Today shall be interesting as I will be hiking ON a glacier.
There are 134 volcanoes on Iceland, mostly near the Mid Atlantic Ridge, which we are driving over now. Years ago, an earthquake created a hot spring right inside a guy’s living room. He had to move.
The environment/weather depends on the glacier you are driving by. Some are nicer than others. I went back to Skogafoss, but the weather was nicer so I hiked up the hill to get a view from the top of the falls.
Skogafoss: A view from above the falls.
When renting a car, get insurance or you’re basically screwed because they’ll ding you for scratches small things caused by weather, even though they know the weather is unpredictable.
The glacier I will be hiking on is called Solheilmajokull, which means “Home of the Sun” glacier.
Solheilmajokull Sunrise
In the last seven years, three polar bears got stuck on an iceberg in Greenland and floated over in Iceland. They have to shoot the bears because they are predators, and can and will kill you. They try to put them to sleep first and ship them back to Greenland, but that doesn’t always happen. 😦
I am eating chocolate covered bugles which tastes like chocolate covered puffin cereal I used to eat as a kid.
There is no army or navy in Iceland. There is also no need. There are not many police spotted anywhere either.
Another visit to Black Beach. There was a cave with an opening about 5-6 meters high, semi close to the water but far enough to be safe for now. Every 12 hours or so, the water will reach the cave and the waves are tall enough to reach the top of the cave. It was getting close to that time so I left.
Yeah let’s not swim or be near here..
There is a large volcanic eruption that has been due for many years. They are just waiting around to see when it will happen. Would it happen when I was standing on a glacier? Or how about when climbing it? Or when I was in a cafe eating fermented shark? Or maybe the day I am supposed to leave? We will see…
Kaboom?
I had the fish and chips for you, Sheila! Yeah, I am not the biggest fan of fried food but it was good. However, I am really excited to eat an Icelandic hotdog wrapped in bacon.
Non alcoholic beer. But why? Okay it was pretty good actually. It was sweet and almost like a cold but flat soda, but in a good way.
I went back to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall and walked behind it this time. It was so worth getting showered with icy cold waters! There were chunks of ice everywhere like perfectly shaped crystals, I felt a little sad walking on them with my crampons.
Behind Seljalandsfoss..worth the freeze
In the van before we drove off again, the van moved. “Woah, what was that?” “We call that an icy road.”
Fun fact: Skyr yogurt, as creamy and thick as it is, contains less than 1% fat. The actor who played the Mountain in Game of Thrones eats it all day every day. Many bodybuilders do. Seriously, we need this stuff in the States!!!
Aaaand my gloves are frozen. It’s colder with them on than with out. I have hand warmer things that go inside the gloves, but they don’t do much good in my hostel room when I am not there.
Magnificent sky!
“Can you drink and drive in Iceland?” “You can, but you’re not allowed to.”
“Oh look, a police man”-Andres “They’re probably looking for drunken Americans”-traveler from India. Americans have a reputation…thanks *sips non-alcoholic beer*. (I will be going out for a beer later haha).
Due to weather conditions, I will not be hiking on a volcano tomorrow. That means I have a full day for food experiencing. I still have to try the fermented shark, puffin and whale. As good as lamb soup is, I think three times is enough when there is much more out there to try.
The World Unfiltered 