Iceland #15 - Day 2: Hraunfossar to Hrífunes

The forecast for sunrise on day 2 was for greyness, so I decided to catch up on a bit of sleep and visit Hraunfossar after the sun had come up. I headed back to the waterfalls after a tasty breakfast and checking out (I highly recommend the Guesthouse Steindorsstaðir if you're staying in that area), not actually getting there until just before 10. The light was flat and white, which was annoying but not unexpected. I'd discovered a path on the previous afternoon that led down to the beach opposite the falls, but hadn't ventured down there, so this seemed a good time to explore a little, away from everyone else. It was nice to be at the river level, rather than looking down on the falls, but didn't make a great deal of difference. I only stayed forty minutes, concentrating mainly on the west side of the falls where most people didn't bother to go.

Hraunfossar on a dull morning

I see the number 13 in this - anyone else?!

I had quite a busy day planned, and quite far to drive, heading across past Lake Þingvallavatn, along the south coast past Vík, before heading up to Hrífunes, where I was staying in the lovely Glacier View guesthouse again. Each stop, therefore, had to be relatively short, especially as I didn't leave Hraunfossar until 10.30am.

I drove back to Hvalfjörður the same way I'd driven the previous day; the weather was far better and improved as I drove south (I had hoped to go inland and drive down the F550, which is no longer technically an F road as it doesn't require fording any rivers, but that would've required a 4WD and cost a couple of hundred pounds extra, and might already have been closed for the winter anyway). I stopped at Kerlingafoss again, this time armed with a wide angle lens and the tripod, to capture the waterfall and canyon again. It was a bit hairy trying to get a shot with the full length of the waterfall in (I hate cutting waterfalls off, just like icebergs - they have to be whole, generally). The slope at the top of the waterfall was pretty steep and a bit crumbly, and I felt a little nervous, but just took it very slowly. The sun came out but this only exacerbated the darkness of the rocks that surrounded the falls. It was a far nicer day, but with a bitter wind to remind me I was in Iceland.

Next stop was the Hvalur hf whaling plant (not quite sure what else to call it). I could see as I approached that a boat was moored at the end of the pier and there was a hive of activity - people milling about and cars driving around the site. I parked just past the entrance and wandered to the perimeter fence. James had warned me how horrible it was, both on the eyes, the mind and the nose. It was as he described, although fortunately the wind was blowing in the opposite direction, so I didn't get the stench at least. 

My first sight through the high perimeter fence was of a whale carcass, almost stripped completely down to the skeleton, with the ground covered in blood (just learnt a new word - flensed, which is the removal of bits from a carcass, particularly a whale). I walked a bit further and took a few more photos with my telephoto lens, which didn't go unnoticed by some of the workers below. It was quite ghastly, watching the men going about their business, scurrying around, cutting bits here and there. There were different bits of two carcasses dotted around the site. I took lots of photos, and was going to share them on here, but decided that they were too ghastly. Here is one, which gives you an idea of what it's like (otherwise google it and you get plenty of gory images of this vile place).

I sent James a message to say I was there - he'd mentioned that he might come by. He was on his way, so about twenty minutes later I got to meet my new Twitter friend in the flesh, in rather surreal circumstances overlooking the flensing of fin whale carcasses. We chatted about the whales, Iceland and photography for a while, a biting wind ever-present. After a while an old SUV drove up to check us out - inside was the owner of the whole operation, Kristján Loftsson, one of the richest men in Iceland and apparently a man with a lot of sway over fishing operations in the country (hence whaling actually happening in spite of being banned internationally). He checked us out before driving off, back to the plant. We chatted a little longer but eventually I said goodbye as I had to get going on my long drive. It was nice to meet a fellow photographer and Icelandophile - my second Twitter friend I've met in real life now :)

I drove around the fjord and felt quite strange. It was a moving and depressing experience and although I was fascinated to see it, I think I would rather not have done in retrospect. The fjord was so peaceful, serene and beautiful; the whaling plant was just so incongruous. And how can this country I love so much let something like this happen still?

I took the turn up the route 48 which leads up towards Þingvallavatn and then headed around the west side of the lake on a glorious winding road (route 360) which I hadn't driven before. It was absolutely stunning - the sun had come out and there were beautiful orange leaves on trees filling the surrounding countryside. I couldn't find anywhere to stop, but wish I had. The road from Þingvellir across to Laugarvatn was closed for repair, so this was the only route up to Þingvellir from the south and was a bit busy as a result. I stopped at the southern end of the lake where I've taken a couple of photos before - the road surface was being replaced and was absolutely terrible - and then again at the delightful Úlfljótsvatnkirkja. It was already 2.30pm when I reached that church - the day was flying by!

It wasn't long, however, until I was back on the faster routes 36 and 35, and then on the ringroad, heading through Selfoss towards my destination. I love driving east, with the anticipation of all of the sights to come. The first one is Seljalandsfoss, which you can see from miles away if you know where to look. I pulled into a layby near the turnoff down to the ferry terminal to take a couple of shots of the falls - sorry, I'm not going to be paying ISK700 to park to have a look at it again (unless the conditions are magnificent). Besides, it looks lovely from a distance. There was some visible rain nearby too, which I always love.

Seljalandsfoss blowing in the wind; smaller falls nearby

Not far away I stopped near Steinar to see how my favourite rocks were doing. I couldn't be bothered to walk all the way down to the shoreline as the sky was dull in the distance; they weren't looking their best. I noticed that the collection of bras attached to the fence there had increased massively - I wonder what the story is there... (quick google gave me one answer)

After the quick stop I continued on my journey, still a little way to go, stopping again at some nice rocky hills and opposite Skogafoss (not looking as lovely as it had done on my previous visit, covered in incredible icicles). 

Nicely timed little tractor drive-by!

I wanted to get to Hrífunes early enough for sunset, so drove on, not stopping at any of the sights near Vík (they would have to wait until the way back, if at all). I did pull over briefly at the wonderfully-named Hjörleifshöfði and wandered along the road a little to see some dried plants looking rather pretty in the sun, and more superb visible rain storms in the distance.

I just love seeing rain falling in the distance. And a nice safe distance away it was!

Next stop was my home for the night, the Glacier View Guesthouse, where I received a lovely warm welcome from Elin and Borgar (one of Sigrún's brothers) and their sweet assistant Mikhal. It's always lovely to go back to places where the owners are so passionate about their business and provide such a lovely, welcoming experience. As I'd arrived I'd noticed a pen full of sheep, and also noticed a delicious smell of garlicky lamb as I walked in. This was réttir season (where the farmers get the sheep back from the hills to overwinter in sheds or to send to slaughter), and tonight the local farmers were having a celebratory meal before dividing up the sheep. My dinner would also be lamb, later, after this group had finished, which was perfect as it gave me a chance to take some photos of the sheep and have a quick wander down the hill to see the river braids below.

How beautiful is Icelandic wool (seen here in situ on its producer)?!

I think the brown one had been smoking something...

The sun was setting as I wandered back up the hill to the guesthouse

I lingered outside for a bit, and the farmers emerged and began milling around outside the sheep pen. They were drinking beer and laughing and chatting, and eventually got inside the pen and started to split up the sheep, directing some of them into a chamber on one side of a big barn. 

The light began fading fast, so I went in - lamb and beer beckoning. It still felt a bit weird seeing and hearing the bleating sheep and then eating - presumably - their delicious offspring. I wonder if they could smell the lamb? Hopefully they wouldn't know what the smell was...

Supper was a little odd - not the food (that was delicious) - but the company. There were two large tables - one with an Icelandic group who had come up from Reykjavik for a celebration, and another, where I was sitting, with a German photography tour group. I sat opposite the leader and we chatted a bit, and occasionally the others would talk in English to me, but mostly I sat in silence with them talking and laughing away in German. I had to make an effort to start a conversation as they weren't interested in doing so. It felt a bit rude, given that they all spoke good English, but I guess that's just what some people do. And that's the luck of the draw in situations like this - on my last visit there I'd had an interesting table with a few couples from different parts of the world and it was far more fun and less awkward! After supper the Germans disappeared and I sat in the sitting room and the Icelandic group began to play some music - with one woman on an accordion and all of the others singing in harmony. They were singing old, traditional Icelandic music and it was quite delightful. Borgar and Elin sat nearby drinking a glass of wine - exhausted from the two sittings of dinner. It's certainly not an easy job running a guesthouse like that with room for up to about 25 people - non-stop work to do!

A little later on I decided to head out to see if I could see any northern light action as it was still supposed to be fairly active. It wasn't too cloudy, although the moon was due to rise fairly early, which might ruin any viewing. There were some vaguely visible lights all around me, but the almost-full moon was definitely making it difficult to see them. The camera captured a little more than I could see.

The moon itself looked quite stunning, and for a moment it reflected in a couple of the braids in the river. I think this was my favourite shot from the whole day!

I headed back in just before 1am and set my alarm for a reasonable 8am breakfast - none of this early-up-for-sunrise (again). Another wonderful day in Iceland!

My route on Day 2

Click here for the blog from Day 1 - Driving to Hraunfossar
Click here for the blog from Day 3 - Hrífunes to Jökulsárlón

Iceland #12 - Day 1 & 2: Journey there and on to Vík

Usually I travel to Iceland on the night flights, after work, and arrive late at night, stay near the airport, then pick up the rental car and set off the next morning. This time, on my 12th visit,  I decided to get the midday flight, which meant I had a nice relaxing first day, arriving at around 4pm, before staying on the Álftanes peninsula with my friends Sigrún and Johannes. I was welcomed with the wonderful sight of a snowy Reykjanes Peninsula as we descended, able to see the whole the mountains behind Reykjavik and the white peaks along the spine of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in the distance (the day was all about peninsulas!). There had been a massive dump of snow the previous weekend, and it hadn't disappeared; the blacks roads winding through the white landscape looked striking. I had a lovely view of Kleifarvatn, and could even see the Blue Lagoon and nearby power station, the turquoise water just visible from the air.

I bought some new Borg beer (Surtur) to try at Duty Free, as well as my favourite (the very strong Garún), picked up my luggage (backpacks are now delivered to a special window, so ten minutes spent watching bags come out on the conveyor belt was fruitless) and then got picked up to go to the car rental place. Pro-car had moved into a new building, much bigger than the old one, to allow for the recent massive increase in demand. I had the usual disaster - the car they had for me was a Suzuki Vitara with no USB port through which I could listen to my music. I kicked up a bit of a fuss ("I can't possibly do a 10-day road-trip on my own without my music!! I must have a different car!!") and they disappeared off to see what they could find. They were fully booked, so no other vehicles available there, so I asked about their Reykjavik office. A quick call later and I was assigned a BMW X4 at the downtown branch - an upgrade. A result! I was given a little car to drive there, where I'd then swap that one for my music-friendly 4WD. I thanked them profusely and felt very relieved. The drive was pleasant, seeing the black lava landscape covered in snow, in the late afternoon sunshine, although I got caught in some rush-hour traffic as I approached the outskirts of the city. I arrived at the Pro-car place down near the Sun Voyager sculpture and was actually given a Hyundai Tuscon, not the BMW next to it. I was a little disappointed, but I certainly wasn't going to complain, since this was already a free upgrade. So I set off back out towards Álftanes, listening to my own music, the traffic having thinned a little, and was greeted with a lovely fish soup made by the talented Sigrún - always a pleasure to be fed by her! The sunset outside looked lovely, and there was potential for northern lights, but I was not yet in photo mode, so just enjoyed an evening catching up with her and Johannes before an early night.

I set off in the morning, with borrowed massive mug for my tea, tripod, and a lopapeysa (Icelandic sweater). It was another glorious day, with the sun out again and no wind.

First stop was the nearby Hagkaup supermarket to stock up on food for the week (I'd be self-catering in a couple of places, so tuna pasta ingredients, plus the usual granola and Skyr for breakfast and volkenbrot with bread and ham for lunch. Oh and some chocolate-covered liquorice for the car).

My next stop was a very important one, and something I'd been looking forward to for a long time (six months, in fact, since my last visit). Back in the summer a friend had visited from Australia, and while in Reykjavik for a weekend she happened upon a silver jewellery shop that was open late as it was Culture Night. She and her friend loved the place and the friendly woman working there and she bought herself a silver necklace. I'd then looked at the website and immediately fell in love with Orr! I had hoped to visit on my last trip in September, but the timing didn't work between getting from Keflavik and the domestic terminal. I bought some earrings online when I got back to London, and a necklace a couple of months later, but wanted more! I parked down by the Sun Voyager sculpture and put some money in the meter - I only had enough change from my last trip for 70 minutes, which didn't give me all that long, so I dashed up to Laugavegur and down the hill to where I thought the shop was. I got to the bottom and realised that I had just assumed it was that end of the street - it was actually completely the opposite end, so I raced back the way I'd come, and beyond! I finally got there, with 50 minutes left on the meter, and a 10 minute walk back to the car, so only had 40 minutes to shop. The place is incredible, with the most unusual and stunning designs. I could literally have bought everything in the shop, but came out with a pair of earrings, a necklace and a ring, each with blue zirconia stones in them. I was very happy, and also knew that I could return on my way back to purchase some more, should I feel the need.

I made it back to the car just in time, and then it was on to the route 1 heading east, a little later than usual, given my jewellery splurge. I finally understand the roads in Reykjavik, so no wrong turns this time, at least. The drive was easy, with no snow on the road for most of the journey, and I stopped briefly at a view-point on Hellisheiði mountain pass, with views down to Hveragerði below. I could even see the islands of Vestmannaeyjar dotted on the horizon in the distance. Back in the car and the drive was magical, Iceland looking lovely with its white cover. I stopped a few times to capture the views.

I arrived at Gljúfrabúi, which is just a few hundred metres up the road from the very popular Seljalandsfoss, parked the car, and headed towards the fall, passing a couple of quaint old farm buildings. I'd not visited this one before, but had read that it was worth a look, especially as it's just off the main road, like its bigger neighbour. It's mostly hidden in a narrow canyon, and as I approached I got covered in spray. I had intended to go up close, but there were a few people already there and when they'd gone and I was about to proceed a whole bus-load of people arrived, so I gave up. I took a couple of disappointing hand-held shots before retreating and continuing on my journey east. I was staying in Vík, as usual, so didn't have too far to go, but I still managed to fill the day with the journey. It still surprises me how long it takes me!

A little way on I stopped to take a few shots of the road view - with some great jagged outcrops highlighted by the snow.

Next stop was my favourite rocks, which sit in a little lagoon to the south, at Steinar. I parked up and headed down to the water's edge with the tripod and gear, wearing the lopapeysa. It was pretty chilly but there was no icy wind to contend with and it was just glorious, with the sun and a few scattered clouds reflected in the bits of the lagoon that weren't frozen. It was magical. Ever since I first drove past those rocks, on the one nice day I'd had on my first photography trip in March 2012, when I hadn't stopped and kicked myself for it, I always stop there if the light is good and I just love the spot. I don't think most people notice the rocks, until they see someone like me down at the shoreline with my tripod, and then cars start pulling over and people take quick snaps of the lovely view across to Vestmannaejyar.

A little further on I stopped again, as there was a group of horses in the sun, beneath some rocky peaks.

Around the bend I pulled in opposite Skogafoss briefly, where you can get a view of the falls reflected in the river. There's no-one else there either, which is nice.

I could have returned to the other side to get some more rainbow shots, but I've done that many times; I prefer the place when it's misty and foreboding, so I carried on past there (besides, I'd be spending a night there on my way back, so would have plenty of time then) and straight on towards Vík. I was pretty shocked to see a massive new car-park at the side of the road, at the edge of the black desert, and soon realised that it was for the people walking down to the DC3 wreck. A year earlier I had driven the extremely pot-holed route with my hubby and friends, but shortly after that the road had been closed to vehicles (because of the damage they were causing) and now the only way to visit was a 4km walk (each way) from the road. I was astounded at how many cars were there - possibly 50, so it's clearly got even more popular in spite of the walk required!

I continued on, and drove along the lovely winding roads before Vík. At the top of the pass a car had pulled in at the side of the road and become grounded and some other cars had stopped and were trying to help push the car out; it brought back memories of my trip last year when I got stuck and fortunately got pushed out, saving an expensive rescue bill! I didn't stop at Vík but carried on through the town and on to Hjörleifshöfði - an isolated mountain (inselberg) surrounded by black sand. I'd visited it once before and remembered high cliffs covered in sea-birds. There was no-one around, which is always nice in Iceland (and rare along the south coast); I think the name is so long and complicated that it puts people off visiting! I stopped a few times to photograph the amazing rock faces. Beautiful northern fulmars nested in holes and on ledges in the cliffs, and fluttered about above me. The cliffs were twisted and layered - more spectacular Icelandic geology! A few icicles hung from the lines of rock.

I drove as far as I could around the mountain, passing a couple of isolated rocks out on the sand, to the back side that was dripping with hundreds of enormous icicles, as it was north-east facing and never got any direct sunlight; it was pretty chilly there! I wanted to go closer, but the cliff overhung slightly and I didn't fancy being hit on the head by a falling lump of ice; some pieces of shattered icicles lay on the ground and they were huge! I was transfixed by the gigantic stalactites of ice hanging above me.

I drove back around the mountain and passed one other car, driven by a single male - possibly the only other solo traveller I met on my whole journey. I recommended him to drive all the way round to the north-east side to see the icicles.

I continued back to Vík and to my guesthouse (Arsalir) - a new one that I had not stayed in before. There seem to be new guesthouses springing up every time I visit - a big change from my first visit 5 years earlier where there were two hotels in town and the hostel, and nowhere to eat after 7pm! No staff was there to check me in, so I headed down to the beach as it was approaching sunset, giving a couple of Dutch girls a lift to the supermarket on the way (the car was already a mess, so having passengers is always a pain, having to move my stuff out of the way!). I guess most people visit the more popular beaches at Reynsifjara or Dyrholaey, but there's rarely people on the beach at Vík, so I had it more-or-less to myself. The sky was pretty, with some scattered clouds, the sun hidden behind the headland, and I took some shots very similar to many I've taken before. The waves weren't massive, but still very noisy, as they scraped the pebbles back down to the sea. The sky wasn't spectacular, but it was still pleasant. I stayed an hour and a half, until the light was dull and my feet were cold, and then returned to the guesthouse to check in.

I wandered up the hill to eat pizza at the usual place (Suður-Vík), taking the second half with me for lunch the following day. I had one of my delicious new beers, Facetimed hubby, sorted through a few photos, checked the weather and northern lights forecasts (possible sightings) but ended up going to bed early, feeling surprisingly exhausted after my first full day back in my beloved Iceland.

Click here for the second instalment of my blog: Iceland #12 - Day 3: From Vík to Jökulsárlón