New Thing #87 - Iceland - Day 5 (South Coast)

October 30, 2016

Up at 6:30 to prepare for our 8:00am pick up. I had forgotten that our voucher requested a confirmation phone call the day before our tour, so I was freaking out a bit that we wouldn't be picked up, but our driver/tour guide Lasma was on time and an absolute sweetheart (we noticed that Icelanders are always on time for tour pickups....well, accept one time, but I'll get to that tomorrow!) It was nice not to have to wait around all the time.

This time around we were on a minibus, so quite a few less passengers than we had on Friday. We were also going to be on the bus quite a bit more since our tour today would take us through waterfalls and glaciers to the southern coast. (Good thing the bus came equipped with wifi!) Lasma was a delight, and I loved listening to her talk. She told us everything from Icelandic history to culture to topography and food. She drove us along the Ring Road, or Route 1, that literally makes a circle around the entire island. She told us that in the summer when the weather and roads are better, you can rent a car and drive the entire thing in 7-9 days. Still boggles my mind a bit when I go to other countries and they're that small.

Beautiful morning.

Real Feel: 24....another chilly morning!

Random waterfall that Lasma stopped at so we could take a photo.

After about an hour and a half, we stopped off at our first attraction of the day: Skógafoss waterfall, one of the biggest waterfalls in the country (still not as large as Gulfoss though). Lasma told us that on sunny days, this waterfall was notorious for producing spectacular rainbows, and we weren't to be disappointed today. As we pulled up, the sun came out and dazzled us with a brilliant rainbow. The ironic part is that this was literally the only time the sun came out for the rest of the day. So happy we got to see this!

Doesn't seem that tall until you stand in front of it.

This particular waterfall had steps to climb so you could get a bird's eye view of the top. Lasma had warned us that it was a bit of a hike, and she recommended if we go up there to keep a steady pace. It didn't look too terrible, so we went for it, and dear sweet baby Jesus, it's a miracle we made it home alive. The good thing is that the stairs were sturdy metal with holes cut out so they weren't slippery, but there were a billion of them. And as we got closer to the top, the wind kicked in and nearly blew me off. Like, nearly blew me off the stairs and down the side of the hill. No joke. But, I'm no quitter, and I was determined to make it to the top, no matter how wet and cold I was.

Just the start.

The views of the surrounding areas were quite breathtaking, but it was impossible to get any good photos. The wind was so strong I had to hold on to the guard rail and the spray from the waterfall kept clogging up my lens. It's amazing I even got any photos. Even my sunglasses were completely drenched. I turned around about as quickly as I could because we were on a time crunch to make it back to the bus in time. Thankfully, going back down was much easier. I passed Angela part of the way down, and she too was determined to make it all the way to the top. That was quite a bit different than climbing all the steps in St. Peter's or the Duomo in Florence. We didn't have to worry about a strong gust knocking us on our asses there!

Worth the hike.

HA! SO WINDY! AND WET!

Tried to take a panoramic shot, but the lens was drenched.

How is Angela's lens not completely wet?!

Part of the way back down I was able to dry the lens a bit.

You can see the stairs along the right side of the photo, and we went up to the top where that little black hump is near the middle.

You can see the landing area better here.

Yep, went up there. Mother Nature was no joke.

The rainbow didn't last very long, and it started raining shortly after we started up the hill. This weather is what we had the entire rest of the day.

Back on the bus to attempt to dry off and we headed next to Reynisfjara, the famous black sand beach with basalt columns along the southern coast. (This beach is ranked in the top 10 most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world.) And this beach was definitely far from tropical. Before Lasma dropped us off she warned us of the dangers of the tide and not to get too close to the water. She was drop dead serious when she said it's killed more than a few tourists who don't pay attention. Message received, Lasma. I'm staying the eff away from the shoreline!

Seriously, no joke.

We thought the wind and the rain were bad at Skógafoss, but that was child's play compared to the wind whipping off the waves. The views were absolutely breathtaking though and photos don't do it justice! There were more basalt columns formed from lava like we saw in Giant's Causeway in Ireland. Who knew these things even existed, and now it turns out they're pretty damn common. Still cool as hell though.

Reynisdrangar,:more basalt sea stacks. Legend has it that the stacks are from when two trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke, they turned to rock.

Either way, they look eerie.

I scooped up some of these rocks at varying sizes, including the much smaller black sand. One of my favorite souvenirs I brought back (and not just because it was free.)

I look like a scientist getting a test sample.

Seriously couldn't stop taking photos.

Some of those people are getting a bit too close for comfort.

After we took photos from every angle imaginable (except next to the water), scooped up some black sand and lava rocks of our own, we headed back inside the cafe to warm up and have a hearty bite to eat. We brought along some of our own food (we had packed some PBJs and chips), but Lasma recommended we try the lamb soup. If you bought a bowl, you got a second bowl free, and we ate every single drop of both bowls. Brothy and full-bodied, it was best lamb soup I've ever had. (Okay, so it's the ONLY lamb soup I've ever had, but I don't think anything else will compare.)

If you stop in, get the lamb soup. You won't regret it.

Seriously delicious.

Lunch went by quickly, and we headed next to Sólheimajökull Glacier, probably most known because it is called the incredible shrinking glacier. It's shrunk around a kilometer in the last decade alone. It's also one of the most accessible glaciers for tourists, made even more so by the Game of Thrones production team. If you've seen GoT, you'll remember some scenes with Jon Snow, Yorin Halfhand and the Wildlings. Well, these scenes were shot on this glacier, and in order to get all the production equipment from the Ring Road to the glacier, they built a brand new road. The government couldn't very well turn that down, so they granted the road and the use of the glacier to HBO. It's amazing what you can do with a little time and little money.

You can't see it from the parking lot.

Just the tip.

It was still a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lot to where we could actually see the glacier and it was incredible. I don't know how to describe it, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. You can actually book tours to walk on the glacier, but with our limited time in Iceland, we just didn't have enough time for that. I don't think Angela would have been too keen on trekking along the ice, but I think it would have been so cool!

The lake where the glacier is melting in to.

Oh yeah, it was raining sideways at this point.

Only people on a tour with crampons could get on the glacier.

If you look closely, you can see people walking in a line.

Tiddly bit nipply up here!

Take a selfie on my phone and you end up on the blog. :)

My turtle never made it out since it isn't waterproof. It did make for a nice impression under my jacket though.

And speaking of cool, it was downright frigid out here! Between the temperature of the air, the fact that we were in spitting distance of a giant sheet of ice, and the rain and sleet coming at us sideways, it was impossible to really stay warm. But, at least we stayed dry. If I haven't talked about my clothes enough yet, I highly recommend the Stormtech brand of waterproof gear. I get special deals through work, so they were cheaper than any North Face, etc. brands. My jacket and pants were equipped with the highest wind and waterproof rating you can get, and that proved useful time and time again.

A bit damp out!

I still can't believe what some people were wearing. I know that special gear costs money (our stuff wasn't cheap), but I wasn't about to wear leggings, tennis shoes and a leopard print fuzzy jacket with no hat or gloves. That poor woman looked miserable as she was clearly soaked to the bone. I hope she didn't catch pneumonia from being out there all day! If you learn anything from reading the blog, it's that there isn't bad weather here, just bad clothing. Spend the money to get some quality pieces, and you'll be thanking yourself over and over again.

After our trek to the glacier, Lasma let us try Malt Extrakt, a non-alcoholic malt extract beer made in Iceland that was pretty tasty. I'm not sure I could drink a whole one, but it was good. She also taught us Skål which means "Cheers!" in Icelandic.

She also gave us each another traditional Iceland treat, a piece of rye bread topped with smoked lamb to try.

Also, not bad!

It was too overcast/cloudy to see the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, notorious for its last eruption in 2010, causing flight delays all over Europe due to the ash cloud that shot out of it. Iceland has definitely capitalized on this time in history, since they have this plastered all over t-shirts, mugs, magnets, you name it. It could also be because it's impossible to pronounce.

Our final stop of the day was Seljalandsfoss waterfall, famous for the fact that you can actually walk behind it. If it was even possible, the wind picked up even more when we got there, and we were already drenched from our day. The trek behind this waterfall was a bit more treacherous due to the slippery rocks and steps leading down in to it, but we still managed to make it. My phone case was toast though. Every time I'd clean the lens off, it would just get wet again, so I gave up trying to take any more photos.

Who knew waterfalls could be so cool outside of a tropical environment?

Check out the wind whipping the water everywhere!

We love waterfalls!

Ang appreciated that I wore a blue jacket. I was pretty easy to find in a crowd.

Standing behind the waterfall.

Look closely at my cheeks, they're drenched!

After an exhausting day fighting the rain and the elements, but seeing some spectacular sights, Lasma drove us the 2 hours back to Reykjavik. She was such a trooper driving though. The sleet and wind made it difficult to maneuver, but she handled it like a pro. Once we arrived back in Reykjavik, we were spent and didn't feel like hiking around town to find a place to eat. While I wanted to try some more authentic Icelandic fare for our last night in town, we ended up an a burger place because it was literally 2 blocks from where we were staying. Not even sorry.

The "Texas" burger, complete with mac & cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce.

Here are some of the Icelandic tidbits Lasma shared with us throughout the day.

1. Early in the day we drove through a sleepy little town named Selfoss, which translates into waterfalls. Ironically enough, there are no waterfalls in Selfoss. They can, however, boast that World Chess Champion Bobby Fisher is buried there. He apparently liked the area so much that he moved there after he retired and gained dual citizenship in Iceland. Who knew? Selfoss also has the country's largest milk plant and slaughterhouse. They make a ton of skyr here.

2. Icelandic is an old Norse language, as it was settled by Norse Vikings way back when. The language is pure and hasn't changed since then, so modern day Icelanders can read Norse texts dated over 1000 years ago. How freaking cool is that?! Even Norwegians can't do that.

3. As we found out on Friday, Parliament was established in 930 A.D. where Þingvellir National Park was. They adopted Christianity in 1000 A.D.

4. Icelandic horses are the most purebred horses in the world. They are descendants of Mongolian horses and are so pure they have no diseases. No one is allowed to important horses of any kind into Iceland, and once an Icelandic horse leaves the island, it may never return. They have beautiful manes of hair, and have 5 different gaits. One of their gaits is so smooth that you can place a glass of water on the horse's back and it wouldn't spill. My one regret is that we didn't get to pet any horses. :(

5. There is a Christmas tradition about 13 Yule Lads (or Santas) that used to be horrifying for children, but over the years, parents smoothed out the edges a bit and made them more friendly than terrifying. There is 1 Santa for each of the 13 days before Christmas (don't ask me why they came up with 13 as the magic number), and some of them include a Santa who likes to slam doors during the night, one who uses a hook to steal meat, another who steal children's candles, just to name a few. On each day, kids put out their favorite shoe. If they've been good, that Santa puts a sweet of some kind in their shoe, but if they've been bad, they get a potato. I can't make this stuff up, people.

6. Iceland is a hotbed (literally) of geothermal activity, and geothermal pipes heat the entire island. There is no need for gas furnaces or anything when they have Mother Nature to keep them warm. This hot water is also what is used in sinks and showers, and the rich minerals in the water make it unsafe to drink. It's a good thing I didn't drink any of the hot water prior to today! Cold water on the other hand is some of the cleanest water in the world, and we were able to fill up our water bottles from any tap. It was delicious!

7. Icelanders don't have typical last names, as they take their father's first name as their last. So, if your dad's first name was Jon and you're a boy, your last name is Jonsson, literally translating into "Jon's son". If you're a girl, it's Jonsdottir or "Jon's daughter." First names are also usually quite traditional, and if you want to name your child something other than an Icelandic name previously used, you have to get special permission to do so. As you can imagine, this makes things a bit confusing, as lots of people have the same name. Iceland has developed a nifty ID system to keep track of everyone, giving each new born his or her own identification number. This ID number is used for everything, including determining how closely you might be related to your future spouse.

In case you hadn't realized it, the entire island has roughly 300,000 people, so finding a life partner that you're not related to can be a bit dicey. Being the forward thinking island they are, they created an app that allows you to input your ID number and that of your suitor to see your relationship before things get too serious. Who knew you'd need an app to make sure you weren't dating your cousin?!