April 13th: Out of luck with the weather!

This series of posts will chronicle, as faithfully as possible, our recent trip to Iceland and Andalusia. Comments and thoughts are most welcome! Photos from Iceland are courtesy Gireesh, Anchal and Janani and the ones from Andalusia courtesy Gireesh. :)

It was bound to happen.. after getting used to experiencing all seasons in a day, we were stuck with just one the entire day today – rain! And not the drizzly types which would still keep everything light and fresh, but dull dark clouds sweeping down really low and bringing almost zero visibility, just like the day we had first landed. :(

Our first stop today was Þingvellir National Park which is a landmark of natural and historical importance – the first Icelandic Parliament (Alþingi) was established here on the ridge between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. The rocky fault and the sweeping vistas around it provide the drama and grandeur necessary to imagine scores of tribesmen gathering around a central coterie, discussing disputes, forming alliances and formulating the law of the land. Very little remains of the actual assembly though, but we did spot a few budirs here and there, little plateaus which served as sites for tents for the gentry (and for mid-night revelry as well, I am sure!). The rocky formations on either side of the fault seemed to fit into each other like giant 3-D jigsaw blocks, giving more credence to the fact that the whole region had been created by Earth pulling against herself. We climbed up the fault to the big observation deck getting great views inspite of the rain and the clouds – from Europe to America in a few steps! – and visited the famous Oxarafoss, supposed to be one of the earliest examples of man-made water diversions. However, I think our favorite spot was a crystal blue natural wishing well which we just chanced upon while driving around the area; the water was sparking with coins that had been thrown down by generations of visiting tourists (us included), promising to return, a la Fontana di Trevi. The well sat in a little fault of its own and was very close to icy cold Silfra, one of the most famous diving spots in Iceland and where frogman Anchal actually took a nice long dip. I rated Þingvellir as my favorite of the Golden Circle – Strokkur got two votes and Gulfoss one, so I think honors were quite equally divided. :)

Wishing well at Þingvellir

A long drive awaited us as we headed out from Thingvellir – next stop was Budir in the Snaefellsness Peninsula, about 200km away. This drive was supposed to be one of the highlights of the trip, with the topography gently changing from plains to hilly as the road meandered towards the eponymous volcanic ice cap made immortal in Jules Verne’s ‘A Journey To The Center of The Earth’. But the weather was in no mood to cooperate. :( It was still a pretty drive, very desolate, with the usual peppering of colorful farm houses (green, orange, red and cream roofs standing out against the sheets of rain falling down). And throughout, we got the feeling that should the cloud cover lift a little bit, we would be absolutely spell bound by the place. Alas it was not meant to be.

The clouds got darker and rains heavier as we rolled into Hotel Budir, our stop for the night. Budir is an old abandoned village, and apart from the hotel and a single church, no other buildings remain. The hotel and its surroundings reminded Gireesh and me of what Kirrin Cottage (from Enid Blyton’s Famous Five) would have looked like. Wind swept, all by itself next to a rough sea and overlooking a snow capped glacier (which we could just about make out), the place was atmospheric, harking back to a bygone era with colonial sofas, velvet cushions, black and white photographs on the wall and a big telescope in the living room. We could almost be in 19^th century Iceland, but then we entered our room and the Hyundai HD TV broke the myth! We were the only guests in the hotel and including the receptionist and the chef, there were only six souls about for miles and miles around. With the wind swooshing all around us and not a light to be seen in the tall foss-bearing rock faces that formed a three-sided cauldron around us, it was definitely a bit spooky – I wonder if there is a ghost story or a haunted house around this area, the setting seems so perfect!

Lonely church in Budir

After a quick stop at the hotel, we drove around 15 km further off to start on a short walk from Hellnar to Amistapi, two villages along the coast connected by a rocky, ridged coastline. Highly recommended by our guide book and the receptionist at the hotel, the walk was worth the hype. We only did a part of it because of the fading light but it was chillingly beautiful, with sea arches, blow holes and deep inlets cutting into the sea. There were birds nesting on the cliffs – gray and white in the air, in the waters and in the guanon-white rocks jutting out dramatically – and trying to fly against the wind, straining each and every sinew to get back to their airy homes. The wind, waves, fog and birds gave the whole place an Agatha Christie setting – you could almost expect a dead body to float up from the blow hole, complete with clues and red herrings.

Guano covered sea-arches dotted the walk from Hellnar

After a wonderful dinner at our hotel, we invited the receptionist and the chef to join us for drinks. We almost became fan boys and girls waxing eloquent about how impressive and wonderful their country was, and they took it with an endearing non-chalance – as if they were used to foreigners losing their head over their magnificent land. But I am sure if we had been underwhelmed by the place, they would have been slightly offended – you could sense their pride in Iceland and everything the land had to offer. However, when we asked the chef for what he would do if he were to visit Reykjavik (our stop for the next two nights), pat came his response – ‘get back here!’. And I wouldn’t blame him, no city, no matter how great it might be, will be able to match up to the sheer brilliance of the tall, cloudy mountains, gushing waterfalls, lonely fields and craggy coastline of this peninsula.

Not a chance of seeing the lights today, it was so foggy that we could barely see a few feet ahead! Our last chance was to take a guided tour tomorrow evening from Reykjavik, but we have had so many amazing experiences already, even if we do manage to catch the lights, it would just be icing on a very yummy cake!