Iceland's glaciers, lagoons & lava fields

First an apology- I just re-read the previous post and can't believe my grammatical errors. I promise to tidy those up, and to read twice before I send! It has been a busy week with little time at the beginning and end of each day.

Now, by way of catch-up! On Wednesday we headed further east for a walk inside a glacier (promise to update with the name later) - but first we had to get to it by 4-wheel drive.

We were packed in tight into 3 different vehicles.  This had the benefit of ensuring that we couldn't move around very much as we drove across fields of soft, quite deep snow. It brought back memories of driving up the old roads at Mt Buller before they used to plow them!

Finally we arrived at the end of the road - a suspension bridge spanning a cliff and small stream.  Now you're probably thinking "did she really do this glacier walk?"

Well ... no. I came as far as the bridge and stayed there while everyone headed across the snow to the foot of the glacier. Had it been easier access I would have jumped at it, and have looked at photos from others with some envy.

In fact it was very pleasant enjoying the solitude and taking some photos of the surrounding mountains - at least until a rain storm hit. I then retreated to the 4WD until everyone returned (& told me that I'd made the right decision not to go).

From there we went to the Jokulsarlon Lagoon - the rain had stopped but the light was fading fast.  There were seals zooming around in the water, birds flying by & swooping to catch fish, small iceflows moving around as the waves from the ocean fed the lagoon - a wonderful place to spend some time. Photography was difficult and the attached very soft photo was the best I could manage as this bird grabbed a fish and flew off.

Overnight was at the nearby Hali Country House. Very comfy with Sue & I sharing a 2-bedroom apartment. But I was literally falling asleep as I edited my photos from the day - my head almost on the keyboard!

We woke to driving rain and the prospect of the long drive back to Reykjavik. We managed to stop from time to time to take photos of the strange lava fields that came from a massive volcanic eruption that destroyed hundreds of square kilometers of land.  The rocks and the lava have attracted spores of moss, and the result is mounds of moss that are across the landscape. Truly amazing to see.

We also stopped at Vik, known for a church (white with red roof) standing on a hillside overlooking the town, and the black basalt columns that rise out of the water.  They are famous for appearing in various movies including James Bond & Batman.

But the prize location for Thursday was the Blue Lagoon. Oh how nice it was to soak in this ginormous naturally heated lagoon. We stayed there until we turned to prunes, a passing blizzard adding to our enjoyment of relaxing at the end of 4 busy days.  Just perfect!

Then it was time to head back to Reykjavik.

Stay tuned for the next post about our fun Friday at the Golden Circle - Thingvellir National Park, Geysir & Gullfoss.