We had breakfast early on the morning of 25 November and set off. Our goal was to tour the southern coast, where the glaciers are located.
Perhaps one of Iceland’s negative aspects during the winter months is that the sun rises around 10-10:30 and sets around 4-4:30. This is something we Turks aren’t accustomed to, and since we want the sun constantly overhead, we might not like it. Similarly, in the summer, the opposite is true, there’s a constant level of light. I believe we need to embrace the differences nature presents on our planet. For example, Türkiye has four seasons while places near the equator have a constant tropical climate of 27-28° C.; we experience winter in the northern hemisphere while the southern hemisphere experiences summer; or places like Iceland and the Scandinavian countries experience very limited daylight in winter and constant sunlight in summer, but these are not climate conditions worth comparing or criticizing. Everyone has a different perspective on cold, heat, or climate conditions. In my opinion, the people of each region adapt to their own conditions and enjoy them in some way. For instance, living in a tropical climate where the temperature is consistently 27-28° C. is quite appealing, isn’t it? In my opinion, experiencing all four seasons is more enjoyable. Because then you appreciate winter in summer and summer in winter. Constantly changing living conditions, even changing our clothing accordingly, adds color to our lives. For example, experiencing a perpetual summer climate means we miss out on natural wonders like snow and can’t enjoy fantastic sports like skiing.
Therefore, in my opinion, no climate is superior to another. People’s perceptions of these conditions change. So, it’s important to question “who defines good weather, and why?”
Diamond Beach and Black Sands
Returning to our topic, witnessing the early morning sunrise in a magnificent natural setting is a true delight. I previously shared my feelings and thoughts in such a Zen environment with you in my blog post entitled 41 Years Old and My 4th Stage: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/41-years-old-and-4-stage
After such a thoughtful two-hour journey, we arrived at Diamond Beach, home to glaciers and a black sand beach. It was frankly cold, but we couldn’t help but enjoy this wonderful environment nature had bestowed upon us. First of all, I’d never seen a beach with black sand. I’ve seen plenty of beaches with white sand (Caribbean), light or dark brown sand (Aegean), and even small pebbles (Mediterranean and Black Sea). But what the heck is black sand? You can’t even believe it when you walk on it. While doing some research on this topic, I came across the Sand Atlas website, which provides information on the world’s sand types. I recommend checking it out: http://www.sandatlas.org
From what I was told in Iceland and confirmed by this sand atlas: Its black sand is made especially black by its basalt, iron, and other volcanic minerals. You can understand why it’s called Diamond Beach from the diamond-like ice floes on the black sand. Here are some images of this magnificent natural wonder:
Surfing fun amongst the glaciers
While walking on the beach, I witnessed a very interesting sight. Two surfers were trying to surf between the glaciers in the cold. Initially, they swam across the beach on their surfboards to another area:
Then they returned to the glaciers. I thought to myself, “The only people who would surf in this cold are either Canadian or Scandinavian.” When they returned to our beach, I approached them and was proven right. They were two Canadian surfers, one from Ontario, the other from Quebec. In fact, Quebecer was from Montreal, where I attended university. My friend and I were practically from the same country. I quickly caught up with one of them and took the following picture (greetings to all surfers and Canadians):
Then, smiling, I said, “I had a feeling you were Canadian.” We exchanged greetings and went on our merry way.
Unpleasant indicators of climate change
After Diamond Beach, we went across the road to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. The glacier lake was also a natural wonder.
Two things deeply bothered us here. First, there were so many tourists. We even struggled to take decent photos in this overcrowded place. Second, you can see the glaciers melting in the lake glacier. Of course, I don’t know if the fact that it was late November had any impact, but I can give an example from Canada based on my own experience. Between 1995 – 1999, when I was studying in Canada, it snowed every year on 1 November and was gone by 1 May. Now, my friends tell me that sometimes it didn’t snow even in December, and when it did, it snowed heavily and was extremely cold. What else could this be if not climate change in such a short time? The effects of climate change are being felt in Canada, Iceland, and many other places.
Getting back to the topic, despite the crowds, we also got some amazing photos from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon:
Embarrassed gasoline adventure
After the glacial lake, we started our return journey. Just minutes into the journey, I realized we were running low on gas. Considering the distance between one city and another was considerable; I planned to stop at the first gas station we found. I couldn’t risk it. After 45 minutes, I pulled into the first station I found in the village I arrived at. Instead of the central consoles where everyone else filled up, I went to the gas station on the side, which was empty. The system in Iceland is like Canada: everyone fills their own tank. Accustomed to this concept, I confidently got out of the car and got the pump ready, but I couldn’t get the nozzle into the tank. It wouldn’t fit. Trying to figure out how this was done, we decided to ask inside. When the people inside told us that station was for tractors and that we should fill up at the central station, we realized our mistake. We moved to the central station. Having no other choice, I filled up with guilt.
This guilt intensified when I remembered the charging station I’d seen at Jökulsárlón Glacial Lake. But how could I have known that Iceland, ahead of many other countries, had already begun installing charging stations in the country. I muttered to myself, “I’ll have to research this in detail next time I visit.” Here are the images of the charging station at the glacial lake:
Then, we continued our journey to Katla Geopark. We were famished, so we had a nourishing bowl of soup in the town of Sur on the way. We also witnessed magnificent waterfalls along the way:
Finally, we arrived back in Vik around 4:00 PM. In Vik, we climbed the hill where a church we hadn’t visited was located.
Afterwards, we went to Black Sand Beach. We spent some time in this Zen atmosphere and took the following wonderful photos:
We stopped at a small cafe right near Black Sand Beach.
While exploring and wandering around the town of Vik, the “Lava Show” caught my eye. I decided I absolutely had to go there the next day. After our exploration tour, we went to Sudur Vik Restaurant for dinner, a fusion of Icelandic and Far Eastern cuisine. I highly recommend this restaurant. I’d like to share some photos from the restaurant:
As we’ve seen before in Iceland, all the staff were foreigners. Our waiters were Spanish and Polish. After a wonderful feast, we returned to the hotel.
We unwound with drinks in the hotel lobby.
Detailed information about the geographical formation of the town of Vik, where we stayed for two nights.
Cake surprise at Black Sand restaurant
The next day, we finished our preparations and checked out of the hotel. As we were checking out, I happened to notice the map on the reception desk. I asked the attendant, “What’s on the other side of the mountain that runs through the center of Vik?” He said there was a small section of town there. Then I noticed a restaurant in that section. I asked, “What’s this place like?” He said, “Not bad.” I had already decided where we’d go for lunch. After leaving the hotel, we headed straight to Black Beach restaurant.
A shot we took on our way to the other side of the mountain.
The outside view of Black Beach Restaurant.
This was the other side of the black sandy beach, divided by a mountain. After exploring the black sand beach, we entered a sweet cafe-style restaurant where tourists could take a break and grab a bite to eat. Here, we encountered Aura from Spain and Hal from Poland, whose visuals I’d shared with them at Jam Session, which was hosting a musical feast for us on Saturday night. Naturally, they smiled and welcomed us as soon as they saw us. During our meal, Aura played Turkish music at the restaurant. I never would have imagined I’d be listening to a fusion of folk and techno music in a restaurant overlooking the black sands of Iceland. The black sand, lava, and glaciers, which I’d never seen before, were combined with a folk and techno style music I’d never heard before, and I found myself in a surreal dream, reminiscent of a day spent in a Turkish colony on Mars in the 2500s.
Here’s the video of that moment:
After our meal, we moved on to dessert. While waiting for the chocolate cake I’d chosen, I received a sweet surprise. You can see the cake Aura brought and my reaction while trying to comprehend the situation in the video below:
Sweaty Lava Show
After this delightful meal, it was time to go to the lava show. We returned to the center of Vik and, at 1:00 PM, we attended the lava show, which I’d spotted the day before and which runs daily at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Before the show, I had the opportunity to chat in detail with Julius, the founder of this project, about lava, the island’s volcanic structure, and the show he created. You can find most of what he told me on his website: http://www.icelandiclavashow.com
Before the show, he showed me the lava rocks, formed by cooling lava and blackened by the basalt and volcanic minerals within.
Then we entered Julius’s show. After listening to his great-grandfather’s story when Katla Volcano erupted, we witnessed him pour the molten lava into the stone bathtub inside the room. As you can imagine, the 1,100° C. lava began to flow into the bathtub, and the room suddenly took on the consistency of a Turkish bath. Watching the show with protective goggles, we witnessed how the flowing lava cooled and continued to burn from within. After a question-and-answer session and the collection of commemorative stones, the show concluded. All that remains are the following commemorative photos and video:
After this unique lava show, we set off again, this time along the south coast, towards the capital, Reykjavik.
Iceland’s soccer success is no fluke
While searching for a thermal spa along the way, we accidentally stumbled upon a tent. When I went inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Inside a structure resembling a regular inflatable tent, children were receiving sports training. Gymnastics were on one side of the tent, and soccer was on the other. After a little observation of how these children were trained, you realize that Iceland, the team that made a big splash in soccer and was the favorite at the last World Cup, wasn’t just a fluke. You can see what I mean in the videos below:
To find our way to the thermal spa, we started chatting with one of the coaches there. The following conversation went something like this:
Icelandic coach: Where are you from?
Me: We’re Turkish
Icelandic coach (with a smile on his face): Ahaaa, we always beat you!
Me, who’s been on his nerves: You’re beating us now. We beat you in the past. We’ll continue to
beat you in the future.
Icelandic coach: We’ll see!
After a laugh, I congratulated him on the infrastructure they’d built and the excellent training they were providing the kids. After exchanging warm wishes, we departed. However, the coach told us we were only 15 minutes from the thermal spas, but we had to abandon the vehicle after 15 minutes and walk for another 45 minutes. Hearing this, we decided against visiting the thermal spas. It was about to get dark in an hour. We figured we could only get to the capital, Reykjavik, and settle in. Afterward, we focused on Reykjavik, assuming we could have dinner and tour the city one more time.
When I saw the rainbow on the road to the capital, Reykjavik, I stopped the car and took a picture. This wonderful image emerged.
Kol Restaurant and the way back
We arrived in the city in the evening. We got ready as planned and went to the Kol Restaurant I’d chosen for that evening: https://kolrestaurant.is/
On my way to Kol Restaurant that evening, I noticed the Icelandic and English translations of items you might find in a clothing store.
Icelandic, and Scandinavian languages in general, are fascinating to me. The most common translation is the English word “Armband” for the English word “Bracelet” (in fact, I think “armband” is a more accurate description).
But take a look at the other Icelandic words. Each one, despite describing simple things, conveys a very strong emotion. For example, even for “jeans,” the word “Gallabuxur,” which sounds like a Marvel superhero name, is used.
While Kol Restaurant’s prices were a bit higher than I thought, the food was delicious and the service was excellent. I highly recommend it. I celebrated my birthday there once again, following their tradition. My birthday dinner on my last evening was a wonderful way to end my holiday.
Kol Restaurant in Reykjavik
Seeing a book cover depicting an “Icelandic-style picnic over a lava fire” in a hotel room reminded me of what Turks might do with barbecues and picnics if they lived in Iceland, and the tragicomic events that could ensue.
The next day, at 4 a.m., I set off again, mindful of Iceland’s natural beauty, feeling refreshed and at peace, ready to return home.
I was prepared for a very challenging week at work in Türkiye…
This is a bonus for the Iceland series. A friend of mine, who personally coded it, created a map of the destinations we visited. I thank Deniz for this wonderful work. I’m sharing it so you can better visualize it:
Tag: excursion
