11-JUL-2007
Lighthouse at Seltjarnarnes
During our last full day we did some exploring in Reykjavik. The Seltjarnarnes region is a small part of the city which sits out on the Northwestern tip of the city. This lighthouse is only reachable by foot during low-tide.
10-JUL-2007
Nupsstadur
These "buildings" are the remnants of a farm from the 17th century, which is still operating today, including a blacksmith forge, hay storage, and sheep stalls. Throughout the countryside we saw many buildings with these earthern roofs; in various stages of deterioration. Presumably the earth on the sides and roof provides insulation from the harsh Iceland winters. It was also very common to see these farms and homes tucked up under the face of the mountain; in a few places there were car-size boulders that had rolled down the mountain missing the homes - so far.
10-JUL-2007
Sagafoss Waterfall
During our drive to Vatnajokull we encountered many waterfalls running over the cliffs alongside the road. The Sagafoss was the most spectacualr waterfall we had seen on this day. We could have easliy doubled our travel time if we had stopped at each waterfall we had seen.
:: Expedition to the Vatnajokull (aka Heather's dream of a lifetime comes true) ::
***********Click on picture for more detailed photos of the glacier**********
The highlight of our visit to the Vatnajokull glacier was the Jokulsarlon (glacier lagoon), where the glacier empties into the ocean. This was the end point of our 12 hour 800 km saga today, and clearly the highlight of the trip. The sarlon is about 5 km long, and up to 200 m deep in places, with some of the bergy bits spending as long as 7 years floating around the lagoon before making it out to the sea. This was the location for two James Bond movie shoots. Enjoy the fruits of our long trek, while we get some rest.
10-JUL-2007
Our Rental Car
Just thought we should include a shot of our rental car, since we put in the shot of the Hotel Iceland! This thing was terrible on gas, and boy is my ass sore.
08-JUL-2007
Blaa Ionid - Blue Lagoon
This lagoon formed from the mineral salt-rich water from the steam vented to the surface in the middle of this massive lava field. Many people travel here from around the world, for the healing properites of this water. The steam you can see in the background is a geothermal plant which generates electricity and steam for the surrounding area.
08-JUL-2007
Lava Fields
Much of our driving this day was spent traversing lava fields such as this, which are the result of eruptions over the past few hundred years. The road on the right is typical of the cross-country tracks which run from one community to the next; which seem to be built right on top of the lava. The steam vent off in the distance is the Blue Lagoon. I imagine this may be what it would be like to drive on the moon.
08-JUL-2007
Our Hotel in Iceland!
Here's a shot of our hotel in Iceland. You can see they have the open air concept here and plenty of air conditioning. Ok not really, but I think someone actually lived here a long time ago, within sight of the lighthouse at Valahnukur.
08-JUL-2007
Lighthouse at Valhanuker
This lighthouse is on the southwest tip of the island, which overlooks cliffs and an island with thousands of seabirds; as well as lava fields still fresh and black from an eruption 200 years ago.
07-JUL-2007
Gullfoss Falls - "Golden Falls"
You can hear the roar long before you see the falls. This is very much Iceland's Niagara Falls. This very cold water flows down from the Langjokull glacier a few miles away, eventually finding its way to the ocean. If you look closely you can see some brave souls (read fools) out on the rock outcropping over the falls.
07-JUL-2007
Volcano Explosion Crater
This explosion was caused by a volcano 6500 years ago. The Kerid Crater is 270 m long, 170 m wide and 55 m deep. The water in the bottom of the crater is 7 to 14 m deep. If you look closely you can see ant people on the top rim.
07-JUL-2007
Iceland Roads
We drove almost halfway across the country today. Not all the roads were of the best quality, as you can see. However, our little Jimmy had no problem navigating wherever we wanted to go. We were passed however, by some of the locals doing 100 km (at least) on these roads.
