Among the unanticipated pleasures we discovered while exploring Iceland, the island of fire and ice, were the hotel breakfasts. Iceland’s hotels, at least the ones Anne booked for us, set out each morning long and heavily laden buffets so tasty that breaking our fast became a daily delight. I’ll tell more in one of my coming posts, but now let’s focus on day 3 of exploring Iceland. We visited glaciers, icy lagoons, and checked out another impressive waterfall.

After a peaceful night in the Vik apartments (see here), and our scrumptious breakfast at the Vik hotel, we set our sights on the largest glacier in Iceland, Anne steering eastward along Route 1. The speed limit on that road is roughly 56 miles per hour (90 km/hour), and our target glacier, Vatnajokull, is about 120 miles distant from Vik, so our expected duration of the trip was about 2 1/2 hours. For most of that time we drove through rain and fog, but our Land Rover (mentioned here) kept us comfortable and dry.

The Good and the Bad

We encountered good and bad experiences along the way. Let’s get rid of the bad first. We had been told that highway patrols in Iceland usually do not bother drivers if they drive 100 km/hr or less. We also knew traffic cameras were scattered along the route. So Anne set the cruise control at 98, and we rolled along smoothly through the rain. At one point, when we were behind two slower cars, I pointed out there was room to pass with no oncoming traffic ahead.

Anne accelerated, passed both vehicles, and smoothly eased back into the proper lane just as a warning sign flashed. We had just passed a traffic camera, and I felt terrible. Without my prompting, Anne may not have passed at that precise time. Speeding fines in Iceland are exorbitantly expensive. I’m not sure exactly what speed the camera recorded, but I fear it was above 100. I haven’t heard whether a chain of bad news (through Hertz) has yet reached Anne. But it likely will.

A much better experience came about as two events coincided. First the rain let up and nearly stopped. Minutes afterward, as we drove through the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur (try your tongue with that one), a towering waterfall loomed to our left. The scene was so enticing that it demanded a stop, so we pulled into an adjacent parking lot and walked along a lower road near the base where we took photos.

This photo doesn’t capture the full impact of the scene. The wind was strong at the time, and the falling water often was blown off its downward course, at times curling half way to the left side of the picture. To gauge the length of the water drop, check out the fence posts below the rocks. For a time we simply stood silent, enjoying the beauty, and the force, of nature.

Anne had booked a boat ride for us on the Fjallsaron Glacier Lagoon in the early afternoon, so after a final admiring glance, we returned to our car and drove the remaining distance to the lagoon, arriving just at lunchtime. Fortunately, a cafe is located on the site, and we had time for a lunch of vegetable soup and bread that tasted home-baked. Then we checked in for our Zodiac boat ride (see here), where a small crowd was gathering. Along with others we were outfitted with waterproof jackets and life vests. See Anne below. Then we marched over a hill and down to the shore of the lagoon where we were photographed before entering one of the rubber boats.

Another Glacial Lake

Another glacial lagoon was on our program for day 3, this one being nearby and called Jakulsarlon (see here). Not only was this lagoon close, it was grandly picturesque, and it sat right beside Route 1, it lying to the north, and the Atlantic beach to the south. We parked in the convenient lot beside the road and walked to near the waters edge, awed by the seemingly stationary icebergs floating just ahead of us.

We had learned that the denser the glacial ice, the bluer it appears. Notice the varying colors as you recall that most of an iceberg is underwater, the exact amount varying by the density of the ice, and the density of the water. In any case, there is plenty of ice below the surface here. It was raining at the moment, but it didn’t bother us at all. We found a convenient bench and rested our happy muscles. We even asked a fellow tourist to take our photo as we relaxed.

People started jabbering as we sat there, so we turned around and saw seals playing in the water, surfacing now and then in the frigid waters. We lingered, letting the scene seep in, and then drove back to our modern apartment in charming Vik. We treated ourselves to a leisurely evening cocktail before heading to the crowded and hip Smidjan Brugghus where we ordered and savored our simple dinner (huge, succulent burgers and fries washed down with drafts of Gull beer).

The bathroom in our unit contained a large washer and dryer, both front-loading, and complicated. The washer was a Bosch and the dryer a brand I did not recognize. Anne solved their mysteries after we returned from dinner, and she put them into action. So washing and drying clothing ended day 3 of our exploring Iceland, although while our clothes tumbled we previewed our coming day, which would include visits to volcanic black sand beaches, cliffs of basalt columns resembling organ pipes, and other attractions. I’ll tell you how it went. Stay tuned.