Chapter 09: Leaving Reykjavik for Ísafjörður

Continued from Chapter 08

After 4 days in Reykjavik, it was time to head up to the Vestfirðir - the West Fjörds which are really in Iceland's Northwest. This is the most isolated part of the country and in some areas (particularly the Hornstrandir Peninsular) there are no roads and no vehicles, except for boats which are sometimes the only means to get to the remote places. It's not uncommon to see snowmobiles parked in people's driveways and garages in this part of the country!


We were due to fly to Ísafjörður, spend the night at the home of a friend in Bolungarvik, and the following evening, catch the ferry over to our ultimate destination, Hesteyri.

The airport for all internal Icelandic flights is actually in Reykjavik. Not to be confused with the International Airport in Keflavik (KEF), Reykjavik Airport (RKV) handles domestic services as well as flights to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. There are 2 terminals at RKV so it's important to know which airline you're flying with, so that you arrive at the correct departure point.

The terminal for Air Iceland is NOTHING LIKE what's described on this website. I guess that they must be talking about the other terminal which we didn't go to - or maybe they've never visited RKV!

The Air Iceland terminal is an old, small building, and the number of people it now handles begs for a new and larger one. Having said that, it's a very relaxed place and reminded me of the Nausori Airport in Fiji back when I was a kid.

We arrived to a crowded terminal where all the pax for the Greenland flight had just been told that their flight had been cancelled. It was bedlam, but the 4 staff on duty handled things very well from what we could see and hear. Save for a irate American couple and an uptight German group, all seemed to take the cancellation really well. Hopefully everyone had travel insurance to cover the extra night of expensive Reykjavik accommodation!

In the building, there are 3 check-in counters; toilets; café; a small, rickety luggage conveyor belt; duty free area which was closed; tiny waiting area with limited seating, and one door for people to exit through to walk to their planes.

Each check-in counter had a small monitor which displayed the flight number, and we couldn't check-in until our flight number showed on one of these screens. We waited, and waited, and waited - quietly starting to worry that our flight had also been cancelled and we hadn't been told. Alternative plans started to be discussed between us - just in case!

Finally, about 20 mins before our plane was due to depart, our flight flashed up on a monitor and we checked in. It was a very casual operation performed by very friendly Air Iceland staff - the same ones who had just dealt with the angry Greenland pax. They certainly didn't transfer any frustration onto us which reflected the professionalism in all the airline representatives that we encountered in Iceland. We received laser printed boarding passes and regardless of how many pieces of luggage was checked-in, only one baggage ticket is issued!

3 minutes before the plane was due to depart, we were allowed to exit the terminal and walk to the plane. The boys got a buzz out of walking across the tarmac and around the aircraft before boarding.


We buckled up, received the safety briefing from the smiling, lone woman flight attendant (well, it was a smallish Fokker F50!), the captain shut the door to the flight deck, and with a roar we were off. No endless taxiing and waiting for departure slots at this airport!

40 minutes later, we landed at Ísafjörður. The landing is an interesting procedure. Ísafjörður Airport is built on the edge of a fjörd between 2 steep and high mountain ridges.

The buildings at Ísafjörður Airport, dwarfed by the mountain ridge

Upon entering the fjörd, the plane descends along the far ridge, before executing a sharp, left diving turn to line up for the runway and drop down onto the deck.

This video will show you what I mean!



Taking off is straight out along the ridge shown in the below image.

The planes take off and ascend parallel to the ridge

Grabbing our bags, we headed out for the taxi bus to take us to the Edinborg Café in town, where keys to a vehicle parked outside the cafe would be given to us. From here, we would drive 15 mins to the next town, called Bolungarvik, to stay the night in a friend's house.

I managed this shot as a plane took off while we were in town. The pilot performs wheels-up very quickly to reduce the drag!

Taking off from Ísafjörður Airport

Next Chapter: The QE2 in Ísafjörður and Bolungarvik on a public holiday

Chapter 05: Gullfoss

Continued from Chapter 04

Leaving the Haukadalur Valley with its geysers and mud pools, we continued along the road towards Gullfoss, one of Iceland's most famous waterfalls which is on the southbound Hvitá River.


Along the way, we came across this beautiful, smaller, fast flowing river. All rivers and streams in Iceland only seem to know one speed - flat out!


In the far-off distance, we could see 2 snouts of Langjökull - the second-most western and the second biggest glacier in Iceland.

Arriving at Gullfoss, we chose to park in the upper carpark and walk down the wooden walkway. From this position, we were unable to see Gullfoss until we arrived at the top of the stairway (about 100 steps) leading down to the lower carpark, but we could hear it. The first view of the waterfall is breath-taking.


The spray from the falls wets everything, and the sunlight hitting the spray creates rainbows across the pathway. As you can see from this image, Gullfoss is extremely popular and we shared it with lots of other people.


The second tier is approached first and the sheer volume of water dropping off the 21m high edge is staggering. I found myself subconsciously holding my breath while watching as it falls into a canyon which runs perpendicular to the falls. The crevice is 20m wide and 2.5km in length before it widens out again. Given the amount of spray in the air and the wind direction, it was impossible to keep the camera lens water-free for more than a millisecond!


The top tier drops 11m. In summertime, the water flows at an average of 140 m³/s and in winter, this reduces to about 80 m³/s as the source of the river and some of the water further up from the waterfall freezes during the colder times. The highest flow measured was 2000 m³/s which must have been truly deafening, as we were shouting to make ourselves heard while we were there.


This beautiful waterfall was almost lost to foreign investors who had rented it and the surrounding land to establish a hydro-electricity station on the river. Thankfully, the plans failed partly due to a lack of money, and the waterfall was sold to the Icelandic government who has now deemed it to be a protected area.

The view of Gullfoss from the lower carpark

I took a short video of Gullfoss, mainly to record the fast flowing water and the deafening noise. Everything else about the video is crap, as: the lens quickly became spattered with water droplets; I stumbled my way up the rocks; there were too many people around!

Next Chapter: Þingvellir National Park

A Fox in the Garden

Our resident squirrels, Ginger and Van Hazel, and the 3 Bluejays were not happy campers last week.

An intruder invaded the garden in the shape of a young female fox.


Quickly dubbed Samantha, (UK readers should chuckle now!), she made a temporary home for herself under the shelter of our garden table which for winter has been taken off the lawn and placed on the bark-covered garden.

Van Hazel did make a daring run for a nut, but 5 minutes later, she discovered the sleeping fox, freaked out and disappeared!


For two days during the daylight hours, the fox hardly moved, except to stand up and turn around a couple of times, doglike, to sink back down into a more comfortable position. She pricked up her ears at our neighbour walking around his garden, but was largely unperturbed by any human noises or presence.


We knew that foxes lived in the nearby cemetery grounds, but it was the first time that one has slept in our yard! We can only surmise that the New Year’s fireworks, or possible maintenance around her usual hideaway, had forced her to seek other safer accommodation.


Life is back to normal now. Samantha has disappeared, leaving only a shallow hole moulded out of the bark, and the squirrels and birds have resumed collecting the nuts which we throw out for them!

Click this image for a short exciting video of a moving fox!

Squirrel bait

While Berlin basks in glorious unseasonal sunny and warm weather, the animals are preparing for winter.

Birds are flying south, and the cranes and geese travelling from the north to South Africa use Germany as a resting point during their journey.

Closer to home, our resident squirrel, Ginger, is busy gathering supplies and storing them wherever possible.

Today she got braver, and J looked up to see her peering into the house through the closed door. Upon the door being opened, and enticed by a heady mix of walnuts and hazelnuts, Ginger ventured into the house to collect her shopping, before scampering back out the door to bury them in the garden!

Click on this image to play the video

She's a fussy squirrel - peanuts are a no-no, broken walnuts are to be eaten immediately, all intact walnuts and hazelnuts instantly become buried treasure.

Ginger grabs walnuts and hazelnuts while the Blue Jay gets the peanuts!


If she becomes any more familiar, she'll be arriving with a packed suitcase and asking to stay indoors for the winter.


We're going to be broke because it's costing us more to buy nuts for the squirrel and birds than it is to buy food for ourselves!


UPDATE: Now we have 2 regular squirrels dropping in, as well as the Bluejay. Our new arrival has been named Van Hazel! The only way we can tell them apart is that on Ginger's left hind leg, she has half a toe missing.

Van Hazel tucking into a walnut

T.H.E. Perfect Vehicle for Dubai

I want one!