Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2016, Blaðsíða 58

Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2016, Blaðsíða 58
Even during the peak of Iceland’s summer’s season, there’s always a place to be cold. So, feeling the 13˚ heat of the Reykjavík summer, we decided to go there. The south coast of Iceland is probably one of the most trav- elled routes in the country, but it somehow never gets old. The road winds past dramatic white- topped mountains, yellow hills, green flatlands and grey beaches, with the scenery stretching out around us. After a six-hour drive, and many picturesque stops, we ar- rived at our destination: the Jökul- sárlón glacial lagoon, and the Svínafellsjökull glacier. Old ice After putting on orange life jack- ets, we boarded an amphibious boat, which drove down to the shore and straight into the water. Soon, we were out in the middle of Jökulsárlón, gazing at the ice- bergs floating by in the deep, cold water. Whenever the boat slowed down, the head of a curious seal appeared above the surface. Our guide invited us to taste a piece of 1000-year old ice. “You can try it,” she said, holding a chunk of ice that could slip and smash into thousand pieces at any moment. “But don’t get too excited. I mean, it is still just water.” One of the group got excited and quietly asked: “Is she going to chip it?” His friend laughed: “Of course she’s going to chip it. Or, we’ll all get a lick.” Black pyramids We finished the day by walking on Svínafellsjökull (or the “pig cliff glacier”). I wondered if the name had something to do with the dirty black colour of the glacier— the result of ash and dirt blowing onto the glacier, then freezing into its surface. The glacier walk was a first- time experience for all of us, and the more safety rules we were told, the more we cringed with trepida- tion. But as we strapped on our crampons and took our first steps on the ice, we soon started to get the hang of it. We passed some small pyra- mids of dirt, named Drulludríli in Icelandic, which means “dirt cones.” These natural formations are made when holes in the sur- face fill up with sand and dirt over the years. When the ice then starts to melt, these neat piles are left sitting on top of the ice. Deeper holes, on the other hand, don’t fill up—instead, they become passages into the glacier. Meltwater then trickles down, storing up deep inside the ice. Where the water goes, nobody knows. This phenomenon is called a múlan—and if you should slip and fall into one, there’s no way out. We crunched along the glacier in a line for an hour or so, taking in the views, thinking about noth- ing other than our next step. Aside from the impressive landscape, I was also impressed by how knowl- edgeable and proud of her country our guide was, telling us stories and facts that made this the fine day it was. Book trip at extremeiceland.is SHARE: gpv.is/extr Glacier Walks And Boat Trips All Ice Everything Words JÓHANNA PÉTURSDÓTTIR Photos ART BICNICK As we approach midsummer, Ice- land’s nights are getting pretty in- d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e from her days. But as well as being nastily surprised when the bell rings for last orders, constantly missing the supermar- ket’s opening hours because it feels like 6pm rather than 11pm, and having your sleeping patterns distorted beyond all recognition, the 24-hour light and the restless energy that it brings mean you could potentially use these win- dows of insomniac half-sleep to do fun stuff instead. One great way to take advantage of sunlight is a Midnight Hike. If you have the luck of a mild, cloudless night, there could be little better than taking a guided walk up into the pink sky at Úlfarsfell, Helgafell or Esja. An enterprising Icelander named Arnar Ingi has started run- ning Midnight Hike tours—find out more at midnighthikes.com. The Golden Circle is an incredibly popular trip, and rightfully so— as well as dropping by several of Iceland’s most spectacular natural sites, it’s within easy reach of Reyk- javík. Seeing as it’s bright outdoors 24/7, one way to beat the crowds is to turn your daytrip into a night trip and go “after dark”—it’s an amaz- ing feeling to have all that nature to yourself. Book a trip at yourday- tours.is or hire a car at hertz.is. Reykjavík Excursions have a hat- ful of different trips you can take to make the most of the night, in- cluding a trip that includes a horse show at Fákasel and then a trip to the Krýsuvík geothermal area on the way home; or you could go for a dip at the Laugarvatn Fontana spa, which stays open late May-August. Book by visiting re.is and search- ing “midnight”. Words John Rogers TRAVEL NEWS IN BRIEF 58 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 8 — 2016TRAVEL
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