks in the ice, those are pieces of ash, forming a record in the ice of volcanic eruptions. The bluer the ice, the more compressed and older it is.  Oxygen-rich ice (fewer years of compression of the snow) is whiter in color. Sadly, due to global warming, they are retreating and slowly disappearing.

After the tour, we slowly made our way back to Reykjavik, taking lots of photos along the way.  We stopped at the famous Black Sand beach, which is the most dangerous beach in the country. It is known for sneaker waves that will haul people right into the ocean and to their death, as the water is so cold, rough, and gets deep quickly with a nasty undertow.

We also took photos from Dyrholaey point, near the lighthouse (which was closed), and of a very more waterfalls along the way.

Sadly, none of our nights at the cabin, where we had the best chance away from city lights, did we get to see the Northern Lights.  The weather was horrible each evening—freezing rain, snow, cloud cover.  We could barely spot any stars, let alone have enough darkness for the northern lights to show, if the solar conditions were right for them in the first place. Maybe we’ll get to see the Southern Lights, later in this trip….