Hot Springs and Blue Lagoon, snorkling the silfra

Iceland is very well known for its geothermal activity.  On top of the power benefits, the hot springs are delightful.  Enjoying 30-40 degree C water when the air temperature is between -2 and 2 is great.  Getting in is a bit chilly, but once your in your toasty to the core.  Afterwards warm for hours.

 A little chillier, we went snorkling in the Silfra. Where the eurasian and north american tectonic plates meet, and have started to pull apart, the water is crystal clear.  Water was 1-2 degrees, but our dry suits were nice and warm.  And they were filming for Thor 2 while we were there! 

Sorry for all the posts, but Iceland was an amazing trip, everything was so beautiful.  It was like a living postcard everywhere you looked.  This is such a small selection of my favourite photos, I took hundreds and hundreds of photos.  I highly recommend a visit!!!

Glaciers

Hvannadalshnukur is the largest glacier in Iceland, and sits ontop of an active volcano.  Some of icelands volcanoes are of no concern; described as tourist volcanoes with an on and off button.  But if this were to erupt, it would cause mass devestation with extra loads of ash, flying icebergs, and flooding.  Last big eruption was in the 1700’s…they are due for another.

The highlight of the whole trip was going to one of the exits of the glacier…a lagoon where small chunks float out to the ocean.  It is breath taking!!!  Crystal clear water, sculptures of ice, and black sand beaches.  And we even saw some seals playing in the lagoon!  It is hard to tell, but I think they were harbour seals.

Black sand beaches

Due to all the volcanic activity, the beaches are black

Sheep

Icelandic sheep are very fuzzy!

Waterfall

Just a waterfall you could see from the highway...there is a small trail you can walk around the back of it.  Though it was very slippery and frozen!

Northern lights

While we had perfect cloudless nights during our trip, there were also low levels of aurora activity.  But we still got to see small displays!  And away from the city, the stars were unbelievably beautiful.

 

Caving in lava tubes

Our adventures included an outing down into one of the magma tunnels formed during a volcanic eruption.  The cave is a 315m tube that lava travelled through.  Inside the temperature is very temperate; it stays the same year round.  The only life inside the cave is a sparkling bacteria (depending on the strain it appears to be a shimmering silver or gold).  I haven’t done much caving, and we spent some time in complete darkness.  It is amazing…your eyes play tricks on you, never really adjusting.  You think you can see light at the periphery of your vision, but can never find it.  Waving your hand in front of your face you can’t see a thing, not even sense the movement. 

Golden Circle: Geysir and Gullfoss

Our second day in Iceland we went around part of the golden circle, a nice few hour drive that takes you throughout the country side.  Tourist spots on the route include geyser and gullfoss.  Geysir is a geothermal area including a geyser that goes off every 5-10 minutes. It is really cool to watch, as the water super heats it creates a massive air bubble before it blows, sending water up 20 ft or so into the air.  Then all the water is gone from the crater, and surrounding water rushes in to refill it.

Gullfoss waterfall is also on the route.  Absolutely stunning!  The grass surrounding the falls had frozen, but we had blue skies.  A rainbow is also common in the mist surrounding the falls, which Norse mythology identifies as Bifrost, the bridge to cross over into the world of the gods.