Ice Hiking on a Glacier and more Iceland Adventures

The next day we took it easy after the long road trip and decided to enjoy a little bit of Reykjavik.   We took the bus over to Kringlan, which if you don’t know, is the place to go for all of your shopping needs. Kringlan is the biggest mail, and it also has a Hagkaup Supermarket and Bonus not as super market.  We wandered through the mall evaluating offerings from top Icelandic brands like Hugo Boss, Body Shop and Adidas.   About half of the malls stores are American or European brands as Icelanders import most of their culture. 

After some vigorous window shopping we proceeded to the food court.  We settled on Serranos, a popular local burrito place. After the woman explained to us what a quesadilla is (thanks, I didn’t know) we ordered a burrito.  Burritos are relatively inexpensive for Iceland at only 900 Kr. ($8).  After lunch (and 8 glasses of water after Richard underestimated the spicy salsa) we cruised to Hagkaup for some groceries.  We also passed by one of the state run liquor stores.   They can only sell liquor for a limited time each day, and they have to charge obscene prices, per Icelandic law.

The mall and liquor store had free gift wrap stations!

After we got back, we rolled over to one of downtown Reykjavik’s other public swimming pools.  In the pools, you are required to shower fully before you go in, making it seem reasonably clean. We then walked around the city for a bit too. (By the way, you can click on any of the photos to see them bigger too :-) )

Feeling relaxed we wandered through the streets back to the hotel to prepare for our big night on the town.  Fast forward to midnight, we figured since it was almost dark outside, we could go out.  The streets were crowded and we wandered by and through several bars to soak up the nightlife. 

The next day we woke up early to prepare for our big ice hiking expedition.  Our bedroom had two shades because it is so bright all the time.  (The sun is up from 5am to about 11:30pm right now).   It's like the movie Insomnia, but fortunately, neither of us shot a police officer.

We boarded our tour bus to head for the glacier.  What's the glacier’s name?  If I told you, you couldn’t even pronounce it.  Starts with an S, ends with a jokull.  Sólheimajökull. 

We drove for a couple hours to the dirt road leading to the glacier.  This is a glacier tongue, as it is a small part of the glacier that has squeezed out through a mountain pass.  When we say small, we mean relative to an entire mountain’s worth of ice.  At one point our guide told us we were standing on some 600 feet of ice.  (*He said 200 meters)

Whats the scariest thing you can hear on your way to hike up the side of a glacier, wearing only crappy sketchers loafers and a sweatshirt?  No bathroom stops for 3 hours!!  This is madness.

We strapped on our crampons – basically metal spikes – and loaner hiking booths.  Beth demanded hiking boots with at least a 2.5” heel, and in a color to match her outfit.  After a little back and forth, she agreed to wear the ones provided.   After this, in her agitated emotional state, she was handed an ice axe.   Personally, I don’t think Beth should ever be given an ice axe, and some of the below pictures vindicate me.

Crampons

We hiked up and around the glacier, reaching an elevation several hundred feet about the trail head.  We saw crevasses, moulans and glacier monsters.  Moulins are depressions that form when melting ice congregates and increases the rate of melt in an area.  The water then brings dirt and debris into the moulin, and water eventually drains out through a series of tunnels that are forced through the ice.  At the bottom of the glacier, a huge underground river gushed water.  The level of the glacier falls enough that the rock piles remain above the surface.  They insulate a mountain of ice below them creating a monster affect if viewed with a liberal eye and through a mist of fog.   The glacier views and scenery were just incredible.  A major highlight of the trip.

Walking on ice!

                               

Moulin

On the way home we stopped at a view point of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted last year.

Eyjafjallajokull in the background

That evening we again went out and stopped at a sports bar to catch the end of a basketball game.   We watched with Svingi (?) an Icelander who had lived in Philadelphia.  He told us that many Icelanders learn their English from American and British TV.  After that we stopped at one of the local Waffel Trucks and shared a sublime fresh waffle with chocolate and whipped cream.  Exhausted, we returned home.

On the final day here, we returned to the Blue Lagoon as part of an airport transfer package.   After a few hours in the lagoon, we put as much sample product on ourselves as possible.  Beth started with anything for more than 10,000 kr. per bottle.  After checking in, Beth was singled out for a thorough passport and baggage check.  I didn’t want to say anything, but I have always lived in fear of her, and now, apparently, the authorities are onto her.  Afterwards, we found out it may have been related to her ticket being purchased in her maiden name.  We may never know who incorrectly purchased these airline tickets, but Richard will be much more careful next time.  Now, we’re waiting to board our flight out of here.  Does anyone want to pick us up at the airport? :-)   (we're actually posting this later now.. and made it home okay, no thanks to any of you! ;-) )

Some final thoughts on Iceland:

The weather never really got below 40 degrees, and even on the glacier, Richard often took off his beanie because he was sweating so much.  Today, the weather was in the mid to upper 50s.  Beth actually returned from Iceland...with a tan!

The glaciers and lava based terrain was very unique to us.  Interesting geothermal activity.  All very cool and interesting to see.

All of our photos are able to be seen at: https://picasaweb.google.com/103069234450074012107/Iceland

Our Road Trip Day: Iceland

[as we write this, it is 22:30 on Friday, perfectly bright outside and far too early to consider going out.  Per our sources Icelanders do not go out early because drinks at bars are far too expensive.  So, they pre-party at home.  You can only buy alcohol at special stores, one of which we visited today (next blog) at the Kringlan Mall.  If you think Beth hates paying $4 for a light coke, wait till you see the rage at paying 6 times Charles Shaw pricing for crappy wine!!)

Today (actually a few days ago now) we took a road trip along Iceland's STUNNING (all caps intentional) southern coast.  Neither of us have driven a car in a foreign country before (unless you count driving in Berkeley for the last 2 years of school) so driving through a country known for weather hazards and difficult terrain was certainly exciting.

Richard arrived at the car rental place early in the morning to pick up the fanciest car they had (fancy = cheapest) a Hyundai Micra, which was only "Micra" in terms of its size, interior space, trunk space and engine size.  Beth would like to point out we could have saved $9 by going with a manual car, but since I hate everything un-American, I drove automatic.

We set off at 8:40am along route 1 (routes #2 - route # infinity are unused at this point in Iceland) south and west towards Selfoss.  Selfoss's primary attraction is a traffic circle and a Toyota dealership, followed by a second traffic circle.  Through Selfoss, we arrived at something awesome.

Something Awesome:

Seljalandfoss is one of Iceland's numerous awesome waterfalls (not to be confused with their ample supply of average and below average waterfalls.  It's in their top 5 and definitely a must see.

Richard:  How do I get to se-he-je-landa-foss?
Viking Car Rental Guy:  Seljalandfoss?
Richard:  Yes.  Dude...you know I can't pronounce it, just tell me how to get there.
Viking:  You can't miss it.
Richard:  Thanks, can you be more specific.
Viking:  You'll know.
Richard:  Thanks.  Enjoy December here!

And actually, he was right.  It is clearly visible from the highway for many kilometers (kilometres) away.  It comes right off the side of a mountain/volcano.  It is  pretty awesome.  You can go right up to it, and actually can walk behind the waterfall.  In the Icelandic tradition, there are no guard rails, and the trail involves sliding down moving, slick rocks.  So that was fun.  Naturally, Beth wore heels.  (side story:  Beth's dad one time practically carried her on a hiking trip because she couldn't walk due to her heels).  (Beth: these were totally functional boots with treading.. and waterproof, which came in handy when everyone else's shoes got wet on the boat later!)

Seljalandfoss Waterfall

Behind Seljalandfoss Waterfall 

After that we zoomed for Jokulsarlon, which means "Glacier Lagoon."  It's a newer lagoon that has glaciers in it from the glacier that takes up 11% of Iceland, and is the largest in Europe.  The 4 hour drive there is relatively uneventful (though beautiful scenery), as you see maybe 5 cars an hour and literally drive by no more than 1000 residents the entire way, most of them in the seaside town of Vik.

The landscape is incredible and new to us.  Lava fields, black sand, glaciers, mountains, etc.  Beautiful drive.

Seen along our drive

We took the glacier lagoon tour.  We will allow the photos to describe it:

Arriving at Jokulsarlon - Glacier Lagoon

The special boat we took - drives on land and water

On the boat

Icebergs throughout lagoon, broken off from enormous glacier covering the mountains behind

3pm.  We are 5 hours from home and have 8 hours of daylight.  What do we do?  We didn't plan this trip at all (unlike other trips which were meticulously planned) due to the amazing real estate market which is keeping me busy.  If you'd like more information about buying a home or an investment:  http://www.richardschulman.com/.

We decided to head back, instead of heading further to Hofn, mainly beause Hofn doesn't have the cachet that a Skaftafell or Hekla does.  Obviously.  We headed back to Skaftafell park, only because the hotel there actually responds to emails.

Side note: many tour companies here do not respond to emails in less than 24 hours.  It is maddening.

They said we could hike from their hotel, so, not having anything better to do, we drove to the Fosshotel Skaftafell.  (Foss = waterfall in Icelandic).  Knowing we weren't going to book a room ($317 per night last minute, I would rather go swimming in the Atlantic off the coast) they cheerfully guided us to a hiking trail.  We walked until the trail ended.  Richard, the explorer, strong and brave, said, let's keep going.  Beth, the girl who just jumped out of a plane and thought it was really cool, said that we shouldn't walk off the trail.

Long story short, we wandered for about 2 hours in the foothills off the glacier and had an amazing time.  We were totally alone and experienced some stunning views.

Near the foot of the glacier

                     
After a couple hours we wandered back to the car, and then we drove on.

We stopped in the recommended seaside town of Vik, which has beautfiul black sand beaches and a gas station.  *Beauty not applicable when winds are 40 km/h and it's really freaking cold.





We saw another waterfall, that the Viking had recommended and we stopped.

Skogafoss is a waterfall visible from the highway, but even better as you get closer.  We parked our Micra in the dorky car lot, where the cool kids get to park further along in the all gravel road parking lot.  Damn Subarus!

The spray was so intense off Skogafoss that we couldn't get closer than 20 metres.  WE MISS YOU IMPERIAL SYSTEM!!  We took some cool photos:

Skogafoss Waterfall

And then we saw it... innocuous at first.  A stair case up the mountain?!?  Cannot resist a staircase.  So we climbed.  We ran up, and then down the stairs, something like ~350 stairs in all. See photos:

[part of] the windy staircase up

And going down

After running down the stairs and back into our cozy Micra we gunned it back to Reykjavik.  Totals for the trip:

700 kilometers of driving
3 gas stops
$150 in gas (like 7 million krona)
2 waterfalls
0 people of any ethnic background other than white, really white, and white/likely albino.

That's our Micra

Connecticut & Iceland: Day 1 and 2

Flew to NY last Thursday. Went to our hotel in Stamford, CT (the hub of our East Coast trip). Took the train into the City on Friday. Had lunch with Jamie at Bryant Park - very nice, that area is buzzing at lunch time with business people taking a lunch break - especially since it was quite a nice day. Walked through Times Square. Met up with Nathan and his cute 5 month old, Zachary, in Central Park, for a nice stroll through the park. Had drinks with Erica in Rockefeller Center. Then caught dinner in Union Square and a walking tour through the West Village with Brent. Saw Glee being taped on the street in West Village, and also passed by Tom and Giselle's townhome (or whatever the NYers call these types of homes), which had a party going on (probably a Draft party).

Next day had Papa's/Phil's 90th Birthday party in Norwalk at Sono Brewhouse. Lots of family from all over, including people who hadn't seen each other for many years. Great times had by all. Photos to come later.

Sunday attended Dena's wedding. Greek Orthodox ceremony in Stamford. Reception at beautiful Waterview venue in Monroe. Good food, lots of fun.. Rich was especially fond of the massive dessert bar, complete with smores station (hold the marshmallows) and chocolate fountain.

Monday had lunch with Papa/Phil and Uncle Alan before heading to JFK to fly to Iceland.

After a 5 hour flight, landing at 6am, we got right over to the bus terminal and soon picked up a tour to the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle consists of:


1. Gulfoss - a ridiculously powerful and large waterfall

Gulfoss Waterfall

   


2. Geysir - Geyser goes off every 5 minutes and shoots off water up to 20 meters. It only took us about 6 tries to time it right to get photos and video!
     
                              

3. Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir) - site where 2 tectonic plates (The Eurasian and North American) are visibly separating. Also the historical site of the first parliament.

Came back to our hotel (Castle House), which really is "serviced apartment" style, with a living room and kitchen, which is very nice and convenient. Right on a lake and near the center of town. 

View from our Apartment

Our Living Room

Walked through the town, surprisingly quiet in the evening - we hear the nightlife starts pretty late (around midnight), and especially on weekends. But at 6pm on a weekday all the stores were closed. There are tons of restaurants in Reykjavik though. We walked through the main part of town and then all the way to a large public geothermal pool. These are extremely popular in Iceland. Large pool filled with naturally warm water from the earth. They also had "hot pots" of varying temperatures (aka hot tubs). These are popular for locals to come, socialize, swim, etc.

Speaking of water, one of the first things we learned is there is no shortage of water in Iceland. The hot water comes naturally from the geothermal springs in the earth and the cold water is pure spring water. This is the water that comes into the homes here, and is free to everyone. Its not uncommon to see water drinking fountains constantly running, and urinals in the mens rooms on a motion sensor where they all flush at once (per richard). The hot water (including in our apartment) is geothermal water with sulfur naturally occuring in it - which you can smell. Though it is entirely safe and natural (everyone here is used to it). you're not supposed to drink it - and its also kind of gross if you accidentally do. Though the cold water is very safe to drink, clean and fresh, and sometimes called the best water in all of Europe.

Next day (after finally catching up on sleep), we went whale watching. They gave us amazing insulated jumpsuits, which really kept us surprisingly warm. Beautiful sail out of the harbor, where we saw harbor porpoises and minke whales.

Awesome Arctic Suits

Does this make my butt look big?

After we got back we decided to try a traditional Icelandic dish called "pizza". Since many traditional Icelandic foods revolve around whale or shark, this won't necessarily be a culinary excursion for us.

In the afternoon, we made our way over to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a man-made lagoon, sitting next to a natural hot spring. It is filled with naturally warm water (2/3 salt water, 1/3 fresh) from deep within the earth. It has over 200 types of (good) bacteria that is supposed to be very good for your skin. There is this amazing pure white silica mud, which you put on your face and allow to dry, and is supposed to be good for your skin.  

"Now She's Mine" -Richard

The Blue Lagoon itself is dug into a lava field (from an explosion in 1226) and is a really incredible site. The water is steaming with mystical steam because of the freezing air.  It was 4 degrees celsius outside when we were there. (And it also stays open and people come even when its more freezing and snowing). They have a sauna (built into the lava rocks) and a steam room. After a nice relaxing afternoon and evening at the blue lagoon, we made our way back to Reykjavik. Only after we saw the bus leaving without us from the parking lot, and Richard literally sprinted and successfully chased it down.

At the Blue Lagoon

Random observations from our first two days:


People in Iceland are really nice. It's almost disturbing.
They do seem confused when they tell you place names like Hjaltastaðaþinghá, Skriðdalshreppur, and Egilsstaðabær, and you don't understand what they're saying and you can't repeat it back to them. We have barely been able to learn any of their words, and when you see many of them written, you wouldn't have the slightest clue how to pronounce them.

The Icelandic money is the króna.  It goes at about 100 to 1.. So everything seems realllly expensive at first.


We have gotten a lot of inquiries about what the weather is like here. It is surprisingly warm.  It is typically in the mid-40s at this time of year. Of course, they use celsius so it's been between 5-8 degrees, which makes it seem colder.  


Also, it stay light until about 11pm at this time.  


Coming up next on an all new episode of Beth and Rich: The Travel Blog: The Greatest Road Trip Ever.