Jenn Howe

Welcome back to Iceland! 🇮🇸 I guess I’ll give WordPress another go (for now), so come along and I’ll show you much more of The Land of Fire and Ice.

In the next (3rd) blog, we’ll return to the capital and I’ll share more about which buildings and sites you should visit, what food you should eat, etc. But for THIS blog, we’re leaving Reykjavík for a bit…

Remember Gray Line? The excellent travel/tour company I mentioned in the last blog? Well, I used their services for a lot more than just airport-hotel transfer. They have many stunning and informative guided group tours to different parts of the country. I joined a couple of day-long tours while I was in Iceland, and I was shown a type of rugged beauty that I’d never witnessed in this lifetime.

Keep in mind that cameras do not (and cannot) do this place justice. To experience the true glory of the coastal & remote parts of Iceland, you will simply have to see it all for yourself. Hopefully, though, these photos can provide just a touch of that magic and a bit of inspiration. ✨💫 🌋 🌊🏔🐑

First Journey: Heading South

Early one morning, I walked to the nearby designated bus stop and met with several other travelers from different countries — it wasn’t a huge group, just about…maybe 8 people, and there were individuals from Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and the U.S. (🙋🏻‍♀️) We were picked up by a Gray Line shuttle right on time, and the journey to the southernmost point of Iceland began…

So much wide-open, beautiful space on the drive. So much raw, untouched natural beauty. So much green. So many moss-covered lava fields. So many…SHEEP. 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

If you look at the above photo hard enough, you’ll see them. 👆🏼Those tiny white specks on the mountain, about 2/3 way up the image? Yeah, those are sheep. They roam free, EVERYWHERE. I think there are more sheep than people.

We passed several picturesque villages along the way. This one (below), is one of my favorites. It is Selfoss, which rests on the lovely Ölfusá River…

ALL of the water in Iceland is so…PURE. 💦 🚿 🌊💙

We had to refuel both ourselves and the shuttle at a gas station, and I got my first glimpse of popular Icelandic snack foods…

You’ll notice the word lakkrís several times in the first photo, and that means “licorice”. Yes, they have this obsession in common with other Scandinavian countries. I saw it all over Denmark and Sweden — licorice-flavored EVERYTHING. Ice cream, candy, you name it. I don’t understand this fascination, but…🤷🏻‍♀️.

In the second photo, you’ll see a lot of hardfiskur, or “dried fish”, and this is a very popular snack as well. 😐

And lastly, in the third photo, you’ll see quite a few flavors of SKYR (in this case, by the brand Ísey), which is a purely Icelandic food. It’s similar to yogurt, but it’s NOT yogurt, and Icelandic people get so annoyed when people make that mistake. But it’s understandable that people confuse them, because it IS a “cultured” product, and its consistency is close to that of yogurt, but it is technically classified as a cheese. It has been enjoyed by the Icelandic people for centuries, and you’ll see it all over the country.

We finally arrived at our first REAL stop: a historic and beautiful farm, where we were invited to come inside for a visit…

I wrote about this experience elsewhere on the internet, and here’s what I previously shared…

“…I was welcomed into an Icelandic home 🏠 …what a treat! It’s a charming, historic farmhouse in the area called Rangárþing Eystra. After we entered the house and removed our shoes (ALWAYS do this when visiting Icelandic homes!), the hostess served us fresh-baked pasteries as well as coffee, hot chocolate, and tea — all by candlelight (as all proper Nordic people do 🕯), creating an atmosphere of total coziness. ❤️ I noticed that Icelanders are similar to Swedes & Danes in their minimalist decor and presentation…NO clutter. Only the basic furniture, and whatever items they truly love AND use. They have perfected the art of blending beauty with efficiency/functionality. It’s the balanced and unique formula of STYLE + NO WASTE + “hygge” warmth = Scandi/Nordic heaven. 🙏🏻AND…the hostess also pulled out a guitar and sang a song…what an Icelandic angel! 💫…”

I mean, REALLY THOUGH. An angel with a voice to match. The lady of the farmhouse/estate was so kind to us. If you want to find her music online, by the way, you can look her up:

You can also see her on YouTube, performing on “The Voice” (Iceland) and elsewhere.

Then it was back to the shuttle, to watch a lot more green hills and volcanos fly by…

Sometimes we gazed out the windows in silent awe. Other times we chatted and got to know a bit about each other…and laughed about all our different accents. 🤣…….🇮🇪 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇪🇸 🇸🇪 🇺🇸 (I need the Arkansas flag).

Then we traveled further into the area know as Rangárþing Eystra, and we made our stop at the mighty waterfall known as Skógafoss…

This area is gorgeous, and I was there in September, so of course this popular waterfall was going to have quite a few tourists around. Still, it’s a must-see…any time of year. I’d like to go back and visit on a sunny day, or even when it’s partially frozen.

Next, we stopped at Sólheimajökull, a glacier located between the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull…

Amazing. That is a MASS of ice, the likes of which I’ve never seen. And you can’t truly capture it in an image. I’m so far from it in this shot, though I got pretty close later on. And if you’re interested, there are some groups/businesses that will allow you to hike ON the glacier itself (for a fee, of course).

It’s so sad that humans are destroying this planet, and the glaciers are all disappearing. Look at this:

This (above photo) is a sign made by Icelandic children. They have been measuring how much the water is rising each year as the glacier melts faster and faster. 😢

Yet another waterfall (below), this one called Seljalandsfoss. It’s a bit unique because you can go around and BEHIND the waterfall itself, though my photos hardly show this. The people look tiny, and when I got closer, my electronics were completely splashed by the water and they almost got ruined…

It really is gorgeous. Waterfalls are freaking EVERYWHERE. It was like the sheep — at least one sheep, one waterfall, and one container of skyr for each Icelandic person. Thus said the Lord. Or something.

Onward.

We finally arrived and stopped for lunch at the southernmost village in Iceland, Vík í Mýrdal. I chose to eat in this cool diner, which also had a great view…

And after a quick, tasty meal, I was in a rush to walk the gravel path to the ocean…and have my first BLACK SAND BEACH experience:

Volcanic minerals and lava fragments caused the dark coloring of the sand, and the result is striking to look upon.

An interesting (and terrifying) fact about this fishing village, as reported on Wikipedia:

“Vík lies directly south of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which itself is on top of the Katla volcano. Katla has not erupted since 1918, and this longer than typical dormant period has led to speculation that an eruption may occur soon. An eruption of Katla could melt enough ice to trigger an enormous flash flood, potentially large enough to obliterate the entire town. The town’s church, located high on a hill, is believed to be the only building that would survive such a flood. Thus, the people of Vík practice periodic drills and are trained to rush to the church at the first sign of an eruption. The town has 1,400 hotel rooms for scientists and tourists, who are also briefed about Katla’s dangers.”

😳 YIKES.

And here is the aforementioned church up on the hill…

Good luck to you, villagers. May Katla hold its fiery breath for another 100 years. 🌋

Out last destination in the south was the dramatic (also black sand/pebble) Reynisfjara Beach…

This natural pyramid-like formation of basalt columns is called Gardar.

Hálsanefshellir Cave (above), which is located at the bottom of Gardar, was featured in the film “Noah”. LOADS of tourists on this particular day, despite the rough weather.

Then there are the otherworldly basalt columns that jut out/up from the sea…the famous “Reynisdrangar” (below).

In Icelandic legend, it is said that the Reynisdrangar are the remains of a battle between two local trolls and a three-masted ship. When daylight broke, the two trolls were turned to stone, and the ship was trapped with them for all eternity, forming a group of sea stacks which are now called the Reynisdrangar Columns.

The real story:  these are naturally occurring structures that were part of (and connected to) the Reynisfjall mountain range during the last ice age. After long periods of harsh weathering, they have become eroded to the point where they are no longer connected and look like they sprang up out of the ocean on their own.

All in all, pretty exciting trip.

But now I’ll show you part of the Western Peninsula…

Second Journey: Going West

Another day, another shuttle with another small group of tourists headed to another part of Iceland. This time going westward — actually NORTH & WEST — to visit different parts of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Yep…lots more volcanos, the odd tiny house or church, wide-open space, lush greenery, waterfalls, and sheep. 🐑 Baaaaaaah. Oh, and horses! 🐎 Oh goodness, we can’t forget the world famous Icelandic horses!

We stopped at Ytri Tunga Beach, to walk along the shore and try to get a look at the marine life. This particular beach has golden sand rather than black, and it is the number one place in the country to spot Harbour Seals. Indeed, we saw them! 💕 But they were hard to catch on camera…

They would splash and play and suddenly shoot out of the water, but I just could NOT capture their jumps. 😅 It was a joy to see in person, though.

Our next stop was probably my favorite place in Iceland: the small fishing village of Arnarstapi… 🎣 🏠 🌊⚓️

Just gorgeous.

And the stop after that was probably my second favorite place in the country (apparently, I lived in a small, coastal fishing village in one of my past lives🤣). This village (below) is called Hellnar.

When we disembarked, our first order of business in was to EAT.🍝 This restaurant/coffee shop, called Prímus, was a stylish and cozy place to take a break.

I ordered a VEGAN pasta dish that was both delicious AND hearty, the espresso was phenomenal, and look at that view of the North Atlantic! I ate with an adorable older married couple who were traveling on the shuttle tour with me. Most people end up getting on my nerves, but these two were HILARIOUS. 😆 Especially the wife. I think they were from Maine.

After eating, I had some free time to wander around the village. I started walking up a steep hill toward a tiny wooden church, and I couldn’t believe my photographer’s luck as a man slowly approached the church…and then kneeled down in front of it. I stayed far enough away that I didn’t invade his space or disrupt his peace, but I got a couple of my favorite shots of Iceland as I watched this unfold…

I just could not believe this. Even the clouds were perfectly positioned. Holy moly. 💫 📸 ⛪️

I also loved the little cemetery behind the church.

And before we leave Hellnar, would you like to see a POLAROID of the church? You know I got you. 👊🏼 💥

#StillThePolaroidArtist

Then it was time to drive to our next adventure…an underground volcanic cave. 👏🏼

Yes, this is the place that inspired “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, by Jules Verne. And we were about to go into the darkness and down, down, dowwwwwwwn…

This was our fearless tour guide, who led us in a “Darkness Ceremony”. This REALLY left an impression on me. It inspired a poem…and in turn, the title of my upcoming book of poetry (which I’d considered naming “The Mighty” — but now, maybe not).

Once we’d crawled back up and out into the September daylight, we continued around the peninsula to Djúpalónssandur, a breathtaking beach and bay area at the foot of Snæfellsjökull, the famous glacier-capped stratovolcano. Interestingly, this is considered one of the earth’s top energy spots… 🔮✨

I almost got swept away by one of those “sneaker waves”. 🌊 😮

If you’re feeling strong, you can try to pick up the “Four Lifting Stones”, which are still on display in Djúpalónssandur.

They were historically used by fishermen to test their strength. They are Fullsterkur (“full strength”) weighing 154 kg, Hálfsterkur (“half strength”) at 100 kg, Hálfdrættingur (“weakling”) at 54 kg and Amlóði (“Useless”) 23 kg. They were traditionally used to qualify men for work on fishing boats, with the Hálfdrættingur being the minimum weight a man would have to lift onto a ledge at hip-height to qualify.

The last area we stopped in is called Grundarfjörður. First a gas station/restroom break (much needed, at this point)…

This (above) cracked me up. It’s an ongoing survey…obviously, to see whether customers were “happy or not” with their experience. The hilarious thing was how SERIOUSLY the locals took this survey. Every single Icelandic person dutifully punched one of the face buttons as they left the store. Without fail. They seem like the Danes in this respect: always making sure to participate, and following all rules to the damned letter. #scandinavia #DontBreakTheRules 😅

Then we stopped right at the edge of town to view the gorgeous mountain “Kirkjufell”, which has been featured on Game of Thrones…

Then we shuttled back to Reykjavík, enjoying gorgeous scenery all the way. 🚌

Two great trips, each one lasting about 12 hours, so you get a full day of sightseeing. Well worth the money. I saw many natural wonders and learned so much — including how to perfectly pronounce “Eyjafjallajökull”! 🏆

In the next blog — Part 3! — we’ll dive deeper into Reykjavík, and I’ll share a few more Icelandic factoids.

For now, it’s time for me to put on my authentic Icelandic sweater (Lopapeysa), and magically turn into Björk.

Until next time,

Jenn. 😘 🇮🇸