Sam:
Today we woke up at five in the morning again to go on another big trip. About two or three hours into the drive, we stopped at Skogafoss, located on Skogavegur in the village of Skogar. It was over of the best waterfalls I’ve seen on our trip. It was really big and wide and there’s a legend that goes with it. It goes like this – A group of people noticed something sticking out of the waterfall. It turned out to be a treasure chest, but the handle fell off. They went to town to tell others, but when they went back nobody could ever find it again. They think it’s still behind the falls somewhere.
We also went to a big lake full of icebergs that kept breaking off and floating into the ocean. There were some seals in the lake, too. I skipped some rocks into the lake. With a piece of ice I chipped from an iceberg, I managed to skip it four times.
Next we went to some big cliffs that I could climb up easily. It was so cool! The rocks were really big and flat and they were all round. There were a lot of big waves. It was a black sand beach.
Charlotte:
Today my parents woke me up at 5:00. It was really early! It took more than four hours to get to icebergs. It was worth it. We had a picnic there. The icebergs were neat shapes – I saw an airplane, a puffin, a person, and more. I saw some seals in the water, too. On the beach, I made a bear foot out of rocks.
We went hiking. It was very fun! We hiked to a glacier, but we didn’t walk on it because we could have fallen and gotten hurt. At the end of our hike, a whole bunch of rescue people came rushing in. Someone had fallen in the glacier! I’m so sad and I hope they’re okay!
The we went back on the road to go to Vik. When we got there we went to a black sand beach. I loved climbing the rocks, and my cousins would too.
Mom and Dad:
Another early morning! Yawn!
We hit the road at 5:45, heading for Southeast Iceland. This time we were smarter and prepped a day’s worth of food for the road. Armed with our early morning caffeine of choice (coffee for Mom; Pepsi Max for Dad), we were ready for whatever the day brought us.
First stop this morning was Skogafoss. The waterfall was beautiful in the early morning light, and already many tourists were setting up expensive photography equipment to capture the perfect shot. We tiptoed past dozens of tents, debating how we could best locate the treasure from the legend. In the end, the kids figured the water was too cold to bother… LOL! I guess the “two thousand million gold pieces” Charlotte thought would be inside aren’t worth their precious time!
We continued on our journey past countless waterfalls, turf houses, and volcanoes, and Iceland’s biggest glacier – Vatnajokull, pausing for a couple bathroom breaks and to examine some moss-covered rock formations. We finally reached Jokulsarlon around noon.
Jokulsarlon is, we think, one of the most incredible places in the country, maybe in the world (or at least the parts we’ve seen). It is a glacier lake that is filled with “calf glaciers” that have broken off the actual glacier. These icebergs are stunning. Well, see for yourself…
We also had the pleasure of seeing several seals when we moved to where the icebergs rush into the ocean. The power of nature’s display… Wow.
After picnicking and playing along the beach, climbing icebergs, and throwing rocks for a couple of hours, we reluctantly got back into the car, turned around and aimed for the tiny community of Vik, along the south coast.
We detoured when we found a little dirt road leading to a glacier hike. We followed it and enjoyed a great little walk and an impressive view. There were some glacier walk tour groups in the distance, and we briefly debated going onto the glacier ourselves (Mom and Dad were a firm no, but the kids really wanted to). In one of those rare cases where our reasons became immediately obvious, police cars, ambulances and other emergency vehicles came rushing down the lane. About 10 people came pouring out of the vehicles and started putting on climbing gear and gathering emergency equipment. Then, in the distance, we could see one of the tour guides rappelling into a glacier. Someone had fallen into a crevass or fissure! We left the area to give the rescue team room to work. We said a prayer together for the victim and are hoping he or she will be okay.
Our arrival in Vik was a bit anticlimactic, as we found the black sand beach, but not the promised basalt columns… Turns out we went to the wrong side of a mountain! Isn’t that always the way?!
We traversed the mountain, got stuck in a traffic jam, Iceland-style – a herd a cattle was wandering along the road.
At long last, we walked onto the beach and were met with such amazing rock formations! The high basalt columns and caves were perfect for climbing and exploring. Sam wasted no time as he scrambled right up and sat upon a rocky throne. Charlotte was a bit more hesitant at first, but that didn’t last. Soon she, too, was trying to earn a mountain goat badge!
As we drive home into the sunset, we are still thinking about the person from the glacier. Please, friends, pray for him or her. And, please remember that natural phenomena can be incredibly beautiful but also incredibly dangerous. Be safe. ❤
Sam and Charlotte take on the world! 