Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay – All photos are Copyright © Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen
I was flying around Route 1, trying to beat the ever-approaching sunset. My timing was starting to cut it close, as I could see orange and yellow tones beginning to spread across the sky to my left. But fate smiled upon me, and I was able to make my way to the famous glacier bay along southern Iceland's coast. There were a few groups of tourists, but overall, it was just me and my camera, wandering around the bay, snapping photos of the beauty that is, Jökulsárlón.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay.
As the sun was completing its final descent, I sat along the hill that overlooked the bay, simply taking in all of its splendor. There were more moments throughout my trip around Iceland that were particularly mesmerizing, than there were in most of the past seven months alone – that's natural wonders, strictly speaking. I loved how clear the ice was, and how it was being shaped, due to the light motions of the sea, where the bay connected to the sea at its lone narrow inlet.
Jökulsárlón.
The next morning offered a bright start to another gorgeous day. I revisited the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon once more, and snapped a few more photographs, before taking off back along Route 1, west towards the small seaside village of Vík.
Near Jökulsárlón.
Near Jökulsárlón.
Near Vík.
The drive from the glacier lagoon to the village of Vík is a little over two hours long, however, as I tend to do on road trips, I stopped every five minutes, or so it seemed. I parked my car along the road every chance I got, be it for a quick hike up a hill, along a random path, down to visit various sheep or horses, or to simply snag a quick photograph of something that intrigued me.
Near Vík.
The drive which was supposed to be about two hours, ended up being closer to four or five hours long. The winter sun began to set around 4 PM local time, and with the light transforming to a burning orange color, the clouds began to slowly part and rain began to trickle down in heaps from overhead.
Vík.
I stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed through the last of my route, until I came to Vík. The landscape right before the village was particularly intriguing. It was raw and rough, but beautiful, however it was different than a lot of the areas I've seen so far on this trip. There were lots of mountains and peaks that snuck up out of nowhere, and there were a lot of interesting rock formations strewn out along the coast – and if it weren't for the rain and the setting sun, I would have gotten off path quite a bit more, as I'm sure there's an endless amount of photo-opps out there that I probably missed this time around.
Vík.
The rain subsided a bit once I passed through Vík, and proceeded around the mountain that corners the village in, near the sea – taking my first left, I found myself on a several mile gravel path that lead down to the sea. From here I parked and began exploring the famous 'Black Beach of Vík' – there were a few other travelers wandering about, but overall, I was mostly alone. My boots sunk into the black pebble rock where normally sand would reside, but the scene was gloriously dark and intriguing. The mood of the weather painted an almost ominous cast over the landscape – a photographer's dream.
Vík.
I had the pleasure of staying about 100-yards away from the beach at the Guesthouse Görðum – which is made up of two small cabins, where each guest has a small kitchen, bathroom, larger common areas and a bed all-included within each building. It was modern and built completely out of wood, so the aesthetics were gorgeous, and the location was pretty awesome. HOWEVER, in the winter in Iceland, you NEVER know what's going to happen to you.
Throughout the night – by the way, this day was my birthday – there were heavy winds, I mean 100MPH+ winds that beat the cabin savagely! It sounded so loud at times, that it seemed as though it was crumbling and the wood was ripping around me. Sleep did not come easy, I can tell you that. I woke up early, at 6 AM or so, to use the restroom, and my sleepy eyes glanced outside for a fleeting moment, as I was on my way back from the toilet, and BAM, I was in the middle of a freaking blizzard. Where there was no snow before nightfall, there was a foot of snow in its place.
Throughout the night – by the way, this day was my birthday – there were heavy winds, I mean 100MPH+ winds that beat the cabin savagely! It sounded so loud at times, that it seemed as though it was crumbling and the wood was ripping around me. Sleep did not come easy, I can tell you that. I woke up early, at 6 AM or so, to use the restroom, and my sleepy eyes glanced outside for a fleeting moment, as I was on my way back from the toilet, and BAM, I was in the middle of a freaking blizzard. Where there was no snow before nightfall, there was a foot of snow in its place.
Vík.
I furiously packed my things, and opened the front door. It slammed open against me, and I was pushed backward from the strength of the wind. I wavered, struggling to keep my balance, as I made my way to my car. The chill bit at the bare portions of my neck and face, and I knew that today was going to be a hellish, and an interesting one. I let the engine warm up, as the wind began to paramount – its gusts shook the car, and battered the walls of the cabin. I slowly backed out onto the gravel road that would take me back to Route 1. The problem was that I couldn't see the road – it had been untouched. The snow was about a foot or so deep, and my car (with snow tires) wavered back and forth over gravel and grass, alike. It was nearly impossible to not slide, let alone getting completely stuck and stranded.
I made it back to Route 1, some 20-minutes later. To my bewilderment, I realized that my gas gage was showing 'Empty' – the closest gas station was a few miles away, back towards town, in the complete opposite direction. But what can you do, you have to trudge on. I took a right back toward the village of Vík, and as I came to a stretch of road that was on a severe incline with the mountain sloping down to the road, and a ravine dropping off sharply on either side of me. I then came to a part that had the lowest amount of visibility I had ever experienced – it was as if I was driving within the most densest cloud; even the front of my car disappeared from view. The harshest and most powerful wind gust yet, ascended from the mountain and down through me and into the ravine. My car lost traction, and slid dramatically toward the ravine's edge. The nose of the car touched the headlight to the metal banister stopping me from imminent death.
Thankfully the wheels locked up, and I lived to tell the story. Thank God that there was no traffic at that moment. I proceeded on, inching closer and closer to the town, until finally the fog cleared and the storm began to relax. The first gas station was out of order, and so I continued on another couple of miles, praying that I wouldn't run out of gas anytime soon. I then found the second station, and all was well here. I filled up the tank, and was ready to be on my way, when another gust of wind nearly put me on my ass. It only takes one off-balance step, and with the right gust, I would have ate sh*t pretty badly. Passing back through the main part of the town, I was off to tackle the same awful section by the treacherous mountain and the latently disastrous ravine.
I would slipped one way, and after correcting the wheel toward the other direction, I would slip again, and so the process continued on, for several hours. Then there was a quick change, and where grey, dank fog monopolized the atmosphere around me, a lovely pink and yellow light was peaking its glorious head above horizon in front of me. The further west I went, the clearer the weather was, following with a dramatic increase in temperature. It was almost comfortable in the small town of Hveragerði, where I had setup my accommodations for the night. The drive from Vík to Hveragerði should have taken about an hour and 45-minutes, however it took me nearly four hours to escape the wintery clutches of South Iceland.
I made it back to Route 1, some 20-minutes later. To my bewilderment, I realized that my gas gage was showing 'Empty' – the closest gas station was a few miles away, back towards town, in the complete opposite direction. But what can you do, you have to trudge on. I took a right back toward the village of Vík, and as I came to a stretch of road that was on a severe incline with the mountain sloping down to the road, and a ravine dropping off sharply on either side of me. I then came to a part that had the lowest amount of visibility I had ever experienced – it was as if I was driving within the most densest cloud; even the front of my car disappeared from view. The harshest and most powerful wind gust yet, ascended from the mountain and down through me and into the ravine. My car lost traction, and slid dramatically toward the ravine's edge. The nose of the car touched the headlight to the metal banister stopping me from imminent death.
Thankfully the wheels locked up, and I lived to tell the story. Thank God that there was no traffic at that moment. I proceeded on, inching closer and closer to the town, until finally the fog cleared and the storm began to relax. The first gas station was out of order, and so I continued on another couple of miles, praying that I wouldn't run out of gas anytime soon. I then found the second station, and all was well here. I filled up the tank, and was ready to be on my way, when another gust of wind nearly put me on my ass. It only takes one off-balance step, and with the right gust, I would have ate sh*t pretty badly. Passing back through the main part of the town, I was off to tackle the same awful section by the treacherous mountain and the latently disastrous ravine.
I would slipped one way, and after correcting the wheel toward the other direction, I would slip again, and so the process continued on, for several hours. Then there was a quick change, and where grey, dank fog monopolized the atmosphere around me, a lovely pink and yellow light was peaking its glorious head above horizon in front of me. The further west I went, the clearer the weather was, following with a dramatic increase in temperature. It was almost comfortable in the small town of Hveragerði, where I had setup my accommodations for the night. The drive from Vík to Hveragerði should have taken about an hour and 45-minutes, however it took me nearly four hours to escape the wintery clutches of South Iceland.
Golfoss Waterfall.
I stayed the night at the Frost and Fire Guest House in Hveragerði – where they have tapped into a natural hot spring, and have several hot tub pools available for its guests. The facilities are modern and the rooms are very nice, and the bed was super comfy, so I was happy with relaxing for the rest of the evening, after that awful drive.
The next day, I started around the famous Golden Circle routing, however a bit backwards than what most people tend to do – by starting in Reykjavík, heading east on the 36. The first stop for me was the Golfoss waterfall, one of the most heavily visited attractions on the island. There were groups of Asian tourists, families from around Europe, and little ol' me wandering around the falls – I wanted to hike down further, but with the wind, the chill, and the rain, it would be much too difficult. Instead, I continued on after taking the shot above.
The next day, I started around the famous Golden Circle routing, however a bit backwards than what most people tend to do – by starting in Reykjavík, heading east on the 36. The first stop for me was the Golfoss waterfall, one of the most heavily visited attractions on the island. There were groups of Asian tourists, families from around Europe, and little ol' me wandering around the falls – I wanted to hike down further, but with the wind, the chill, and the rain, it would be much too difficult. Instead, I continued on after taking the shot above.
The Great Geysir.
Only a few miles from the Golfoss waterfall is the 'Great Geysir' region, (obviously) famous for its geothermal activity. There is one main geyser and several other smaller active areas surrounding it. Growing up in the USA, I've always heard about geyser's and what not, because of Yellowstone National Park, however I've never been there, so this was a particularly amazing happening for me. The water fluctuated, slowly pulsing up and down from its underground layer, and after about a minute or two of this, it exploded in an impressive fashion.
The Great Geysir region.
It was also the first time that I had ever witnessed such interesting landscape, from the sulfur smell and the ominous bubbling pits, to the strange and vibrant colors – I was fascinated to say the least. I walked around every part, piece, and particle, just to gain a better understanding of what I was watching. Various parts of the geothermal areas bubbled and spit, they rumbled and spewed, and they glowed green and yellow, and red.
The Great Geysir region.
After an hour of wandering around the Geysir park, I continued around the Golden Circle, where I found myself speeding heavily, as I was quite antsy to make it to the Þingvellir National Park before the sun began to set.
Þingvellir National Park.
Þingvellir National Park.
Þingvellir National Park.
After about an hour's drive west, I came to the entrance of the Þingvellir National Park. The entrance was rather amazing, considering the land around the roads were split into a cavern. Much like the tectonic plates you grow up learning about in school, the land shifted and broke apart at some point in history. It was really a miraculous sight to experience.
Þingvellir National Park.
Þingvellir National Park.
Þingvellir National Park.
I drove around the park, stopping here and there to take photos – I would stop on the road and begin hiking in a random direction, as usual, just to see if I could get a great angle for a photograph. It's not hard to take a great photo of Þingvellir, because of its raw, natural and rough landscape. There's beauty in the mystique of the land, from crystal clear waters, shimmering mirror lakes, open pit gorges, and various landscape changes – where it seems as though what you're seeing has changed drastically, ever 5-minutes or so. After about an hour or two of wandering around the park area, I had my fill, and so had my camera – my memory card was jam-packed and I needed to backup the many hundreds of photos I took from the day's events.
The Blue Lagoon.
Before ending my long day of driving and wandering around the Golden Circle, I decided that since it was my last day on the island, that I HAD to check out the legendary Blue Lagoon. The wind was beginning to act up, and light drizzles of rain began to accompany me and my fellow blue-water-go-getters, but even a monsoon couldn't spoil the awesomeness that is the Blue Lagoon. The water ranged from warm to blisteringly hot (if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time), but it was a very enjoyable experience. There were a lot of tourists about, swimming, and causing havoc, but I was able to find plenty of relaxing alone time in its many corners and hidden areas. I tried the well-known Icelandic mud on my face, and I sat with my arms perched along a lava field wall, while I partook in a local brew – life couldn't have been much better at that moment in time.
Reykjanes.
Reykjanesviti.
The sun was setting, and I was drying off from my dip in the natural hot spring water of the Blue Lagoon, but my adventurous lust hadn't been quenched entirely just yet. Before calling it a night in the capital city of Reykjavík, back at the Bus Hostel again, I thought 'why not drive around the little Reykjanes Peninsula real quick?' So, I drove a loop around the peninsula, snapping a few photos of the endless fields of dried lava, and of the Reykjanesviti region, where you can find these lovely rock formations (seen above), and there was a charming lighthouse too!
Routing map, thanks to Google Maps.
I would like to thank you for reading Eye & Pen – without you, I wouldn't be able to have the stuff within me, that's needed to venture out into the world, as I do. For, due to the nature of my job, and the compassionate needs of our world, I've found my love and my passion, and fulfillment in my life. I've dedicated my life to traveling, enlightenment, and personal growth, as well as an inspirational guide sharing stories, experiences, and what all I learn along the way, with the hopes that you will find what you're looking for in life – be it, happiness from travel, with insight from enlightenment, or via the realization of what's most important in life – either way, I hope that I have been some assistance in your path, even if it's just in helping you find your next travel destination.
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