Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: Iceland2010

  • Road Tripping Through Iceland

    Road Tripping Through Iceland

    This past July, 2010, I explored Iceland with my Finnish friend Sari Laukka. We rented a car in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, and drove a complete lap around the country on Route 1. Route 1 is the only road that circumnavigates the entire country, and passes through an incredible amount of different terrain. Overall, the trip took us a full 7 days, and we drove almost 2000km in our small Ford Ka.

    Blog Posts from Iceland

    While we were traveling, we stayed with friends on couches, camped out at some excellent campgrounds, and even stayed in a hotel made out of metal shipping containers. We likely averaged about 2.5 or 3 hours of driving per day, and the rest of the time we spent exploring everything we possibly could. We ripped through our Lonely Planet Iceland guidebook cover to cover, as well as went through other guidebooks, pamphlets, and most importantly, the excellent advice and guidance from locals and other fellow travelers.

    During the trip, I kept both my Apple iPhone 4 and my Canon EOS 5Dmk2 cameras close by. The iPhone4 has an excellent 5 megapixel camera in it, geotags each photo, and is small and pocket-able – it was perfect for carrying around everywhere and pulling out in any situation – especially when being discreet was important for getting the candid shot. The Canon 5Dmk2 was also a pleasure to travel with. I had the somewhat large Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens on it, as well as my Benro carbon fiber travel tripod. As large as it was, it’s surprisingly easy to travel with, and very durable – it held up perfectly to the rigors of being knocked around daily, slung over my shoulder, and dangled into volcanic fissures. I synchronized the clocks on each camera before departing, so the photos in the overall photoset should be sequential, no matter which camera was used to take it.

    Finally, while traveling, I used my iPhone4 with the WordPress application, coupled with the bluetooth Apple wireless keyboard to write brief blog post updates at the end of each day. I also carried with me a SPOT Satellite Messenger, which was used to “check in” with friends and family to let them know we were ok once in the middle of each day, and once at the end of each day after we have successfully secured night time accommodations and security.

    Below is an index of the blog post from the field and a slideshow of all of the photos. If you’re interested in hearing more about the trip, or Iceland in general, let me know!

    Flickr Photoset

  • Iceland Day Ten – Reykjavik to New York

    Iceland Day Ten – Reykjavik to New York

    Today was my last day in Iceland, and a relaxing one. Kelly and I went over to meet Louise at the pool, and we relaxed in the hot pot for a bit. A true Icelandic way to end a thoroughly Icelandic trip. Tonight, I’m flying back to New York. Stay tuned for the trip wrapup. Throughout the trip, I was shooting photos with both my iPhone as well as my SLR. The final post will have a link to the photos from my SLR, in addition to video clips taken on the iPhone.

  • Iceland Day Nine – Reykjavik

    Iceland Day Nine – Reykjavik

    This morning Sari made it successfully to the Keflavik airport to go home to Helsinki, and I woke up early to go Scuba Diving.

    Diving in Iceland is a bit different than diving in other, more tropical parts of the world. This morning, I drove out with Arctic Adventures to Thingvelir national park, to dive in the volcanic Silfra Ravine.

    The Silfra Ravine is a deep volcanic fissure, which is filled with crystal clear water at an icy 1 degree Celsius. Just barely above freezing, but still diveable.

    Since the water here is so cold, we had to layer up with lots of clothing, and then put on drysuits, full hoods, and thick neoprene gloves. All the scuba gear we used was special cold water gear, with alcohol-soaked internal components, to prevent them from freezing. In the ultra cold water of Silfra, the visibility was absolutely stunning. It’s easily possible to see over 100 meters through the perfect water. Even more so than any other dive I’ve been on, it’s very much like you’re suspended in midair – no change in visibility or darkening as you look down, and a clear view to the sky when you look up.

    Diving in such cold water definitely has its challenges. Wearing a heavy drysuit significantly restricts mobility, and maintaining neutral buoyancy is very touchy – you can control air levels in both the BCD and the dry suit, and both need to be maintained in order to stay balanced. Also, despite the layers of insulation, the 1 degree Celsius water eventually gets to you, and your face, hands, and feet begin to go numb.

    By the end of the two dives, we were all thoroughly chilled, but happy, and relaxed in the van on our way back with some hot tea.

    After the dive, I decided I needed a little more warmth, so I stopped one of the local pools, and had a soak in the hot pot with a bunch of locals. Icelanders love their hot pots, and there is usually one in every medium and large sized town. In Reykjavik, there are many, including one 2 blocks away from where I’m staying. Admission is only 300isk.

    Tonight, Kelly, some friends and I are going out to Innipukinn 2010 for some live music.

  • Iceland Day Eight – Vik to Reykjavik

    Iceland Day Eight – Vik to Reykjavik

    Today, Sari and I woke up early in the small town of Vik, and started out drive back into Reykjavik.

    The first stop of the day was at the fast-moving Solheimajokull glacier, which we stopped at for a bit to hike around on the ice. In this area of Iceland, ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption blankets the area, and it was very apparent on the glacier. The ice was covered with a thick layer of volcanic ash, which trickled down in the glacial meltwater.

    As we drove West, we found that the entire countryside was blanketed with ash. It had already been swept off the roads by large sweepers, but looking in the grass, plants were growing through a think layer of it.

    From there, we drove west towards Reykjavik, and got onto the Golden Circle pathway. This is the classic Iceland tour, and as soon as we were on the road that goes around to the Golden Circle sights, we were hit with a ton of tourist traffic.

    Despite the Golden Circle being very touristy, Gulfoss, Geysir, and Þingvellir were all great. Gulfloss is Iceland’s most famous waterfall, and really is quite spectacular. It drops twice into a think canyon, sending upo a huge spray of mist. Geysir is a large geotherma field and is the home of the origiginal Geysir. We walked around here for a bit, and watched the Strokkur Geisir explode a few times. Additionally, we walked through the steaming, bubbling geothermal field, which contained multiple holes in the ground with crystal clear, boiling water – a contrast to the boiling sulfur mud pots around Myvatn.

    Our final stop on the Golden Circle path was at Þingvellir park. The park is Iceland’s first national park ,and was made a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004. In AD 930 the vikings established the word’s first democratic parlament, called the Althing. We hiked around this area and saw the “Law Rock”, as well as checked out the fissure that divides the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

    After the Golden Circle, we drove the rest of the way back to Reykjavik, returned our rental car, and got set up at Kelly and Sam’s house. We’re staying here in downtown Reykjavik tonight, and tomorrow Sari flies back home to Helsinki, and I’m going scuba diving in a volcanic fissure.

  • Iceland Day Seven – Skaftafell to Vik

    Iceland Day Seven – Skaftafell to Vik

    Although it’s summer in Iceland, there are still parts of the country that are frozen solid. Today we explored the Breidamerkurjokull glacier with Iceland’s Glacier Guides outdoor school.

    We woke up at the Skaftafell campground to a light mist in the air, and after packing up our huge tent and getting the car ready to roll, went over to the Glacier Guides hut to check in.

    Our trip with Glacier Guides started with getting fitted for harnesses, crampons, and helmets at the hut, and then we all took a short drive over to the base of the glacier.

    The Breidamerkurjokull Glacier comes down from the top of the 742 meter high Breidamerkurfjall mountain It spills down the mountain in a dramatic icefall onto the gigantic, flat Breidamerkursandur, which runs all the way out to the southern Icelandic coast. Our hike on the glacier took about four hours.

    Hiking up the feet of the glacier was a great way to get the blood flowing in the morning, and we made quick time from the car pull-off to the base of the ice. The initial hike across the terminal moraine field actually took quite some time – in recent years, the glacier has been retreating, so each trip that visits the glacier must walk across more and more rocks to catch up with the retreating ice.

    Once on the ice, we began the crampon’d hike up to the ice fall. We passed by large groups of moss-covered rocks, and a science monitoring station for them. Apparently, this is the only place in the world where this kind of moss grows on rocks that are being rolled slowly down the glacier, leaving perfectly round moss balls everywhere. Otherworldly.

    As we made our way up the glacier, we eventually got to the steep icefalls, where huge chunks of ice loomed over us, and waterfalls of glacial melt streamed down. We went about half way up the ice fall, and then broke for lunch before turning back.

    On the hike down, we learned about the massive flooding that occurred in the 70’s when the volcano erupted under the glacier, melting huge portions of it and sending a torrent of water out on the sandur. From our vantage point on the glacier, we could see way out onto the sandur, and could see how far out the flooding had gone.

    After the hike, we hopped back in the car and cruised on to Vik.

    In Vik, we hit up the info center, and then had a good meal at the attached cafe. Vik is in Southwest Iceland, and is one of the towns that was affected by the heavy ash fallout from the recent Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruptuon. Walking around town, there’s still thick layers of ask in the gutters and fields. However, most of the roads and stores are ash-free, after a major cleanup effort by the town.

    From there, we drove out to the Reynisdrangur sea stacks, which rise out of the water just off the coast. The highest stack is 66 meters tall, and we got a great view of it from the Reynisfjall cliffs just down the road. Also notable was the black sand beach, closed in by a wall of basalt colums at the eastern end.

    Finally, we took a dip in the hot pot at the local swimming pool, and then checked in to our accomodations for the night.

    Tonight we’re staying out by the beach, at a hotel that’s made of about 8 white shipping containers. It’s quite strange to drive out on the sandur through farm country, and see emerge out of the fog a geometric collection of new, white shipping containers. Inside, they’re very clean and new, and furnished exclusively by Ikea. Sitting here writing this, I feel like I can look around and see Ikea pricetags float in the air, much like in Fight Club.

    Tomorrow we’re looking forward to an early morning drive back to Reykjavik, and then an full day of exploring the sights of the famous Golden Circle.

  • Iceland Day Six – Seydisfjordur to Skaftafell

    Iceland Day Six – Seydisfjordur to Skaftafell

    Today was our big East Iceland to South Iceland transit day, and we spent a significant portion of it on Route Once winding through foggy East fjords.

    We woke up at the beautiful campground in picturesque Seyðisfjörður, made a quick pit stop at the local supermarket for breakfast, and then hit the road. This South-Eastern section of Route One is still relatively new, and portions of it are still just dirt roads. Also, although portions of it are straight, the majority of the road here winds up and down the fjords, giving an incredible view out to the ocean.

    Sleepy fishing villages dot the coast, and we stopped at both Djúpivogur and Hofn for quick breaks. Hofn was especially nice, with a great information office too.

    Our big stop of the day was at the Jokulsarlon Lagoon. This spectacular lagoon sits at the end of the Breidamerkurjokull glacier, and is filled with huge floating chunks of blue shimmering ice. The lagoon is spectacular, and we did a quick hike around it. At the end of the lagoon, the water from the melting glacier flows out under a bridge, and forms a short river until it gets to the coast. At the intersection of the glacial melt river and the ocean, huge waves are created, and the black sand beach is littered with blocks of ice ranging from car sized to ice cube size. The contrast of the white ice on the black sand with waves crashing in the background was especially beautiful.

    Also notably, this lagoon was used in the James Bond film “Die Another Day” – the lagoon was specially frozen, and six Aston Martins were blown up on the ice.

    After Jokulsarlon, we continued on to Skaftafell, where we had a quick dinner, and then took an evening hike with one of the park rangers.

    Tonight we’re getting to sleep a bit early, in preparation for an early wake up and a day of hiking on the glaciers descending off of Hvannadalshnukur.

  • Iceland Day Five – Myvatn to Seydisfjordur

    Iceland Day Five – Myvatn to Seydisfjordur

    Today we woke up bright and early in the small lakeside town of Reykjahlíð, surrounded by the apocalyptic volcanic landscape of the Myvatn region.

    The entire area surrounding Myvatn Lake is bubbling with volcanic activity, and remains very active to this day. It sits on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and had a landscape unlike anywhere else in Iceland. Scanning the horizon, you can see plumes of sulfur steam coming from vents, and volcanic cones and craters looming.

    We started the day after packing up the campsite by driving straight over to the nicest, and only hotel in town, Hotel Reykajahlid for a long awaited buffet style breakfast. We got our helping of eggs and bacon and toast, and then headed out to hike up to the Hverfell volcanic crater. The 463m high crater is about 2500 years old, and was formed as part of the Ludentarhid eruption. After a brief hike around there, surveying the dry crater with recently created lava dome at the bottom, we hopped back in the car, and drove a short ways down the road to the Dimmuborgir area. Here, in recent geologic history, a large underground lake was covered with magma, which vaporized the lake, forcing steam out of the earth through large, spindly steam vents made of cooled lava. We did the hour long “Church Circle” hike around the whole area, exploring lava tubes, collapsed ceilings, and caves made by cavities in the lava. It was quite stunning to see how much diversity can be created from the variety of geologic events.

    After Dimmuborgir, we headed over for a long awaited soak in the Myvatn Nature baths. Here, the sulfur-rich water comes out of the ground at a scalding 100 degrees Celsius, and is eventually cooled to a manageable temperature, and pumped into a public pool. The experiences sitting in a bubbling, steaming, geothermally heated pool in this volcanic wasteland was very dramatic, and afterward, Sari, Petra and I relaxed in the cafe for some tea, before moving on.

    By far the most interesting stop of the day was the Leirhnjukur lava flow and Krafla Caldera. This field of hardened lava was created in 1727 and is so recent that there are still huge plumes of sulfur steam coming out of the rocks. The hike around was incredible, and it felt like we were in another world, with intricately hardened rock domes, needles, flows, and tubes running all over the place, amidst a fog of sulfur.

    Finally, before hitting the road to Sedisfjordur, we stopped at the bubbling mud field Namafjall. Here, the ground is still hot from volcanic activity, and the field is covered with bubbling pools of mud, superheated by the magma below. The terrible sulfur stench of the place was barely manageable, but we took a good walk around the area, and marveled at how many formations the volcanic activity could make.

    From there, we got back in the car, and and after dropping Petra off at the campground in Egilsstadir made it to our campground in Seydisfjordur.

    Tonight, this town has been amazing – we’re staying in the quaint campground, and made it over to the local restaurant/gallery/bar/coffee house for a round or two, and a chat with the locals.

    Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to a twisting drive down the eastern Icelandic coast, all the way to the mountain town of Skatafell.

  • Iceland Day Four – Akureyri to Myvatn

    Iceland Day Four – Akureyri to Myvatn

    Although Iceland lies far north, its only stake of the arctic circle lies in the middle of a small rock island in the North Atlantic called Grímsey.

    We woke up early this morning at Joseph’s apartment, and make a quick getaway back to the bus depot in the center of Akureyri. We took the local bus an hour up the fjord to the small fishing village of Dalvik. Dalvik was a quaint fishing village, and from there, we caught the Grimsey ferry to Iceland’s northernmost point, and the only spot that crosses the arctic circle, Grimsey.

    The ferry ride was 3.5 hours, and for the first 2 hours of the trip across to Grimsey, our boat was surrounded by a thick, surreal layer of fog. Since we were sailing directly north towards the arctic circle, it felt like we were going into an unknown apocalypse – random sea birds swooping out of the fog at us, occasional dolphins swimming with the ship, and a stiff breeze over the bow.

    In addition to being a passenger ferry, the ship also acts as Grimsey’s main lifeline for food and supplies. While all the passengers were loading on, forklifts also loaded the cargo hold with palates of groceries, farm equipment, and empty fish containers coming back from a successful day at the market.

    Once we had docked in Grimsey, we were greeted by some of the locals – there are only 90 or so permanent residents of this northern rock, and the only real source of outsiders is from the three-times-a-week ferry, or daily prop plane flights into its small landing strip. Because of the predictable weekly small influx of tourists, the one restaurant and one shop get staffed by a few of the local kids on just these days.

    Along with our new Czech friend Petra, the three of had a relaxing lunch at the one restaurant, and then started the northerly hike towards the arctic circle.

    The actual crossing is somewhat un-spectacular – a simple signpost and line for photos – but significant nonetheless. After the line, the hike continues north another hour, to the puffin-inhabited northern cliffs of the island.

    Our stay at the northern tip, looking off to the north pole was short, and after that we hiked back to the harbor to relax before our ferry ride back.

    We returned by ferry to Dalvik, and then by bus to Akureyri.

    Petra was still with us, and we piled back in the car, picked up Petra’s gear at the camping site, got a quick Indian Food dinner at the Curry Shack, and then hit the road for Myvatn.

    Tonight the three of us are camping by Lake Myvatn, and plan on waking up early tomorrow morning to try out the Myvatn Nature Baths, and then explore the volcanic landscape.

  • Iceland Day Three – Blönduós To Akureyri

    Iceland Day Three – Blönduós To Akureyri

    Since the earth’s crust is so thin in Iceland, natural geothermal pools of water, locally called “hot pots”, are in almost every town.

    This morning Sari and I woke up at Christina’s apartment in Blönduós, and together with our Slovakian hitchhiker friend Martina, hopped back in the car and drove a ways down the road to Sau?arkrokur. We stopped for a minute to let Martina out at the petrol station in town, and then turned off Route 1, onto a smaller dirt road to the north. Dropping Martina off at a petrol station on the side of the road felt a bit strange, but since she was hitchhiking around Route 1, she said it was no problem, and that she’s surely find her next ride easily. She was traveling with a medium sized camping backpack, and had mostly been spending the nights camping in her tent at local campsites in the towns she was dropped off in.

    We turned off Route 1 and headed north towards the small farming town of Reykir, which is named after the region’s role in Iceland’s famous “Grettir’s Saga”. According to the Saga, Grettir swam ashore here, after a long 7.5 km swim from the flat-topped island of Dragney, and soothed himself at Reykir. Grettislaug is the geothermal pool that Grettir relaxed at during the 12th century, and still exists today.

    Sari and I arrived at Grettislaug in the afternoon, enjoyed a relaxing time sitting in the geothermal pool looking north into the Skagafjordur bay.

    After Grettislaug, we drove on to the 18th century turf farm museum Glaumbaer. The museum is a collection of 12 turf houses that give real-world insight into the living conditions that 18th century Icelandic farmers endured.

    Our last stop of the day was for well deserved pizza in downtown Akureyri, and then a quick walk around town, through the botanical gardens.

    Tonight we’re staying with Joseph, and tomorrow we’re waking up early to take the ferry to Grimsey.

  • Iceland Day Two – Reykjavik to Blonduos

    Iceland Day Two – Reykjavik to Blonduos

    Iceland is beautiful.

    Last night Sari finally got in to Reykjavik around 3:00, and met me, where I was already asleep, at Sabrina’s house.

    This morning we woke up early, and after walking around the Reykjavik harbor and finding breakfast, we hit the road for the Blue Lagoon.

    Since the earth’s crust is so thin in Iceland, the country is able to generate a significant amount of its power geothermally. They drill deep into the earth, and run water lines through hot portions of the earths crust, to make steam and drive electric turbines. When this heated water is done being used for power generation, it’s pumped out to large pools on the volcanic flats.

    Since the water is very pure and warm, it’s used by the public for bathing and relaxing, and the largest one, built just outside of Reykjavik, is the Blue Lagoon.

    The Blue Lagoon has an other worldly feel – the large steaming lake of milky white water is surrounded by a pitch black field of sharp lava rocks, with the steaming cooling towers from the power plant gleaming in the distance.

    Because of the minerals that are washed out from deep in the earth by the water, the lagoon is lined with a perfectly white, smooth silica mud. The mud is routinely used as a skin creme, which immediate softening effects.

    We had a great time relaxing for a few morning hours at the Blue Lagoon, and then got back in the car and drove north on Route 1 for Borgarnes.

    Arriving in Borgarnes, we passed through a 5km long underwater tunnel. Notably, when the tunnel was build in the sub-sea rock, the drilled out walls were never covered with anything – they’s still the raw rock, so it feels a bit like a very large mine shaft. Stark contrast to the tile-lined tunnels in NYC.

    In Borgarnes, we stopped briefly for a run through the town’s museum to learn about the Icelandic Sagas, and the drove through the dramatic western coastal terrain towards Blonduos.

    Tonight we’re staying with Christina at her apartment in Blonduos, along with another couchsurfer, Martina from Slovokia. We had a great dinner at the one local restaurant, hung out with the geese on the edge of the water, and now at 12:26 am, the sun has finally sunk below the horizon, and we’re going to sleep.

  • Iceland Day One – Keflavik to Reykjavik

    Iceland Day One – Keflavik to Reykjavik

    Whew, today was a seriously long day. Started out on Thursday morning in NYC, and is finally coming to an end Friday night in Reykjavik, Iceland.

    To maximize my vacation time, I took the night time flight out of EWR to Keflavik Airport, just outside of Reykjavik. With the time difference, that meant that the flight left Newark at 8:30pm Thursday, and landed at 6:00 am Friday – but the flight was actually only 5 hours long, so with the combination of ascent/descent, meal service etc, I got about 30 minutes of “plane sleep” en route.

    After landing in Keflavik, I picked up the rental car from the super nice kids at Dollar, and then headed off south to Valahnukur, a spot on the southern tip of the south-west part of Iceland that consists of vast, steaming volcanic fields, and sheer cliffs that drop straight into the sea. Iceland’s oldest lighthouse is down there, and between the eerie lighthouse, swirling steam from geothermal vents, and flatiron-like rock formations creating massive cliffs into the sea, it really does feel like you’re at the end of the world.

    I also managed to make a stop or two at a large geothermal plant, and at a petrol station for a quick bite to eat. The afternoon was spent winding my way on volcanic gravel roads back up to Reykjavik.

    In Reykjavik, I took a long walk along Laugavegur? Street, a trendy shopping street that ends in the old Reykjavik harbor. The harbor is now filled with commercial whale watching ships, coast guard cutters, and is overlooked by the massive new “harp” opera house, being build on the south end.

    The final stop of the day was the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church. The church is all concrete, and to me resembles a modern interpretation of kind of basalt columns seen in igneous rock formations similar to those around Iceland.

    Tonight, Sari’s plane has been delayed from Barcelona a bit, however she should be getting in soon, and tomorrow we’re looking forward to a possible dip in the Blue Lagoon with some friends of ours, and then a leisurely drive up to Bloundos.

  • Road Tripping Around Iceland

    For that last 10 days in July, I’ll be taking a road trip around Iceland. My friend Sari and I are flying into Reykjavik, renting a car, and driving a full loop on Iceland’s Route 1. During the trip, we’ll be staying on couches, in hostels, B&B’s, Hotels, on farms, and in tents.

    I’m bringing along my iPhone 4, and will be hopefully posting daily updates to my blog, Jeffilla. All Iceland Road Trip posts will be tagged with “Iceland2010“. Stay tuned!

    I’ll also be updating my location in the field with my Spot Satellite Messenger – Track me!

    Séyðisfjörður, Iceland (Photo: Stig Nygaard)

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