So it begins

Falls, Hikes and Baths

Published Date : June 18, 2013

I left Dalvík behind this morning.  Along my drive, I passed through Akureyi, the second largest city in the country.   I couldn’t help but notice that on the traffic lights, the red lamps were in the shape of little hearts.  It seemed to fit with the cute smilie/frownie faces I had been seeing on speed check signs around the country as well.  Icelandic humour :p

Just past Akureyi, I stopped briefly at Goðafoss, a popular and very scenic waterfall.  It would be easy to drive right past the falls and not even know they were there.  Dropping below the level of the surrounding earth, the only sign to give away the location of the falls was the mist rising as the water churned over the rocks.  I was feeling pretty out of it from my cold and just didn’t have the will to deal with the biting wind that was gusting across the flat landscape.

Leaving the falls behind, I continued on around the south of Lake Mývatn to Dimmuborgir.   As I drove, majestic fjords and snow-capped peaks gave way to scorched earth and lava fields.  I was back on the continental divide where the North American and Eurasian plates are slowly drifting apart.

Taking the opportunity to stretch my legs, I decided to do one of the many hikes through the area.  The draw in this specific area is the unusual volcanic rock formations which give the region its name.  Dimmuborgir translates as dark cities or dark castles.  These towers of volcanic rock were created as magma flowed over a lake thousands of years ago.  Steam from the evaporating lake created lava towers.  When the lake eventually dried up, the surface layer of hardened lava collapsed, leaving the strange structures behind.  The entire area was at risk of being buried under creeping dunes of black sand, so a strong conservation effort was undertaken to preserve the area. One of the more effective measures was to plant lyme grass on the dunes, stilling their slow drift across the land.

Though I was feeling better, I was still fighting off my cold and struggling with a serious lack of energy.  I had planned to do only a short walk, but I just kept going, taken in by the alien landscape.  Though the black dunes here were very small, trekking through the soft sand brought back memories of Namibia and climbing the massive dunes of the Namib-Naukuft.

My head felt a little bit clearer after my walk, and my energy levels were somewhat replenished after my standard lunch of soup, bread and water.  Wandering around the gift shop after lunch, I bought a t-shirt.  I have been eyeing some of the wool sweaters that are so common here, but at over $100 I’m not willing to buy one unless I completely love it.  So for now, no sweater for me.

I decided to make Jarðböðin my next stop.  The North’s answer to the Blue Lagoon, entry to Jarðböðin was about $25 as opposed to $100.  Much smaller than the Blue Lagoon and less commercial, I enjoyed a pleasant hour or so in the hot mineral waters.  The steam did wonders for my cold as well, completely clearing my head for the first time in days.

A note on etiquette for the geothermal pools in Iceland.  No chemicals are used to keep the pools clean.  They rely on patrons to be hygienic.  All visitors are expected to have a shower without swimsuit before entering the pools.  Men and women have separate change rooms.   There are usually one or two separate shower stalls for anyone who is particularly modest, but generally everyone showers nude in a communal shower block.  I’ve heard that in some places there are attendants who watch to make sure proper hygiene is observed, although I have yet to come across this myself.

Refreshed after my soak in the geothermal pools, I continued my journey.  My next stop was Jökulsárgljúfur – Iceland’s answer to the Grand Canyon.  At 25km long and 1/2km wide, it is the largest canyon in Iceland.  Within the canyon, a short distance from each other, are the three waterfalls:  Selfoss, Dettifoss and Hafragilsfoss.  Dettifoss is the largest and best known (recently shown in the movie Prometheus).  Dettifoss can be accessed from either the west or the east.   From what I saw, it seemed that the western access had the better vantage point for Dettifoss.  However, the eastern access allows visitors to explore right up to the water’s edge and also has trails to the north and south leading to the other two falls.

One of the things that I love so far about this country is that it hasn’t been bubble-wrapped the way North America is.  There are no fences or warning signs to herd the sheep.  They expect people to simply use common sense when it comes to their safety.  It’s a very refreshing change and allows incredible access to beautiful places like Dettifoss.

Continuing northward, I had planned to visit the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Husavik.  When given the opportunity to see penises from all of the animals that live in Iceland, why wouldn’t you? ��  Apparently the phalluses range from hamsters to blue whales.  They are stuffed, pickled and dried and put on display for the amusement of all.  The last I heard they were still missing an exhibit from Homo Sapiens, although one had supposedly been bequeathed to the museum.  Alas, I will have to wait for my next visit to satisfy my curiosity about this museum.  I arrived in Husavik too late to enjoy it on this trip.

The town itself was very picturesque and a popular destination for whale watching.  There are couple of mainstream museums there as well.  If I had more time, it’s somewhere I could definitely spend a day or two exploring.

I stopped briefly to pick up some food for the evening and fill up the gas tank again.  Then it was onward to Berg, my home for the evening.  Tonight’s accommodation is a farmhouse on the edge of a lava field next to a fjord.  Absolutely beautiful.