A land of "Fire and Ice"

As we approached Iceland from the south east, the coast came clearly into view. What was really striking was the magnificent snow capped mountains looming large in the background which,  I'm pretty sure, was the Myrdalsjokull Glacier. It's hard to be certain but, from checking the maps, that's what it seemed to be to me...and that's what I'm sticking to.

This is not my photo as we were "shoe horned" into the centre seats, but it is what we could see "rubber necking" out the windows near us.

After collecting our bags in their very new, modern airport we met up with Mike & Wendy in our winter tyred vehicle (for us Aussies, they are tyres with small metal studs protruding to give grip on icy roads) and headed to our cabin at Selfoss about an hour and a half away in the countryside. 

On the way to picking up supplies before going to the cabin we noticed that the local churches decorate their cemeteries with lights on the gravestones......quite interesting and something we have never seen before, so we investigated further and found that it occurs here during Advent. We were told by the local minister that it is a custom that stems from the very superstistious nature of the Icelanders. He also told us to be very careful as Icelanders are maniacs on the road and on the beaches...huge waves can pounce on you at any time.......really!

Fascinating. As you drive through the countryside the church graveyards are lit up with these lights on the crosses and headstones. Of course we had to have a closer look...albeit briefly as it was freeeeezing!

Sunrise over our cabin...10.30am

The cabin was really comfortably warm, cosy and well appointed. It is located 15kms away from the nearest settlement so it is also in a really good spot for Aurora watching......but unfortunately the activity level was not high during our stay. The nights were clear and we saw a glow on the northern horizon but no dancing gossamer curtains like the display we saw in Canada. Maybe later in our stay.

This shot taken outside our cabin door with the Aurora glowing on the horizon. Not a great photo but it gives an idea of how we are located......in the boondocks.

But, people visit Iceland for its natural beauty, the unspoilt, pristine landscapes and the scale and majesty of of its mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers, volcanoes....and the Aurora Borealis. And so did we.

The landscape of the south coast of Iceland is quite majestic and unlike anything any of us have ever seen. From the time we left the airport we were struck by the nothingness, the intensity of the colours from pinks and mauves to blue, hazy grey and we were all silenced by its starkness.....a real snowy, frosty, icy winter starkness......not a tree or paddock or softening element anywhere.......it was mesmerising. 

There is an element of truth in the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words and I think that is what is appropriate here. I usually feel that a narrative supported by pictures provides a fuller understanding to a story or an account.....but Iceland is different......quite different.

In this case I'll provide a brief overview of what we did...and then let the pictures try and provide an insight into this incredible place.

We wasted no time in starting our exploration of the south coast of the island, setting out at 10.00 am the day after we arrived. Ten O'clock is quite a reasonable hour to begin....but it was still before dawn!  It was really interesting that the dawn lasted over an hour with sun up at about 11.30am (the way it really should be according to Wendy A.) and sunset about 3.30pm ....and the twilight lasts quite a long time...between an hour and two. The sun poked up above the horizon to about 15-20 degrees tops, and then slowly traced a very short, shallow arc across the sky....almost as if it was saying.....no, too hard I'll just make a minimal appearance....which of course it did. In between time it was normal daylight (about 3-4 hours worth) but the "between" hours, the twilight hours had the most magnificent colours.

On the road at 10.30am. This is dawn...first light lasted about an hour. As we crested the rise in the road we saw this and couldn't believe our eyes. Luckily Mike is very tolerant and found places to stop for photos ops all along the way. I'm afraid I may have "pushed the friendship" a bit there with the number of requests!

The road is really icy and dangerous. The white line is indistinct because it is covered in ice and the studded tyres cause the roughening of the surface. There are few opportunities to stop on the side of the road as it is quite risky..... very slippery and easy to slide off into the ditch.
I was trying here to capture the vastness, the openness....the emptiness of this place....and ended up slipping and doing the "splits" in the middle of the road!

The round trip was about 220ks or so, most of it through snow covered old lava fields jammed between the mountains, glaciers and the sea. There were numerous, quite small farming settlements and hamlets tucked into the mountains for protection from the severe elements....and invariably a little church, usually on a nearby hill. Apparently they are Lutherans here and the little churches are quite identifiably Icelandic by their shape and red roof.

A real advantage of visiting Iceland...and probably in winter, is the small numbers of tourists. This waterfall, Skogafoss is a major attraction and there were only a few people there. In fact, when we had a "cake & coffee" stop, we were the only ones in the restaurant! 

The sth coast of Iceland is famous for its black sand beaches...and vast vistas. This photo, taken from the lighthouse point at Dyholaey tries to capture the scale. The still water to the left is mostly frozen.

View in the other direction.... vast! We spent quite some time up here and luckily there were guide chains which didn't stop us slipping and sliding but did stop us hitting the deck. There were only a few visitors and some of them terrified us by ignoring the warning signs and going over the guide chains and out to the edge. I could see them thinking.... what would those old codgers know?

Ah the serenity....and magnificence!
A picture may say a thousand words but, no matter how good, will always struggle to capture the wonder of being immersed in such a landscape.

We came to the end of our planned visit to the sth coast at a small settlement called Vik where we had  a late lunch of fantastic fish for the others and a mouth watering traditional lamb soup for me.
Again, not many people there at all and, as with most things in life...timing is critical.
It was about 3.30pm and the sun was setting after its brief appearance ........and we were in the right place.......and the sight was just stunning!

There were long silences in the car on the way home. I put it down to a day of sensory overload.