Reykjavík – Kerið, South: Adventure beckons
Woke up, looked out of the window, expected biting cold and ice. And all we had was warm sunshine, Simpsons-like clouds and a balmy breeze.
Day 1 had begun
.
Breakfast was accompanied by a hodge podge of English, Spanish, Dutch-French. We learned of Icelandic delicacies, Fermented Sheep Head (brainless of course) and fermented shark and other fish. Vigorous nods of assent were exchanged at the suggestion that everything should be tried. Yeah.
Directions given, cheerios exchanged, off we went to discover the already quite well discovered Iceland. First stop. Yep, you are right, Supermarket. Where else do you get the down low on how many calories the kids of each city consume. So after stocking up on water, juices, wasabi peas, soft cake, cheese, chips and ham, once again we set off, to discover Iceland.
First stop: Hafnaberg
Promises of wildlife, the feathered kind, spurred us on. Eggs that were differently coloured so that bird-brain parents don’t get confused with their offspring. Sighting of the national bird, just before they took to the skies. Eggs that were shaped just so, to limit their movement – quite necessary for those ledge-nesters
. We forged ahead bravely, with what we perceived the hill that harboured the cliff in sight. But hill after hill, cairn after cairn turned out to be mirages. There were still miles to go and yeah, like all poorly managed companies – 0 communication. No signs, no “just 300mts to go”, no “Them birds probably be disgusted with your voyeurism”. No nothing.
Soft sand gave way under footfalls, fine grains sneaking their way into sneakers, rubbing away at skin like the whiny inner voice urging us to give up. And then, in the midst of nothing but volcanic rock and discomfort (#FirstWorldProblems), we realised, well, we haven’t anything else to do. Here we are, on this gorgeous island, no phones to distract us, no pokéspots to lead us in the opposite direction. We are in a the most “” of all ways – Free 🙂 So with an injection of positivity, onward we plodded, mindful that the rock ahead might be another heartache, especially since the birds were supposed to be the noisiest of their kind, and there we found it, around the corner, silence opened to an onslaught of chaotic bird sounds.
It was noisy, it was stinky, it was downright dirty, but Oh! gloriously beautiful! We stared in amazement at the engineering feat that was their nesting grounds, oohed and aahed at each dip and swoosh and swirl of their ariel exhibition. Several well spent moments of watching them and it was time for the trudge back
.
Several pauses as I attempted to surpass a photography challenge hurled my way (shooting photos of my style (colourful) in this country described as Grey (no idea why, since it’s greener than Spain ever will be this time of the year)). Several pep talks later, a sight for sore eyes, and the most uplifting moment of the hour, we spotted the parking lot. In the distance, and promising to be sweltering, but that’s all the second wind we needed.
Three minutes in the car after hydrating ourselves and plugging in out GPS coordinates, we see a huge number of vehicles parked. Following the sage advice of our host of the morning “stop where ever you see buses parked. The tour buses know the good spots”, we parked and stumbled onto “The Bridge Between Continents”. Lunch was supposed to be a quick affair, it was, but the revelation it brought was how good Apple-Mango juice tasted (more mango than apple). Being an Indian and having both fruits grown natively, I’m surprised that I never ran across this combination before
. Highly recommended.
In the distance we spotted a light house, but after lunch cravings made exploration take a backseat. However sufficient pleas of “I’ve never seen a lighthouse” got Alex in the right direction, and even before we approached, I knew we hit gold. Those famed landscapes of Iceland, the lookout points and the crashing ocean overpowered our every sense. Photos will never do this place justice. It also happens to have in plain sight, the island where the last Awk was butchered – Eldey. A pity the endangered species message got to them a bit late. Also made me realise what the next generation will get to see. Statues of extinct species instead of these glorious animals themselves. Because we think one voice won’t make a difference.
A Geyser nearby and a legend of it’s name that made me smile – Gunnuhver – Names after a ghost Gunna (zoom in for the story). The smirk however was quickly wiped off when the breeze carried drops of utterly horribly tasting “water droplets” to us, that made us scramble to be on the road again
.
From then on, great roads, driving through towns to get to see local architecture (nothing significant or quaint except for the white lace curtains at every window) and getting a bit lost. We finally made it to some towns with unpronounceable names. From there to Selatangar – A fishing station used from the middle ages through to 1884, and home to a malevolent ghost called Tanga Tómas
Seeking local guidance, since the interwebs were conspired to lead us in circles, we rushed to the information office at Selfoss at exactly 18:00 to find that they closed at exactly 18:00 hours. Flip of a coin and some smart spotting of travel brochures got us to the crater lake at Keriđ.
Awed enough by the immense waterbody, we decided to find a camping stop and haul in for the night. Just in time too. I learned to put up a tent. We debuted our portable stove and camping utensils. Watched as the regular campers showed off their ninja skills at camping
. Watched perpetual sunset set in. Yeah, it’s 22:33 and this is how it looks.
About to catch a few winks and hopefully morrow will be as Icelandic as we’ve imagined it to be.
Moral(s):
There is a reason for everyone and everything in your life. Especially those hiking boots. And their place is on your bleeping feet, not the backseat of the car left in the parking lot.
Was an athlete in my teens looks great in the About Me section, but double those years and it’s clearly not a laurel my body can rest on. Time for some changes. Self-Intervention if you want to call it so.
If you aren’t travelling alone. Take time to say a prayer for your travelling companion. And yourself. Pray that he/she has patience. Pray that you have strength.
Day 1 had begun
Crater Lake – Keriđ
Breakfast was accompanied by a hodge podge of English, Spanish, Dutch-French. We learned of Icelandic delicacies, Fermented Sheep Head (brainless of course) and fermented shark and other fish. Vigorous nods of assent were exchanged at the suggestion that everything should be tried. Yeah.
Directions given, cheerios exchanged, off we went to discover the already quite well discovered Iceland. First stop. Yep, you are right, Supermarket. Where else do you get the down low on how many calories the kids of each city consume. So after stocking up on water, juices, wasabi peas, soft cake, cheese, chips and ham, once again we set off, to discover Iceland.
First stop: Hafnaberg
Promises of wildlife, the feathered kind, spurred us on. Eggs that were differently coloured so that bird-brain parents don’t get confused with their offspring. Sighting of the national bird, just before they took to the skies. Eggs that were shaped just so, to limit their movement – quite necessary for those ledge-nesters
Gunnuhver
Soft sand gave way under footfalls, fine grains sneaking their way into sneakers, rubbing away at skin like the whiny inner voice urging us to give up. And then, in the midst of nothing but volcanic rock and discomfort (#FirstWorldProblems), we realised, well, we haven’t anything else to do. Here we are, on this gorgeous island, no phones to distract us, no pokéspots to lead us in the opposite direction. We are in a the most “” of all ways – Free 🙂 So with an injection of positivity, onward we plodded, mindful that the rock ahead might be another heartache, especially since the birds were supposed to be the noisiest of their kind, and there we found it, around the corner, silence opened to an onslaught of chaotic bird sounds.
It was noisy, it was stinky, it was downright dirty, but Oh! gloriously beautiful! We stared in amazement at the engineering feat that was their nesting grounds, oohed and aahed at each dip and swoosh and swirl of their ariel exhibition. Several well spent moments of watching them and it was time for the trudge back
Gunnuhver
Several pauses as I attempted to surpass a photography challenge hurled my way (shooting photos of my style (colourful) in this country described as Grey (no idea why, since it’s greener than Spain ever will be this time of the year)). Several pep talks later, a sight for sore eyes, and the most uplifting moment of the hour, we spotted the parking lot. In the distance, and promising to be sweltering, but that’s all the second wind we needed.
Three minutes in the car after hydrating ourselves and plugging in out GPS coordinates, we see a huge number of vehicles parked. Following the sage advice of our host of the morning “stop where ever you see buses parked. The tour buses know the good spots”, we parked and stumbled onto “The Bridge Between Continents”. Lunch was supposed to be a quick affair, it was, but the revelation it brought was how good Apple-Mango juice tasted (more mango than apple). Being an Indian and having both fruits grown natively, I’m surprised that I never ran across this combination before
Selatangar
In the distance we spotted a light house, but after lunch cravings made exploration take a backseat. However sufficient pleas of “I’ve never seen a lighthouse” got Alex in the right direction, and even before we approached, I knew we hit gold. Those famed landscapes of Iceland, the lookout points and the crashing ocean overpowered our every sense. Photos will never do this place justice. It also happens to have in plain sight, the island where the last Awk was butchered – Eldey. A pity the endangered species message got to them a bit late. Also made me realise what the next generation will get to see. Statues of extinct species instead of these glorious animals themselves. Because we think one voice won’t make a difference.
A Geyser nearby and a legend of it’s name that made me smile – Gunnuhver – Names after a ghost Gunna (zoom in for the story). The smirk however was quickly wiped off when the breeze carried drops of utterly horribly tasting “water droplets” to us, that made us scramble to be on the road again
Crater Lake – Keriđ
From then on, great roads, driving through towns to get to see local architecture (nothing significant or quaint except for the white lace curtains at every window) and getting a bit lost. We finally made it to some towns with unpronounceable names. From there to Selatangar – A fishing station used from the middle ages through to 1884, and home to a malevolent ghost called Tanga Tómas
Seeking local guidance, since the interwebs were conspired to lead us in circles, we rushed to the information office at Selfoss at exactly 18:00 to find that they closed at exactly 18:00 hours. Flip of a coin and some smart spotting of travel brochures got us to the crater lake at Keriđ.
Awed enough by the immense waterbody, we decided to find a camping stop and haul in for the night. Just in time too. I learned to put up a tent. We debuted our portable stove and camping utensils. Watched as the regular campers showed off their ninja skills at camping
Hafnaberg
About to catch a few winks and hopefully morrow will be as Icelandic as we’ve imagined it to be.
Moral(s):
There is a reason for everyone and everything in your life. Especially those hiking boots. And their place is on your bleeping feet, not the backseat of the car left in the parking lot.
Was an athlete in my teens looks great in the About Me section, but double those years and it’s clearly not a laurel my body can rest on. Time for some changes. Self-Intervention if you want to call it so.
If you aren’t travelling alone. Take time to say a prayer for your travelling companion. And yourself. Pray that he/she has patience. Pray that you have strength.