Squiceland Day 5 - Langjokull Glacier

Day 5 - Langjokull Glacier - April 5, 2018

Today we went Into the Glacier. I booked a tour that was around a 2 hour drive from Reykjavik.  We made our way to the meeting point and got all ready to board our big ATVs.  These things were serious vehicles.

It was about a 45 minute drive up onto the glacier.  It was a whiteout blizzard outside, so our whole drive essentially looked like this.  I don't typically get car sick, but being stuck in a bouncing white box was making me queasy.

The tunnels into the glacier were made a few years ago.  As the glacier melts and shifts down the mountain, the tunnels move deeper and deeper into the glacier as they slowly slide down the mountain as well.

I believe that they were planning to make a big circle inside the glacier, but they came across a big crevasse and underground glacial river and they ended up with the heart shaped path above.  There is a chapel (for weddings) and a couple of other rooms in addition to the long corridor.

The poor girls feet were so cold.  We didn't plan great and only had rain boots. We layered up on the socks a bit, but we really needed boots with some insulation.

It was deliciously icy.

The glacier tour was really cool and I would definitely recommend it.  After the tour we made our way back to Reykjavik.  We didn't have any plans, so we ended up at a mall where everybody could pick what they wanted to eat.

That night we stayed in a little hotel right at the airport in Keflavik (about 30-40 minutes from Reykjavik).

I turned our trusty little Dacia Duster into the rental car agency because our flight the next morning was early.

Tomorrow, we are off to London.

Squiceland Day 4 - Vik to Reykjavik

Day 4 - Vik to Reykjavik - April 4, 2018

Did I mention how much we enjoyed this airbnb?

Such a cute little red fridge.

We drove up to the church on the hill overlooking the little town of Vik.  The rocks off to the left are in the Atlantic Ocean near the black sand beach that we will visit.

The church in Vik.

Our first stop today was at Reynisfjara Beach.  It is a black sand beach with basalt sea stacks adjacent.  It was tough to get a good photo of the basalt stacks because of the angle of the sun.

The waves on the beach were so powerful.  The broke right on shore and took people by surprise because every once in a while there was a sneaker wave that would come way higher than the earlier waves.  There were signs that every year or two somebody drowns on this beach and while we were there we saw a sneaker wave catch a girl who tripped trying to run from it.  I thought that the wave was going to drag her into the water and I was gearing up to try and help, without sacrificing my own safety, but luckily she was able to grab a rock.  She and a couple of her friends were completely soaked though, and it was frigid today.

That is one of the same rock formations visible from the Vik overlook.

A better photo of the basalt columns.  Reminiscent of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland.  Someday I'd like to see that formation.

Another lovely Icelandic church.

We next visited the Dyrhólaey Peninsula, just a few kilometers down the coast from Reynisfjara Beach.  For as small of an island as Iceland is there are amazing sights around every corner.

You can see the same rock formations on the right side of the photo above.  This was a blowhole that spurted water at every large wave.

Our next stop was at Seljalandsfoss. This is another of the more famous Icelandic waterfalls.  Since we have been home, I have seen this waterfall on everything from screensavers, to advertisements to even Music and the Spoken Word.  It is a very photogenic waterfall.

There is a trail that goes behind the waterfall.  It was really cold today, so Alison waited in the car with Lyla and Kate.  Only Ada was willing to brave the frigid mist.

The beautiful glacier water.

We made our way to the Golden Circle.  Most tourists to Iceland stay in Reykjavik and take day trips with tour groups to the stops along the Golden Circle.  I like to think that we're a little more adventurous than that.

Our first stop was at the Secret Lagoon.  This is a little swimming join with a large outdoor pool fed by geyser water.  Just up the hill from the pool are a few geysers.  When they erupt, the pool gets noticeably warmer, especially near where the water comes into the lagoon.

It was very pleasant, but none of us wanted to get out and make a run to the showers and locker rooms in the cold air.

This little cafe was at Gulfoss, the big mama waterfall in Iceland that is one of the top tourist attractions in the country.

No drones.  We actually saw these signs at many of the more crowded spots.

Gulfoss.  The total drop is only about 100', but they way that the water just appears to disappear into a crack in the earth is haunting.

You can see the canyon/crack that collects the water above.

Continuing on the Golden Circle we made our way to the Haukadalur geothermal area.  We watched a sorry eruption of the Strokkur Geysir (really, it was pitiful, but everybody watching clapped afterwards.  We all looked at each other questioning whether or not an eruption had really just happened or not.  I guess we've been spoiled, having visited both Yellowstone and New Zealand in the past few months).  Nearby Strokkur is also the Great Geysir, which is where the word geyser originated back in the 1400s.  Apparently it is a spectacular geyser, but only erupts intermittently and usually accompanies other seismic activity.

Just another example of how quickly the weather changes in Iceland.  The photo above was taken at 5:43, while the photo below was taken at 5:56.  Two different worlds.

We checked into our hotel in Reykjavik and then started searching for somewhere to eat.  We found The Roudhouse Reykjavik, which was very good, but once again was very expensive (have I mentioned that before?).  Alison's shake above was $10.  And that burger? $25! Yowsa.

Tomorrow, we visit a glacier.