This Wild Life

Travel and Lifestyle Blog

  • Life
    • Date Days
  • Adventures
    • Hiking
    • Camping
  • USA
    • Yosemite
    • Portland
  • International
    • Greece
    • Ireland
    • Iceland
  • About
  • Contact

Iceland Day 5 {þingvellir national park, Borgarnes, Settlement Center, fossatún, Hraunfossar, Into The Glacier, Langjokull glacier}

06.28.2016 by Brittany // Leave a Comment

Day 5 began with a drive to þingvellir national park. Þingvellir was where the Icelandic Parliament was founded and was (unsurprisingly) another place of beauty in Iceland!

It began to snow as we arrived, which made for a very slippery hike around, but we were able to walk up the main route to see the views and were lucky enough to be one of the only people at the waterfall!

Iceland Day5_0001.jpg
Iceland Day5_0002.jpg
Iceland Day5_0004.jpg
Iceland Day5_0003.jpg
Iceland Day5_0005.jpg
Iceland Day5_0007.jpg
Iceland Day5_0006.jpg

It was interesting to learn all about the history of Þingvellir. Thousands of Icelanders made the journey to this location for a 2 week stay during the commonwealth period, where they would mingle, sell goods, and make plans and laws.

Iceland Day5_0008.jpg
Iceland Day5_0010.jpg
Iceland Day5_0011.jpg
Iceland Day5_0009.jpg
Iceland Day5_0014.jpg
Iceland Day5_0013.jpg
Iceland Day5_0012.jpg

After an icy walk back to the car, we made the scenic drive north where we drove through the longest tunnel I’ve ever been in!

We stopped at the Settlement Center once we reached Borgarnes. I highly recommend this stop to anyone who is visiting the area! It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was all indoors (bonus if it’s cold outside!) and we took an audio tour that taught us all about the first settlements of Iceland and one of the first Vikings, Egill Skalla-Grimsson. It was incredibly informative and I loved the sculptures and artwork that explained the stories!

Iceland Day5_0015.jpg
Iceland Day5_0016.jpg
Iceland Day5_0017.jpg
Iceland Day5_0018.jpg
Iceland Day5_0022.jpg

Next on our list for the day was the lesser known stop, Fossatun. This spot has accommodations for guests exploring West Iceland, but we came because we had heard about the Troll Trail! Right behind the guest houses is a trail that has several sculptures of trolls and follows the Icelandic book, Tryggdatröll (The Last Troll). So cool! We couldn’t explore the whole trail because the ground was wet and our feet started sinking, but there were also games and a longer hike to explore if conditions are good.

Iceland Day5_0019.jpg
Iceland Day5_0020.jpg
Iceland Day5_0021.jpg
Iceland Day5_0023.jpg
Iceland Day5_0024.jpg

I loved the story about the rock pile. In the story, if you put your hand on the outline, close your eyes, and think about all the good things that have befallen you on your path, the rock will absorb your worries and negative thoughts.

Iceland Day5_0025.jpg

We had a reservation for a glacier tour that night, so we jumped in the car to head to our hotel beforehand. After we checked in, we bundled up and made one last stop at Hraunfossar. It was an impressive sight and I wish we had more than 10 minutes to explore! I loved the uniqueness of the water pouring out of the lava rocks.

Iceland Day5_0026.jpg
Iceland Day5_0027.jpg
Iceland Day5_0028.jpg
Iceland Day5_0029.jpg

We raced to meet our tour group and checked in. I was so excited for this tour! Because we were exploring Iceland in the winter, the highlands were usually closed off to any vehicle that wasn’t a 4×4, so this was one of our only chances to see it.

We walked up to the vehicle we were taking to the glacier and was met with a GIANT vehicle. We later learned it was a converted NATO missile launcher!


Iceland Day5_0030.jpg

We piled into the vehicle and began our ascent to the top of the glacier (a 40min drive). We had the opportunity to stop and take photos halfway up as we waited for a second tour guide to catch up. The views were astonishing.


Iceland Day5_0031.jpg
Iceland Day5_0032.jpg
Iceland Day5_0033.jpg
Iceland Day5_0034.jpg
Iceland Day5_0035.jpg
Iceland Day5_0036.jpg

We reached the entrance and split into two groups to explore the inside of the glacier. As we descended into the tunnel, it suddenly felt warmer and I couldn’t stop putting my hand against the dense ice wall.

Iceland Day5_0037.jpg
Iceland Day5_0038.jpg
Iceland Day5_0039.jpg

We learned that we were descending into the Langjokull glacier (the second largest in Iceland). The tunnel we entered opened up into a large room with boxes of crampons to allow us to walk around without slipping. Our guide told us that every year, they have to keep redoing the entrance and making it longer because as snow piles on top of the glacier, the man-made ice caves keep getting buried and lower into the glacier.

Iceland Day5_0040.jpg
Iceland Day5_0041.jpg

One of my favorite pieces of information from the tour was the different layers you could see in the snow. There was a black line across the wall that our guide said was ash from the volcano eruption in 2010!

Iceland Day5_0044.jpg

We continued exploring the caves with our group and it became obvious that this place was huge! It even had an ice chapel for weddings! We learned that it took over 4 years for the ice caves to be made and that the ice around us was 30-35 years old.

Iceland Day5_0042.jpg
Iceland Day5_0043.jpg
Iceland Day5_0045.jpg
Iceland Day5_0046.jpg
Iceland Day5_0047.jpg
Iceland Day5_0051.jpg
Iceland Day5_0049.jpg

When our tour came to an end, it became emotional as our guide explained the impact of global warming on the glaciers around the country. I feel very lucky that we got to experience this glacier trip, because who knows if it will be around in a few years.

Iceland Day5_0050.jpg

We made our way back to our hotel in the dark, where I promptly took a shower and laid down. Danny grabbed his camera to try his luck with the Northern Lights one more time and was met with the best light show from our trip! He said that the sky just lit up to the point where he could see everything around him! I’m a little jealous I missed it, but the photos are phenomenal!

Iceland Day5_0052.jpg
Iceland Day5_0053.jpg
Iceland Day5_0054.jpg
Iceland Day5_0055.jpg

Previous Posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

Up next: Arnarstapi

Categories // Iceland, International

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A place to jot down the thoughts in my life and hopefully inspire others to explore the world around them. "I don't tell stories, I make them"

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram

Recent Posts

  • 2017: It’s time for a change
  • Dawn Falls Hike {Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve, Larkspur}
  • Yosemite 2016 {Tenaya Lake, Sentinel Dome, Taft Point}
  • Iceland Day 7 {Eldborg Crater, Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, Flytographer}
  • Iceland Day 6 {snæfellsnes peninsula, Gerduberg basalt columns, farm of olkelda, Búðir, Arnarstapi, Hellnar, Gatklettur arch, Londrangar sea stacks, Djupalonssandur, stykkishólmur}

Instagram

Feed Doesn't exists

Copyright © 2018 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in