0506 Reykjavik Iceland to Halifax, via New York and Boston

1^st / 2^nd May 2016

Cold, rain, and a l-o-n-g flight to Canada.

My last Icelandic night in the van in Pingvellir National Park was a cold one.  I got up during the night and it was raining, but must have been below freezing because when I touched the car it was solid ice !   And despite a little bit of red sky last night, it wasn’t very fine in the morning.  So I packed up, tried to sort out as much stuff as I could in preparation for returning the hire car, and then headed off towards Reykjavik.  I had decided to get closer to my final destination in case anything happened, and then to explore a bit around there depending on how much time I had.

0505 The Golden Circle

30^th April 2016

History, Geysir, and another waterfall !

It was freezing again when I woke up – Ice on the grass type freezing.  But I am very snug and warm in this little van, with my own sleeping bag plus a duvet supplied with the camper.  Today was my last full day, and I was going to explore the “Golden Circle”, a well known group of attractions in the Pingvellir National Park, within easy reach of Reykjavik. As a result they tend to get rather crowded as they are a “standard tour” for the many people who make a short one or two day stop on the way from the US to Europe. But the guide books speak highly of the attractions (an historical site, the first Geysir, and the Gullfoss waterfall), so after my breakfast I set off.  There had been no northern lights last night despite the clear skies, but this morning there were still blue skies with a light cloud cover.

0504 Myvatn to Pingvellir NP

29^th April 2016

Well where did that sunshine go then ???

I woke at 6 am, and peered out of the window in search of the blue sky, only to see – Nothing.  My windows were opaque.  Someone had frosted them during the night.  So I opened the door and found lots of white fluffy things falling out of the sky – It was snowing harder than it had been last night !!  And there was 6 inches of snow on the ground, on the car, and covering my windows.  Oh God – What am I going to do now ?  Today is Friday, and if the road is closed, how am I going to get to the airport on the other side of the country to catch my flight on Sunday ?  And if I miss my first flight, all my other flights are lost too as they were all booked individually in order to get chesap flights.   Bugger………

0503 Höfn to Myvatn

28^th April 2016

A wild wild coastline, and snow snow snow !

When I woke up and peered out of the windows, the car was still rocking and rolling in the wind, and there had been a complete dusting of snow during the night.  And it was COLD !  I had been warm enough inside, but there was no way I was going to spend more time than I had to outside the car, so after a quick brush of my teeth, I jumped in the car, turned the heater on full, and headed on up the coast. No breakfast, no tea – Just jump in and get going !!  But it was great – And at least it wasn’t raining !!  I can handle most things, but rain is not easy !

There was a dusting of snow on the mountains and I thought “how nice”.  But I had checked weather forecasts and they all said that after a bit of snow, it was going to be fine and sunny,  So off I went……..

0502 Skogafoss to near Höfn

27^th April 2016

Glaciers, basalt columns, and icebergs !

I woke up to a lovely sunny day at the foot of the Skogafoss, and enjoyed my breakfast while packing up the car – Not much to pack up on this one !  A few other people had parked up after I had gone to bed, and there were even a few tents pitched, so I wasn’t alone.  I had only gone about 30 minutes along the road when I saw signs to Myrdalsjokull and Solheimajokull glaciers, and went to investigate.  (And yes the language IS a problem – Well, most people speak English so that isn’t the issue – It is remembering place names of where you want to go that is hear – Try remembering these two glacier names !  So one drives with the guidebook beside you, and if you see a sign, you stop to make sure it is the one you want !)

0501 Blue Lagoon to Skogafoss

26^th April 2016

Auks, Mud Pools, and Waterfalls

Slept like a log in my new house, and after a quick breakfast I headed off to Valahnukur on the coast, where I found not only lava fields, but also dramatic cliffs and layers of lava ending right at the water, with amazing shapes and patterns.  There is also an island just off the coast which has thousands of seabirds nesting on it, and then further offshore, invisible in the misty rain that was falling, is the sialnd of Eldey, home to the largest colony of gannets in the world.  Additionally the island is famous for being the scene of the death of the last Auk in 1844.  There is a statue to this last Auk, among the stunning rock formations on the coast.

0500 Off to Iceland !

25^th April 201

Finally on my way

I am sitting in Gatwick airport waiting for my flight to Reykjavik, and it has been a busy few weeks of preparation as well as saying farewell to the people who have put me up, put up with me, fed me, given me a bed, and generally gone beyond the call of duty to make space in their lives for me, and make me feel at home. This  is primarily my sister Margaret down in Miford, and my long time buddy John Skidmore and his wife Di  (and their top cat Percy !) up in Effingham.  Without Margaret and Di’s wonderful culinary skills I would have starved, and without Skid’s trout fishing expertise my diet would have been much more mundane.  And when this is combined with the frequent  visits to the pub for a pint of Guinness, or the liberal opening of great wines (and other alcoholic beverages), everything combined to make me feel so very welcome – And I now have a paunch to prove it !   Thank you SO much to everyone. As always, words are insufficient.