Today was the first day of a suite of tours I’m taking in Iceland. And I’m exhausted – I was picked up at 9am, and returned around 7.30pm I think? I took a bucket load of photos, which I’ll upload here…
Weird moss that grows on the rocky volcanic rockSomewhere, out there, we saw seals – they are super hard to photographIrrigation channels are dug everywhere, and then streams meader tooYep – a mini bus had wifif the whole time!A keyhole. In wild weather where I took this photos gets waves. There’s seagulls resting on the rocksSheeps leather, and calf skin for the backside. The skin nor wool of animals that had suffered accidents were not allowed – bad luck. Boots were cow hide, open at heel and toe to let water pass throughBlack sand (pebble) beach and a rock pool in the foreground – DjúpalónssandurBeautiful & lucky for sunshine (we changed our plans and it paid off – the rain was in the morning when we drove, and we got sunshine for the beach!)Folklore is STRONG in Iceland… And calling someone a troll now has more meaning for me 🙂OK, if I have to pose (seriously, peer pressure is a thing!)A fishing villageSculpture (random dude to left, I was sure he was out of the shot!)Water is everywhere in IcelandOur guides village – small (1000 people) and he was a fisherman for many years.
The guide told us anything and everything we might want to know. He grew up here for 34 years. He said the ocean is a blessing and a curse – they live so much off the ocean, in terms of food as much as trade. But it’s a vicious beast as the weather can turn very quickly in Iceland. He spoke of once, two boats going missing. Eleven people is a lot to lose from a village of 1000!
Modern church – they are all modern! And everywhere.
The population is 330,000 in all of Iceland and 210,000 in Reykvjaik. The weather is a reason why churches are plentiful – who wants a long travel in the dead of winter?
Sheer rock just seems to come from no where, and plateau too!
The tour was called ‘Centre of the Earth’ due to the chance to enter some lava caves or tubes. Yes, this was the inspiration of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, which I’ve not read, and now feel I probably should! The metal enclosure is the entry via a spiral stairway. Other than some stairways and boardwalks, there’s no lighting – it’s all a handheld torch. At one stage, we turned them all off, and listened to the silence. It wasn’t actually silent – there’s a constant sounds of dripping. There’s no wildlife inside the cave – I didn’t notice, but someone thought to ask.
The depiction of the caves – super helpful cause I can’t say I’d have got my bearings in there with only torches (Lava Cave Vatnshellir)Lava cave or tube – with stalicmites. I like the bottom left where you can see smooth lava, and imagine it flowingThis is called Church Mountain (Kirkjufell), as it looks like their main church in the city, which I’ve not photographed. Note my tricky reflection in a puddle 😮Quite small waterfall, near the Church Mountain.Basalt rock cliffsYep, me and the cliffs… BrrrThe famed sleeping pods! Pretty good, though upgrade would be sound proofCaramel yoghurt you can pour!? Had to try it! It was a $14 b’fast… so I fed up!
I wish I had steam left to post more, but I am exhausted (again) and despite a nap for the 2 hours drive after the seals.
If anyone found this and is thinking of travelling to Iceland, I highly recommend Extreme Iceland, and this the link to the tour details (including maps).
6 Replies to “West coast of Iceland”
Cool! Looks like a moonscape in places. Wiki says average temperature in May is about 9C? Are most of the churches Lutheran?
Most churches are in fact Catholic, not Lutheran – but there was a time in their history where the Danish tried to instill Lutheranism more widely. I didn’t listen carefully enough to share more insight.
Yep, I would say 9C is true in Reykjavik, but it’s shielded by mountains and therefore less windy and cold than in other ‘moonscape-y’ areas. I feel like wind chill also makes a huge impact in lowering the feel of the temperatures.
It is very different to how I imagined it! Much more lunar-like in landscape and I didn’t imagine all that basalt rock. I can imagine it would be a hugely different landscape again in the middle of winter. Love the glimpse of the snow-covered mountains behind the church!
Given the cold in May – snow & winter is almost unimaginable for me!! But is incredibly lunar looking, and they actually film a lot of TVs or movies in the outdoors because it’s other worldly look.
Cool! Looks like a moonscape in places. Wiki says average temperature in May is about 9C? Are most of the churches Lutheran?
Most churches are in fact Catholic, not Lutheran – but there was a time in their history where the Danish tried to instill Lutheranism more widely. I didn’t listen carefully enough to share more insight.
Yep, I would say 9C is true in Reykjavik, but it’s shielded by mountains and therefore less windy and cold than in other ‘moonscape-y’ areas. I feel like wind chill also makes a huge impact in lowering the feel of the temperatures.
It is very different to how I imagined it! Much more lunar-like in landscape and I didn’t imagine all that basalt rock. I can imagine it would be a hugely different landscape again in the middle of winter. Love the glimpse of the snow-covered mountains behind the church!
Given the cold in May – snow & winter is almost unimaginable for me!! But is incredibly lunar looking, and they actually film a lot of TVs or movies in the outdoors because it’s other worldly look.