Glaciers n' stuff
No time for rest when you’re trying to see an entire country in only 14 days. So, much like yesterday, today was a whirlwind of things to do and see.
Wake up was at 7am in order to eat some breakfast before heading to our rendezvous point for the glacier ice cave tour, with Glacier Adventures. I cannot recommend them enough. Sig, our guide was knowledgeable, funny, and an excellent driver. Oh, and this is what we rode in up the glacier to the cave.
The drive was about 30-35 minutes of bumping and jostling, and so much fun! Once there, we got a quick download on safety and the history of the glaciers in the Iceland.
Inside the cave was a magical place of blues, blacks, and whites. So unreal at times.
But don’t be fooled by the beautiful images that I’m about to post, the ones you can see on Instagram, or on the internet … this is what the reality of the tour was.
Sig told me that there are about 20 caves in the area that could be open at any one time given weather, road and cave conditions. He also mentioned that while his company only does a few trips a day, there are more than 20 companies doing the same thing. So depending on cave and timing, you can be fighting for photographic position and priority with upwards of 60 people. Most people are nice and accommodating of your photographic wants, but it only takes one a-hole to ruin the trip for you. It also doesn’t help that some of the more advanced shots I was attempting required upwards of 30-40 seconds per exposure.
All that said, it was a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend that anyone traveling to Iceland take a tour. They do have tours that cost more that take you on a private trip to more remote locations.
Snow to Sun
This country’s weather never ceases to amaze or befuddle me. We went from snow and glaciers, to sun and greenery later in the afternoon.
After our cave trip and a brief stop at the wind swept glacier lagoon, we headed out of the area. Svartifoss was our next stop. It was a beautiful 2km hike up the canyon, past two other waterfalls to reach the main falls. The canyon is ringed by giant basalt columns that the falls run over. Gorgeous.
Hike completed, we headed toward our hotel for the night … but instead we drove past it in search of Vinbudin, the national liquor store! After rummaging through a poor selection of options, we stopped at the gas station to top off, and have some more hotdogs!!
The days are flying by now, and we’ll soon be home, but for now, we are the happiest people on Earth. Here’s to another day in the land of fire and ice!