THE NORDIC SERIES, DAY 8
ICELAND
Bidding farewell to the Faroes I knew Iceland had it’s work cut out to come anywhere close to it! Something always told me Iceland would be overhyped meaning I would be best lowering in expectations if I wanted to enjoy it.
2 TOURISTS DIED HERE JUST 2 MONTHS LATER
But how is that possible considering what Greenland LINK and The Faroe Islands LINK have just delivered? But with the amount of activities I had arranged I hoped it wasn’t going to be the case.
WHERE IS ICELAND?
HELLISHEIDARVIRKJUN
It wasn’t a good start walking out of the airport to torrential rain, it was a far cry from Greenland and The Faroes. I was meeting the parents and sister who had arrived yesterday in the city and then we were off to the 3rd biggest Geothermal Power Plant in the world, Hellisheidarvirkjun Geothermal Power Plant. I’m a bit of a fan of engineering feats and the like so this was right up my street but I would recoomedn for anyone, its only a 30minute tour.
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
In as few words as possible let me explain how it works; Iceland sits on 2 continental plates and between the 2 there is an abundance of heat and energy. The power plant takes the boiling water from the depths of the ground (same water found in Geysirs) and uses it’s energy to heat clean water taken from different parts of the ground. This hot clean water is then taken in 2ft pipes all the way to Reykjavik (1hour by car) and used to heat residential and commercial premises whilst the original hot water is then pumped back into the ground.
SELJALANDSFOSS
Next we took off for Seljalandsfoss one of Icelands most famous waterfalls but the highlight was the hidden gem, Gljufrabui. It clear not many people know its only a 5 minute walk from Seljalandsfoss as it’s common to have the place to yourself for a time. Iceland is full of waterfalls, something I didn’t think I would be interested in unless it’s the size of Igauzu but there is just something about Iceland’s waterfalls that make them special.
ITINERARY
Our itinerary has been organised to military precision (if I may say so myself) but we found ourselves with a little daylight time before arriving at our hotel. As we are heading into winter every minute of the day needs to be taken advantage of so we decided to race to the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck, one of the most photographed images of Iceland.
SÓLHEIMASANDUR PLANE WRECK
The weather wasn’t idea but as soon as we got out of the car and started walking (it’s 4km) the rain soon stopped. The walk isn’t bad at all but if you are wanting to see anything in Iceland then walking is something you will have to get used to. You can however get the bus which goes back and forth from the carpark costing 1500ISK (£10).
Arriving at the crash site it was strange seeing it after looking at so many photos, I’m guessing this will be a regular occurrence throughout Iceland. You aren’t permitted to climb inside or on top but when in Rome and all that, esp when the crowds were relatively low.
In 1973 a US Navy DC crash landed on the black beach in southern Iceland. The exact cause is still unknown but luckily all passengers survived.
MAGMA HOTEL
Tonight we have checked into Magma Hotel, a stunning hotel with cabin like rooms which look out onto a lake. It is located pretty close to the Eldhraun Lava Fields which will be off to tomorrow.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Not a bad first day considering I had only just arrived
NEXT UP
Horses, Lagoons and beaches!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
138/229
This post is part of The Nordic Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
