Iceland 4. Icebergs and Northern Lights

As I said in the previous post, the weather conditions forced us to change our original plans. We checked the weather forecast everyday and it seemed pretty normal (in winter conditions, of course). But one day it changed. It seemed that the snow finally arrived to this country, and I couldn’t be happier.

Due to these weather conditions, we only had one opportunity to visit Jökulsárlón, and we wanted to visit it so badly that we woke up at 05:00 to drive from Hella to the glacier lake; a 3 and a half hour drive there turned into a 7 hour journey due to the weather conditions.

As you may see in the title of this post, you can imagine that this day was pretty intense. And I think that this was one of the most filling days of my life. Before explaining our adventures at Jökulsárlón, I wanted to tell you one of the reasons why this day was a bit extreme for me.

I’ll explain you the situation. @tropicalbert and I were in a gas station eating a hot dog early in the morning (yes, hot dogs were the 80% of our feeding during the trip), and talking about the Northern Lights. We wanted so hard to see them, but the aurora forecast was extremely bad during our stay. We went out at nights and tried to chase them but we failed. He told me that the night we were supposed to fly to Barcelona, the forecast was actually really good. So, he had the idea to skip our flight and catch another one two days later, to have more chances of seeing the lights. I thought he was crazy, because I couldn't afford that new plan, but he proposes to help me with the costs. You can imagine the romantic situation while eating a hot dog and him trying to convince me. But finally… I said yes! So, we decided to extend our adventure in this country!

After saying that, it’s time for Jökulsárlón! We arrived there almost at midday. I have to say that the weather and road conditions were difficult, and we drove with a lot of caution. But, I also have to say that we stopped so many times along the road because we were fascinated by the landscape.

We were amazed by the floating icebergs in the water. We observed them for a while and walked on the snow to see them from many points of view. While enjoying the views and taking pictures, we noticed that the water was full of seals, playing around as if we weren’t there. I’ve seen a lot of images of Jökulsárlón, and normally the pictures are without snow. So, I’m happy to have seen this place covered with snow, with a different point of view that the one I expected.

After spending a bit of time in the lake, we decided to go to the beach to observe the ice remains from the broken icebergs on the sand. The beach was half covered in snow and half covered in ice. It was an interesting contrast between the black and white tones and it gave for a great view.

We had a long journey returning home (in this case, we slept in Hvolsvollur). We arrived at night, after spending a nice road trip observing the snow and the beautiful colors of that afternoon.

If you’ve read the title, you’ll notice that there is another reason why this day was a bit extreme. After trying almost every night, we finally saw them: the Northern Lights. We stayed in a guesthouse, and we spent a nice time talking to the owner about this country. After telling him that we didn’t see the Northern lights, we checked the forecast and, although it was not good, it was not too bad. So, with his recommendation, we drove along a dark road towards Þórsmörk.

We stayed in the car quite a long time looking at the sky without blinking. @tropicalbert spent this time saying: there are lights in that direction, and I spent the night saying: it is light pollution, keep calm. But actually, he was right. We were seeing the lights!

The Northern Lights were getting brighter and brighter, and seeing them dancing in the night sky was a dream come true. We changed our flights to have more opportunities to see the auroras, and it was a gift to see them in a night that was not expected. Like this country, the Northern Lights are magic. And I couldn't think in anything else than: Will I have more chances to see them during the trip? I guess you'll need to continue reading if you want to know the answer.

Iceland 2. Golden and Blue

Good morning from Iceland! We woke up early in the morning, a while before the sunrise. To be honest, that night I slept on one of the best beds I’ve ever slept in my entire life. So, when I woke up the only thing I could think about was returning to bed and continue sleeping.

I immediately changed my mind once we were on the road again, heading to our first destination of the well kown Golden Circle: Þingvellir. I remember that when we were on the road, it started to snow a little bit, and I was super happy to see the snow. The weather forecast only showed clouds, and I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland covered in snow. I was worried because on our first day in Iceland, we didn’t see any snow. Well, if you continue reading this blog, you’ll find out that finally we saw tons and tons of snow.

When we were arriving to Þingvellir, we saw a frozen lake, so we stopped there to walk on the ice and take some pictures. This was the first time I walked on a frozen lake, and it was a great experience!

Once we entered into the National Park, we were interested in visiting the Öxarárfoss waterfall. It was raining a bit, but we started walking inside the park searching the wall of water. When we arrived, we noticed that there was a car park just in a few metres next to the waterfall. It would have been easier if we had chosen the correct entrance.

We stayed a bit at Þingvellir and then we headed south to visit Kerið. We drove through a different road than the one we planned, to see a variation of the landscape. I remember that we stopped many times during this short journey, that we arrived to the crater much later than we expected.

I would have loved to see the crater covered with snow, but the weather during the previous weeks was not cold enough. But anyway, I loved the views! Walking on a crater was an amazing moment!

As the afternoon approached, it was time to return to Reykjanes, our beloved peninsula. We bought tickets for the Blue Lagoon, and we couldn't be more excited about that.

We entered the Lagoon at approximately 18:00. We were relaxed for hours enjoying the warm water and the facilities of the Blue Lagoon. I found the contrast of the blue water with the fog and steam really exciting. So, although it was hard to get out of the water, I could not resist the urge to take pictures with my cameras.

Time passed very quickly and without realizing it, it was completely dark. We spent hours and hours inside the water, but we wanted to remain there. We thought there would be a chance to see the Northern Lights from the water, but the sky was covered with clouds. We were not disappointed either. We still had many nights in this country and with a bit of luck, we could still spot them. So, do you think we saw them? 

Iceland 1. Reykjanes

As some of you may know, my two biggest passions in this world are photography and travelling. And what better if I can do both at the same time, right? Since I started showing my work here, I thought a lot about opening a new section on my website, one that offers me the possibility to narrate my journey, showcase my images as well as my point of view  in a more personal way. So, welcome to this new section! I hope that you enjoy knowing me a little bit more!

I don’t really remember the exact moment in time when I started being interested in Iceland, but one thing that I’m sure of is that for a long time, it has been my idyllic country to visit. Since last December, @tropicalbert and I started talking about the possibility of making it happen. Things were more complicated than we expected, but finally, the 18th of February we embarked on a dream of a lifetime.

We arrived at Keflavik airport very early in the morning. We were immersed in a heavy fog and we could barely see our surroundings. But, with our new car and with much desire to discover this island…we hit the road! We started driving through the roads of the Reykjanes peninsula and from this moment on, we saw the beginning of great days to come!

It was our first day in Iceland and I’ll never forget it. We didn’t plan this part of the journey. We focused the rest of the trip on the southern roads and the golden circle, yet here is when we realized beauty was all over this country. We sort of...explored, and it worked. Every single road we took and every single mountain we saw left us speechless.

We started our morning driving south, discovering some of the peninsula’s geothermal areas and the bridge between two continents. It was the first spot we visited in Iceland, and I was impressed. Not by the bridge or by the geographical separation between these two continents. I was impressed by a different aspect. I was shocked when I was observing the landscape and realized that wherever I looked, it was impossible to see anything created by humans (except for the bridge, of course). There was nothing but nature and I loved it.

Then we visited the Gunnuhver geothermal area. Iceland in February can be a bit harsh, especially if you come from a Mediterranean climate like ours. But visiting these geothermal areas was a great idea to stay warm while enjoying the landscape.

Later on we hit the road again and headed to the Krýsuvík-Seltún area. Of course, we stopped many times along the road to take pictures. One thing that I’ve learned in Iceland is that it’s almost impossible to arrive to your destination on time. You’ll need more time than you expected, because the beauty of the landscape will force you to stop along the road. Just driving through the roads of this island is worth it.  

It was getting dark, and we were supposed to spend the night in Reykjavik. So, we decided to drive back to the capital by exploring a different and new road by the Kleifarvatn lake, and we didn’t regret about this decision.

At night, we visited the beautiful city of Reykjavik. We spent a little time wandering its streets and looking at its colorful houses, but after a while, we decided to go to sleep as we had a big day planned for tomorrow. But don’t worry, I’m sure that Reykjavik is going to reappear during this trip!