fjaðrárgljúfur, skaftafell and jökulsárlón, iceland (6)
Halló visitor.
You might have noticed I skipped a day of blogging. That would be because I was quite lazy yesterday, and didn't feel like writing a post at 12 AM (I think I'm adjusting to Icelandic time). I didn't do much yesterday, either. I was pretty worn out since I've been getting 20-23,000 steps a day.
Yesterday morning, I took a shower, got my things ready, and got the hell out of Thakgil. Luckily, it was sunny and the drive back was pretty easy. I went about 25-30 km/h the whole way through, so it didn't take very long either. I hit Skool Beans cafe again (go here, please, if you visit Iceland) and the grocery store, and then set out for Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon.
The canyon was gorgeous. I don't really identify as someone with a fear of heights, but apparently I should, because I was terrified walking up. I probably looked like a complete fool in front of the other tourists, who were walking pretty easily; I was gripping onto the rope rails like I was climbing Everest or something, LOL.
Pictured: The peak of Fjaðrárgljúfur — way higher than it looks on camera!
I got in the car, pretty tired, and realized I'd lost my coffee press in Thakgil. This actually had a decent impact on my mood. I always look forward to making my Reykjavik Roasters coffee. I drank a mediocre canned coffee then set out for Skaftafell, planning to hit a waterfall trail, see a glacier, drive an hour, see another glacier and diamond beach, then camp another hour away in Vestrahorn. How naive! When I reached Svartifoss, it took all my might to even start the trail after an hour of sitting and chatting with a friend.
Svartifoss was absolutely stunning. When you google this waterfall, the image is kind of flat and shitty, and makes the waterfall look like it's on a flat trail with no views around. In reality, it's in this beautiful, quiet mountain. When you're there, you're kind of in this stone room sorta thing, maybe similar to an open monastery. Not to hype myself up too much, but my picture is vastly superior, and shows Svartifoss in its true glory.
Pictured: Svartifoss, shot on iPhone by yours truly.
The trail was 2 miles long, and I took an extra 1.2 miles to walk from the parking lot instead of the campground, cause I didn't feel like paying. This was a waste. I was so sore and tired from the compounded effects of all the hiking. So I decided that I wouldn't even take the hour to see the nearby glacier and I'd just sleep here.
I woke up, eager to use the laundry facilities at the campground, but they were occupied. I had two OK coffees and a good parm sandwich and head out for the nearby glacier, Svínafellsjökull. But my directions said "Froad Svínafellsjökull" — not 2WD accessible. The walk from the nearby gas station was like 40 minutes, so I said fuck that. I asked chatGPT and the next glacier was cooler anyway with no hike, so sayonara, Svínafellsjökull.
My next stop was Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Coastal places are always very cheery, with the boats, food trucks, and happy people. The tour boats were these insane amphibious vehicles with 6 massive wheels that would drive on the land straight into the sea and float. Anyways, the lagoon itself was awesome to look at, nothing crazy, but still cool.
Pictured: Jökulsárlón.
I got a tasty $20 langoustine roll that wasn't as good as the hot dog in Reykjavik and went across the street to Diamond Beach. It's a very beautiful beach, not as crazy to look at as Reynisfjara, but it has its own peaceful quality. There weren't many "diamonds" (shiny ice pieces) though.
Pictured: Diamond Beach. The water has an amazing, ethereal sparkle in person.
I wrote this post in the Diamond Beach parking lot. I'm gonna head to Vestrahorn now, then hopefully make it to Egilsstaðir to sleep. See you later!
Bless bless,
Ayaan