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Traveldiary chapter 20 [July 2009 - September 2009]   as PDF
(North Atlantic: a fascinating journey through the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland) |
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The Faroe Islands: unknown jewels
When we decided to travel to the 
Faroe
Islands, we were aware that we couldn’t count on good weather
conditions at all. Ironically, the voucher for the only accommodation we booked
ahead arrived wet and hardly readable at our address in Switzerland. We decided
to spend a fortnight, in the hope to get at least some days with reasonable
weather.
The 18 islands of the Faroese Group lay in the North Atlantic,
surrounded by the Gulf Stream, about halfway between Scotland and Iceland. Their
total landmass measures almost 1’400 km2 and the population of 49’000
inhabitants spreads over 17 of these islands, with the majority (19’500) living
in Torshavn. An additional 20’000 Faroese live in Denmark.
The archipelago is roughly 113 km long and 75km wide. The volcanic
islands are separated by very narrow sounds and fjords and no point in the
Faroese is further than 5 km from the sea. By consulting several guide-books,
three words crystallized as typical for the climate: wild wet and windy!
Although in winter the average temperature is a moderate 3°C thanks to the Gulf
Stream, in summer the average is no higher than 11°C.
As far as historians believe, Celtic monks settled the uninhabited
islands in the 6th century. Around 800 AD the first Vikings; Norse
farmers arrived. Their independence was overthrown by the often forceful
imposition of Christianity and in its wake the territory became part of the
Kingdom of Norway in 1035. In 1380 Norway fell to Denmark and only in 1814 the
Danish-Norwegian union terminated and Norway came under the rule of the King of
Sweden, while the Faroe Islands together with Iceland and Greenland remained
possessions of Denmark. Apart from a short period of English occupation during
WWII, the Faroese remained with Denmark and today enjoy the status of a self-governing
community within the Kingdom. The currency is the Danish Krona with notes in
Danish and Faroese designs.
First impressions of Torshavn
Thirty hours after leaving Hanstholm in Denmark, we arrived in the Faroese Islands on July 15th 2009
on board the big car-ferry Norröna that feels more like a cruise liner. We
disembarked with our car and were right in the capital Torshavn where we soon
found our B&B overlooking town. We got a friendly welcome and a lucky start
as the fog lifted just after our arrival. Torshavn is superbly situated on a
hillside above the harbour, so if weather allows, most “city folks” have a nice
view.
As Brigitte was afraid this might be our only slot of good weather and that
a diluvia could come any time, we had to rush down to explore Torshavn. There
was still time before dinner and lots again afterwards, as it remained bright
almost all night. Eye-catching were the modern snug and colourful houses. Some
old traditional houses, as well as some fancy new ones had a grass roof, which
means they had turf (bricks) on their roof, on which grass and moss was
growing.
The government quarters Lögting consist of traditional restored
buildings and almost all of them have a grass roof. For the small size of this
town, we were surprised how much traffic was constantly winding through the
small lanes.
Torshavn has many restaurants and lots of them are rather expensive. After
looking at various menu cards, we were surprised how full those places were.
There was a Sushi Bar with a dinner platter that cost 750 DKK (~100 Euros) but
the waiter regretfully informed us that they are already fully booked that
Wednesday night... We could still find
another place where we got excellent pizza and pasta for around 100 DKK. The
Faroe Islands are certainly not a cheap destination but not only prices, also
standards are very high. This applies to everything including accommodation and
meals.
The price somehow just reflects the high living standard the Faroese people
enjoy, despite having gone through economical crisis during the nineties. Although
sheep farming can be seen everywhere when driving around the islands, the
Faroese economy is totally depending on fishing and fish farming (95% of
exports and 50% of GDP). When Denmark joined the EU the Faroese refused to
follow to protect their 200 mile exclusive fisheries zone from EU competition.
Birds
on Mykines Island
On our second day, the sun was shining again and there was no sign of a
diluvia as yet. So we decided to visit the island of Mykines, famous for its
bird colonies. First we chose the scenic route over the mountain road that
allowed first spectacular views of the layer cake hills that are so typical for
the Faroese Islands. Many surrounding islands could be seen in the blue sea.
We had to take the sub-sea tunnel that connects the islands of Streymoy
and Vágar. On the other side, there was again a nice scenic drive to the
harbour at Sørvágur. Here we parked our car
and unloaded the few things we needed on this traffic free island. The
passenger-ferry was more or less a speed-boat that sailed past most spectacular
cliffs and tall rock formations.
The harbour of Mykines was beneath a high rock face where many birds were
nesting, filling the air with a strong smell and loud screams. We climbed up
the steep stairs and checked in to the basic hostel. The village has a few
dozen colourful houses but only 5 permanent residents. Now it was not that
quiet however, as many local families spent their holidays in inherited houses.
Those were very well maintained and many had grass growing on the roof. The
site of the village is on a green hill overlooking the west coast, which at the
same time is also the most westerly point in the Faroese. Most of the few
tourists come here for a day trip only, but as we stayed overnight, we didn’t
go unnoticed and many of the ‘locals’ stopped to talk to us.
We didn’t need to go far to see the first Puffins, as they like to have
their burrows in the grass on top of high cliffs behind the village. These cute
birds are not very shy and usually let people approach to within a few metres
before they fly away. This makes them easy preys and they are supplementing the
nutrition of the Faroese people for centuries. Even small children can catch
them.
The Puffins with their colourful beaks are very cute to watch and the favourite
of tourists. There are also many other sea birds nesting on Mykines: storm
petrels, northern gannets, great skuas, kittiwakes and others of the seagull
family just to mention the most common ones but there are actually more than 30
species.
It was mystical to see how quick fog could appear out of nowhere and
then suddenly disappear again. We could observe this nature-phenomena several
times and it was just magical but then we were also glad we didn’t need to
experience the very thick fog in which you cannot even see your shoes.
For such a sparsely populated island, Mykines is very well connected by
public transport. Obviously, there is no scheduled bus but apart from the boat
there are also scheduled helicopter flights, as to all Faroese islands. Due to
government subsidies they are rather cheap. The only trouble is: if the sea is
too rough, the boat cannot safely go ashore and if there is fog the helicopter
cannot land.
After dinner we hiked up the steep grass slope to the bird cliffs again.
The sun had set and we admired a very colourful sky until well past midnight.
We stood above a sea of fog and could only hear how the waves crushed on the
cliffs far below us but we never saw the sea. Before getting real dark, the sky
got brighter again.
On the next morning, the weather was just perfect and the locals talked
about tropical temperatures, now as they reached respectable 18 °C. This might
not last and Brigitte wanted to discover as much as possible before the diluvia.
We raised early visiting Puffins again before breakfast. Surely we “couldn’t”
stay any longer, so we took the morning ferry back to Sørvágur
in order to continue sight-seeing on Vágar
Island. We appreciated that the captain sailed past the sea stacks on the
other side this time, which afforded different spectacular views of them again.
Visiting
Vagar and Streymoy
Back in the car, we explored Vagar’s villages of Bøur and Miðvágur, both
with colourful neat houses. After crossing the sub-sea tunnel to Streymoy again, we paid the road-toll on a nearby petrol station. There are two
such tunnels and the fee for both crossings has to be paid, just as the fee for
car-ferries only on the way back.
Along the eastern Sund Sundini we
drove from Hvalvik into the green valley of Saksunurdalur. The drive along a
small river on a newly tarred one-lane road was already very rewarding. At its
northern end we found the tiny village Saksun. The wooden houses have white
window frames and sometimes a white painted basement. According to old
tradition the walls are blackened with tar that serves as coat and paint at the
same time. A grass roof completes the contrasty picture. The grass on the hills
was of the intense green that reminded us of young rice fields. Saksun’s church
was outside the village guarding over a beautiful lagoon. On its mouth there
was a narrow exit to the sea, which looked almost like a river would flow
through a gorge burrowing its way through a sandbar. However it was a tidal
lagoon and at high tide the bright green algae that looked so colourful now,
might disappear.
Back in Hvalvik we took the next
turn north and followed the coastline along the sound which offered good views
to Eysturoy Island only a few hundred metres away. Here, fog started to come in
again but it hung on the surrounding hills, sometimes letting the sun still
through which gave our drive a mystical touch. At the end of the road lies Tjørnuvik.
The village is nicely sitting between intensely green mountains and a black
sand beach. Here the houses are rather modern but people still hang their fish
out to dry (perfuming the air). To gain some hay, they had to mow the steep mountain
slopes and now the grass was drying on special racks just as we know it from
the Swiss Alps (smells nice!).
Five
days on Suðuroy
Now we headed on the quickest way
south to Torshavn. Here we boarded the car-ferry Smyril for the two hour
sailing to Tvøroyri on the country’s
southernmost island Suðuroy. We couldn’t believe how many other cars and people lined up for this
trip to an island with only 4’600 inhabitants. We were already surprised how
big this boat is. It can float up to 200 cars but still sails three to four
times daily. The vessel is 135 metres long and 20 metres wide and has several
lounges, a big restaurant and a kiosk selling the ever so popular soft ice.
The ride was very calm but in the
meantime it looked as if the diluvia would
build up. That meant we were able to take some very mystical pictures instead
of seeing the famous rock-islands of Litla Dimun and Stora Dimun along the way.
We booked in to a very comfortable
guesthouse that set us back 500 DKK a night (65 Euros). That’s about the
standard price we paid for budget accommodation but the standard is really
above budget standard. What we learned now, was that you shouldn’t just arrive
without reservation in the Faroese. Many guesthouses don’t have a reception and
the caretaker will only be there to meet arriving guests. This time we were
lucky, as a local family that arrived with the same boat had booked a room and
the owner was there to show them in.
On the next day it rained a bit,
too little for a diluvia but it was wet and windy at least. So we bought some
of the good bread that is available everywhere on the Faroese islands and
stayed inside. Then we unpacked our Italian Espresso machine and enjoyed a
tasty coffee. As soon as the guesthouse owner saw this, he wanted to buy this
coffee machine, but we wouldn’t let it go.
Already the next afternoon it
cleared up and we immediately pulled up our socks and set off to explore Suðuroy’s north.
There were some challenges added to the road; we had to pass the first two
unlit one-lane tunnels – the first of many more to come. We were often
impressed by the high standard of the Faroese road network and it’s even more
impressing how villages with barely more than a handful of people were made
accessible by road-tunnels.
Danes apparently made jokes about how the Faroese wanted to make an Emmental
cheese of their islands on the peak of their economic rise. Their ambitions to
drill so many tunnels brought them close to bankruptcy after an economic
downturn. As soon as the worst was over, they continued drilling, making more
tiny villages accessible. Ironically there was not only one case where the last
inhabitants moved away as soon as the relocation-lorry was able to move through
the new tunnel. On Kalsoy there is even one tunnel built only to drive sheep to
the other side of a mountain for grazing!
As there is very little traffic, it is understandable that even 3 km
long tunnels are usually built with one lane only. Traffic in one direction has
priority and oncoming cars have to wait in passing-bays. The surface of the
rock is neither smoothened nor painted, so they are really pitch black holes.
Often they are dead straight so you see at least the light at the end of the
tunnel if there is no other car approaching. If there is, it is very hard to
judge how close it is, even locals get caught and then you either wait for ages
in a passing bay or you might have to reverse in the dark hole. In most tunnels
we didn’t even meet another vehicle, but tourists on bicycles are definitely
discouraged from using any.
Sandvik was the village at the end of this road and the name explains;
it’s on a sandy bay. Behind the village we hiked to a view point to get a glimpse
of Glyvraberg, a sea-stack beneath the cliffs. There were also some more points
where we could access the west coast and later it got even sunny. So Brigitte
proposed we could take advantage and drive to the southern part of Suðuroy as well. Not a problem, from north to south it
is only 53 km. To save time we had a fast-food lunch; we went to the next
petrol station and had some French hot dogs plus a soft ice, as all the locals.
High
cliffs in southern Suðuroy
Now we continued over a small passroad hoping to catch some good views
of the steep cliffs but the fog hung on to the top and we were glad to find at
least the road in front of the car. As we descended to Sumba we drove out of
the blanket and by the time we visited the lighthouse at Akraberg, we had again
unlimited views out to the sea.
As common as the bright green grass on the hills, is also the sheep
browsing on it. Faroese sheep are very sturdy and they grow very thick wool
which protects them in the harsh climate. We heard that if they get caught by
snow the whole flock will gather at the same sheltered point. Their body heat
will melt the snow on their wool and create an ice cap above them, so they can
survive up to two weeks under the snow cave. We have mainly seen sheep that hadn’t
been sheared and now in summer, they lost the old fur as new thick wool grew.
The old wool hung shaggy on the animals, making them look like sheep with dread
locks! Also long-haired goats could often be seen grazing along (funky) sheep.
As the sun persisted we re-visited those parts of Suðuroy we hadn’t seen the day before. This time we took
the coastal road to Vágur the second largest village. It offered beautiful
views to the surroundings: from fish farms in the bay to the peaks of the
mountains. Almost each time we stopped some birds were flying off. They were
either Whimbrel who make a chortling noise or Oystercatchers of which we didn’t
know that they like to be on the grass high above the sea. There was also thick
moss and tiny flowers, lots of grey or brown rocks (theoleiitic) basalt and
lava.
Thanks to a tip from Vágur’s Tourist Information we found a steep road
to a fantastic look-out over the Kamarit Cliffs.
Those are just as impressive
as the famous Beinisvørð Cliffs towering
476m above the sea. Even though the wind wasn’t very strong, we hardly trusted
to stick our noses out over the abyss as there were so many cracks along the
rim. Imagine us stretching out the camera, closing the eyes, push with the
finger and check what picture was captured... But no! We didn’t want to stretch
out on the belly because there was so much sheep shit everywhere.
We didn’t see enough yet, we still wanted to see more of those steep
cliffs. So we took once more the mountain road that had been covered in thick
fog the other day. This time visibility was much better but there was still a
blanket holding on to the highest peaks but at least we could catch a glimpse
of those unbelievably high, almost vertically dropping Beinisvørð Cliffs.
On our way back we made side trips; first to the lonely bay at Vikarfjorður
and another one over a pass to Famjin, a beautiful little West coast village
famous for colourful sunsets. We stopped at a sign praising that village
because it had won a “Clean and Green” award in 2006. For us this was beyond
belief! We have never seen a country cleaner, greener and tidier than the
unspoilt Faroese Islands (sorry New Zealand). How could they distinguish one
spot that should be even better than another? It was as good as any other!
Apart from seeing another very pretty village on a superb location, we
got the best Waffles we have had north of Belgium. And after the wonderful
smell came also nice coffee and even a small bill.
On our last day on Suðuroy, we just
walked around Tvøroyri, which is with 1’800
inhabitants the biggest village on the island. There is a big church that was
built in Norway and shipped over in pieces. It was donated by a local merchant
family. Behind that church and also in many other places, we saw basalt columns
and out of town farmers could be seen cutting grass and putting it on wooden
racks. Then they covered it with nets which we believe was to prevent the wind
from blowing the hay away.
On the opposite side of the fjord was the ferry landing and the sea
looked very quiet to us. But when we watched the big ferry Smyril leaving the
fjord, we were puzzled to see how much she bobbed up and down in the waves.
Luckily, the next morning when we took the same boat back to Torshavn, it was
much calmer even though it was rainy. Heinz slept through the entire journey as
he had taken two sea-sickness pills, just in case.
Touring
around Eysturoy
From the ferry we drove to Eysturoy Island in the Northeast. On the way
we stopped at the village of Eiði. Right behind are two famous sea stacks with
a legend attached to them.
As we checked in to our (reserved) guesthouse, the Gjaargardur in Gjógv,
we were shown to our “Viking style alcove”. Hugh, that was tiny! Every Japanese
Capsule Hotel Box is bigger. It consisted of a double mattress squeezed in
between a wall and the roof side with a window in your face (in the roof) to
see the midnight sun. There was no space at all to stand up and only the one
next to the sliding door of that pigeonry could sit up.
Well... that’s what you get if you can’t just come and see the room
first. In stark contrast to this tiny private “double-coffin” the common rooms
were lavishly generous. Brigitte couldn’t understand why the architect hadn’t
given 2 metres of that space to the “rooms”. Well she was moaning a lot and
watched in disbelief how mainly older couples moved into the other pigeonries –
if at least everyone would have gotten one for himself. You get what you pay
for and of course we didn’t want to pay for two “rooms” or double for the big
luxury rooms. To smoothen the temper the restaurant served decent food. The
place was heated much more than necessary as everywhere in the country. We were
told that no one ever switches the heater off, not even in a warm summer as this
one. The Faroese moan about high costs for heating but wherever we stayed it
was normally too warm in the house. Brigitte wondered whether she suddenly
suffered hot rushes with every cup of coffee even though she only wore a singlet
indoors. Also Heinz unzipped his removable trousers legs as soon as we went through
a Faroese door.
The drive out to Gjógv is quite spectacular as well as the setting of
the small village. It sits at a cleft that functions as their natural harbour. Some
bird cliffs are within walking distance, though with not that many Puffins or
other birds.
Normally it’s very quiet in Gjógv except on days when cruise liners
arrive in Torshavn 70 km away. Then the entire boat load is being bussed up here
and then the business conscious locals sell postcards at 2 Euros and overpriced
microwave Waffles.
From here we explored all of the island of Eysturoy during the next two
days. Most hills rise to between 500 – 800 Metres and appear like almost Alpine
mountains. The road leads regularly over very spectacular pass roads from the
shores of one fjord to another. The intense green of the mountain slopes was
the typical colour of all islands and also here sheep were grazing everywhere.
There were not many villages in the fjordlands but all were very neat,
colourful and clean. To us, the most appealing villages were Funnigur,
Funnigsfjørður, Elduvík and Hellur. At
the south-eastern end of Eysturoy, some villages seemed to melt together and
the landscape was rather flat. In the very south near Aeduvik, we could see
over to Nolsoy Island and even to Torshavn’s surroundings. There were only a
few wind-generators but with so much wind in abundance, one would think this is
a good idea. However in the Faroese Islands the wind is often too strong and
therefore wind-generators have to be switched off regularly. Even
construction-site containers have to be tied to heavy concrete foundations;
otherwise the wind would blow them away.
During our stay on Eysturoy the annual rock festival was held (near Gøtugjógv), which was simply called: G! As in the rest of
the world, it’s probably more about getting drunk than about music, although
they try to present international singers each year. When we passed there for
the first time, a big tent city popped up but when we passed again after it was
over, we saw mainly rubbish and the last few drunks laying around or sliding on
their belly down on cars front screens.
Impressive
Northern Islands
On July 24, 2009 we took the country’s second sub-sea tunnel to Klaksvík
on Bordoy Island. With ~4’600 inhabitants it’s the Faroese’ second largest town
and to us it was an ideal base to explore the north-eastern islands. There are two
fjords that would almost join but Klaksvík sits in the middle and stretches out
to both hillsides of the northern fjord which is used as their harbour. We were
glad that the tourist board started operating a Youth Hostel as otherwise there
was only one expensive hotel. This hostel was quite basic and a bit of a “Villa
Kunterbunt or Villa Villekulla” with a young receptionist that run off to the
G! Festival, abandoning her guests of which some didn’t even manage to get keys
to their pre-paid room...
At first we intended to visit the neighbouring island Kalsoy, but whilst
waiting for the ferry Brigitte read in the travel guide about a great hike up
to the light house. Heinz figured out that we wouldn’t have enough time to
catch the last ferry back. So we decided to postpone this trip at the moment
when we were just due to board the ferry.
Instead we opted to visit the island of Viðoy first. To get there, we had to
pass two unlit single lane tunnels. In contrast to all other Faroese
single-lane tunnels we had used, those two had to cope with lots of traffic. During
the two times two kilometres crossings, we had to wait more than twenty times in
the passing bays and in one case even a truck had to reverse because there was
too much oncoming traffic to fit into one bay. Those were two horror tunnels.
Later the locals told us that these were among the first tunnels drilled in the
Faroese Islands and nobody expected traffic to increase so much when they were
constructed in 1965. Anyway; there was light at the end of the tunnel and at
the end of the road we were rewarded with the very beautiful village Viðareiði.
As most other villages, it looked as if it was bigger than the official
number of inhabitants suggested. We often got the impression that there are
many empty houses but they were never neglected. The explanation we got was
that many Faroese stay in Torshavn during the week to work and go back to their
first residence during weekends only.
Also here we got to chat to some locals, as everywhere. People were very
open for a small talk and their command of English was in general excellent,
which we appreciated very much. Unfortunately we know Faroese and their second
language Danish, only by name. Although we had memorized the sentence: “do you
speak English” in Faroese – we never managed to pronounce it the way the locals
understood and they immediately asked in good English: “sorry, what do you
mean? Can you speak English?” Well, well, we got by!
From Viðareiði we walked in different directions and had vast views eastwards
to Fugloy and Svínoy islands. Westwards we saw the islands Borðoy, Kunoy and
Kalsoy. Hey; what was that? On the furthest island, the highest of the three,
fog had built up and the light-house we had initially intended to visit was
wrapped. Well then, we were very lucky not to go today!
Because the weather was so nice everywhere else still, we also wanted to
visit the abandoned settlement of Múli. It is only about two kilometres away on
the neighbouring island of Borðoy, just across the sound. To get there, we had
to drive 20 km on the road, as we had to drive halfway down the island before
we could cross over. Most of the Faroese Islands are situated very close to
each other and it was easy to build bridges to inter-connect them.
The same applied to Kunoy, the island we visited next. To get to the
only settlement at the west-coast we had to cross a 3km long unlit tunnel,
which we had all to ourselves. The village was also called Kunoy and it had a
spectacular setting with amphitheatre-like mountains as a backdrop. As we
walked out from the village, we saw a ram literally rammed up with its horns in
the fence. As we couldn’t help the poor buggar, we knocked on the next farmer’s
house and explained the dilemma – this time in sign language as this old couple
didn’t speak English. Brigitte mounted “horns” and went down to the fence...
just to show... to make things clear(er) Heinz simply showed a picture on our
digital camera...
Awesome
views
Early next morning, we definitely attempted the journey out to Kallur
light house, after being told that visibility was as good as it can be, which
is only happening a few times every year. And so it was! We got on the
car-ferry to Kalsoy and headed to the tiny village Trøllanes on its northern tip. Although it is a popular hike that was enjoyed by at
least 10 other people that day – locals and tourists alike, there was neither a
walking track nor any sign. We had to make our own way up through steep sheep
meadows. It took almost one hour until we finally spied the light-house in the
distance and were assured of being “on the right track”. It is one of many walks
on the Faroese Islands that is very enjoyable in good weather but very
dangerous if dense fog comes in, as one might get lost near high cliffs.
However, it was our day and the weather remained clear, so we could
enjoy truly spectacular views over the cliffs to many surrounding islands to
the East and West. On the way back to the ferry we passed again the four road
tunnels that gave the long but narrow island the nick-name “the flute”. We
stopped in each of the three tiny villages, where we marvelled once more at the
colourful or black tarred houses with or without grass-roofs.
In the evening we went for dinner to “THE Hotel” where the guests from
that hotel mingled with those from our hostel. Even though Klaksvik is the
second biggest town (pop. 4’600) it’s gastronomic scene is the opposite of
Torshavn’s. Apart from a closed restaurant (no option) and some fast food
options (ditto), there was no other place to eat in town.
There are so few tourists visiting the Faroese Islands, you regularly
bump into the few others again and again. Somehow you soon know them and so we
often got to talk to other tourists on view points or in pretty villages. Most
other visitors we met came from Scandinavia – mostly from (the motherland) Denmark.
Those are probably the people that are not afraid about bad weather.
By the way; the weather we experienced was much better than we had hoped
for. After so many sunny days, Brigitte has long forgotten her fear of the
diluvia but it’s a matter of good luck and you’d miss out so much great scenery
if it’s foggy.
Many Faroese don’t seem to mind if it’s wet, they don’t even put their
hood up when it rains. Umbrellas are usually of no protection for long as there
is always a gale coming up rather sooner than later. Several times we have seen
children with rubber boots playing in the water along the beach. Of course they
didn’t give much attention and if they were running after whatever, they got
knee deep into the water and later simply turned their rubber boots upside
down.
On the other hand, people mostly wore very warm clothes, even if it was quite
warm. Although women quite often wore thongs, they usually had a giggle when
they saw Heinz in shorts.
Back in Torshavn
We drove back to Torshavn and stayed for our last three nights again at
the same B&B where we had spent our first night.
For such a small place we were amazed how many shopping centres Torshavn
has. Here, as everywhere, we noticed the many young parents with quite a lot of
children. When we asked somebody whether our impression is right, they
mentioned that the average woman bears 2.6 children.
People give a very happy impression (at least in summer) and those we
talked to confirmed this. Faroese like to look at their nation as a big family.
Abortions, divorces and suicide rates are the lowest among the Scandinavian
countries.
Most Faroese realize that total independence from Denmark wouldn’t be
sensible, even though the biggest party in parliament is in favour of it. The
smaller parties form a coalition to keep the biggest one out of the government.
Our landlord put it frankly: “the opposition party is good at talking. No
wonder: it’s a populist party but they are useless; they don’t even know where
the money comes from...”
National Day Ólavsøka
On July 28th
and 29th, our last days in Torshavn, we had the chance to witness
the celebrations for Ólavsøka, the Faroese National Day. Everyone
dressed up and most wore traditional
costumes.
People gathered in the centre of town to see the parade and hear some speeches.
There were competitions with rowing boat teams from all islands and a big
fun-fare afterwards.
Especially women’s
dresses, called Stakkur are very colourful and vary according to their village
of origin. At first they were mostly covered under big black capes as it was
drizzling a bit but the sun soon had them reveal their beautiful costumes. Women’s
dresses have embroidery on the bust and a shoulder scarf and apron is matching
the colour of the dress. Gent’s costumes called Sjóstúka are of black jackets
with red gilets, together with knickerbocker-like trousers and traditional
shoes. As they wear them normally only once a year, they often cause blisters
and logically on the second day, most men opted for casual dress, sometimes only
keeping the cap on (Stavnhetta).
Very cute were also the many little children in their finery.
The fun-fair,
which was held on those two days, offered mainly amusements for little
children. To us it was quite impressive to see how simple the equipment had to
be as they cannot bring big “merry go round” and ”roller coasters” to these
small islands. Instead they had lots of inflated castle bounce houses, a motor-scooter
race course set-up with old tyres and little go-cart cars. Then there were big
overalls made heavy with lead in which the little buggars could hardly move but
had to try to run each other over.
Last impressions from the giant ferry
The national day proper was celebrated with the
prime minister opening the new session of parliament, church attendance and
choir singing, which we didn’t attend. Instead we packed up and prepared to
leave as we were booked on the Norröna car-ferry to Iceland. Again we managed
to squeeze our entire luggage, including tent- and kitchen equipment, bedding,
summer and winter clothing, our espresso machine and a printer completely into
our Dacia’s boot. As always, the passenger compartment remained completely
empty.
It was rather grey and drizzly but soon after
the boat left Torshavn, the sun reappeared again through the clouds. To our big
surprise, the captain didn’t choose the shortest way out to sea but instead, followed
all along most impressive cliffs between the islands. We couldn’t believe how
close this giant boat sailed to the cliffs that could be several hundred metres
high. In front of them, even this big ship seemed small. For us it was a
perfect farewell from the Faroese Islands. Most other passengers had just
stopped in the harbour of Torshavn on their way to Iceland and they now got to
realize that the Faroese Islands are a very worthwhile destination as well.
The boat was full to its capacity of 1’482
people and virtually everyone was standing on deck smitten by the beauty of
this amazing landscape that was passing before our eyes for almost two hours. These
cliffs are so enormously high, dropping vertically, rugged and rutted by
gorges. The icing on the cake were small sea-stacks standing in the water at
the foot of the cliffs every now and then. Unique – such a farewell from such a
unique island world!
Smyril Line, the operator of
the Norröna Ferry is a Faroese Company with one of the major shareholders being
the government. Built in Germany and in service since 2003 she measures 165 metres
in length and is 30 metres wide. She is 9 storeys high and can carry about 800
cars or piles of cargo. Lots of luxury is available to entertain the up to
1‘482 passengers during the 2–2½ days sailing between Denmark and Iceland. You
find swimming pool, sauna and gym on board. A crew of 118 keep everything
operating, including three restaurants, several small bars and the inevitable
duty-free shop. Contrary to our concerns, prices for food and drink were not
inflated but similar to average Danish/Faroese prices.
Just as on our first leg on this ferry, we were
lucky again and the sea was very calm most of the time. Even if the sea is
rough, stabilisators help the Norröna to be calmer than most cruise liners.
A bunk bed in alcoves of 6 or 9 beds is
included even with the cheapest ticket but those are incredibly crammed, much
worse still than the pigeonry! Above the top bed of the triple-bunk in the 9-bed
dorms there is barely half a metre space – claustrophobic! There are of course
also nice cabins, for those willing to pay an extra
fee. Especially during off season, an own cabin is worth considering (don’t
even hope to be in an empty boat by then).
Briefly through Iceland
On July 30th 2009 we disembarked in Seyðisfjörður, a small
village on Iceland’s east coast. Although weather was not always perfect in the
beginning of our journey through Iceland, it was still very fascinating. We
were glad to know that we will come back later after visiting Greenland and in
order to tell all our impressions about Iceland at once, we will also describe
it later.
At the moment we only want to tell you that we drove along Iceland’s
south coast to Reykjavík, where we boarded a plane to Greenland.
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Greenland: warm Arctic summer weeks around Disko Bay
To some people Greenland is a harsh cold country
with a hostile environment that can only be reached with an expedition. To
others it’s senseless going there because there is nothing but ice and almost
no population or tourism. To others it’s THE ultimate cruise-liner destination
and to others it’s just a dream: too expensive and too far to reach.
When we arrived on August 8, 2009 with Air Iceland on board a 37-seater plane to
Greenland’s west coast, we were already smitten while descending to Ilulissat. The view over the vast
icecap with the glacier tongues and the broken off icebergs floating between
the rocky fjords was just astonishing. Steel-blue lakes could be seen on
gargantuan icebergs. Sometimes there were so many icebergs on the water, we
couldn’t tell them apart. What a picture perfect welcome to a fascinating
country!
Greenland is with 2’166’086 m2 the world’s largest
non-continental island. About 85% of the landmass is covered with an icecap up
to 3km thick. If it would melt, the entire sea level would rise by 7m.With only
57’000 inhabitants Greenland is also the world’s most sparsely populated
country and has only 12 settlements of more than 1’000 inhabitants. Greenlanders
call their island “Kalaallit Nunaat” (land of the people) and it is an autonomous
constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark using Danish currency. Because
90% of its exports are based on fishery, Greenland has left the EU to protect
is fishing zone. Greenland relies still heavy on Danish subsidies which
translate in figures to about 633 Million USD or $ 11’300 per capita annually.
Stepping into a postcard
As we stepped out of the airport we sort of felt like stepping into a
postcard. All the houses in Ilulissat are very colourful; real gaudy and the
town’s setting on the icefjord is just spectacular! Many icebergs were floating
in the stark blue water with lots of small boats between. We checked in to the
Youth Hostel, which was basic, though not cheap. It has rather small twin bunk
rooms only, but Uli the friendly caretaker compensates for the lack of comfort.
Compensating is also the unique environment, so we rather enjoyed those benefits
and postponed cosy accommodation to countries where standards are higher but
landscapes rather ordinary in comparison to Greenland. We didn’t wait long
until we ventured out to see the unique environment just on our doorstep.
Ilulissat Kangerlua: the mother of gargantuan icebergs
The village of Ilulissat is already a big attraction in itself, but it’s
outclassed by the regions star attraction just around the corner: Ilulissat
Kangerlua a giant icefjord. That’s why we came here to spend all that money!
From the rocks you see down to the fjord that looks as if it was a river full
of gargantuan icebergs. It’s an awe inspiring site but even from high above you
cannot manage to see that the fjord is 7km wide and 65km long. Small icebergs
were gently flowing towards the sea, the big ones were stuck.
All these icebergs are coming from Sermeq Kujalleq, the biggest glacier
in the northern hemisphere and consequently the inland ice’s biggest outflow.
Every year 20 Billion tonnes (or 35km3) break off at the (receding) glacier.
That’s in average every day the annual water consumption of New York City. The
glacier calves only about every two weeks and then it sounds as if thunder was
filling the air. The quantity of ice that breaks off at the 7 km wide edge of
the glacier is so huge; scientists calculate that in theory it flows at a speed
of 40 metres per day. It can take 2 years until newly calved icebergs, which
might break apart many times, reach the mouth of the fjord at Ilulissat, 65 km
downstream.
Icebergs can weigh up to 7 million tons and most get stranded for up to
another year on the underwater moraine that lies across the mouth of the fjord.
Here, the waters depth is only about 200-300 metres, too little for most of the
icy giants! The 50 metres or more they raise above the water line is only the
legendary tip of the iceberg, as 87% of their mass lays hidden under water. No
wonder, they get stuck on the moraine and have to wait until they break further
apart or a spring tide lifts them out to Disco Bay. Depending on wind and
currents, they float then at first in different directions, but finally most pass
the east coast of Canada.
Ilulissat: the tourist-magnet
Thanks to the moraine, the mouth of the icefjord is always packed with
icebergs, making Ilulissat Greenland’s tourist-capital. Consequently, it is
well set up for travellers, but on days when cruise liners call in, the village
gets overwhelmed by some 600 additional tourists for a few hours. After they
leave the place gets quiet again and is not over-touristy at all.
We happen to know four of those cruise-tourists booked this summer to
Ilulissat. Two came only later but the relatives of Brigitte were due during
our stay. Although we noticed the cruise liner when it moored outside the
harbour, it was by default rather than by design that we bumped into them. That
day we made one of the longer hikes and among one of the many groups that
passed us, we suddenly recognized these two Swiss: Mia & Hansrudi. They
just exclaimed: “until now we didn’t have the impression Greenland is such a small
place!” There was only time for a small chat before they rushed on to join
their group that was surrounded by mosquitoes. As we were late in season, we hardly
had to bear mosquitoes. Surprisingly, the few ones that were still left swarmed
mainly around the groups of cruise-line passengers. Luckily for us, the perfumes
worn by some attracted those nasty mossies more than our sweat.
Daily we made some hikes on the well marked tracks that are between two
and eight kilometres long. They lead along the rocky hills offering spectacular
views to the icefjord. Every time, we got rewarded with a different vista of
the icebergs. Someday, the panorama looked only slightly different than the day
before, but most days the icebergs assembled in a totally new order. Sometimes,
we could watch how an iceberg lost a corner or split up. A few times we could
watch a whale frolicking between the bergs.
We were even lucky to see a rare polar fox twice. Both times, the young
(still dark) furry cutie was as curious to see us, as we were curious to see it!
Greenlandic transport: from dog-sleds to helicopters
One time a young, obviously lost dog followed us for two kilometres back
to the village, where it looked for its pack among the six thousand sled-dogs
that live in Ilulissat. They are neither pets nor wary watch-dogs but
working-dogs and never bark at passers-by. However, when they get fed, their howling
is ear-shattering! During summer, all adult sled-dogs are chained in groups but
during the winter (October to May) they provide a mean of transport, making it
easier for the locals so swarm out to the surroundings.
During summer, there is only transport by boats, planes and helicopters, as the
Greenlandic settlements are not interconnected by road. The villages are few
and far between, although spanning a bridge (over a fjord) that still allows
icebergs the size of small towns to pass or drilling a tunnel through the
inland ice would be a real engineering marvel!
Roads in Greenland are limited to settlements only and for many locals,
cruising in a car or in a taxi around their village is certainly a favourite
pastime, but also jogging and hiking are very popular.
Those who think Greenlanders live in ice cold igloos are certainly wrong, the contrary
is the case: People live in very well heated wooden houses and are rather
wasteful with energy. The heating is commonly regulated by opening the windows and
car owners keep the engine running (but lock the doors) while shopping.
The houses in Ilulissat are all very neat and colourful, even the numerous
apartment-blocks. Some houses stand on stilts; others are built directly on the
rocky grounds. Often there are no proper tracks between houses, only trails.
Those who have a car, just park it somewhere. It’s very unusual that somebody
has a fence or a garden but very often you can see boats, snow cats, dog-sleds
or racks for drying fish around their (sometimes untidy) premises.
Inuit between traditional and modern life
The importance of old traditions and live style vanishes very quickly
for modern Inuit. The Western lifestyle in heated dwellings reduces the
dependence on nature, on which their ancestors still relied. The modern world
has influenced Inuit greatly and through interrelationship many other genes
have blended in. To us it was almost impossible to tell them apart from Asian
immigrants and in fact Archaeologists trace the roots of some Eskimo-tribes to
Asia. Indigenous languages translate the word “Eskimo” as “eaters of raw meat”
whereas “Inuit” just stands for “people”. In most parts of Greenland and also
in Canada the locals (first nations) find it insulting to be called “Eskimo”
and prefer the term “Inuit”, whereas in Alaska, Siberia and one area of
north-eastern Greenland people have no problem to identify themselves as
Eskimos.
Anyway the picture book “Eskimo” we hoped for in our romantic illusions
is hard to find nowadays. They wear cloths just as modern as in any other
European city. Seeing Inuit people wearing traditional cloths is a big
exception; they are only worn for special occasions. On our first day in
Greenland, we were lucky to meet a couple wearing traditional clothing because
their child got baptised on that day.
On their first school day, most children wear traditional costumes.
Although this is a big event also in Greenland, about 20% of the children listed
for enrolment didn’t pop up that day! This is accepted as in line with local
customs; many children are not disciplined for their misbehaving. The Inuit
believe that children inherit the name and the name-soul of their ancestors, so
disciplining a child shows disrespect for the deceased elder. Children are
expected to learn from the repercussions of their mistakes, not from the anger
of their parents. Consequently, children of any age can be seen playing and
straying at any given time, be it day or night.
The Greenlandic language with its mostly long words is very complex and
difficult. It has several dialects, all related to Canadian and Russian
Eskimo-Aleut-languages. For instance the Inuit word for Tourist office is:
“takornarissanut allaffik”. But there are also some (short) Greenlandic words
that were adopted around the globe: igloo (iglu) and kayak (Qajaq). Kayaks
traditionally were hunting boats made of a whale bone frame covered with
tightly stretched seal skin and water proofed with animal fat. In Arctic water
the paddler has to know exactly what he is doing and to master the Eskimo Roll
is vital. If not; bad luck! It only takes a few minutes in the icy water (0°C
to 4°C) and your organs fail because of hypothermia. However if someone likes a
thrill; there are trips offered to dive under the icebergs.
Here in Ilulissat it was very obvious that most businesses are owned and
operated by foreigners or sometimes by some very well (Danish) blended locals.
Even the drivers of tourist-buses are more often than not expats. Inuit people
live very much the moment which is a spiritual gift, but rarely an advantage in
a capitalist economy. “If there is cash, let’s spend it” is a common Inuit
mindset. On payday, too much of the desperately awaited money is spent on
booze, with all the ugly consequences caused by extensive alcohol consumption.
Some children probably don’t go home all night to avoid being beaten by their
parents who drowned their traditions’ in alcohol. Western lifestyle had been
introduced too quickly and its natural that many Inuit still have problems
coping with it. Broken beer-bottles can be seen wherever civilisation came
through, even on lonely hikes above the icefjord, hours away from the village.
Sailing between the icebergs
To see the stream of icebergs is a most amazing natural spectacle, we
couldn’t get enough of it. Although the icebergs don’t look that small from the
shore, we were always puzzled when a huge cargo-vessel or an impressively big
cruise-liner disappeared behind a berg as if it was a small toy! To get a fair
impression about the real size of the icebergs, it’s best to fly over them or
better still; to sail between them on a boat.
Initially we had planned to join a sight-seeing trip between the icebergs
in the icefjord, but our trip with the scheduled boat from Ilulissat to
Qasigiannguit was so superb, we don’t think that a tour with a sight-seeing
boat would have been even better. The small boat of Disko Line sailed for almost
ten kilometres between and very close to the icebergs as it crossed the mouth
of the icefjord on its route southwards
(twice-weekly). The views from below and along the gargantuan “bergs” that
reflected in the clear blue water were truly spectacular, indeed just breath-taking.
The chilling from the ice could be felt down to the bones, but we were smitten
by the awesome surroundings and it was most imposing to look 50 metres up a
white wall!
After the boat had passed the area with the biggest concentration of icy
giants, we could take our caps and gloves off again. But “the show” was far
from over: huge icebergs are dotted all around Disko Bay as if the sea was an
oversized sculpture garden. Sometimes they floated a few kilometres apart and
sometimes there were a few together. They have any size and shape – some look
simply like a giant ice-cube or a pillar and it’s not unusual to see big floating
arches. Others can look like a castle, a Thai temple, a flying swan or like the
biggest and coolest Toblerone chocolate bar in the world.
After a few hours we reached the small village of Qasigiannguit. As all
other Greenlandic settlements, it has very colourful houses and a big ugly fuel
depot at its harbour entrance. We didn’t disembark here as we had not found
reasonably priced accommodation and the only hotel asks for € 170 a night. We
just continued with the boat to Aasiaat. On the way we passed many more icebergs
and we were also lucky to spot two whales and some seals.
Aasiaat, an authentic and charming village
At nine P.M. when we entered the harbour of Aasiaat the colourful houses were
shimmering even more colourful than usually in the setting sun. It was the
middle of August now and still didn’t get entirely dark all night long. Being
almost 70° north, the Disko Bay lies almost at the same height as Tromsø in
northern Norway. Therefore the midnight sun is up between the middle of May
till the end of July. In the meantime the sun was disappearing just a bit below
the horizon, creating most beautiful sunset colours that lasted several hours, presently
from sunset continuously into sunrise. Despite the long daylight hours the
arctic sun never rises very high above the horizon, creating a special light
that can be challenging for photographers.
The town of Aasiaat is a very rewarding authentic place to visit and not
touristy at all. We had booked a room at the Seaman’s home by the harbour. Entering
the room almost felt like entering a sauna. We had heard that locals like it
hot but we didn’t expect it to be more than 30°C. As not all radiators could be
switched off, also we ended up using the sophisticated Greenlandic heating
regulation system: open windows...
When we ventured out to discover the village, we were regularly greeted
by people, even by teenagers. There were not many icebergs floating around
Aasiaats shoreline but it’s famous for whale spotting. As we didn’t see any, we
pointed our camera at the neat colourful houses and sometimes watched the sled
dogs. Surprisingly there were better roads and more space for pedestrians but
less traffic than in Ilulissat. With about 3’300 inhabitants the fishing
village of Aasiaat is the fourth largest community after Ilulissat with 5’000 (only
Sisimiut and the capital Nuuk are bigger).
Dependent or independent?
By talking to some locals and also to some Danish immigrants we learned
how people live, how they like to spend their spare time, what the Greenlanders
think about independence and how the country functions. Despite the heavy
dependence on Danish subsidies and know-how, a populist movement managed to
convince the majority of Greenlanders to vote for independence. Most of the
better educated Greenlanders realize that this is not a very smart move
considering the vast land and the small population with all its social
problems. They know it takes more to run a country than just national pride.
Today health-care service, education and police are run by the (Royal)
Danish government and most companies are either owned by foreigners or by the
Greenlandic Home Rule Government (like the fish and seafood company “Royal
Greenland”).
Greenland suffers a big lack of qualified Inuit personnel. Presently all but a
few doctors and nurses are Danish nationals and even ground schools often have
to resort to Danish teachers although they usually don’t speak Greenlandic. We
met two Danish Psychologists who told us they work with translators as many
patients don’t speak Danish.
Presently, only basic education is widely offered. Because not many
Greenlanders are interested in studying, most students who seek higher
education have to travel to Denmark. Sadly for Greenland, graduates often stay
in Denmark, tempted by higher salaries. The few who do come back usually stick to
the capital Nuuk (pop.16’200) and don’t want to live in small isolated
villages. To change this, efforts are under way to offer higher education in Greenland’s
bigger villages. Aasiaat is getting a new high school presently still staffed by
Danish teachers only.
On Saturday evening we ate at a very good restaurant but we were the
only guests. We felt pity for the host but he explained that the locals follow
a different rhythm during summer days. Now almost everybody goes out with the
boat for the weekend fishing and camping. Only during the week people come to
have dinner at the restaurant. During the colder 9 months it’s another story:
then most guests will pop in on weekends.
Disko-Island: where remoteness starts
After two days we continued on the boat to Disko Island (=disc) passing
many more solitary icebergs. After three hours we reached the settlement of
Qeqertarsuaq that has only about 1’000 inhabitants and many more dogs.
Kangerluk with its 20 houses is the only other permanent settlement on this
island that measures about 120x120km (8’600km2). Also Disko Island
has an icecap and a galloping glacier that moves 100 metres a day. There are
about 2’000 so called hot springs recognizable by bright green plants in their
flow. They didn’t tempt us for a dip as most are only 2° to 5°C warm. Even
though they appeared cool now, this temperature becomes “hot” when everything
around is frozen.
Qeqertarsuaq is a rather sleepy fishing village that isn’t spoilt by
Tourism except on the few days when cruise liners come in. Life was a bit more
basic than in the previous places we had visited but the houses were still
colourful and there was a big power plant and fuel depot too. There were fewer
cars but there was always some traffic as they used every vehicle available for
joy rides: the post delivery van, the fire engine and even the ambulance. Just
two days prior our arrival, they had certainly been on stand-by as a big event
was held in that small fishing village: the Greenlandic soccer championship.
The perimeter advertising boards were still in place. They were quite different
to those the world is used to, as the advertisements were handwritten on
coloured cardboard. Then they were put up on wooden boards around the dusty lot
that was the site of the championship by the sea.
Icebergs on the move
Qeqertarsuaq harbour side is rocky but behind the village there is a
long black sand beach. Helped by currents, many big icebergs wash ashore here.
It was fascinating to watch how parts fell off or how they fell apart entirely,
leaving several huge bergs instead of just one giant. Sometimes they just
turned in the current, creating a different picture every few hours.
Contrary to common belief, icebergs don’t just melt away. They crack due
to tensions because compressed air is expanding in warmer water or air, thus
causing them almost to “explode”. This sounds almost like a gun salute but when
they break apart, it sounds like thunder. Unless it’s a very big iceberg the
spectacle is usually over by the time you figure out where the noise came from
and it is certainly too late to unpack your camera.
If you’re lucky however, a small part breaks off at first with more pieces
following. Then everything looks like turning and tumbling in slow motion
resembling a heavy whale jumping. A few waves and shattered ice on the water
surface are proof of the action and then everything goes back to silence until
the next auspicious crackling sound.
The icebergs washed ashore here have only travelled 100 kilometres from
the mouth of the icefjord. Most will go on a much longer trip usually north at
first. By the time they realize it’s a dead end, they get trapped and frozen in
the pack ice. As spring releases them the Labrador Current moves them gently
south along the east coast of Baffin Island towards Davis Straits. By then they
freeze again in the pack ice north of Labrador and only next spring their
journey ends in Newfoundland when they get washed ashore on the coast that is
nick named Iceberg Alley. Only very few hardy ones get past St. John but melt
quickly as they reach the Gulf Stream.
Adjusting to conditions
During our week at Qeqertarsuaq, we stayed at Napasunguit Hostel, a blue
wooden house in typical Greenlandic style. It was located above a lonely bay
outside the village from where we could see the icebergs from the kitchen
window. As romantic as this all was, inside it was pretty basic. An English
couple made the sarcastic remark upon inspecting the house: “Hmm...looks all
very interesting...and this Hostel should be better than the hotel, our travel
agent told us?” Most accommodation in Greenland is not very good value for
(usually big) money. It has a price to be in such a great and remote country.
At DKK 450 (Euro 60) this was the lowest price we paid for a room in Greenland
and we don’t want to moan because most of the time we had the house all to
ourselves.
At the hostel in Qeqertarsuaq we experienced what every household north
of Ilulissat has to cope with: a dry closet. In a country where the rocky ground
is frozen for 8-9 months a year it’s difficult to deal with water- and sewage
pipes. Therefore, in northern Greenland, not only household garbage, but also
the peoples “droppings” are regularly collected in special yellow bags
deposited in front of the colourful houses!
Everywhere we have come across water-pipes with thick insulation and cables for
heating them. Newer houses are now connected to town-water supply but many
still have their own water tank with a red and green light on the façade that
indicates the driver of the water delivery truck when a refill is due.
Contrary to the previous villages, there was only one modern supermarket
in Qeqertarsuaq. Considering that it was catering to 1’000 people only, it was
neither small nor limited in selection. The food section was at least 2’000 m2
big but the turn-over seems not to be that big, as we found several products in
the deep-freezer that had expired more than a year ago. What do you want in
such an isolated location? It’s either that or nothing! However the selection
was impressive and there was also fresh fruit and vegetables at reasonable
prices, contrary to what we had heard from quite recent reports.
On the other hand the situation on the bread counter was very deceptive.
Already one hour after the supermarket opened, the shelf was near empty and the
staff was happily waiting for the next 8 hours behind the counter until they
could go home. Apparently it didn’t occur to them to put any of the dough
visible in the freezer behind them into the oven.
Near the supermarket was the Agency that manages the hostel where we
stayed. Although the office was supposed to be open daily for some eight hours,
we had to check several times until finally somebody was on duty to collect our
money. Funnily the daily cleaning service stopped as soon as we had paid the
bill... The working morale is not all that high and the locals have always
groundbreaking new ideas how to reduce their workload even further. Like those
guys from Disko Line, the operator of the scheduled boat: if someone wants to
buy a ticket in their well staffed office, they immediately recommend buying
the ticket on the internet. If you insist to buy at the office, they tell you
about the hefty booking fee (~€ 10) for each of their rather expensive tickets.
The same applies to tickets sold directly on the boat. When booking a boat trip
on the internet, the fee is € 4 for as many tickets (and trips) as you book at
the same time. There was no way around and we really wanted to travel by boat
as the sailings between the icebergs are just marvellous!
On the way back there was much more ice just in front of Ilulissat than
on the way out. We peeped into the radar in the wheelhouse that detected every
iceberg and admired how well the captain navigated in careful zig zag around
the many big and small bergs. Disko Line Boats have very experienced captains
and the boats are very reliable too. So we safely arrived back in Ilulissat
even though the sea in the Disko Bay had been exceptionally rough. When checking-in
at the Youth Hostel again, we were assured that rough seas are very rare during
summer.
Sun drenched Disko Bay
During our three August weeks in Greenland (8.-29.), the weather was
really good except on 3 days with some rain on Disko Island. As there is a
1’000 metre high mountain-plateau, it’s just natural that clouds get stuck
there. Otherwise we had sun throughout with almost no wind. Temperatures were
in general between 6-12°C but it felt much warmer because of the clean dry air
and the calm conditions. When hiking, shorts and T-shirts were enough. Those
who wore more, were sweating after the first ascent and soon carried whatever
they could take off, around their waist or squeezed it above the spare jumpers
onto their daypacks.
Due to the clean and thin air, sunrays come almost unfiltered through the
atmosphere. For the same reason visibility is much better and tourists misjudge
distances frequently. We fell into the trap as well: we estimated the distance
from Ilulissat to Disko Island of which the icecap is clearly visible, as 5
kilometres only - but in fact it’s 50!
Several locals confirmed that sunny and calm weather dominates Disko Bay from
mid June to the end of August. With such a pleasant summer climate, it would be
feasible to open a nudist resort in Greenland. It would probably
get lots of media coverage but almost no guests, as no one would believe it to
be warm enough. Those who would bare it would likely get completely sun burned
soon.
The reputation for cold being synonym with Greenland is so established,
that some people would hardly believe how warm it can feel here. Three times we
had met men whose girl-friends refused to come along as they feared to freeze
to dead.
Greenlanders know how to enjoy the warm summer days. Sun loungers,
sunshades and BBQ’s are a common sight on balconies and indeed more widespread
than in Switzerland.
We spent 6 more days in Ilulissat and went for hikes many times. We
admired the ever changing assembly of icebergs in the Icefjord Ilulissat
Kangerlua, as well as in front of the village. Surely we burned lots of energy
and so were always hungry when we came back in the evening.
Greenlandic delicacies
As tourism is well established, Ilulissat has a good selection of nice
restaurants. Surprisingly there is no GST levied and therefore Greenlandic
restaurants are about 25% cheaper than in Denmark. The quality is high and the
price is reasonable for what you get.
The three biggest hotels all offer twice weekly Greenlandic buffets for 250 DKK
(€ 33) during the summer months. We were recommended to try the one at Hotel
Hvide Falk. Already the presentation with Asian style carvings made from fruit
and vegetables was outstanding. Flowers and birds, dragons and pagodas
decorated the wide selection of superbly prepared delicacies. There were
several fish and meat dishes we had never tasted before, like arctic char,
seal, wale, Muskoxen or Caribou, only the polar bear had been eaten away the
week before we attended the buffet the first time. Also Lamb, Reindeer, Salmon,
Atlantic Halibut, Shrimp, King Crab and the like were prepared into edible
sensations. They were offered raw, graved, smoked or dried but also pickled,
prepared as salads or cocktails and exceptionally just cooked and always
accompanied by a nice sauce. We couldn’t resist enjoying this culinary
sensation for a second time just before we left the country. We had not been
able to really try everything, as the selection was just too big, but now we
knew that dried fish is not to our liking whereas dried meat and wale was sooo
delicious! We also didn’t need any more Mattak as we knew we would still be
chewing on that wale skin now. Many say Mattak is the most typical Inuit dish,
but there are many others.
Because Inuit have been hunting seals and whales for millennia to survive
during their subsistence culture we didn't need to have a bad conscience about
consuming it too. After all it was European commercial whaling that decimated
some species almost to extinction but Inuit didn’t harm the eco balance. Modern
Inuit still eat whale and seal meat but these days it may also swim in a Thai
Curry.
As the Greenlandic Buffet is only offered because of tourists, it was
now the last of this season. For Inuit this buffet contains too much “smoked,
marinated and cooked” in short: it’s too westernized. During wintertime many
hotels offer Thai buffets, which locals are very fond of but then again; the manager
confided to us that they inuitize it a bit to adapt to local taste buds.
Finding authentic Thai cuisine isn’t a big problem in Greenland either, be it
summer or winter, as there is a surprising number of Thai expats living in the
Arctic. In Ilulissat at least 4 restaurants employ Thais and they are the
artists who created the carved decorations for the buffets.
Also on days with à la carte menu, it was most delightful to eat in the
restaurants of the hotels Icefiord and Hvide Falk. Both have dining rooms just
above the water with icebergs at your feet. We don’t know how the view is
during the time of the midnight sun but in August, dinner was always
delightfully accompanied by a most colourful sunset. Even at the end of our
visit it still felt like sitting “in a postcard”, as we watched how the
iceberg-dotted sea and the sky changed colours from blue to orange. To absorb
more of this majestic atmosphere we often went for an after-dinner walk in this
unique environment. Only on our last days, the glooming vanished around
midnight and thereafter a proper night fell and it got cold.
Final thoughts
Too soon our three weeks were over although we had allowed ourselves
more time than most tourists. In the meantime we got a fair bit of an impression
how life is around Disko Bay; it’s much more hospitable than we had hoped for
and certainly very tempting to return. It is a place we really grew to love. It’s
a place where the remoteness and the beauty of nature as well as the
friendliness of the people are very pleasing. Charm is above everything.
Our flight back to Iceland on Aug. 29, 2009 (the last direct flight for
the season) was a picture perfect farewell from Greenland and a scenic flight
as well. The pilot made a loop northwards along the rocky coast with many green
lakes. After crossing Ilulissat Kangerlua icefjord we soon reached the inland
ice. It is so vast, that we couldn’t make out where the ice melded with the
white clouds on the horizon. Only one and a half hours later the east coast with
some more impressive glaciers came into sight. No colourful houses though but
high spiky mountains and icebergs that were just as big as those we had seen up
close. Greenland is so mighty impressive! It was a fantastic trip to an
overwhelming country!
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Iceland: diverse by nature
As we had 8 days in Iceland before we flew to
Greenland, we go back in time to the morning of July 30, 2009 when we
disembarked with our car from the big ferry Norröna in the East of the country.
But first some background information:
With a landmass of 103’000 km2 and 320’000 inhabitants, Iceland
is still a pleasantly empty land, especially as only about 36% of the
population live outside greater Reykjavik, mostly along the coast.
Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants in the
late 9th century A.D., Iceland boasts the world's first democratic parliament,
the Alting, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was
subsequently ruled by Norway from1262 to 1918 and later by Denmark who granted complete
independence in 1944. Today Danish is still taught in ground schools.
With its many volcanic activities, Iceland is somehow still a country in
the making. Since it got settled, people have always been subjected to the
powers of nature. The islands interior consists of high mountains, icecaps, volcanoes,
vast ash plains and sandy deserts criss-crossed by creeks and rivers. It’s certainly
a rough beauty even if it’s hostile, arid and barren. Nobody lives there.
In the interior there are no proper roads, only a few 4-WD tracks
without bridges. To some adventurers this is exactly what they are looking for
and every summer hordes of “Conquistadores” go out there with their sophisticated
vehicles to meet the challenge and the loneliness of the relentless land.
Along the coastal belt, the well maintained Ringroad leads through fertile
and sparsely inhabited land. Most of the country’s very diverse and fascinating
sights are accessible along this 1’300 km long road (number 1), which is in
most places still very lonely by European standards. Additionally, there are
many gravel roads suitable for two-wheel-drive vehicles, such as our Dacia
Logan. Such unsealed roads lead out to the scenic fjords in the East, North and
West, or to additional sights further inland.
Arrival in Iceland
Already when the ferry Norröna entered the 17 km long fjord Seyðisfjörður,
the country started to reveal its beauty as the fog lifted. Countless little
waterfalls fell down the very green mountainsides. While disembarking, traffic
got stuck as 20 Italian Campervans assembled just outside the harbour waiting
for their leading vehicle to start their tour in a convoy around Iceland!
The village of Seyðisfjörður is at its liveliest while the Norröna is in
the harbour. Within one hour up to 800 adventure vehicles, campervans and cars are
popping out off its hold. As most of them immediately started a rat race around
Iceland, the 740 soul’s village was quiet again, by the time we had checked into
the Youth Hostel and had had breakfast. After looking around the village, we took
the steep pass road leading to Egilsstadir. The intense green of the landscape
was only interrupted by white snow patches that still hadn’t melted, despite
being just a few hundred metres above sea level. Up here we could enjoy
spectacular views and saw the first powerful waterfalls.
Now we continued along the shores of the artificial lake Lagarfljót
southwards. The water was generally pretty murky but behind some sandbars it
hadn’t mixed with the water coming from the glaciers and was therefore
shimmering bright blue. We crossed the
lake on the bridge that led directly to the Hengifoss carpark. From here a well
worn hiking track led up to two very spectacular waterfalls: Lítlanes- and
Hengifoss. The first impresses with vertical basalt columns and Hengifoss is,
with its drop of 120m Iceland’s third highest waterfall. Its dark brown wall
with striking red layers is as unique as the basalt in the lower falls. Both
were incredibly impressive - what a great introduction!
Back at the carpark we felt hungry and followed the tourist office’s
recommendation by driving to the nearby Klausturkaffi situated in the former
Skriðuklaustur Monastery that nowadays serves as a museum. A wonderful coffee-
and cake buffet that also included some savoury items like salads and gratins
was offered for ISK 1’500 (€ 9). We’re usually not that much into museums but
should they all have such great Coffee shops, we’d probably become
museums-freaks! Later we found out that indeed many Icelandic museums have a
Coffee shop that could be enjoyed without obligation to visit the museum as
well.
Back in Seyðisfjörður we checked in the evening whether the quality of Icelandic
cuisine matches its reputation and again: we were not disappointed!
On the next day, the weather was not boring at all; it was wet, windy
and foggy. As our flight to Greenland was booked, we had to go on, whether we
liked it or not. During our drive southwards along the eastern fjords, the fog
revealed only glimpses of craggy mountain peaks. Overnight we stayed at Djúpivogur
a village with only 360 people, picturesquely situated around a fishing
harbour. There was only one Hotel but it offered various types of accommodation
including budget rooms and a good but not too expensive restaurant.
Accommodation in Iceland
In Iceland, not only Youth Hostels but also many Hotels, Guesthouses and
Farmstays offer so called “sleeping bag accommodation”. That means the guests
bring their own bedding. Sometimes pillows and blankets (without cases) are
provided, sometimes not. The bathroom is usually in the corridor but often
shared kitchen facilities are available though mostly basic. Rooms can be the
same as those rented out with fully made up beds but at a substantially cheaper
rate. Travel Agents hardly “want to know” about it but by arranging accommodation
by ourselves we paid between ISK 4’400 and 7’000 for “sleeping bag double rooms”.
In 2009 this was equivalent to 24 and 44 Euros (including a 10% fluctuation in
the currency).
Most establishments who do offer “sleeping bag accommodation” do it year
round, a few only in off-season. Rooms are mostly small, regardless of the
price. As elsewhere in the world, in the capital cost of accommodation is
substantially higher and rooms are hard to find if you book on short notice. In
Reykjavik we paid around € 55 which was a bargain, if you consider that the
down-town Youth Hostel charges around 90 Euros for a sleeping bag double.
Before we left Djúpivogur on the next morning, we enthusiastically used one
of the free carwash facilities available in many petrol stations around
Iceland. The car had been very dirty because we had driven over wet gravel
roads the previous day. At the time we wasted our time with car-washing, we didn’t
know that only a few kilometres down the road more of the same was waiting for
us. As soon as our car was “cemented” again, the weather cleared up.
As a long weekend was approaching, the traffic was quite dense as many
locals towed either a caravan or a trailer with camping equipment.
During the first hours, there was still some mist wafting mysteriously
around the mountains and near the coast billows hovered between boulders, some of
which looked almost like manmade stonewalls. Soon the fog lifted and we got to
admire the blue sea to our left and steep mountain slopes to our right. Near
Lon we passed a bridge over a giant black “Sandur” (a glacial outwash plain
formed of sediments deposited by meltwater at the terminus of a glacier). Not
far from the coastline several black sand spits lay parallel to the beach, some
of them twenty or forty kilometres long.
Calving glaciers and icebergs
After a pit stop in Höfn we soon saw the first glacierarms flowing out
of Vatnajökull, the world’s third largest icecap after Greenland and the Antarctica.
Today’s star-attraction was Jökulsárlón the iceberg filled lagoon.
The many icebergs were very impressive and really beautiful to watch. Not even
15% of their mass lay above the water surface. Mainly Bergy Bits (1-5m above
the water) and Growlers (up to 1m out of the water) can be seen, rarely also a “real”
iceberg (5m plus). They thrilled us with their shapes and colours; often in blue
or dark layers. Because it rained nearby, the light was very mystical making
the ice almost shine in the green lagoon. All those icebergs come from the huge
glacier Breiðamerkur-jökull, visible in the background. They spend up to 5
years in the 17 km2, 600m deep lagoon before they get washed out to
the open sea passing under the bridge of road number 1. The waves clash with
them and throw some back onto the black sandy beach. It was strewn with melting
ice sculptures of which the oldest ones had become completely transparent.
Although it looks as if Jökulsárlón icelagoon had been here for ages, it
has only formed in the nineteen-thirties. Until then the glacier reached the
ring road but it’s now retreating rapidly and consequently the lagoon is
growing further.
The next two nights we stayed at Litla Hof in Öraefi, one of many farms
providing tourist accommodation. We chose this place because of its location
near Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell National Park, which we visited the next day in
beautiful sunshine. We thought we (too) had to hike up to Svartifoss *star of a
hundred postcards*. First we had to go up in a bee line with all the tourists
bussed up there. What came into sight was just a mini-version of lesser known
but to us much more impressive Litlanesfoss – we were quite disappointed! On
the way back we wanted to make a detour that promised superb views over the
icecap but somehow couldn’t find the turnoff.
We gave up and left the national park to find a hiking path of our own. Good
Luck was on our side and after parking near Fosshotel Skaftafell, where we had
had a very nice dinner the night before, we found this gravel road that led us
to the terminus of Svinafell glacier. On the rocky ground along the way was
nothing but thick moss interspersed with tiny flowers. The glacier came down as
a white wall facing us and we were just separated by a small lake. With its
brown ice tips the glacier almost looked as if it had dipped its fingers in
chocolate. Such an awesome sight!
This afternoon we saw many more glaciers, all offshoots of Vatnajökull.
Later we went back to the ice lagoon. This time Jökulsárlón presented itself in
totally different light and in different assembly. There were not as many bergy
bits as the day before and none on the beach. They must all have been washed
out to sea during the night. Instead we sighted many Arctic terns flying
overhead and a few seals swimming in the lagoon and in the stream leading to
the ocean.
Would you believe it? Splendid weather persisted and we went back one
more time to see how the ice lagoon changed the next day. Before getting there
we also checked out some lesser known siblings. Firstly we stopped at the foot
of the glacier Kviarjökulskambar that seems to be retreating. Its terminus looks
like coated with chocolate powder but the big pieces that broke apart are
shining like opals in the sun. It’s flanked by a volcanic mountain with rather
unusual forms.
Most impressive was also the next place: Fjallsarlon Glacier terminus
with Breidarlon ice lagoon. A wide glacier sloping down the mountainside can be
seen calving into its lake, producing icy bits like those in the more famous Jökulsárlón,
just a few kilometres to the east. Here the icebergs are fewer and the lagoon
is smaller but it’s less touristy and possible to be very close to the wide
escarpment. It’s another awe inspiring site on a bumpy gravel road just a bit
off the mainroad!
This is not the only glacier in view; just next is yet another one and
another one... but by now it was definitely time for us to go on, as our
guide-book listed lots more “must-see’s” along our way.
Living with active volcanoes
Only a short drive westwards the road
crossed Skeiðarársandur, with 1’300 km2 the largest Sandur in the
world and in fact the name Sandur is derived from this one. When the ringroad
was constructed it was the main obstacle and the “gap” could only be closed in
1974. Already 1996 the ringroad was cut-off again here by force of nature. Some
twisted steel girders of a bridge that was swept away, stand as a memorial near
the new road. Huge floods and icequakes are caused by regular eruptions of Grímsvötn volcano situated
underneath Vatnajökull icecap. Those eruptions cause the ice to melt and as
soon as an icebarrier breaks, huge quantities of meltwater and icebergs rush
down to the coast and everything in the way is just washed away like
matchsticks. Following the 1996 eruption, up to 50’000 m3 water per
second thundered down the valley. The subsequent 2004 eruption didn’t cause a
flood, as the icebarrier hadn’t been closed by then and water could gradually
drain. This time only air traffic was hindered by a giant cloud of ash.
Since the country had been settled, the life of Icelanders has always
been ruled by forceful powers of nature. In 1783 the eruption of Laki volcano caused
not only a famine that eliminated a quarter of the population, it also caused
dust clouds and haze to appear over most of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa
for several months.
Fallout from the eruption of Askja volcano in 1875 devastated so much of
Iceland that 20% of the population emigrated, mostly to North America. Iceland
is a young island still in the making and several volcanoes are over-due to
erupt.
Our drive over the black Sandur wasn’t dreary at all! The predominant
colours around here were black from the sand and blue from the water; but next
to one dam there was a colourful area where algae, grass and moss had been able
to take foot. Sand was regularly swept over the road that was often leading
over a dam or a bridge. As everywhere in the country, even long bridges are
often “single lane” only, but not a problem with so little traffic.
On the other edge of the sandplain an old turf-roofed farm is preserved
at Núpsstaður. Buildings are half sunk into the ground, walls are piled up of stones,
turf and grass and also the roof is covered by grass. Many such sheds and
stables are still in use around Iceland but here an entire turf-farm was open
to visitors with its turf-church the most prominent building. As it’s not only
quaintly overgrown but also tiny, it’s a favourite among photographers. Inside,
the year 1789 is inscribed but according to history it was mentioned as early
as 1200.
Just behind the farm bizarrely eroded volcanic mountains and a cave with
hanging basalt columns were completing the beautiful picture.
After only 10 minutes driving, the mainroad led into the vast Eldhraun lava
fields (~600 km2). On its rim the lava sculptures were still visible
but after a while most of it was mystically covered by a thick carpet of moss.
And thick means thick; 20cm maybe even more. The Woolly Fringe Moss (Racomitrium lanuginosum) covers the lava sculptures like a giant
blanket, so you can’t even guess their forms.
After all that sight-seeing we stopped at Kirkjubaejarklaustur, which is
really just a tiny settlement with a big road house, snack-bars, campgrounds
and a hotel. Afterwards we made a side-trip to nearby Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. It
didn’t start in a mountainous area but rather on a green hillside suddenly
cutting into the ground for about 2 km. The walls of this peculiar picturesque
canyon are magically curved and twisted.
Half an hour before reaching Vik, we came along an area that was
littered with small craters, all about 20-30 metres high. They were really
special and we wanted to have a closer look. There was a view point but
unfortunately the story on the information board was about some historic saga
in another part of the country and didn’t mention a word about the fascinating
“craters of the moon” around us.
Overnight we stayed at the Youth Hostel in Vik. The village was like
most settlements in Iceland’s south: rather functional than charming. But Vik
has a landmark just in front of the black sand beach: a cluster of sea stacks
that are up to 66m tall above the water. At sunset, the 6 (or so) fingers
looked particularly impressive.
Lots of water
On the next day, the weather had changed completely and it was wet and
very windy. So we didn’t bother to get out of the car at the natural arch
outside Vik, which is a look alike to the Australian “London Bridge” on the
Great Ocean Road. The wind rattled our car and the brave ones that went out
were completely drenched by the rain in a matter of seconds.
We were yellow and drove on just to be rewarded by a rainbow and even
sunshine soon thereafter. Apart from seeing some pretty turf huts and tidy
farmsteads surrounded by fertile land, this became our day of the waterfalls.
It started with the biggest and highest being first: Skógafoss where the water
tumbles down 62m from a wide edge framed by green hills.
Only a few kilometres to the west (into road 249 towards Þórsmörk) was a
waterfall that comes in handy to those who didn’t arrive from Vik or didn’t
have time for their shower before setting off sight-seeing, because here they
can walk behind the waterfall and take it now: Seljalandsfoss. It falls from
horse-shoe shaped rock into a deep green pool.
On the parking to both of these famous waterfalls there were lots of tourist
busses but the next two falls we could enjoy just to ourselves. Gljúfurárfoss
was only a few hundred metres down the same road. The waterfall was almost
hidden in a narrow gorge. In fact it was so narrow some small rocks had been
trapped between the walls of the gorge. There wasn’t very much water burbling
down but it looked really appealing.
The last waterfall had a very similar setting but was more of a giant tube
carved out by the water with only a small opening in the rock face, so the
buggar was hardly visible. There was no name sign, so this time we cannot ask
you to perform another tongue twister, trying to pronounce it; we just know it
was on road number 250 near Mulakot.
Geothermal energy
This night we stayed in a cottage on a horse farm. The legendary
Icelandic horses can be seen in big numbers everywhere around the country. Many
farms offer horseback riding and probably most Icelanders are riding one of
these gentle buggars once a while.
Nearby Hveragerði with 2’000 inhabitants, was the biggest village we
came through since we arrived in Iceland. Many of the folks around here work in
thermal heated hot-houses growing mainly fruit and vegetables and also some
flowers. Thanks to geothermal energy and horticulture, a big fraction of
greenstuffs sold in Iceland is home-grown.
Eden hot-house is a “compulsory” stop for tour-bus drivers, hoping their
clients would raid the souvenir shop. Our Lonely Planet guide book mentioned that
it serves the sole purpose to “separate fools and money”. Well, we had to see
it and Brigitte hoped to get at least a small introduction into Icelandic fruit
and vegetable nursing. It didn’t take more than five minutes until we escaped;
indeed, Eden is nothing more than a big tourist-trap!
However, it’s impressive to know that in the many “real” hot-houses,
heating and often also electricity for the artificial lighting is derived from geothermal
energy.
With 22 active volcanoes, 250 geothermal areas and 780 hot springs, geothermal energy is plentiful all
around Iceland. Although it is being used in many ways, only a fraction is
actually tapped. Many settlements have public swimming pools or hot pots. Some
hot pools can also be found out in the nature and used for free but others,
like the famous Blue Lagoon, are very commercialized and hyped.
About 87% of the population enjoy central heating and hot water by geothermal
energy that is also used for electricity generation on a small but growing
scale. Consequently people are rather wasteful with energy; annual electricity consumption per
capita is with about 28’200 kWh second to none in the world! Heating is
commonly regulated by opening windows.
In guesthouses we were often reminded that we can drink the tap water,
as Icelandic water is very healthy. That’s probably true but like medicine, it
tastes rather unpleasant because it is often tapped straight from a hot spring.
For tourists steaming vents and mud pools are an exciting object-lesson
of the energy delivered from the ground. Here in Hveragerði we came across our
first geothermal fields in Iceland. Steam came out in various areas around the
village and some were signposted and made accessible to tourists. Around the
holes in the ground, colours varied from white to red, from grey to brown
depending on the mineral content in the steam. Because the earth crust around
such steaming holes is usually rather thin, it can be dangerous to pry into
those infernal hot holes too close. Brigitte had a hard time finding the
balance between curiosity and security but tried not to forget that running
after a good picture could easily be regretted.
The capital Reykjavik
We reached Reykjavik on August 5th
2009 and stayed at Gardur Inn, which is a student
home outside the summer holidays. With its central location the ISK 9’000 (€ 55
in 09) for a nice twin room including breakfast and made-up beds were a bargain
for the capital. It also offered free car parking and was only a pleasant 5 minutes’
stroll from the centre.
Unlike most other Icelandic settlements, Reykjavik has a recognizable
heart and soul. In the centre many old and well restored wooden buildings could
be seen. There was colour and warmth and a joyful lively atmosphere in the
streets. In the basement of the modern town-hall, which stands “with its feet”
in the small Tjörnin lake, we visited the big-size relief model of Iceland.
Reykjavik’s main shopping street has large pavements and only a narrow
driveway but the locals still squeeze through with their often oversized cars.
With so many tourists, the street would easily have been filled up even if it
had been closed for cars. The town was almost overwhelmed by tourists.
We enjoyed sight-seeing during these long summer nights and of course,
the gastronomic delights. Soon we could enjoy even longer daylight hours, as we
left for Greenland after 3 days (see our story above).
We paid ISK 8’000 (€ 45) to park our car for 3 weeks at Keflavik Airport. This
was very convenient and even cheaper than two return tickets with the airport
shuttle.
When we returned on August 29th the weather was still
extremely warm for Reykjavik standard. With temperatures around 20°C it was
even warmer than when we left.
In general Iceland is reputed for rather unpredictable weather. Never
the less, average winter-temperatures in Reykjavik are above those of NY or
Zurich. This is thanks to the Gulf Stream that surrounds the island. Without
its impact Iceland would barely be inhabitable. As soon as you go inland,
temperatures fall to about -35°C in winter but can also get uncomfortably cold
in summer.
During our stay in August and September we experienced average
temperatures of about 12°C along the coast. If it felt cold it was normally due
to strong winds rather than to cold temperatures. As we didn’t go too far away
from the coastal belt we didn’t experience the weather’s moods to the extreme.
We had foggy days and some with rain but sunny days outnumbered them by far, as
September was unusually warm.
On the beginning of August when we explored the country’s southern half
we were on a rather tight schedule, whereas in Sept. we could experience
Iceland’s northern half with more time. Now we didn’t pre-book any
accommodation which gave us the additional freedom to wait for better weather
conditions if once it wasn’t to our liking.
This freedom turned the tables when we came back from Greenland on
August 29th. Budget accommodation in Reykjavik was still solidly
booked out and it took us ages to arrange a reasonable room. Finally we managed
to book into Bláklukka Guesthouse some
5km out of the city centre. We were lucky and got a beautiful studio where we
tuned ourselves in for the second part of our journey through Iceland.
On Sept. 1st we set off to discover Iceland’s highest rated
attractions. Just a short while after leaving the capital we stopped to picture
some weird looking rocks, not knowing that a herd of Icelandic horses was to
become our shooting stars. We’re not sure whether these guys have already had
their breakfast but all of them were funnily yawning.
Amazing Landmannalaugar
Now we continued to Landmannalaugar, checking in to the
Youth Hostel Árnes on our way. As the weather
forecast predicted a diluvia to come to the highlands soon, we headed for it
even though it wasn’t sunny. On a tarred road we drove to 40km before the
destination, but the remainder was very rough gravel. It was barely suitable
for our small car but with careful driving we got through. There was a river
crossing about 200 metres before the information centre. A parking lot was
provided for two-wheel drive vehicles but the 4-WD’s crossing the river were getting
attention from curious onlookers.
We wondered a bit about the remarks of an unnerved German Tourist: “I
would never drive up here with my own car, but with a rental car I don’t mind”.
He probably hasn’t read the fine print of his rental-contract. Normally 2 WD
rental vehicles don’t have insurance cover on this road and while crossing
rivers, not even 4x4 are insured. Whereas with our own car, we knew we had
insurance cover. Up to this point road number 208 is officially suitable for
2-weel drive cars. After this parking it turns into an “F-road” (F208) meaning:
4-WD only.
We were surrounded by the most amazing rhyolite mountains shining in
unbelievable colours. Not similar colours; but an entire artist’s pallet, in
rocks and pebbles and different again in every direction! It’s really hard to
describe but believe us: it’s stunning to the power of ten!
We wonder if it could really be more fascinating if it was sunny. As the
night was closing in, we had to be content with a small two-hour’s loop stumbling
past lava sculptures and fuming hotspots. Already on the way in, we had made
several stops and each was equally rewarding.
Landmannalaugar made us feel the power of nature and to us it’s still
unbelievable how volcanic activity can shape such a vast landscape. We spent
about 4 hours in this weird scenery that was awesome as far as we could see and
we really wanted to come back on the next morning. But then rain was already
pouring down behind Hekla volcano whereas it looked clear to the east where the
next natural wonders were awaiting us.
The golden circle
So we went on to visit Bruarhlöt Canyon where the brown rocks had been
carved by water into rounded shapes with some pinnacles left standing. It was
fed by Hvitá, the same river that thunders through the impressive Gullfoss
waterfall some kilometres upstream.
Very soon we stood atop this mighty waterfall. Gullfoss is a spectacular
double cascade that creates a huge curtain of spray while it drops down 32
metres. Interestingly the spray got less the closer we were to the falls but we
reached the lee side only after we got wet. At first an impressively wide wall
of water tumbles over a few steps before thundering down the second cascade.
The flow is quicker than the eye can follow and the water rushes away through a
narrow ravine below.
High above Gullfoss was a big souvenir and coffee shop where we enjoyed
our mid-afternoon sugar fix up.
Only 9 km on, the mother of all Geysers awaited us. This spewing water
fountain was named Geysir by Icelanders and as the rest of the world didn’t
come up with a better word, it was adopted and now they all are “Geysirs”. In
fact these days it’s a bit decrepit and mostly dormant (because 1950 silly tourists
threw rocks into the spring). Luckily it has trained an apprentice and today
it’s Strokkur who pleases tourists with its outbursts of hot water. Its plume isn’t
nearly as high as Geysir’s: only around 15-30 metres versus 40-80 metres Geysir
did in its heydays.
Tourists are still happy with Strokkur as it bursts out every few
minutes anew. It is quite fascinating to look into what appears at first like a
giant plug-hole. Then it starts boiling and a bit of water appears sometimes
moving up and down again. Then a giant blue water bubble builds up before it
bursts and shoots up into the air. The steamy plume quickly cools off in the
air and falls back down the drain but sometimes repeats the show within a few
seconds only. Geysers eruptions occurs when boiling water within the geyser,
trapped by cooler water above it, explodes, forcing its way to the surface. It’s
addictive to watch this process again and again.
Those two geysers are part of a geothermal area with some more
worthwhile sights. Also clear hotsprings, steaming vents and colourful deposits
could be seen. Also here, tracks and boardwalks were erected, info-boards were
placed and where necessary, barriers mounted. Despite all the efforts to make
nature easy accessible to humans, nobody asks for an entrance fee to any of
Iceland’s great Nature parks! In Contrary; even parking lots are provided for
free. Only near the touristiest sights, as here along the Golden Circle,
souvenir-shops and cafeterias were available for Tourists to spend at least some
money...
The world is rifting apart
Now we continued to the Golden Circle’s twofold attraction: þingvellir
(Thingvellir) National Park. Historically it has importance, because that’s
where Iceland’s first large landowners became chieftains and established already
in the year 930 an annual assembly. It voted in the style of a democratic congress
and is recorded as the world's first democratic parliament; the Alþing.
This parliament might have bonded Icelanders together but at the same
site, the world is indeed tearing apart. Geologically þingvellir is one of only two
places on earth where the movement of tectonic plates can be studied on land
(also in Rift Valley systems East Africa). The crustal plates of North America
and Eurasia are continuously rifting apart, relentlessly dividing Iceland into
three pieces (the North American plate splits in a main- and sub-plate right
here). Normally the plates drift apart slowly (7mm/year) but an earthquake can
move it several metres at any one time. The movement of the
tectonic plates over millions of years is astonishing. Scientists
believe that Europe and Africa had been in today’s Antarctica, whereas Down
Under used to be up over.
Geographically most Icelanders and all Greenlanders belong to North
America, no arguing about that! To illustrate the tectonic rift, a sunken
walking path leading to a visitors centre was laid at Thingvellir. It gives you
the illusion to be with one leg on the European and with the other on the
American continent but the graben floor is actually 10-25 km wide. Seeing the
valley formed by the rift does not mean you see down into the magma chambers,
it looks rather ordinary: a wide flat plain with rivers, lakes and meadows
framed by cliff-like walls, but knowing what’s going on here makes you
awestricken.
Soon we were near Reykjavik again, thus completing the Golden Circle. By
the evening we passed a little cottage near Akranes and spontaneously decided
to stay there.
Like most Icelanders, also our Landlords were fluent in English, which
makes travelling much easier, as we found Icelandic is quite hard to learn.
Shopping at supermarkets was easy, as many products were labelled in various
languages, sometimes omitting Icelandic.
That evening we didn’t feel like cooking but couldn’t find a cosy
restaurant either, so we ended up at Quiznos Sub’s. The price for a sandwich
seemed a bit inflated but as we felt really hungry, we ordered a “set”
containing two subs and a drink. Oh my Gosh! We have never ever seen such giant
sandwiches! The left-overs easily lasted for another meal, as did the 2 litre
soft drink.
The next day we moved north towards Snæfellsnes
Peninsula. At first the road followed the coastline but this
highway had much more traffic than we were used to in Iceland. Therefore we had
to concentrate more on the road than on the landscape. After Borganes the traffic
eased and we passed through pastoral landscapes with solitary farms again. Just
500m off the main road we reached an unusual wall of basalt columns named
Gerduberg. It was about 2 km long and had a respectable height. Further along
the same gravel road we reached the small volcano crater Raudhals. It was
possible to walk up to its 100m high rim stumbling over red volcanic gravel and
coming back through tick moss next to it that was now almost covered by black crowberries.
When we continued further west we passed the picturesque settlement of
Staðastaðdur that glowed beautifully in the sun behind a lake.
Ramshackle houses and swanky cars
Soon it was time to look for accommodation and so we asked at the golf
resort for sleeping bag accommodation. You might think we got funny looks but
the “Hippie guy” behind the reception desk referred us to his sister’s place.
She had just renovated an old ramshackle building and now offered some 15 beds
as backpacker’s rooms. She told us that she has not advertised at all sofar,
but her guesthouse filled up every night during summer; with guest that got
there the same way we did. From the inside the guesthouse was top notch with
very charming and tastefully decorated big rooms. There was a generous common
area with a big kitchen. From the outside you wouldn’t believe it’s the same
building. The cracks in the wall were not even buffed up with paint – because
it had gone a long time ago!
This was maybe the most extreme example, but in Iceland we often stayed
in houses that looked neat and snug inside but rather ramshackle from the
outside. It seems the locals attach more importance to the coziness of their
house’s interior, rather than to the looks of its exterior.
If it comes to cars, it seems to be vice versa rather. Icelanders love
big swanky cars. Big foot (cars with really oversize wheels) are widespread and
what’s commonly referred to as “normal car” is a 4x4 and not a simple 2-wheel
drive. Big foots might be an advantage to cross deep rivers up in the highlands
but along most gravel roads we had seen, there were big signs forbidding off
road driving to protect the fragile environment but we heard the locals get
suddenly blind, when encountering such note boards. Crossing a big foot often
meant we had to drive to the side as their tyres hardly had space on one lane
and their drivers don’t like to slow down.
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
There were many sights waiting near our cosy villa ramshackle, but it’s
been raining in the morning and so we stayed a second night. Our landlady had
given us some good tips, so we first looked for the gap in the mountain Raudfeldsgja. She hadn’t exaggerated: we really had to enter through a
crack; it was barely 1 metre wide. The two cliff walls were that much engulfed,
we couldn’t see all the way up to the sky. It was so narrow we had to clamber
over rocks in a rivulet, as there was no space for a path. The gap must have
been formed by a very powerful waterfall that was now absent. We were amazed by
this sight but by another fact as well: many birds (probably Kittiwakes) breed
in the vertical cliff face around this chasm and several birds perched here,
obviously fallen down. How can this be? They had broken legs or wings but tried
to defend themselves when we marginalized them while passing in the narrow
gorge.
After seeing a glimpse of the red sand beach near Budavik and passing
some lava sculptures of Stapafell volcano we had Coffee and Cake at the little
seaside Café in Hellnar. The rocky beach below was full of round stones in grey
and black, with some spectacular rock formations towering above them. Arches,
caves and basalt columns were all formed by a dramatic lava flow. Away from the
beach, the lava was covered in a velvety layer of thick moss.
Several small wooden churches could be seen around Snæfellsnes
Peninsula. When our Landlady told us that regular worships are held in all of
them, we thought she must be kidding. We know that Icelanders are very
religious and many small settlements have a church, but in these isolated
surroundings we thought, it must be near empty still, even if everybody does go
to church. She then explained that the priest and the church choir congregate
every Sunday in another community.
The pretty little church by the sea where she got married could be seen in
the distance through our window. Right next to it was Hotel Búðir but they were
the only two buildings for miles. What a fortunate coincidence; its restaurant
is reputed to be “THE place to be”! Our guide-book mentioned that “if you’re
going to splash out at any point on your trip, this is the place to do it”! And
so we did! We enjoyed an excellent 5 course dinner (8’100 ISK; €48.-) in a
gourmet restaurant, which was full to the rim indeed.
More rocky attractions could be viewed along the coast. The natural
harbour of Arnarstapi was partly sheltered with fascinating volcanic rock
formations that had been integrated into the man made jetty. All the way to
nearby Hellnar the coastline was dotted with caves and arches, blow holes and unique
lava formations. Just off the coast, the moods of Mother Nature created basalt
columns that are arranged vertically or horizontally in a way that they look
like “pallets with bricks” or “stacks of logs”. Seabirds were nesting anywhere
on the cliffs, although most had left by now and only white droppings marked
where their nests had been.
Further west on Þúfubjarg (Thufuberg) there are remnants of crater Lóndrangar,
which has been eroded by the sea. Today two columns are left, of which the higher
one is 75m tall.
Before we left the southern part of Snæfellsnes Peninsula the clouds
were lifting giving us a glimpse of the icecap that covers Snæfellsjökull
volcano.
On the western tip were two small volcanoes of which the first: Holaholar,
is a drive-in and the second: Saxhöll, a climb-up crater.
Along the north coast the road was still flanked by high volcanic
mountain ranges. It was very scenic but as it was rainy now, we didn’t stop
very often except for lunch and some shopping in Grundarfjörður. Overnight we
stayed in Stykkisholmur which is one of the prettier villages in the country.
Eating in Iceland
Generally speaking, we ate very well in Iceland! Even something simple
is normally well prepared. Lunch or snacks can easily be found in most
settlements of a certain size, though there can be quite some kilometres
between them.
Most petrol stations offer not only fast-food but also a “meal of the
day” normally for below ISK 1’500 (€ 9). This can be a buffet or a plate of
good traditional fare and is generally available for dinner as well. Everything
is normally freshly prepared. A grilled sandwich stuffed with cheese, freshly
stir-fried bacon and salad is a real fast-food treat. Even self-caterers can
eat in style while on the run. Many grocery stores provide a sitting area where
customers are welcome to consume on the premises.
Finding a gourmet meal is easy in Iceland. It’s not cheap but since the
collapse of the Krona it’s become also affordable to commoners from abroad. Quality
and preparation are fanciful and innovative.
Just as with guesthouses also gourmet temples don’t always look that
inviting from the outside. Some fancy restaurants are situated in rather
nondescript sheds of industrial estates but still cook superb and offer a cosy
atmosphere inside.
Westfjords
On September 6th we continued to explore the Westfjords and the road
skirted fjords as soon as we approached them. Along Breidafjördur the hills
were covered in the first autumn colours. On wind protected hills blueberries
and dwarf birch of half a metre height were getting yellow and red. Here we saw
people pick berries but all over Iceland, tons of blueberries must be remaining
on the bush. For most mountainous areas moss and lichen were the only things
growing well but they don’t manage to cover the stonily ground.
Stony are also many of the roads in the Westfjords, like the narrow road
down to Rauðisandur. This beach is famous for its reddish sand backed by a blue
lagoon. As we arrived late in the afternoon and during low tide the colour of
the sand didn’t seem that reddish. On the other hand, the peaks of the
mountains that were getting befogged were shimmering majestically. So we drove
to the end of the road and enjoyed the mystical scenery. Due to the arising
mist and also because the birds, namely Puffins, had left their nests, we
didn’t go to the famous bird cliffs at Látrabjarg.
In Patreksfjörður we spent the night in another top notch guest house
that looked rather run down from the outside.
We were often amazed how many modern churches we came across. Iceland is
probably the only country where such an old institution as the church has such
modern buildings.
Contrary to the forecast, the weather was still beautiful on the next
day and so we continued northwards to Ísafjörður. This part of the fjordlands
was dominated by narrow gravel roads but we were rewarded with most spectacular
views all the way. The approach to Bíldudalur was as pretty as a picture.
Colourful mosses and sometimes blueberry shrubs could be seen around the steel
blue fjords. Often the opposite shore was only a couple of kilometres away but
it was always a long beautiful drive around a fjord-arm to get there. Driving
in the Westfjords certainly requires time but it’s worth it indeed. Volcanic
mountains were reflecting in the water along our way.
After descending from a high plateau suddenly Dynjandifoss, a picturesque
waterfall came into sight. We now realized that we had been driving over the
river that feeds it just above the escarpment where the water starts to thunder
down. It plunges over the entire mountain side in several steps. In early
summer this wide waterfall must be even more powerful than now.
Sometimes the road was cut into very steep slopes in the mountain and it
was so narrow and bended that we just hoped no other car would approach in a
blind curve. Shortly before Ísafjörður the road was sealed again, flat but also
wet, as it started to rain.
With 3’500 inhabitants, Ísafjörður is the biggest settlement in the
Westfjords. We enjoyed walking down the streets lined with old houses, of which
many had decorated windows, just like in Scandinavia. In the newly beautified
centre there were shops and even the luxury of two bakeries to choose from.
Most Icelandic villages are too small for a bakery and sometimes fresh bread is
airlifted in on scheduled flights from the capital. Until this bread arrives
it’s usually even too late for OUR breakfast, despite we hardly ever rise
early!
On the next morning we had a quick look at the grass roofed sheds of the
(closed) fish museum in Bolungarvík where fish hangs to dry. Then we had a long
day zig-zagging out of the fjords back to the ringroad. It was raining on and
off but sometimes the landscape was glooming very intensely in the few sunrays
that made it through the clouds.
Vatsnes Peninsula
After a night in a cottage belonging to a Youth hostel in the middle of
nowhere, we left the ringroad again and set off to explore Vatsnes Peninsula,
as we couldn’t be without gravel roads anymore. The first thing we stopped for
was the tidy sheep gathering place at Hvammarsrett. The wooden fence looked
like an egg-shaped section of an orange and its location above the sea was very
scenic. It was deserted but soon the sheep will be gathered from the mountains
where they graze freely during summer.
Soon we saw the first signs hinting there might be seals on the beach.
However there were none. What a disappointment; proper signposting but no
seals! Otherwise it’s rather vice versa in Iceland: superb sites but no
signposting. If there is a sign, it’s often in Icelandic only.
Iceland is as diverse as the world and therefore tourists would like to stop
every few hundred metres. Unfortunately this is not always that easy, unless
you insolently stop in the middle of the road. The carriageway is often raised
with no, or very soft shoulders and turnoffs to small side roads are often very
narrow and it is very difficult to see them in advance. With a small car as
ours it’s barely possible to turn off to one of those small side roads but with
a bigger vehicle, like a camper van, you can’t even think about it.
Soon there was another “seal spot” and there we were lucky, albeit we
had to endure a shower. At Ilugastadir the Farmer has opened his land to the
public and laid out a path down to a spot where seals often laze. A small
camping and kiosk give him some income in summer. To watch the seals is for
free and there were quite a lot of them. About 20 seals could be seen on a
sandbar and on rocks some twenty metres off shore. Every now and then one would
swim past in the water below us.
In Iceland not only the landscape, also the weather is everything else
than boring; in the meantime the sun was shining again. Around the tip of the
peninsula we found the 15 metres high sea-stack Hvitserkur. With its two arches
it looks almost like a giant freestanding M in the water but at low tide the
rock can be reached from the beach. Walking from here for a few hundred metres southwards,
another seal colony could be seen. Though the sandbar where they laze was
further away, there were much more animals and often they swam very close along
the beach. As we loved this spot and the Osar Youth Hostel happened to be only
a few hundred metres away, we decided to stay overnight, although we had only
driven 50 km today. A vast black sandbar that stretched for miles was a stark
contrast to the golden corn fields and green meadows glooming in the evening
sun. This sandbar stretched all the way to the next big peninsula: Skagi.
Discovering the North coast
Next day we visited Sauðárkrókur where fishing and fish drying was big
business. By the harbour was a vast area with wooden racks, about 4 metres high
that were used to dry fish. Bodies and heads were hanging on different racks,
the latter neatly arranged on strings. We had already heard that Icelanders eat
sheep head and we had met several tourists who had seen them peering out of
supermarket freezers, but we wonder: who’s gonna eat dried fish head?
Tröllaskagi Peninsula was next along our route. It’s a maze of craggy
mountains rather than the gentle hills that are typical for northern Iceland.
As everywhere with chances of heavy snow and harsh road conditions during
winter, there were tiny emergency huts situated near the saddles. They all
connect by radio to a rescue service and have heaters.
Shortly before we reached the tip of the peninsula a bright orange light
house that looked a bit like a small castle was dominating a prominent cliff.
The small village Siglufjörður at the end of the road has a big history.
It was founded by Norwegians after big herring stocks were found at the end of
the nineteenth century. The herring caused a “gold rush”, workers streamed in
and the population inflated to 10’000 during its heydays in the fifties.
Icelanders despised herring and would not even call it fish, even less eat it -
but making business with it, was another story! The ever more sophisticated
methods to catch the fish finally backfired and stocks diminished. By 1969 no schools
of herring returned at all.
Nowadays Siglufjörður is a charming place with about 1’300 people
remaining. Sometimes Mother Nature is not very kind to them and mud slides and
avalanches have killed people in the past. To prevent further incidents an
avalanche control structure has been put in place, designed by WSL, the “Swiss
Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research”.
Today we noticed people rounding up sheep everywhere. Mid afternoon we
passed a sheep auction where the furry beasts were bleating and the people were
enjoying the gathering. It was very interesting watching for a while. Even
though it was certainly still 10°C warm, many women wore knitted Icelandic
pullovers. They are very popular among locals and tourists alike.
In the evening we arrived in Akureyri, the country’s
second largest “city”. With 17’000 inhabitants it is still a small place but
after travelling through the remote places further west it felt like being back
in real civilisation again. We enjoyed the shopping street in the centre, plus
there were a number of bigger shops at the outskirts. In comparison to European
cities, the selection was not that outstanding but for Iceland it was quite diverse.
Although there were more shops here than anywhere else outside
Reykjavik, the number of different supermarkets was limited to two, so
Icelanders have very little choice of different brands. It’s not that the
selection was poor but there was really just Bónus or Samkaup. Of course, on a
sparsely populated island with only 300’000 inhabitants, you cannot expect the
same competitive choice as on a densely populated continent. Not long ago, before
the Icelandic Krona collapsed, people used to fly out for shopping trips but
meanwhile this has become unaffordable to most.
Country in the crisis
As you certainly have heard Iceland is de facto bankrupt since autumn
2008. It happened just a few weeks after we had decided to go there. To our big
surprise we didn’t notice anything of it, once we were there. The exchange
rate, which was now much more favourable, was congenial to us; no complaints
about that! We got twice as many Kroners for our Swiss Franc than if we would
have been here two years earlier. Iceland was still not a “cheap country” to
travel but it was now slightly more economical than France or Spain.
The Icelanders we talked to about it were mainly working in tourism and
didn’t have any reason to complain either; tourism boomed this year. Hotels
were happy as guests consumed much more in their restaurants. Tourists visited
in much bigger numbers (they doubled according to a tourist office employee).
They arrived earlier but left later in the season. In previous years, tourist
accommodations had been near empty after August 12th but now,
hostels still filled up to the rim even late September.
We were told that, in previous years most visitors had saved and
arranged for their trip long in advance, fulfilling an eagerly awaited dream, whereas
in 2009 a different bunch of people flocked to Iceland. Much more young people
arrived and they usually came on short notice. Also different nations were
coming strong. Especially French, Italian and even more Spanish came in much
bigger numbers. During August you could enter almost any restaurant and you would
hear Spanish. In fact, we probably spoke to more Spaniards here in Iceland than
during our year in Andalusia. Contrary to their habits at home, they mostly
went for dinner early – much earlier than we did.
Icelanders complained that prices of imported goods rose dramatically - but
we could tell them that many of those (luxury) products were still cheaper in
their shelves than in the country of origin. We shouldn’t talk about Spanish
oranges again but in Iceland they cost like 300 ISK per kilo which is €1.80.
At the end of 2009, the Krona was still not freely convertible, which
restricts locals to buy hard currency but tourists can buy as many Kroner’s as
they like. We didn’t need much cash anyway, as really everyone pays everything
by credit card, even small items. To take Kroner’s out of the country isn’t
advisable at all, as they will hardly have any value elsewhere.
We couldn’t figure out how the exchange rate is set and locals don’t
seem to worry about it. Somehow they don’t worry about the crisis too much
anyway. Hardest hit are those who had their mortgage in a foreign currency to
avoid Iceland’s high interest rates. Their debt tripled within a few months. As
foreign debts are currently frozen they don’t worry too much how to re-pay. They
just go ahead, increase their credit-card bills even further and wait for
better times to come...
The upmarket shopping centre Kringlan in Reykjavik was very busy by all
means. On the other hand, car sales have plummeted dramatically but then we’ve
heard about cunning foreigners, ordering new cars in Iceland and bringing them on
the car-ferry (back) to the European continent.
In Iceland literacy, longevity and social cohesion are first-rate by
world standards. The country has also the highest rate of internet users (66%)
and therefore internet access was usually available for free even in budget
accommodation.
Hotspot Krafla
When we left Akureyri the weather was in a good mood and we enjoyed our
drive along the deep blue fjord. By lunchtime we arrived in Reykjahlið where we
got a room in a guesthouse. With only 200 permanent inhabitants this settlement
functions as the tourist capital of the Mývatn area. Mý-vatn translates to
midge water or simply: Mosquito Lake. In summer swarms of these essential food
sources for fish (eating their larvae) and ducks (eating them alive) are
driving tourists insane. Due to the predominantly strong winds we didn’t get
bothered even by the last of these blood suckers around. On the other hand,
this wind was often so strong it was almost impossible to take pictures that
were in focus as we couldn’t hold the camera still.
The Mývatn region is a star attraction on any tourist itinerary and
everything is somehow related to volcanic activity. Our drive to Krafla Volcano
was fascinating all the way, so we stopped many times. First we passed a small
lake with intensive turquoise blue colour, embedded in a brownish but
mysteriously also colourful landscape. A little above it was a mountain that
has been torn or blown apart, reminding us of Mt. Tarrawera in New Zealand. In
the background Hverfell Volcano dominated with its classical ring of loose lava
gravel.
Near the old villain Krafla, people make use of its power by tapping the
steam at Köflustöð geothermal power station. The construction didn’t go as
smooth as planned. At first engineers were a bit too ambitious; one borehole
should be enough to power the entire station but when they hit the steam
chamber it exploded and left a giant crater, later named “manmade hell”
(Sjálfskpar Viti). Now the same work is done by 17 boreholes and the landscape
is dotted with aluminium-igloos that cover them.
It is possible to hike around Krafla’s main-crater’s rim with a diameter
of 320m and a deep lake in its centre. Behind the crater is an area of
mudpools, steaming vents and colourful ponds.
Krafla is not a typical cone shaped volcano but a largely level system
of fissures underplayed by a huge magma chamber that has erupted several times
in the past, often adding a new crater to the Krafla area. A series of
destructive outbursts of lava started in 1724. Until 1729 there were several
new triggers, some of which lasted up to two years. Presently the ground
surface is raising, indicating future activities.
Another section; Leirhnjúkur was made accessible to tourists with a
circular hiking track. Standing on its highest point, we had vast views over
several solidified lava flows back to the main crater we had just visited. From
Gjastykki some 20km north, an outflow from a fissure has sent a river of molten
lava down to and also over Myvatn Lake in 1724. Around here it was overlaid in
places by recent outflows from 1975 and again from between1981 - 1984.
The path at Leirhnjúkur led directly into solidified lava flows with
intertwined tubes and burst bubbles of which exposed layers often appeared
reddish. As it was fuming in certain parts, it looked as if the lava was only
just cooling. This created a mystical picture, as if mist was hovering above
the uneven black surface. In some parts, moss was already taking over the lava
which was another indicator how old the lava flow was.
Sights around Myvatn
On the next day we first visited Hverir geothermal area below Námafjall
ridge. Large boiling mud pools, colourful sulphur deposits and fumaroles (steaming
volcanic holes) dominated the fascinating landscape.
Following the tourist flow, we drove to Dimmuborgir lava field that looks
like a huge natural sculpture park. There were weird looking pinnacles, high arches
and other fascinating sculptures. The star attraction was called “kirkjan” a
domelike lavatunnel of about 6 metres high.
The site was wind sheltered and so we could enjoy the temperatures that
had risen to 17°C again. As it was so protected, lots of trees and bushes were
growing, which is rare in otherwise almost treeless Iceland. They were now spoiling
us with the nicest autumn colours though it was only September 13th.
This was Heinz’ 50th birthday
and so we went for a second time during our week at Myvatn Lake to enjoy a nice
meal at Hotel Reynihlið’s restaurant. At around ISK 4’600 (€ 27), they offer
some excellent set dinners serving local specialities as lamb or salmon.
Some more deciduous and coniferous trees in beautiful autumn colours
awaited us on the south-eastern shores of Mývatn at the nature park Höfði.
Apart from the pleasant forest there were some interesting lava pillars rising
from the water.
Along the southern shore we visited the pseudocraters at Skútustaðagígar
near Skútustaðir. Got it? Well, we wouldn’t wonder if Icelanders have problems
pronouncing these words as well. At least they make it simpler with their own
names. Unlike in Austria where old people ask newcomers the awkward question:
“whom do you belong to?” the same question in Iceland would be an innocent “what’s your name?” Gunnar Einarsson
reveals that Gunnar is the son of Einar and his sister Brynhildur would be
Brynhildur Einarsdóttir, it’s simple as that! In practice Icelanders don’t
bother with their second names, everybody calls each other by first names, be
it strangers or even the president. Consequently the phonebook is sorted by first
names.
Well, we got off the track as we wanted to describe pseudocraters. Although
they look like perfect little volcano cones, they never had a lava outflow. They
were the valves through which trapped water escaped when molten lava flowed
over the lake. There are dozens of them standing around Myvatn with the biggest
measuring 300m in diameter and the smallest ones only a couple of metres.
Dotted around green meadows with cattle grazing, those pseudocraters contrasted
nicely with their brown, almost dry grass on the black volcanic gravel.
Along Myvatns north shores, we had seen many spots where smooth
lavaflows had been uplifted and cracked like giant egg shells. We assume that
if the gas explosions below would have built up more pressure, this would have
resulted in some additional pseudocraters.
In 1729 a lava flow threatened to swallow the village of Reykjahlið
after it already destroyed some farms. Everybody was terrified and gathered in
the church. They must have prayed really fervently; the lava stopped just at
the church yard.
As most places where we stayed, also Guesthouse Eldá still filled up
every night, even though it is quite large. Now in September, it was at least
possible to get a room without prior reservation, as long as you arrived quite
early. In the beginning of August this wouldn’t have been possible, but luckily
then we had bookings. Eldá had a small communal kitchen, so we got together
with the other guests. One night somebody burst into the house and shouted: “Northern
Lights! Northern Lights can be seen; common everybody out!” About 20 people
rushed out, gazing at this natural spectacle until they got cold.
Jökulsárgljúfur National Park
Next on our agenda was Jökulsárgljúfur, a National Park famous for its
spectacular waterfalls and the mighty 30km long gorge carved out by the river
Jökulsá á Fjöllum. Floodings from volcanic eruptions beneath Vatnajökull icecap
formed the canyon to an impressive average width of 500m and dept of 100m.
Dettifoss’s spray welcomes visitors already at the carpark but once
you’re at the edge where the water thunders down, it’s dry again – but you are
not. The plume of spray is carried up by the wind and can be seen from far
away. In average an impressive 193 m3 of water are thundering down the
44 metres every second, making Dettifoss the most powerful waterfall in Europe.
As the sun came out, a beautiful rainbow appeared above the fall making it even
more dramatic.
Selfoss is another impressive waterfall just 1.5 km upriver. It is very
scenic, much broader and framed by basalt columns though it drops only 11
metres.
Back at the carpark we decided to walk also in the other direction as
there was more to be admired still. Hiking paths abound but they were
unfortunately not always that well marked in Iceland. For instance above this
canyon, a nice walking path led to a viewpoint above Hafragilsfoss only 2 km
away but it was not signposted at all. If tourists knew they can either walk
from the Dettifoss carpark for half an hour or drive for at least 6 km, many
would probably hike instead of taking the car.
This walk along the rim of the canyon offered spectacular views to the
river framed by reddish-yellow moss and yet another foss: Hafragilsfoss. In a
natural alcove below the falls, black sand had accumulated to a bar that looked
like an eye blinking in the murky grey water. It prevented the fluvial
sediments to enter the alcove thus keeping the water in the farthest part of
the alcove shining in an unbelievable array of blue shades.
Road 864 traverses Jökulsárgljúfure National Park and was of the
roughest gravel roads we experienced so far. However, this can change quickly
if a capable grader operator is upgrading the road. Only 3 hours later 10km of
the same road had become “smooth as silk”.
We spared the northern section of this National Park for the day after,
when we left the Myvatn area. From the guide-book we knew that a horseshoe shaped
canyon lay ahead of us and expected to be on top of its rim soon. We were
puzzled to find ourselves driving (on a small sealed road) towards 100m high
cliff walls. Only now we realized that we were actually led into the dead-end of Ásbyrgi canyon. As the horseshoe provided windshelter,
birch up to 8m high grew here and presented themselves in splendid autumn
colours. A nice walking path led to Botnstjörn, a pond at the very end. It had
crystal clear water and everything around reflected magically on its surface.
Along the far North-Eastern coast
Now we continued along the north east coast starting at Melrakkaslétta
peninsula with its rather low hills and boggy meadows. The grass is only nice
and green where it’s regularly being mowed but the other sections are rather
rampant and not even suitable for grazing. The lonely farms were connected by
gravel roads (with some sealed sections) and lots of sheep promenading on them.
The first of the few villages along our way was Kópaskr where we stopped for
lunch.
After driving round the peninsula, we stayed the night in Þórshövn. This
place is off the beaten tourist track and the two guesthouses were deserted.
Nobody answered the doorbell in either house. After a while we found out that
the door to one was open and as we entered we saw a phone with a note how to
contact the caretaker. However, nobody answered. As it is a small village, we
assumed everyone knows everyone and headed for the local restaurant to ask.
Here we were told that the landlady is „always at home“ and they couldn’t think
of any reason why this should be different today. So we went back to the
guesthouse and phoned again. This time we were lucky and she answered the phone
but told us that she is quite unlikely to come home tonight. At least she
trusted us and let us have a room. We arranged to leave the money on the table
and after a good night’s sleep we left the house on its own the next morning.
This was just proof how safe Iceland is. Nobody mistrusts others and
many guesthouses don’t lock their doors. Crime is very rare and most dangers threatening
tourists would come from unpredictable weather and other powers of nature only,
if locals weren’t often driving like criminals...
As we had rounded the northernmost point yesterday, our coastal-drive led
us now southwards. The hills were higher again and snow patches could be seen that
remained in shady spots on the mountains all summer long.
In and shortly after the village Vopnafjörður rock formations of all
kinds appeared. Some looked like giant walls covering hillsides, others like
pinnacles or arches and were standing in the surf off shore.
Although fog was suddenly chasing us, we attempted road 917 over
Hellisheiði Pass, despite the brochure’s warning that its soft gravel surface
might be impassable if wet. The path climbed up a volcanic mountain in a series
of switchbacks and hairpin bends. Shortly after the summit we left the fog
behind and a truly spectacular view opened to the other side. The milky-blue
waters of Heradsfloi Bay contrasted with the black Herads-Sandur. There were
more hairpins all the way down to the valley that was covered in brown-green
moss. No pictures could do justice to this striking scenery!
Once down by the river, it was only a quick drive on a sealed road to Egilsstaðir,
near the port where we had arrived 7 weeks ago. Here we had completed our
circle around Iceland. Reason to celebrate!
We headed back to the splendid cake-buffet at the southern end of the
lake after assuring ourselves that it was still open. Klausturkaffi’s landlady
confirmed that she has had a very good summer season, though she complained
that August was much wetter than usually - then we were in sunny Greenland,
luckily.
The Eastern Fjords again
With 4 nights left, we could comfortably wait out the rainy days at a
guesthouse in Egilsstaðir. As soon as the sun reappeared we set out again and
drove along the Eastern fjords to see what the fog had not revealed to us at
the end of July. This time everything was presented in the best light! Wow!
Even after 5 weeks travelling around Iceland, this fantastic country still opens
up some new exciting vistas and in the autumn sun it looks even more beautiful.
Past the controversial Aluminium smelter in Reyðarfjörður the road had
disappeared last time under the fog already at the first ascent but now it was
pleasant to drive to the very end of this road. After rising up to 632m and
passing a small single lane tunnel, it swung down the valley to Neskauptstaður.
The views up to the mountain tops and down to the blue fjords were nothing
short of breath-taking. We’re so glad we came again.
After this side trip we turned off to the gravel road along Faskrudsfjörður
where we enjoyed the really craggy mountains towering above the road. Different
layers were visible and every now and then pinnacles were alternating with
small gorges formed by creeks.
A huge sand bar was visible along the shore which we couldn’t see at all
last time due to bad weather. So we happily stopped where ever we wanted or
could and drove to within 50km of Höfn before turning back.
We returned to Djúpivogur where we stayed again at Hotel Framtið
(progress) and had another great meal. Meanwhile it was much quieter and the
harbour was dominated by fishing vessels rather than the sight-seeing boats
that used to venture out with tourists keen to see the birds at Papey Island.
The next day we chose the inland route over Öxipass, another narrow
gravel road. Of course we expected the scenery to be totally different from the
fjordlands but we were puzzled to see fresh snow on the surrounding mountain
peaks. Big digital displays could regularly be seen along the roads, indicating
the temperature on the coldest spot along the way ahead but here there was none!
Before reaching Egilsstaðir again, we decided to drive out to the new
hydro power project where the huge Karahnjukar dam has been completed to supply
the new aluminium smelter. We came up to a high plateau that was only about
600m above sea level, the road was dry but the landscape was covered in a fresh
layer of powdery snow. Looking over the snow covered highlands, we enjoyed
fantastic views all the way to Vatnajökull icecap. The dramatic landscape made
the drive out to the dam absolutely worthwhile and the snow only added more
magic to it.
Now we drove back to Seyðisfjörður where we spent our last night in
Iceland at the Youth Hostel on the fjord. It was probably the best time to
leave as the pass road from Egilsstaðir had to be closed for a few hours in the
early morning due to fresh snow and ice. So we were glad to be already near the
port from where we enjoyed the view to freshly powdered snow peaks framing the
stark blue fjord in the sunshine.
On September 25, 2009 we drove our car one last time into the hub of the
big car-ferry Norröna, which sailed us back to Denmark. After a calm journey, we
arrived 64 hours later back in Jutland, this time in Esbjerg.
Knowing that this was the second last sailing for this season, we
expected the boat to be near empty. However, it was quite full as clever marketing
managed to sell so-called “Mini-Cruises” allowing passengers to take their car
along. As ridiculous as it sounds (to us anyway...) this one-week cruise
departing from Denmark included 6 nights at sea plus a 7th on the
boat moored in the harbour in Iceland. For sight-seeing, the participants had
the unique possibility for shore leave with their own car or with an optional
bus-tour at the Faroese Islands for 6 hours on the way out and again for 4
hours on the way back, plus a generous 30 hours in Iceland. Well: 30 hours in
Iceland? They probably all kick
themselves in the ass for not allowing more time, once they saw how beautiful
it is. Might be, they were “lucky” and the weather was that bad, that they
didn’t even realize what they missed. We heard the sea has been so rough on the
way in, the buffet had to be cancelled. So, what do you have of such a “Mini-Cruise”
apart from wasting money, brains and time?
Final thoughts
We had the privilege to spend altogether 5 weeks on Iceland, during
which we drove 5’500km. Thinking back we wouldn’t recommend anybody to visit
for less than three weeks; better 4. We never ever had been to a country that
offers such diversity. Sometimes every few kilometres the landscape looks
totally different but spectacular again. Where else in the world can you see
all this and in such proximity to each other: amazing coastline, calving
glaciers, icecaps, icebergs, lava deserts, active volcanoes, steaming
geothermal areas, green vegetation, just name it and you’re likely to find it.
Iceland is nature at its purest and even with a 2-WD vehicle there is much more
to see than your time will allow.
It’s a sparsely populated country but nevertheless has excellent
infrastructure making the rough nature accessible to visitors. You figure it
out: we have become absolutely fond of Iceland, it’s just awesome!
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