Thursday, October 15
Today there was nothing scheduled through Icelandair, so Beth planned an all day tour of Iceland's south coast through Nice Travel.
After another filling breakfast, we are picked up by guide and driver Hakon. There are 12 of us in a van/minibus which is much nicer than the big bus adventure. All of our rides have emphasized that seat belts are required in Iceland. Hakon has an easy, warm, casual approach and announces that we will go to the furtherest destination, Vic, first and make most stops on the way back, but he's "still making the plan". First stop will be a gas station!
We wind our way out of the city, noting that it is a pretty clean city - occasional graffiti, but generally litter free. We pass a few familiar chains like KFC, Subway and Domino's. No McDonalds, as they left over a disagreement regarding their meat.
Outside the city we see more snow on the ground and on mountains than yesterday.
We pass some lakes and see birds - mainly ducks, gulls and swans. Signs of some thermal activity here and there. Quite a few horses, but Hakon says they are only for recreation and enjoyment. (He does not mention that people eat horse meat here, perhaps because he knows that Americans find it distasteful. They also export it to places like Japan and Switzerland.)
First stop is a huge gas station complex that includes food and a gift shop, as well as the main reason for the stop - restrooms. We've been told these are a good place for reasonable food but it is a bit early for that now.
Our next stop is Urridafoss Falls which doesn't have a dramatic height, but it drops 100,000 gallons per second - the most in Iceland. It is cold and windy on the quick walk to the overlook and when we return, shivering, Hakon tells us that the weather is fine. There is nothing wrong with the weather. If you are uncomfortable it is only because you are dressed incorrectly! (Said in a humorous way, but... true.) This is one of a few stops that wasn't listed on the itinerary.
Hakon is an informative and entertaining guide and volcanoes is his next subject. He says Iceland is just waiting for the next eruption for there are 130 active volcanoes here - not with lava flowing but with the potential. He tells us about an offshore island eruption in 1973 that was very unexpected. People pulled together and evacuated the island in less than 3 hours, mostly in fishing boats.
We stop briefly at Eyjafjallajgkull where a volcano erupted in 2010 and he explains how people evacuated and then returned to care for animals and clear ash from roofs for 3 weeks until they could return. Some American news people began to refer to it as the E-15 volcano, because the name was unpronounceable and had 15 letters. There is a nearby glacier of the same name. A farm near the parking lot has sheep and horses.
The Icelandic language, he says, is one of the oldest and most complicated and is very difficult to learn if you aren't born to it. It is based on old Norse language and the alphabet has 36 letters. There are many words that can mean different things depending on how it is said. In all the world only about 300,000 people speak it and those appliances or kits aren't likely to have an Icelandic instruction version. Kids now days are more fluent in English because of social media, tv, movies, etc. He says he corrects his 14 year old daughter's Icelandic and she corrects his English! Three mandatory languages are taught in schools - Icelandic, of course, then Danish and English.
Next stop is the fishing village of Vic. The last volcano to erupt there destroyed most of the town in 1918, except for this famous red-roofed church. The 300 people in town expect another eruption some day and do evacuation drills periodically. The residents are confident, but there is some concern for up to 1000 tourists who visit each day. The 3 sea stacks in the ocean represent people who were supposedly saved by trolls during the 1918 eruption.
Trolls and elves are everywhere on the island according to legends and some beliefs. Elves live in the lava fields and are party animals and quite mischievous. Christianity was initially imposed by a Norwegian king and was begrudgingly adopted, but then took root and grew. Next stop is the black beach at Reynisfjara, about 7 miles from Vic. We are urged to be extremely careful as sneaker waves and rip currents have claimed 7 lives here in the past 10 years. There are ropes marking perimeters but they are ignored by most. There is a cave, basalt columns and sea stacks and of course the black sand made from ground-up lava.
The Atlantic waves are quite dramatic and unpredictable at times and sometimes send people scurrying.
I overhear someone talking about how a big storm in February washed most of the sand inland and great efforts were required to move it back to re-create the beach. (Just like recent activity on the US east coast!)
We have a quick lunch at the cafe here - burgers for Gwynne and Greg and fish 'n' chips for Beth. Gwynne chats with Hakon.
Another stop at Dyrholaey arch a short while later. The arch itself is rather hidden but the beach and rock formations are beautiful.
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| Hay field but little else in the way of crops |
Hakon next tells us about schools in Iceland. They are mandatory from 6 to 16 yrs. Then college and university. All are free, as is excellent healthcare. These are covered by quite high taxes, but residents see high returns for their high taxes. If additional education is required that is not offered in Iceland, the government will pay for students to go to Norway, Sweden, Finland or Denmark. Healthcare that requires specialization not available here is also paid for, including travel for a companion to accompany the patient anywhere in Europe.
We pass several waterfalls and can see more in the distance.
Equality for all is huge in Iceland. Male and Females receive equal pay. We did get a hint of some resentment of immigrants from one taxi driver, who complained that immigrants get a free ride for some licenses and things that Icelanders have to pay for. We had one driver from Sri Lanka and in talking with a European neighbor here, she mentioned that the problems and riffraff from Denmark are known to go to Iceland.
The Glacier Solheimajokull is our next destination, requiring a bit of a walk which crests a small hill. The winds were fierce on the other side of the hill and it was cold despite the sun. One can walk to the edge of the toe of the glacier, but not on it. (There are other tours that actually hike on glaciers.) Like all the glaciers in Iceland, it is getting smaller each year. There are many chunks of ice floating in the water around it.
Hakon says we are running a little late, but promises to get us home before breakfast!
Next stop is the waterfall Skogafoss, impressive with a 197 foot drop. There is a trail to the base - recommended by Hakon, or over 400 steps to an overlook at the top. We passed on the steps. Beautiful falls with a nice rainbow from certain angles.
Pretty, snow-topped mountains interspersed with valleys and pastureland.
We arrive at the last stop about 5:30 but it is still quite busy. Seljalandsfoss is beautiful and equally high. This is the one you can walk behind over a rocky uneven trail. Gwynne says she's read a suggestion to walk the trail counterclockwise, so we do!
There is some wind and we get quite wet from the blowing spray at one point, but we've donned our waterproof pants and came prepared. We make sure to get a picture of Gwynne for a friend that passed on it when here and told Gwynne to do it for her.
On the return trip to Reykjavik Hakon explains that they do not have family names like much of the world. Each person's last name is their Father's name with either "son" or "daughter" added. Women keep their own names when marrying. So in Hakon's family, he, his wife, his son and his daughter all have different last names! He admits it can be a bit confusing when traveling through customs and passport control! I suppose if you go back far enough, that's how Johnson, Thomson and the other "sons" evolved.
It is 8:00 by the time we get back to our hotel room! Long day! We get a suggestion for a new dinner spot from the front desk and walk to Hekla which is a hotel with a small restaurant. It is named for a nearby volcano known historically as the "Gateway to Hell", which last erupted in 2000.
Gwynne has a good looking chicken salad, while Beth has a tasty mushroom soup and Greg a beef carpaccio.
We organize things for tomorrow and get directions to a local grocery store where Beth hopes to pick up a few treats to take home for people. An email from Icelandair suggests allowing a little extra time due to some new security things, so we call our arranged taxi company and ask them to come a little earlier. We also ask the front desk if we can have the room till 1:00 instead of 11:00 checkout, which they are agreeable with.
All set for a good night's sleep!
