WE COULD SEE A TONGUE OF THE VATNAJOKULL GLACIER from our hotel room in Hofn. Of the five glaciers in Iceland, Vatnajokull is by far the largest, perhaps as big as the other four combined. One hundred miles later we were still driving on the edge of the glacier. At one point where it approached the road, the meltwaters rushed to the ocean where a feeding frenzy of terns, skuas and seals feasted on capelin.
100 miles later...
Yesterday's drive through lava fields was bleak but not as desolate as driving through the glacial moraine. Mile after mile of black rock and gravel from where Vatnajokull has receded . It was such a treat to see the first lupines, the first of spring, along the roadside. In a few days, perhaps tomorrow, the entire plain will be covered in color. And we'll be gone.
Church and lupines, Vik
We could have made it from Hofn to Keflavik in one shot. But there was no rush so we overnighted in the tiny town of Vik, the only decent place to overnight for more than 100 km. After taking photos of the black sand beach and the church that overlooks town, I chatted with a family from California. The boy, Joseph, a real National Geographic nut, pointed out that if you sailed due south from Vik, the next landmass you encountered would be Antarctica. And he's right!
Then and Now, Eyjafjallakull erruption
This morning we continued on the southern part of the Ring Road, and the end of our journey in Iceland. This part of Iceland is green and scenic, old farms nestled below glaciers and volcanoes. But things aren't as idyllic as they seem. On April 10, 2010, Eyjafjallajokull, a volcano covered by 200 meters of glacial ice, erupted, grounding planes throughout Europe and the world. It wreaked havoc on the south coast of Iceland, especially on the farm that lay directly below. We spent an interesting half-hour at the Eyjafjallajokull Visitor Center reliving the family's ordeal and eventual recovery from the erruption. Until the nest time.
Skogafoss
Seijalandsfoss is the fifth highest waterfall in Iceland but #6, Skogafoss, is much more picturesque, squeezed as it is between moss covered cliffs that glowed like emeralds in the morning sun. The weather today was the best we have had, wouldn't you know? It was the first time the temperature reached 60°F (15°C) and one of the few times it climbed out of the 40s. My final photos of Iceland were of the famous Blue Lagoon, where people fork out more than $50 for the privilege of soaking in the blue thermal waters. We'll take a miss if it's OK
The Blue Lagoon
We decided to visit Iceland before doing Scotland and Ireland, during the "shoulder season." Not every place we wanted to visit was open but the hotels and guesthouses had plenty of vacancies and the prices were often half of what they will be next week. Independent travel is easy and don't worry if you can't remember the names of places in Iceland. You probably couldn't pronounce them if you could remember. Just come. You will love it!
