There must have been a 1000 Chinese tourists in the hotel. It was a hoot to watch the scurry shuffle to their buses early morning. Iceland is a popular place for the Chinese these days. A local guy told Boca, "the economy is doing well, but I am afraid with our high prices it will chase the tourists away." Not the Chinese, as they are flush with money these days. A good point never the less. But it hasn't happened yet- the place is loaded with tourists- lots of American retirees have found Reki and are here by the busloads. We have met several who rent a car and drive the ring around the island country. How's that for some get up and go- you Baby Boomers rock! This place is rife with tourists. Looks like the Icelanders did a smashing job ramping up touting their country after paying off their debt to the International Monetary Fund a few years ago. Well done!
In the meantime, our driver picks us up and we are off to tour for the day...a ride up to see the Langjokull Glacier. Figuring the driver might need some help, Boca sits in in the tour guide seat- as he was performing both tasks. She plyed him with questions to answer, making sure the journey ( 2 hrs) was interesting while Bubs and others tried to snooze it off.
Coffee stop and there is the glacier, Langjokull- the second largest in Iceland. There we are on our way to the Langjokull- to the right of Bubs pointer finger.
A comfy Greyline mini bus tooled us around....
There's the tour map for the day...12 plus hours.
Such a scenic route ...many beautiful and oh so tidy farms. Bucolic.
No garbage along the highway...and sheep, lots of sheep. The only crop we see is hay. No cows, but quite a few beautiful Icelandic horses. They do eat horse meat here?
After 1 1/2 hrs, the driver turns onto a gravel road...bump bump bump.
We arrive to Langjokull for our Glacier visit.
Come on Boca, they said you will need some special gear, and this is where they have it. Huh?
Snow suits and boots. To look at a cave from the bus?
Boca squeezes on her snow suit- yes over her rain coat and many, many layers and then came the boots- fitting right over her sandals and socks. Why do we need boots for the bus Bubs?
Well it's not exactly a bus Boca. It's actually a former missile launcher previously owned by the UN. Huh? Wake up girl, that is why they call it A JOURNEY INTO THE GLACIER. Maybe Jules Verne was onto something after all. No longer content with simply being the setting for the famous Journey to the Center of the Earth", Iceland has followed the footsteps of fiction by forging the world's longest ever, man made ice tunnel. Crazy people now have the unparalleled opportunity to get down and journey to the heart of an actual glacial ice-cap. Dear Travel Agent, did you know what you booked for Boca-this madness? The team behind this attraction created quite the experience...the man made glacial ice cave- designed by "leading" (please define leading) engineers and geophysicists has its home in Langjokull. Ok, Boca can at least ride the monster truck to check it out...joyed she squished herself into the snow suit.
The guide gave great us confidence while he texted his girlfriend as we drove over the glacier...which has lots of crevices and cracks, which of course put Boca into a tailspin. Bubs, why didn't you suggest a bloody mary for breakfast??? The drive is striking as we bump and crunch along in the former NATO missile launcher truck- now modified for schlepping folks over the top of the glacier. Easier to move missiles around rather than Boca.
Watch out there's a hole! This is crrrrrraaaaazzzzyyyyy! Glad our Will and Trust was updated before the trip.
Ok, everybody out. Out?
Bubs made sure Pleep was good to go with the jeep and snowmobile group.
All set.
After that hairy ride up here- all is ok.
What do you mean we are going down into the glacier? Oh heck no, that's crazy. I'll just wait up here and pray that I don't fall into a hole or crevice.
"Oh no", said the young gal who was assigned to our group as our tour guide- "you must. It's so easy." After much discussion and the promise of that I could turn right around and come up immediately if I was a Nervous Nellie, Boca commenced to tromp down into the glacier....hence now getting why they call it INTO THE GLACIER. Duh.
I'm right behind you Bubs...what in the hell did we sign up for?
Per the guide:" The Long Glacier (1355m) is the second largest in Iceland. It has an area of about 950 km and most of it rises between 1200 and 1300 m above sea level. It rests on a massif of hyaloclastite mountains. They rise highest under its southern and northern parts, but have not yet been researched thoroughly. The Glaciological Society owns a hut at the foot of the nunatak Fjallkirkjan" .
Who cares!
Who cares!
And she droned on, "The southwestern part of the ice cap is called Geitlandsjokull. It rises to the elevation of 1400 metres. On a fine day the view from up there is excellent. To the south of Geitlandjokull and separated from the main ice cap, is the smaller, 1350 metres high Thorisjokull on top of an irregular table mountain. According to the legend, it was named after the troll Thorir, who lived in a green valley in the pass between the glaciers".
Ok Mrs. Boca, you need to put your crampon on. My what?
Yes, on the bottom of your boot...kinda like tire chains.
"Come on honey", bellowed Bubs, "keep up. You can do it and stop cussing. Next time read the fine print about the tours..."
"Into the Glacier offers various tours to Iceland‘s most significant new attraction, the man – made ice cave. The ice tunnel and the caves are located high on Europe‘s second largest glacier, Langjökull. You will get an amazing opportunity to explore the glacier and see it from the inside. This is once in a lifetime experience where you will be taken to the hidden beautiful ice". Oops.
Once inside, the tunnels spectacular nature is revealed- stretching 550 yards (over 5 football fields) and descending 40 yards into the glaciers center. How in the heck did they build this maze? Lots of ice caves and caverns
A church? Of sorts...several couples have been married down here along with quite a few proposals.
"Hey, it's not too late to change Alex's venue...by the way things are going back in Naples, it would be cheaper for me to fly everyone over here", groaned Bubs.
Yes Bubba, the glacier is slowly melting...so get off the no global warming kick.
It's 32 degrees or so down here and today it is very wet with the dripping and melting...they even put a bridge down here...scary. Can this cave cave? Who inspects this place for safety? How many people have gotten hurt down here? And they let a 70 and 64 down here to slip slide around??? OY. Note to self: read details on tours you have signed up for...
Lot's of crevices and lots of maintenance to keep this place up...the tour guide said it took 5 years to build it and it opened in 2015. Maintenance? And what would that be? As Boca's hair sticks to her now wet head...
Slippery and dark down here but some good lighting to move us along....facts, facts, nothing but the facts please.
Our tour guide explained the various layers of the glacier...all those lines represent years to form it.
How in the heck is Bubba slip sliding up and down with out his stick?
After an eternity down there, FINALLY, time to get out.
We lived! We lived! Boca got high on nature- well kinda. Boca asks the "expert" tour guide...so how long have you been doing this? Oh, since school let out in May. Huh? What school? Oh I am a sophomore college student and I'll go back to school in a couple of weeks. So what's your major? Acting. Acting! Yes, you were a good actress to get me to go down there! And by the way do you have a boyfriend? No. Great, I have a son you might like...making the death defying feat well worth it. As I read her mind....who in the hell wears diamonds to a cave crawl?
Trucking back down the glacier...with even more holes and crevices for the missile launcher to fall into.
Always a souvenir shop- Bubs insisted that I get the T-shirt ...to be reminded that I cheated death yet again?
Glad to be back on our mini bus and even the bumpy road felt good- no snow and ice!
Next stop- anybody up for some geo thermal swimming?
Come on Mrs. Boca, grab a suit. They must have one in your size. Oy, you mean you share swim suits? Yup. I think I'll take a pass girls. Have at it.
Next stop-this is more like it...the spectacular falls.
Hraunfossar is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 yards out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull. The waterfalls pour into the Hvítá river from ledges of less porous rock in the lava. The name comes from the Icelandic word for lava (hraun) and the word for waterfalls (fossar). The Hraunfossar are situated near Húsafell and Reykholt and lava-tube cave Víðgelmir is close by. Some of our fellow tourees broke from the group earlier while we were in the glacier and toured the lava caves- they also said it was fun!
Boca was on a high, having survived the caving. Is that what they mean by an adrenaline rush?
Run off from the glacier, made for a beautiful spectacle.
Stay on this side of the rope Boca and get yourself next to a brush...you officially have cave head hair.
Literally a stone's throw upstream from Hraunfossar, there is another waterfall called Barnafoss. Its name, the waterfall of the children, comes from an accident which is said to have taken place here in former times. There was a natural bridge over the waterfall and two children from a nearby farm fell to their deaths crossing the river on the bridge. Afterwards, the grief-struck mother had the bridge destroyed.
The Icelandic scenery continues to be spectacular.
And my faithful sandals made it possible.
Now that's what I am talking about...a beautiful farm house out in the middle of no where.
There we are, out on the ledge for more water fall viewing.
Pleep wanted to know what "Don't stink and Drive" meant?
Next stop, some of the geothermal fields...
Deildartunguhver highest flow hot spring in Europe !
Deildartunguhver is Europe's most powerful hot spring. It provides 180 l/sec of 100°C hot water. Most of the water is used for central heating in the towns of Borgarnes and Akranes is taken from Deildartunguhver. The hot water pipeline to Akranes is 64 km long, the longest in Iceland and the water is about 78 - 80 degrees when it reaches Akranes. If you take a shower anywhere within a 65 km radius of the spring, you have already bathed in the hot water from this powerful spring! They are in the process of making it a tourist attraction- of course. Anyone for a dip? Geothermal pools are an Icelandic tradition. Is this kinda like our hot tubs? Except it's a public event- invite the whole dang neighborhood in Boca.
All over REki Boca saw these pipes "smoking"...yep.
This Iceland is something else- natural and oh so raw.
Boca felt like she had a facial and God knows she needed one! The ladies of Quail West would never go for a group soak...make up definitely melts off. Next visit- Boca will be ready for the Blue Lagoon!
And yet again, the sandals and sock did their job.
12 hrs later and in the Bier Garten at the hotel- which is now packed (no rooms available) with what looks like a university crowd...professors? Pleep loves the sock and slipper routine.
Boca points out to Bubs- well at least mine aren't pink and I don't have a hole in my sock!
That was a long long day Bubs- I'll take a double!
Peg sent Pleep an article she saw in the Wall Street Journal...
Thai Navy’s Secret Weapon Against Marauding Monkeys: Vasectomies
An unbelievable day and Boca survived to blog it...
