First, after the post went up I glanced out my window to see a green glow. I snapped a photo, and got dressed in about thirty seconds. A half hour Aurora show was my reward.
Morning then came too soon, and I quickly got ready and went to breakfast. We got the road shortly after seven thirty, heading to Vatnajökulsbjóögardur National Park, where we boarded lifted vans for the mountain road drive towards the glacier ice cave. After half an hour on something similar to a rocky logging road, we parked and continued on foot. After twenty minutes over glacial moraines, we donned our crampons, and then it was ten minutes on ice to make our final approach.
The ice cave was unbelievable. It was dirty from ash blowing around in the previous day’s windstorm, but the blue still shone through in sections. On the far side of the three chambers it opened up to Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon – spectacular. Then we hiked up and around the cave and back out to the parking lot.
Returning to their base, we now saw the brilliant blue hues of the bergs and bergy bits of the lagoon. Gorgeous. Then we hopped across the highway to black diamond beach. Here, ice chunks that flow out of the lagoon are washed up on the black sand beach, glistening like jewels.
Next we’re two short photo stops, with a quick lunch buried in the middle. First is the Hof Church in Hofskirkja; second was Svinafjellsjökull Viewpoint to look at one of the fingers of the glacier.
Then a long car ride, with a driver break in Vik at the souvenir centre / grocery store. At seven we arrived in Reykjavik, where I checked into my final hotel night for some rest from all this vacation!
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