GARGANTUAN steps
Monday, November 30, 2015
kemst þó hægt fari
' you will
reach your destination even though you travel slowly'
- Icelandic proverb
It has been nearly four years since I
first came to Iceland with Alex, and it was such a remarkable and beautiful
place, that I have nothing but yearned to return. And return again I have,
together with Chun Yi, to show and share with her the resplendent portrait that
only nature can paint. It took a lot of convincing initially, especially with
the near arctic-level temperatures which Chun Yi absolutely dislikes, but
persistence finally paid off (together with the promise of the aurora). All I
can say is that she probably enjoyed the trip, much more than she expected, at
the end of it all. For me - guess I can't wait to be back there again already, but
perhaps in summer the next time round!
Iceland (which, interestingly enough, is spelt
as Island in Icelandic) is the most sparsely populated country in Europe, with
a population of just slightly over 320,000 people, covering an area of 103,000 km2. Singapore,
in comparison, has a population of 5.5 million and a land area of just 719 km2. Though the least populous country in
Europe, it has been constantly creating havoc on the rest of the continent,
none more so than in recent times when the both unspellable and unpronounceable
volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted, causing all flights throughout Europe to be
grounded for nearly two weeks. In piecemeal, 'eyja' means 'island', 'fjöll'
means 'mountain', and 'jökull' means 'glacier' in their English translation.
Hence, Eyjafjallajökull means 'island's mountain's glacier'. Delving
deeper into history, an eight-month volcanic eruption in 1783 from the Laki
volcanic fissure in Iceland spewed dust and sulphur particles, covering Europe
in a near-eternal fog for the subsequent few years. The resultant disruption of
weather patterns led to the destruction of crops and death of livestock,
causing famine and poverty throughout the northern hemisphere. These all lead
up to the people's uprising in the French Revolution and the downfall of
monarchies and the rising of republics. Guess big things really do come in
small packages. Meanwhile, our guide for half a day during our trip told us
that he is expecting another Icelandic volcanic eruption anytime soon - we will
just have to await to see the after effects of it.
Meanwhile, enough of all the doom and gloom. As they say - nature is both terrible and beautiful, and for those reading this, hope you get to catch a glimpse and enjoy the beauty of the place they call the 'Land of Fire and Ice'.
Days 1 and 2 - Reykjavik and the Golden Circle: Þingvellir
National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss, and the Aurora Borealis
Once again, our flight out of Singapore was delayed due to an unaccounted luggage noted to have been loaded onto the plane, just as we were about to taxi out towards London. The turnaround time took nearly 90 minutes, but this barely affected us as we had a 6 hour transit in Heathrow once we had landed. Thankfully, that flight out to Iceland was not delayed, and we landed just past sunset in Iceland - which was at 4 p.m. in the afternoon.
This time round, we rented a car to give us more flexibility in our itinerary, and to cover more sights and sites. It too gave us more mobility in our hunt for the lights, but in actual fact, we needn't have gone too far in our pursuit. The only issue was that cars in Iceland are left-hand drive, which took a while getting use to. Our first stop for our trip was to attend mass at a quaint little church, St. Mary's Church, just on the outskirts of the capital city of Reykjavik. Once again, the main bulk of the laity (and choir) was made up of Filipinos, who brought about a familiar accent in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.
This time round, we rented a car to give us more flexibility in our itinerary, and to cover more sights and sites. It too gave us more mobility in our hunt for the lights, but in actual fact, we needn't have gone too far in our pursuit. The only issue was that cars in Iceland are left-hand drive, which took a while getting use to. Our first stop for our trip was to attend mass at a quaint little church, St. Mary's Church, just on the outskirts of the capital city of Reykjavik. Once again, the main bulk of the laity (and choir) was made up of Filipinos, who brought about a familiar accent in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.
Flight out to Iceland on Icelandair
Interior of St. Mary's Church
Dinner at a familiar place
After
a slightly restless night (with me getting up intermittently to see if there
were any signs of aurora activity in the sky), we started our day by heading on
our very own Golden Circle tour. Our first stop for the day was
to Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvellir), which lies in a rift
valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, marking the divide between the North American
and the Eurasian tectonic plates. For a better appreciation, the word 'thing' is actually an old Norse and English word meaning the 'governing assembly of a society'; and 'vellir' means 'fields' or dwelling' in Norse language.
The Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, is the
oldest parliamentary institution in the world, and was established at
Þingvellir in the year 930 A.D.. Iceland was initially settled upon by Irish
monks, who then left prior to the arrival of the Scandinavians. The first
permanent settler was the Norwegian chieftain, Ingólfr Arnarson, who
arrived in the year 874 A.D., and settled in Reykjavik which he had named for
the steamy earth (from geothermal steam arising from the ground). Reykjavik
means 'Bay of Smoke'. He was followed by more Norse chieftains from his
homeland, and this necessitated the establishment of a parliament (which was an
entirely new concept altogether back then) for governing of the country. These
convened at Þingvellir till 1798, where it was discontinued for 45 years,
before being restored in 1844 in Reykjavik. Now, the national park serves as
one of country's most popular tourist attraction, proving to be of historical,
geographical and national value. Beyond the walks you can do within the
park, you can even go snorkelling or scuba diving within the lakes formed
between the tectonic plates. Not that I would have done so in such weather.
Us at Þingvellir National Park
Atop a rock
At the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Us at the Öxarárfoss
The first of many waterfalls we were to encounter in Iceland
Our next stop on the Golden Circle route brought us to the
geothermally active valley of Haukadalurk, containing the original geyser,
'Geysir', by which all geysers are named after, as well as a slightly smaller
one called 'Strokkur'. The original geyser, 'Geysir', actually means 'to
rush' in Old Norse, and is known to rise up to heights of nearly 70 metres.
Unfortunately, the original barely erupts once every few months, and even up to
a few years. Its smaller cousin 'Strokkur' though erupts once every 5-10 min,
and up to heights of 40 metres. Not too puny in itself actually! 'Strokkur' in
Icelandic means 'churn', and that's the geyser everyone gathers around to take
pictures of.
Chun Yi in the valley of Haukadalurk
Strokkur geyser erupting
Our final destination of the day was to Iceland's most famous waterfall - Gullfoss, which means Golden Waterfall. Plummeting a height of 32 metres, it creates a permanent fine mist enveloping all who come to view it. It would have made much better viewing in sunshine, or at least devoid of the constant cloud cover we were shrouded in for our first day, but we were to be blessed with much better weather, starting that very evening on our second night in Iceland.
Gullfoss
From a different angle
Right up to the edge
Next up was a near four-hour drive to our accommodation for the night, which was located in the southern region of the island, deserted and away from any light pollution. By the time we had arrived at our destination, there were signs of aurora activity, but they were all hidden behind a blanket of clouds. With the weather forecast predicting clear skies later that evening, we decided to have our home-cooked dinner first, a short little nap, before beginning our hunt again. We didn't have to go too far for a spectacular show that night - right outside our hotel, they were already starting to dance, and we found a nice quiet, dark spot and let our cameras capture, in Chun Yi's terms, the 'amaze-balls' performance. She calls the aurora 'sky ghosts', which actually fits what the ancestors of the north in the past once felt they were, the 'dance of the spirits'. Meanwhile, I look at it as a choral performance, quiet as they are, but you can almost hear them singing in the silence of the night. An interesting fact we learned from our guide later in the trip, and only after my many encounters with the lights, as to why the aurora appear as a mysterious white glow in the sky to the human eye. This is because the human rod photoreceptor cells in our retina have poor perception of colours, and most things at night appear as either black or white - hence, the aurora will rarely look like the greenish hue it paints on every picture you see from a camera. Trust our guide to teach a thing or two about medicine and the human body to two doctors.
'Aurora' was the Roman Goddess of Dawn, and 'Boreas' is Greek for 'wind' - thus making the aurora borealis the 'Dawn Wind'. The aurora is created by solar flares emitted from the sun, and upon reaching Earth, are bent towards the the North and South pole by the Earth's natural magnetic field. These charged particles from the sun collide with the upper atmospheric gases to release photons which make up the aurora. Meanwhile, armed with a much better camera, I have prettier pictures to show, and even managed a few short time-lapses. And even as we decided to call it night, the lights decided to continue on with their glitzy show throughout the entire night, and I woke up early in the morning to be greeted by them. This time round, nothing too audacious as they gradually faded into dawn. But it was a good start to our trip and our hunt for the lights.
Tearing the night sky apart
A heavenly choral
The end of the aria
My first aurora time-lapse
6 minutes worth of pictures compressed into 8 seconds
Fading towards dawn
This was taken at 6 a.m. with me sitting by my room window with it slightly ajar, the tripod on the outside, and myself wrapped in the comfort of my blanket with my freezing hands repetitively pressing the shutter button as I took nearly 200 pictures to compose this time-lapse
Days 3 and 4 - Southeast Iceland: Jökulsárlón
Glacier Lagoon, Ice Caving, Svínafellsjökull Glacier Walk and the
waterfalls Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss
Struggling out of bed after a fruitful night
hunt, even with the sun rising only at 9 a.m., our first stop of the day was to Jökulsárlón
Glacier Lagoon, a large glacial lake which developed after the Breiðamerkurjökull
glacier gradually retreated from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, leaving behind
a lake of ice-melt and floating ice cubes. The glacier has now retreated to
nearly 1.5 k.m. from the ocean's edge, and the lagoon continues to increase in length
as the glacier continues to recede further away from the sea due to climate
changes. As pieces of the glacier continue to break-off, these form the
floating icebergs as they slowly but surely make their way to sea, or melt to
form more of the lake. Fascinatingly, the lake is nearly 248 metres deep, the
depth being carved out by the massive icebergs that plunge into the lake. As
you know, nearly 90% of an iceberg's mass is underwater - there is really more
than meets the eye at this lagoon.
The view from our hotel room where a few hours ago, it was lit by the aurora
Our rented car
Nice sunny morning
Chun Yi feeling the heat
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Icelandic people filming a commercial in nothing but their summer beach wear for a Japanese company at the lagoon
Me and Chun Yi
Looking at these icebergs floating around really provides a picture of serenity
Final shot of the lagoon
Our next stop was visiting an ice cave, which was to be another highlight of our trip. This time, we were driven right to edge of the glacier, which I believe is the same Breiðamerkurjökull glacier that supplies the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Nestled in the far corner was an ice cave which required nearly 45 min on a four-wheel drive over dirt tracks, then another kilometre on foot right to the edge of the glacier, before putting on some crampons for a half a kilometre hike to the ice cave. (Crampons are essentially spiked sandals that you can strap under your boots so as to make walking on ice possible.) To get right to the entrance of the ice caves, we still had to skirt around some ridges and across some bridges, before climbing down a vertical ladder into the cave. We were pretty fortunate that the tour company we hired had an available ice cave for viewing, as the country had been experiencing a particularly wet and warm beginning to the winter, and a few of the more accessible ice caves were too unsafe to be entered. We saw a few other groups along the way, stopping on the outside of nearer ice caves, but were not allowed to enter in, and that entailed a disappointing start and end to their ice cave tours.
One of the most alarming facts I learnt was that, glaciers typically retreat by about 100 metres every year (by current global warming standards). However, between last year and this, this particular glacier retreated by nearly 500 metres from where it previously ended. All these was through a combination of global warming, as well as the recent volcanic eruption contributing to volcanic ash that covered the ice and causing it melt at a more alarming rate. We passed by two other ex-sites on our way to our current ice cave, where our guide used to bring previous years' tour groups to. Now all that remains are rocks and soil on the ground that barely tell of a more glorious past.
At the edge of the glacier
All geared up
Our ice cave tour guide - Einar
He has been in the business of guiding tours since 1991, and his Local Guide Tour is a highly recommended tour should you ever decide to come to Iceland. His sons are now too in the business of guiding ice cave tours as well!
The foreboding entrance of our ice cave
A view up from the entrance of the cave and of one of the man-made bridges we had to go across
In essence, ice caves are essentially cavities that form within a glacier, which allow melt water from the surface to tunnel down below into the ground. They typically have a stream or river flowing in the midst of it, which may be frozen over in the winter, and the walls and ceiling of the caves are literally made of ice. Within the caves itself, you can barely hear yourself or anyone around you as you are overwhelmed by the sound of rushing water, and you constantly have water dripping onto you as the ceiling ice slowly melts. This particular ice cave that we went to was a relatively small one, but it was still stunning nonetheless with the crystalline walls reflecting off a luminous bluish-white hue from a hole in ceiling. After about an hour of shooting photos in this claustrophobic environment, and even managing to plunge my entire left foot into the ice cold stream, it was time to make our way back to our four-wheel drive and head back to our hotel. I left wondering how long this current ice cave will continue to exist.
We did manage to catch a glimpse of the aurora on the way back, but a combination of hunger, a wet and cold foot, and cloud cover meant that that was all we were to catch of the aurora that night.
We did manage to catch a glimpse of the aurora on the way back, but a combination of hunger, a wet and cold foot, and cloud cover meant that that was all we were to catch of the aurora that night.
Me and Chun Yi in the ice cave
Light streaming in from above
Our final, and most beautiful, picture with the ice cave
Dinner for the night - and for many other nights
The next morning was another early start as we first made our way to Skaftafell where our glacier walk was apparently suppose to start off from, only to find out that we had been given the wrong details about the meeting point. All was not lost as we still made it in time as the tour was about to set off. After donning our Extreme Iceland helmets and crampons, and armed with an ice-axe, we set off on our journey on the Svínafellsjökull glacier.
Glaciers are formed when snow accumulates at the top of the mountain, and then slowly becomes compressed from the weight of years of snow-fall which then compact into ice. This body of ice then moves under its own weight and travels to the sea or to a lake where it finally melts and forms the water body. This is not unlike a river - just that the moving body is ice and not water, and it takes thousands of years before ice from the top of a mountain reaches its final destination. So what we threaded upon that morning, and the afternoon before, was thousands of years of history. Walking upon the glacier was particularly liberating too, with the crunch of our crampons upon the ice providing an endless rhythmic background, and the sights atop the glacier too were equally mesmerizing.
Glaciers are formed when snow accumulates at the top of the mountain, and then slowly becomes compressed from the weight of years of snow-fall which then compact into ice. This body of ice then moves under its own weight and travels to the sea or to a lake where it finally melts and forms the water body. This is not unlike a river - just that the moving body is ice and not water, and it takes thousands of years before ice from the top of a mountain reaches its final destination. So what we threaded upon that morning, and the afternoon before, was thousands of years of history. Walking upon the glacier was particularly liberating too, with the crunch of our crampons upon the ice providing an endless rhythmic background, and the sights atop the glacier too were equally mesmerizing.
Chun Yi - Iceland Extremist
Crunching upon thousands of years of history
As close to a communist as you will get
Chun Yi and the early beginnings of an ice cave
Glaciers appear blue because water molecules within the ice absorb most spectrum of light except for blue
A panoramic view atop the glacier
Sleight of hand
Ruminating the journey ahead
Us and our glacier hiking guide
Veni, vidi, vici - Svínafellsjökull
After another strenuous morning on the ice, it was an arduous 6 hour drive to the west of Iceland, where a different scenery was to greet us altogether. Along the way, we stopped by two majestic waterfalls, Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, the latter of which you can even take a walk behind the plummeting waters (and be drenched by mist formed from the 60 metre-high fall as it plummets into the base).
Me and Chun Yi at Skógafoss
Seljalandsfoss
Behind the waterfall
Hiding behind the clouds
Day 5 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula:
Photoshoot, Arnarstapi, Lóndrangar
and Snæfellsjökull
Snæfellsnes is a peninsula situated just north of Reykjavik, and because of the clamour of picturesque sites within the region, has been nicknamed 'mini-Iceland'. Crowned by the jewel and mystical volcano, Snæfellsjökull, this is the very same volcano that has been immortalised in Jules Verne's famous book, 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'. The protagonist of the book embarked on his epic journey through the crater of Snæfellsjökull to reach the centre of the earth, inspired by a 16th-century Icelandic text -
' Descend into the crater of Yocul of Sneffels, which the shade of Scartaris caresses, before the kalends of July, audacious traveler, and you will reach the center of the earth.'
We were not too audacious to attempt a trip up and into the crater, but we were still rewarded with beautiful sights of the peninsular, and there was nary a way you could take a bad shot of the place.
In preparation for the day ahead with my secret hidden talents
Moss-land
Mosses account for more than half of all vegetation covering Iceland
Me and moss-land
Chun Yi in the beautiful town of Arnarstapi
The harbour of Arnarstapi
Be still
Treasured cove
Our guide, Páll Jökull, teaching us a thing or two about skipping stones
Chun Yi and her precarious balancing act
Lóndrangar cliffs
These rock pinnacles of volcanic basalt are actually what remains of a volcanic crater which has been eroded away by the erosion
Chun Yi ~
With the snow-capped Snæfellsjökull in the background
Our photo-guide for the day - Páll Jökul Pétursson
His middle name was inherited from his grandfather who was a guide for the American troops during the second world war and was given the moniker 'Jökul' - 'Jökul' means 'Glacier' in Icelandic
Day 6 and 7
- Búðir and Reykjavik: Búðir Church and Hotel, Gerðuberg
Cliffs, Hallgrímskirkja and the Blue Lagoon
Following an all too short a time spent on the
peninsula, it was time for us to head back to the capital as our holidays came
to an end. On this penultimate day in Iceland too, we were given a brief taste
of all sorts of weather that Iceland could throw up - drenched by rain, pelted
by hail, soaked in sunshine, shrouded by clouds, and we even had a taste of
snow as well. We even managed both a rainbow and the aurora as well. This was
Icelandic weather at its most schizophrenic, but also at its most amazing.
View from our hotel room
Búðir Hotel
A sign of God's promise
A view to savour from the hotel lobby
Búðir Church
A quaint little Lutheran church situated with a spectacular backdrop
The view we left behind
Gerðuberg Cliffs
These beautiful geometric patterns are actually basalt columns formed by the earth's tectonic activity
Far-sighting travellers
The view on the way back to Reykjavik
It's almost impossible to take a bad picture in Iceland
Back in Reykjavik, we headed to their most iconic (and possibly only) sight in town, the Hallgrímskirkja, which is the Lutheran parish church in Reykjavik. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman, Hallgrímur Pétursson. The church is designed to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland's landscape, and its construction took nearly 38 years, completing in 1986. We took a leisured stroll, (so as to hide away from the now bitterly cold wind), through the aisles of the church, impressed by the virtuostic church organist practicing on the pipe organ, and utterly bemused by the works of art displayed within the church.
Me and Chun Yi freezing outside the church
Hallgrímskirkja
Behind the main altar - where Jesus had four criminals by his side?
Chun Yi insisted I made friends with this polar bear
Laugavegur - the main shopping avenue in Reykjavik
Dinner at the Sea Baron with its famed lobster bisque
We spent our last night on a final hunt for the aurora, but all that showed up was a faint green mist in the distant horizon. It seemed like the lights had petered out, together with our holidays.
A final glimpse
Our final day in Iceland was spent relaxing in the geothermal pools of the Blue Lagoon. Another popular tourist destination, many people, like us, stop here on the way to the airport for a relaxing dip in its mineral-rich waters. This man-made lagoon is fed by water output from a nearby geothermal power station, and averages a temperature of 37-39 °C. So there we were, with our bodies in hot water, and our faces in the blistering sub-zero temperatures. Here, people apply the mineral-rich mud on their faces and body to either rid themselves of any skin ailments they may have, or further beautify their already taut and flawless skin. We did some of that, and then decided to lounge about to enjoy whatever little time we had left of Iceland.
Us at the entrance to the Blue Lagoon
Chun Yi lounging around on a floating mattress
Chun Yi and me ~
The Blue Lagoon
All too soon, it was time to bid this wondrous
place a fond farewell. It offered us lots of laughter and memories, and of
awesome splendour and beauty. And all these made infinitely better with the
wonderful company that I have been blessed with. Looking forward already to
coming back here again one day~
'He has made everything beautiful in its time'
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
' No pencil can draw it, no colours can paint it, and no words can describe it in all its magnificence.'
- Julius von PayerLabels: Aurora Borealis, Europe, Food, Geography, Iceland, Nature, Reykjavik, Scandinavia, Scenery, Travel
