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Iceland
a fifteen day drive around the ring road
his morning Pete and I woke with different plans in mind. I wanted to spend the next two days circumnavigating Snæfellsnes. It is a southwestern peninsula that is a geological hodgepodge of everything Iceland has to offer. Pete's the one that planted the seed in my brain a few days earlier and the more I researched the more i wanted to go....
The entrance is marked by a rusted iron shark. The farm looks like any other with a field of horses and chickens roaming the yard. A jovial grey haired man wearing a flannel shirt and striped suspenders greets us at the door. He is the owner of this place and a producer of hákarl, fermented shark meat.
The sunny days of our arrival in Reykjavik are long gone. The green carpeted hills have quickly turned into a vast whiteness severed only by the stark black Ring Road. It's snowing like crazy and I am a happy gal........
This unpredictable Icelandic weather has us stranded. I want to drive on, but Pete, the sensible one, with the help of a gas station attendant, has convinced me that it might not be in our best interest to continue during this windy snow storm that may make several mountain roads impassable. I pout and whine, because I know the days are dwindling away. Soon we will be home, back at our jobs and there is still so much to see.......
As we are paying for our meal the waiter casually mentions that the Northern Lights are out tonight. WHAT!!!!??? HOLY SHIT!!!! We say, almost in unison. I want to hug this fella, throw our money at him and run outside, but I hold my composure until we step out into the darkness......
Myvatn is a lake in northern Iceland created by a volcanic eruption 2300 years ago, and its shoreline is where we made our home for three days. The plan was to stay for a day or maybe two, but the forces of nature and booze kept us longer.........
I keep making fantasy novel references. I can't help it. It's the nature of this place, with its tall green mountains, towering waterfalls, fields of volcanic rocks and shimmering glaciers. I know with a modicum of certainty that an armor clad knight will soon ride up on his gallant horse, a tiny winged fairy will get smashed by our windshield, or a giant troll will appear around the next bend......
The warm, sunny weather holds as we head east. Green field dusted with horses and sheep morph into silky blue ponds covered with bevies of swans. I am amazed at how many there are; white dots as far as the eye can see. Every time I think the scenery can't get more beautiful, a new landscape amazes me........
Through a dreamy haze I hear someone calling my name, telling me there is something I might want to see. This better be good, it is 6:30 in the morning and I am not ready to get up. Slowly I rouse and peak my head out of our condensation covered tent. The sun is rising over the Skaftafell Glacier. It's beautiful and not something I get to witness everyday, so Pete is forgiven.......
The elves, or huldufólk as some call them here, are smiling on us today. I can't say with any certainty that elves exist, but most Icelanders either believe that they do, or won't rule out the possibility. And I'm not really sure if they're supposed to have any control over the weather, but today I'm convinced that they are real and that they're making the sun shine.
Following the Ring Road Road along the coast, we stop at several waterfalls climbing behind, around and underneath them. Occasionally we take an unpaved road up a mountain. I am sure these have a destination but they seem to lead to nowhere so we turn around, avoiding getting swallowed by the uninhabited abyss of Iceland's interior........
We have it all planned out. Money will be saved by camping at least half the trip. We will brew our own coffee with our newly bought french press, stop at a grocery store to stock up on food and cook our dinners with our camp stove. Today, we set out with the best of intentions............
'm not usually one for hitting up the touristy sights, but Reykjavik is just so picturesque that I could walk around its convoluted streets for days and not get bored. Natasha and I had both picked out some specific things that we wanted see, so we set out from our apartment with somewhat of a plan......
We groggily step off the plane, staggering into chilly weather and blue skies. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and today it is autumn in Iceland. There is a nip in the air. We can see our breath as we exhale. The sun warms our faces and I am so happy to be here........
The sky is clear and blue, the air crisp and warm; rare oddities during the last two weeks and perfect for our final day on the Ring Road. After coffee, pastries and a little fermented shark meat for breakfast; we drive west with our tiny car sandwiched between the monstrous Snæfell Glacier and a scraggly coastline.