Well maybe not the Griswolds, but my family, The Eliasons, made it to Iceland so I could play the role of tour guide and show some Midwesterners from Chicago the breathtaking scenery of South Iceland. We decided we would take a trip south on Iceland's main road, Highway 1, on a journey to visit Glacier Lagoon just south of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. On our way, we would also stop at various points to admire the waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, and volcanoes that grace Iceland's south coast.
Our trip came into question when the Barðarbunga volcano in the Vatnajökull glacier started rumbling. Iceland Insider has been closely monitoring the developments, but we decided to continue on our trip since the volcano is at the northern part of the glacier, and we would be traveling around the southern tip of the glacier.
We set off from Reykjavik going South on Highway 1, which is Iceland's only major highway. We would be continuing on this same road our entire trip just to give you an idea of how easy it is to get around in this tiny country. The first stopping point came about 30 minutes outside of Reykjavik, as we overlooked the town of Hveragerði.
Driving on the windy road, coming down from a mountain made me a little nervous, as my mom tried distracting herself from the intimidating views by playing solitaire on her iPhone.
Our next stop came about 1.5 hours into our trip from Reykjavik, when we stopped to explore Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can see the falls approaching as you speed down the two lane curvy highway, and we knew right when we first saw the breathtaking landmark we had no choice but to pull-over and admire the beauty.
After walking around the entirety of the falls, we had set our trip back about an hour. Our clothes were damp from the misty spray floating around the area, and my dad had probably taken over 100 photos of different variations of falling water, so it was time to get back on the road. However, this did not last long as we soon ran into another majestic waterfall called Skógafoss.
Skógafoss is an extremely powerful waterfall, that forces any visitor within 100 meters to feel the mist of its falls. On this day, the sun was shining brightly through the mountains, creating a vibrant rainbow that will surely be this year's Eliason family Christmas Card (spoiler alert).
In addition to the mighty waterfall, the surrounding mountains and quaint town was the perfect illustration to what a foreigner would imagine Iceland to look like. After a twenty minute picturing taking frenzy, we loaded back into the car and continued to our final destination: the glacier lagoon.
South Iceland's backdrop offers a wide variety of landscapes that resembles a different Hollywood film set every 10 to 15 miles. First we drove through a mossy lava field with abnormal rock structures consuming the area around the narrow highway. Next we came upon glacial rivers streaming down from Vatnajökull glacier that were so clear you could see the bottom of their neon blue streams from 20 or 30 feet away.
Icelander's have also done a great job not spoiling the beautiful landscape, seeing that there was absolutely no sign of human life outside of the occasional hotel, which is great for the breathtaking scenery, but bad if you have to go to the bathroom.
As we weaved in and out of the mountains and the southern coastline, we would occasionally notice an isolated summer house deep in the Icelandic countryside. The view is undoubtedly spectacular, but what do these family's do during the day?
Although I would never object to south Iceland's amazing landscape, I do question the sanity of any family who would raise kids in a location like the photo above. There is only so many times I could run up and down that mountain before I would get bored and want to head back to a city with people.
After downing our kjúklingur (chicken) sandwiches we had picked up in the small town of Vík, we passed the large, black volcanic rocks preceding the Vatnajökull glacier where the movie Noah was filmed. And while the film may not get glowing reviews from the critics, there is no arguing the picturesque beauty of South Iceland as you approach the mountains.
Shortly after discussing Russell Crowe movies, we were forced into another one of our frequent picture taking frenzies as we approached the southwest corner of the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull. We knew we were getting close to the Glacier Lagoon, but needed to step on the gas in order to reach our intended destination before the sun set behind the volcanic mountains.
Approaching the Glacier Lagoon for the first time forces a feeling of insignificance due to the massive ice structures and glacier mountains that surround the area. We arrived just as the sun was setting over the mountains, creating an unworldly backdrop for my dad to start snapping off panoramic photos like a machine gun.
The floating ice structures, which were once large glaciers, now peacefully sit on the neon blue water with an calm innocence that makes you forget about all of your daily stresses. The Glacier Lagoon is truly a once in a lifetime experience, that makes the trip well worth the wait.
Matt Eliason has just moved to Reykjavík, Iceland from Chicago, Illinois. In his regular column for Iceland Insider he chronicles his first impressions of the country, its people and traditions.
Well maybe not the Griswolds, but my family, The Eliasons, made it to Iceland so I could play the role of tour guide and show some Midwesterners from Chicago the breathtaking scenery of South Iceland. We decided we would take a trip south on Iceland's main road, Highway 1, on a journey to visit Glacier Lagoon just south of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. On our way, we would also stop at various points to admire the waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, and volcanoes that grace Iceland's south coast.
Our trip came into question when the Barðarbunga volcano in the Vatnajökull glacier started rumbling. Iceland Insider has been closely monitoring the developments, but we decided to continue on our trip since the volcano is at the northern part of the glacier, and we would be traveling around the southern tip of the glacier.
We set off from Reykjavik going South on Highway 1, which is Iceland's only major highway. We would be continuing on this same road our entire trip just to give you an idea of how easy it is to get around in this tiny country. The first stopping point came about 30 minutes outside of Reykjavik, as we overlooked the town of Hveragerði.
Driving on the windy road, coming down from a mountain made me a little nervous, as my mom tried distracting herself from the intimidating views by playing solitaire on her iPhone.
Our next stop came about 1.5 hours into our trip from Reykjavik, when we stopped to explore Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can see the falls approaching as you speed down the two lane curvy highway, and we knew right when we first saw the breathtaking landmark we had no choice but to pull-over and admire the beauty.
After walking around the entirety of the falls, we had set our trip back about an hour. Our clothes were damp from the misty spray floating around the area, and my dad had probably taken over 100 photos of different variations of falling water, so it was time to get back on the road. However, this did not last long as we soon ran into another majestic waterfall called Skógafoss.
Skógafoss is an extremely powerful waterfall, that forces any visitor within 100 meters to feel the mist of its falls. On this day, the sun was shining brightly through the mountains, creating a vibrant rainbow that will surely be this year's Eliason family Christmas Card (spoiler alert).
In addition to the mighty waterfall, the surrounding mountains and quaint town was the perfect illustration to what a foreigner would imagine Iceland to look like. After a twenty minute picturing taking frenzy, we loaded back into the car and continued to our final destination: the glacier lagoon.
South Iceland's backdrop offers a wide variety of landscapes that resembles a different Hollywood film set every 10 to 15 miles. First we drove through a mossy lava field with abnormal rock structures consuming the area around the narrow highway. Next we came upon glacial rivers streaming down from Vatnajökull glacier that were so clear you could see the bottom of their neon blue streams from 20 or 30 feet away.
Icelander's have also done a great job not spoiling the beautiful landscape, seeing that there was absolutely no sign of human life outside of the occasional hotel, which is great for the breathtaking scenery, but bad if you have to go to the bathroom.
As we weaved in and out of the mountains and the southern coastline, we would occasionally notice an isolated summer house deep in the Icelandic countryside. The view is undoubtedly spectacular, but what do these family's do during the day?
Although I would never object to south Iceland's amazing landscape, I do question the sanity of any family who would raise kids in a location like the photo above. There is only so many times I could run up and down that mountain before I would get bored and want to head back to a city with people.
After downing our kjúklingur (chicken) sandwiches we had picked up in the small town of Vík, we passed the large, black volcanic rocks preceding the Vatnajökull glacier where the movie Noah was filmed. And while the film may not get glowing reviews from the critics, there is no arguing the picturesque beauty of South Iceland as you approach the mountains.
Shortly after discussing Russell Crowe movies, we were forced into another one of our frequent picture taking frenzies as we approached the southwest corner of the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull. We knew we were getting close to the Glacier Lagoon, but needed to step on the gas in order to reach our intended destination before the sun set behind the volcanic mountains.
Approaching the Glacier Lagoon for the first time forces a feeling of insignificance due to the massive ice structures and glacier mountains that surround the area. We arrived just as the sun was setting over the mountains, creating an unworldly backdrop for my dad to start snapping off panoramic photos like a machine gun.
The floating ice structures, which were once large glaciers, now peacefully sit on the neon blue water with an calm innocence that makes you forget about all of your daily stresses. The Glacier Lagoon is truly a once in a lifetime experience, that makes the trip well worth the wait.
