Vatnajökull
For many of us today is the culmination of excitement and anticipation that has been building inside of us for the last week. Today we made landfall on Iceland, a nation which is closely associated with Europe, yet conjures images of wildness by just saying the name. Iceland was first discovered and permanently settled by Norse sea-farers, although it was actually Irish Monks who first came to the land around the year 700 AD. Since that time it has been a country which has endured sagas, survival, religious conversion, feuding, oppression under foreign rule, and now –independence. Today Iceland is a democratic republic which has a proud cultural and literary heritage, while dedicated to the survival of their fishing industry, the main commerce of the island.
Our first day in this amazing country began with a visit to what most people automatically think of upon hearing the word “Iceland” – ice. Starting with a breathtaking ride along the southeastern shore of the country, this area was largely isolated until 1974 when the ring road was completed, and even now with its towering basalt cliffs, glacier streams, and the majority of the population being sheep, it is quite remote.
Our first stop was Jökulsárlón, or Ice Lagoon. This lagoon, with a small river mouth flowing into the ocean, is chock-o-block full of icebergs which have calved from the nearby glacier. We had the special opportunity to take an amphibious vehicle, or “duck,” ride into the lake itself, admiring the deep blue and sediment striated ice up close. When the engine of the duck shut off and all is silent, we felt isolated. Yet many of us have seen this lake before without even knowing it – in the movies. Jökulsárlón is a site that the movie producers of Hollywood regularly seek out, and most recently the James Bond flick: Die Another Day, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2 were both filmed in this lagoon. However, one is never to believe everything they see in the movies, Hollywood did lend a helping hand with the special effects.
Back along the coast road we went, taking a left hand turn which led us up a steep, winding, gravel road passing through the clouds and arriving at a lodge lying next to the Vatnajökull, meaning Lake Glacier. This is the second largest ice cap in Europe and the third largest ice cap in the World. Ice tongues run down the mountainsides, spreading out across the surrounding valleys, the melt-water feeding into glacial rivers and out to sea. Vatnajökull has been receding in recent years, a number of factors have been mentioned as theories from climate change to volcanic activity. With scenic outlooks just past the lodge, we wandered on foot, taking in the breathtaking landscape. But by foot wasn’t the only way to experience the ice cap; many of us boarded a snowmobile, (skidoo as they are called here), or a Snow Cat, steaming up into the clouds along the glacial ice.
We rode back along the coast road towards the ship, discovering another perspective hidden in the same scenery. The sun was now shining brightly, further illuminating the greens, blues, and browns of the landscape, and adding another memory to our first and most fantastic day in Iceland.
For many of us today is the culmination of excitement and anticipation that has been building inside of us for the last week. Today we made landfall on Iceland, a nation which is closely associated with Europe, yet conjures images of wildness by just saying the name. Iceland was first discovered and permanently settled by Norse sea-farers, although it was actually Irish Monks who first came to the land around the year 700 AD. Since that time it has been a country which has endured sagas, survival, religious conversion, feuding, oppression under foreign rule, and now –independence. Today Iceland is a democratic republic which has a proud cultural and literary heritage, while dedicated to the survival of their fishing industry, the main commerce of the island.
Our first day in this amazing country began with a visit to what most people automatically think of upon hearing the word “Iceland” – ice. Starting with a breathtaking ride along the southeastern shore of the country, this area was largely isolated until 1974 when the ring road was completed, and even now with its towering basalt cliffs, glacier streams, and the majority of the population being sheep, it is quite remote.
Our first stop was Jökulsárlón, or Ice Lagoon. This lagoon, with a small river mouth flowing into the ocean, is chock-o-block full of icebergs which have calved from the nearby glacier. We had the special opportunity to take an amphibious vehicle, or “duck,” ride into the lake itself, admiring the deep blue and sediment striated ice up close. When the engine of the duck shut off and all is silent, we felt isolated. Yet many of us have seen this lake before without even knowing it – in the movies. Jökulsárlón is a site that the movie producers of Hollywood regularly seek out, and most recently the James Bond flick: Die Another Day, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2 were both filmed in this lagoon. However, one is never to believe everything they see in the movies, Hollywood did lend a helping hand with the special effects.
Back along the coast road we went, taking a left hand turn which led us up a steep, winding, gravel road passing through the clouds and arriving at a lodge lying next to the Vatnajökull, meaning Lake Glacier. This is the second largest ice cap in Europe and the third largest ice cap in the World. Ice tongues run down the mountainsides, spreading out across the surrounding valleys, the melt-water feeding into glacial rivers and out to sea. Vatnajökull has been receding in recent years, a number of factors have been mentioned as theories from climate change to volcanic activity. With scenic outlooks just past the lodge, we wandered on foot, taking in the breathtaking landscape. But by foot wasn’t the only way to experience the ice cap; many of us boarded a snowmobile, (skidoo as they are called here), or a Snow Cat, steaming up into the clouds along the glacial ice.
We rode back along the coast road towards the ship, discovering another perspective hidden in the same scenery. The sun was now shining brightly, further illuminating the greens, blues, and browns of the landscape, and adding another memory to our first and most fantastic day in Iceland.
