Blown away by Iceland
IT IS the extreme weather conditions that make a visit to this land of volcanoes, thermal springs, glaciers, raging rivers and thundering waterfalls so fascinating. During our visit we experienced gale-force winds, heavy rain, snow and brilliant blue skies, sometimes within just hours of each other.
Along the southern coastline – an area where volcanic sands are littered with large pebbles – the traveller can find themselves in a catch-22 situation.
If it rains too much, the only road circling the island is flooded. If it doesn’t rain enough, this volcanic sand mixture can play havoc with car windscreens and windows. Sometimes we saw dozens of abandoned vehicles which had had such punishment meted out to them.
If this sounds dramatic and scary… it is. Especially as the wind can lift you right off your feet. We truly experienced the expression “blown away” by the magnitude of Iceland. But this does nothing to detract from the adventure.
Reykjavik, the world’s northernmost capital, has a charm of its own, with gaily coloured houses straddling the hills on which it is set.
Most visitors rush off to visit the site of the world’s first parliament, founded in Iceland in 930AD.
The famous Golden Circle is inevitably on every tourist’s itinerary: it offers a geyser which fills with blue water, which it spews into the air, and the immensely powerful Gullfoss (Golden) double waterfall. The island abounds with so many waterfalls in every shape and size, you become quite blasé as you visit another, and yet another.
Sometimes you can walk behind a fall, or peer down on it from above a rocky gorge; sometimes it is a narrow strip, sometimes a thundering mass. All this water and thermal power means the country is never short of power or heat.
You can stroll along beaches which are as black as the Earl of Hades’ waistcoat, but surprisingly, you can also frolic on a beach as golden as anything on offer here in South Africa – but the water is pretty chilly. Seabird colonies, dramatic rock formations (said to be petrified trolls with their beached boat, for those who relish folklore) can all be found.
A visit to the museum in Skogar is fascinating. We learnt that the inside of fishing boats were often made from driftwood. Fishermen’s pants were soaked in cod liver oil to soften them. The family bed had a board at the side to prevent occupants from falling out as the narrow space was shared by three people. Whale bones, often licked hollow by cattle after their salt content, were used as pots. Women made felt linings for their men’s shoes – all linings had a fancy pattern to help them identify their own footwear.
The saddles of old were so heavy, one wonders how the Icelandic horses coped with the load. Incidentally, these horses are purebreds, because there was a ban on importing Arabian or other horses.
A trip on an amphibious vehicle through a glacier lagoon studded with floating icebergs is special. In one area huge volcanic boulders have become completely overgrown with verdant moss. If you travel the east coast, you will wander in and out of fjords, over mountain passes, and through quaint fishing villages.
Up north, one of the highlights is Lake Myvatn – for me, infinitely more pleasurable than the famous Blue Lagoon outside Reykjavik. It has the same blue thermal waters, set among black volcanic rocks, but is far less commercial and much cheaper. In this area you can also walk alongside bubbling mud pools or enter a lava labyrinth. The different colours of the sands are lovely.
I could go on and on, but should tell more about the farms, many of which have guest houses offering accommodation. This is not only cheaper, but much more fun than a hotel. To give a couple of examples, one near the town of Vik, Iceland’s most southerly village, had wooden cottages. Take a walk and spot the ubiquitous Icelandic horses, tossing their manes and rolling contentedly in the green grass.
Near the glacier lagoon, in the Hofn area, we checked into a farmhouse which was completely dominated by a skinny waterfall spilling over the mountain behind it. Yet another one, near Lake Myvatn, had been visited by a snowstorm. Here you could elect to stay in a cottage with a peat roof with grass growing on it – just like the Vikings of old. Yet another one seemed to be a former hunting lodge as the walls were decorated with various hunting trophies. Yet another in the Snaefellsnes area on the west coast specialises in horse rides. It is home to a multitude of multi-coloured Icelandic horses.
All these places sport sparklingly clean rooms with shiny wooden floors, pristine, comfortable bedding and great home-cooked fare – often specialising in what is traditional in their area. You might find yourself in a cottage with different rooms but sharing facilities, lounge and kitchen (especially if you are a group). All offer an opportunity to take long walks, or just sit and contemplate the scenery.
Some are beside the coast; one highland farm, deep in the interior, was reached via a bleak snowclad landscape. You want isolation? Head for the Modrudalur Valley, the highest inhabited place in Iceland.
Everywhere the locals will tell you of their folklore. Legend has it that one gorge was formed when Norse god Odin’s eight-legged horse stamped one of his feet on the ground. Another story tells how a pagan priest threw the idols of the Norse gods into one waterfall in the year 1 000AD, signifying that Christianity would become Iceland’s official religion.
Akureyri, the country’s second biggest city, lies at the head of Iceland’s longest fjord. It has lots of character and, allegedly, the country’s best ice-cream.
We drove along the fringes of the volcano which inspired Jules Verne’s 1864 novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
And if you think you are strong, try this on for size: On one beach lie the lifting stones, weighing from 23kg to 154kg each. These were once used to measure a man’s potential for working on the fishing boats.
If you couldn’t lift and toss the smaller ones – forget about getting a job. It seems unbelievable, but apparently those hardy men could sometimes actually pick up the heaviest ones!
Just a glance at some of the tall, sturdy modern-day Icelanders and you know you wouldn’t want to tangle with them.