Iceland Volcanism and Water 2010

In the middle of May 2010, it is that time again: eight years after my first and so far only journey to Iceland I am back to Iceland again. Also the eruption of the volcano under the Eyjafjallajökull cannot stop me. My plane takes advantage of a gap in the ash cloud. During my three and a half weeks in Iceland, I am in the southwest of the island for a few days, followed by two weeks in the relatively isolated Westfjords, and finally for one week around the lake Mývatn.
This is a choice of my great number of photos, sorted in these four pictures galleries or in the text below:

From the Southwest with Geyser and Volcano my 21 pictures in the Picture gallery 1 ->

From the Westfjords with hot springs my 29 pictures in the Picture gallery 2 ->

Of Mývatn with lava, craters and caves my 25 pictures in the Picture gallery 3 ->

With Waterfalls in the Mývatn area my 26 pictures in the Picture gallery 4 ->

After three and a half hours flight, I reach Keflavík in a slightly cloudy weather and a little later Iceland's capital Reykjavík by bus. There I feel right back home, I lived here in 2002 for four months.

On a scheduled half-day tour on the so-called Golden Circle we pass the volcano crater Kerið on our way to the Golden Waterfall Gullfoss which falls into two mutually perpendicular levels at 11 meters and 21 meters into a ravine. In Haukadalur there is also a thermal field including the blue thermal spring Blesi.

The most famous natural wonder in Haukadalur is the Geyser (which gave all the other geysers in the world this name). The Great Geyser is only active very irregularly. But the neighboring Strokkur with its 20-30 m high fountain of water every few minutes. A perfect interplay of volcanism and water. Here you can see the developement of an eruption:

In the evening I will not miss a tour to the Eyjafjallajökull. A few words about geography: the Eyjafjallajökull (in English: island mountains glacier) is a glacier quite near to the south coast of Iceland. Under the Glacier a volcanic massif is situated with the same name. From the middle of April to Pentecost 2010 a lot of ash and water vapor emits up to 9000 m high. The highest point of the glacier is at 1666 m.

First it is very exciting because it is not known whether clouds could hide the glacier and volcano ash. But then the weather looks good and a huge cloud of gray ash passes silently to the south on to the Atlantic. Even if the ash wall looks very colorful from the outside than from within, we go into the middle of the darkness. Despite sunshine, it suddenly becomes black as the deepest night, but without stars. A frightening impression. Back in the daylight the sun's last rays are coloring the ash in a bright orange shade.

On the way back our minibus stops at the 66 m deep plunging Seljalandsfoss at sunset time. Formerly the Atlantic coastline was at this place. Today I am going once around the entire waterfall.

After the first days in Reykjavík, on the the Golden Circle and at the Eyjafjallajökull now I go to the Westfjords which is a new unknown area for me. First we pass the Grábrók crater, later we see the wide fjord Breiðafjörður again and again. Finally after going through some snowfields we reach the waterfall Dynjandi. Five smaller waterfalls lead you to the foot of the 100 m high and wide fanned Dynjandi (also Fjallfoss). This is a very special perspective from below on the waterfall cascades.

The Westfjords (Vestfirðir) are a very rugged and mountainous peninsula in northwest of Iceland. The region is relatively isolated (in the winter time many of the gravel roads are closed) and with 0.8 inhabitants per km² very sparsely populated. If you want to compare: in Great Britain there are 255 inhabitants per km², in the most sparsely populated country in the world (Mongolia) 1.9 inh. per km². Only recently there is a continuous paved road from the capital Reykjavík to the main city Ísafjörður. Because of the particularly untouched landscapes tourism is gradually increasing in the Westfjords. The ride from Reykjavík in one of the middle Fjords (Dýrafjörður) takes us with some stops about ten hours.

After two nights in Núpur in the Dýrafjörður the journey continues to the southeast of the Westfjords to Hótel Laugarhóll.

For two weeks I am a happy part of an international volunteer work camp at the Hótel Laugarhóll in the Bjarnarfjörður (Bear Fjord). We remodel the outdoor areas - particularly the hot spring and the warm brook. Lodging and meals are for free. We cook for ourself. Prior the work camp you already pay the costs of travel and an administrative fee. So the camp makes you not richer of money, but in experience, language practice, the horizon and in becoming acquainted of the Icelandic everyday life.

At the Hótel Laugarhóll you find the hot spring Gvendarlaug, in which people of the Saga time had a bath. Today the water is too hot in there. So better go into the rugged thermal spring or in the natural warm swimming pool. And because it is so pleasant, I am relaxing every evening for two or three hours in the warm water. Sometimes also until midnight because it is not getting dark at night in May. Like in paradise!

During the leisure time or weekends we hike through the harsh environment. There is a river falling in a crevice and washing it deeper and deeper. Further north on the east coast of the Westfjords we go to Krossnes which is the next warm pool - in the middle of nowhere, but right on the coast line of the Atlantic Ocean.

But what makes so much fun for a physically demanding work camp in your own holiday? For example collecting driftwood under the open sky with fresh air on the Atlantic coast. Driftwood which has entered the Arctic Ocean in Siberia some decades ago. Iceland has nearly no forests. However you find many wooden houses.

After the wonderful time with the great volunteers and locals I say goodbye for going to the airport in Ísafjörður. Because of the many branches which a part of the Ísafjarðardjúp it takes us 100 minutes in the car for only 25 km air-line distance. The night before my flight I sleep in Súðavík. Also I am walking up the valley Sauradalur to the snow line. Finally I recommend you a visit to the Arctic Fox Center (in Icelandic Melrakkasetur) in Súðavík.

From Ísafjörður (due to its location between the mountains it is said to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world) I fly via Reykjavík to Akureyri in the north of the island. Then I drive by car to the 12 m deep and 30 m wide Goðafoss (Gods waterfall) and later to the lake Mývatn (midges lake) which is in average just over 2 meters deep.

Lake Mývatn is well known for the great diversity of lava formations, such as the tufa formations of Dimmuborgir. They were formed 2000 years ago when lava flowed over a swampy area and parts of the evaporating water could freeze the lava, while others still boiling lava flowed away.

The volcanic activity around the lake is still going on. The last eruptions of the central volcano system Krafla were until 1984. It were not the last eruptions. On the volcano Mount Námafjall I feel the warmth of the earth under my feet.