On the second day I wrecked the rental car.  All it can do is flash ‘tyre rotation due’.  I believe that is a cry for help.  You see, a non-four-wheel drive vehicle is not supposed to be taken onto rough roads.  I was being frugal, consequently my rental car is not four-wheel drive and today we went down a rough road.  For at least one kilometer.  Which is way less than a mile – so how bad can it be?  Heavy gravel and potholes the size of small trolls (you’ll have to use your imagination).  This was to see the Fjaorargljufur Canyon (that’s a mouthful).  100 meters deep which is laughable as I have recently seen a few canyons in the American southwest, one of them is called ‘Grand’ and it is over one mile deep …   But that is a story for another post.

The car is still running, which is useful because without it I’d be hitch-hiking.  There is a plethora of hitch-hikers in this part of the world – all with very large backpacks, all very dismayed when I drive by them because I have many seats available in my compact Mazda.  But I’m American, and we automatically assume that all hitch-hikers are dangerous (axe murderers…) and I am not interested in being the only person in the history of Iceland to be taken out by back-packing hitch-hikers.

But enough about my transportation experiences.  You want to hear about Iceland and I have been putting off writing about Iceland because I’m not sure I have the right words to describe Iceland!  I have traveled to many unique places in the world but never have I seen a countryside that looks like this one.  Honestly, I’m surprised they don’t film every movie about outer space in this country.

The landscape is spectacular with amazing vistas in every direction.  There is something like 13 glaciers in the country and as they melt the run-off goes over the edges taking the form of beautiful waterfalls and flowing as rivers and streams out to the sea.  The waterfalls are breathtaking and many can be seen as you are driving along the Ring Road.  In fact, you need to be alert because so many people randomly pull off to the side of the road to take pictures.  And this is tricky to do, because there is basically no shoulder available on this road …  one more trauma for my rental car – negotiating the Ring Road, a narrow two-lane highway with drop-offs instead of a shoulder.  Sometimes those drop-offs are quite intimidating.

As I drive along hunting for waterfalls, I also notice how few cities/towns/villages and really, people, there are in Iceland.  What I see are small farms nestled under these mammoth mountains/glaciers/volcanoes, usually with a red or blue roof so they really pop out of all the green flora and fauna.

Today I went by Eyjafjallajökull (loving that Icelandic language!) which is technically an ice cap over a volcano – you might recall this one because it exploded (apparently several times in succession) in 2010 wreaking havoc with air travel for some time.  Naturally there is a small farm right there in the path of this volcano ….   By the way, general thinking here is that the volcano Katla is going to go at any moment (it is more active and powerful than Eyjafjallajokull) you have been warned!

Speaking of volcanoes, I did explore some of the coastline today, right outside of Vik, which includes black basalt sand beaches and stacked basalt rocks dotted along the coastline.  Puffins nest in the rocks along with a variety of other birds.  I spotted the puffins along with many busloads of tourists… which unfortunately you encounter at most of the hot spots in Iceland.  Beautiful coastline, surreal with the black sand …  Unfortunately, today was the day for gale force winds and maybe 50 degree temps at the coast  —  I had to wear my winter hat!  Damn, it’s August and I’m wearing winter gear.

But today’s post should really be about Svartifoss.  Oh Svartifoss, you elusive creature you.  I like the name, it’s one of the few I can say, because it sounds kind of like ‘havarti cheese’, kind of, ok perhaps not, but it works for me.  You see, towards the end of the day I decided to check out Svartifoss, which is located in Skaftafell National Park.  The park very helpfully displays various trails and the length for each trail.  I’m pretty sure that Svartifoss was like 2.6km.  Piece of cake, right?  No problem, I can do 2.6k!  Ha.  And I say ‘ha’ a second time.  What they don’t say on the signs is that Svartifoss is 2.6k UP the mountain/glacier thingy.

I am fairly bundled up because it’s chilly – but over here in Skaftafell, the sun is blazing, and once I start trudging UP, I start to get overheated. Bah.  And this stinking trail just keeps going UP!  Occasionally another sign points out the remaining distance, and now I would swear that it’s longer than 2.6k… I mean, its gotta be closer to 3k … maybe.  Oh Svartifoss, I am starting to curse your name and the tantalizing glimpses of a dancing brook through the trees is not helping.  At this point, I stumble upon a waterfall, but it does not seem quite as magnificent as Svartifoss is supposed to be… there are no basalt columns.  Hmmm…   Turns out this waterfall is an imposter, Hundafoss…  not the one I’m interested in.

Now, I’m so WARM, which is a new feeling for me in Iceland, that I must peel off all of my layers and either tie them around my person or drag them along with me.  I contemplated throwing a few items in the underbrush to pick up later, but thought that was probably not a good move to make.  I continued on.  At times, I negotiate giant steps that the helpful park staff has embedded in the sides of hills.  Let me be the first to say, these are not helpful, these are actually hurtful.  Of course, some of my problems my stem from being a fat out of shape piglet … but we’ll leave that aside for now.

At long last, on the crest of a mountain, I had a sighting of Svartifoss.  Yes, it is majestic.  Yes, the basalt columnar formation is really fetching.  But I still had more hiking to do in order to get up close and personal with Svartifoss.  This time I trudged downhill and came face to face with Svartifoss at last.  Now to cool off, sitting on rocks in the stream and watching this beautiful display of nature.  Excellent.  Unfortunately, they won’t let you camp next to Svartifoss, which meant I had to retrace my steps and go all the way down the mountain.  Sigh.  Let’s just say that my calf muscles were shaky and untrustworthy at the end of this hike.  And it was somewhat embarrassing to hobble off the mountain side like a 90 year old woman.  (No offense to those 90-year old ladies who have strong calf muscles, you go girls!)

After my Svartifoss experience I hightailed it to my next overnight stay.  I had a brief encounter with the fortress of solitude.  Ok, it just seemed like the fortress of solitude on a smaller scale, Jokulsarlon Lagoon.  This place was something.  It is a glacial lagoon complete with icebergs and ice floes!  According to what I later read, the ice is up to 1,000 years old and you can take a boat trip on the lagoon where they let you taste that ice!  Really?!  Do people really want to try 1,000 year old ice?  Hmmmm.  I was too late for the stinking boat rides… they were booked solid.  Bah.  Onwards then to my guest house.  The one where I would be sharing a bathroom.  Ah yes.  The one which had the monk’s cell waiting for me.

And I will leave it there, because it is finally time for me to post this!