Iceland & Greenland Expedition
Iceland and Greenland, with their stunning landscapes and unique geological features, have long been a dream destination of mine. Sometimes, the most unexpected events can set the stage for life's most unforgettable adventures. One such event that inspired me to embark on a journey of a lifetime was a news headline about an active volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Approaching Keflavik Airport
There is a journey from the airport to the city center. Mostly Icelandic landscape, but also a reminder that the trademark dispute seems to be going well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_v_Iceland_Foods_Ltd
Checked into my lovely AirBnB situated at the start of Rainbow Street. They neglected to mention it was on top of a night club. Sleeping turned out to be a challenge, not because of the night club but because of the lack of blackout curtains.
Supposedly there was a Michelin starred restaurant a few meters away. After I finally built up the courage to enter that sketchy door, they laughed at my face when I asked them if they had a table for today.
Onto the 20 Km volcano hike. Apparently I was not the only one with the bright idea. Reminds me of Oxford Street.
Very cute emergency service vehicles along the way. They do feel a bit futile against the fury of the volcano though.
After all that hard work, nature decided to reward me with thick fog and rain. Within a couple of minutes, I could no longer see the volcano from this viewpoint.
How close can you get to the flowing lava? I hear you asking. You can get so close that your shoes will melt.
The next day was the helicopter ride to the volcano. Now that I had seen the helicopters fly, I had a good idea of what lenses to bring and what angles to get, etc. This is why I did the hike first. Actually no, I just knew that if I did the helicopter ride before the hike I would not have the motivation to do the hike.
I am trying to figure out if this is optimistic or sarcastic.
The helicopter came with many features, including a built in mascot.
I had planned one more day in Iceland in case the weather did not cooperate with the volcano. Having had a good view of the volcano the prior two days, I went on a short tour of the South Coast. Waterfalls, basalt columns, glaciers, and icelandic culinary delights.
Now onto the serious stuff. Dinner to discuss the Greenland expedition details. It turns out that there was a build up of icebergs next to the airport fjord where we were supposed to board the sailboat. The tone of that statement was very apologetic, so I figured the next thing to come was that the trip had to be cancelled or postponed, etc. Oh was I wrong... they had arranged for a helicopter to take us from the airport to the nearest place that the sailboat could reach. Not every day someone gifts you a helicopter ride, I could not see a flaw with that plan. Early bed time to be ready for the big day ahead.
Just in case there is no food in Greenland.
Constable Point, aka middle of nowhere, here we come.
This starts to look like Greenland.
Welcome to Constable Point International Airport. The local time doesn't really matter because there is no such thing as day and night.
The captain turned out to be quite popular with certain demographics. Photo by Raymond Hoffmann.
Trusty old Garmin, we meet again.
There was indeed a lot of ice.
The sailboat was named Tilvera which in Icelandic mean Existence. Little did I expect that it was co-owned by a Spanish Marine biologist who would be onboard to teach us all about the ecosystem.
Finally made it to the sailboat!
Now it is a good time to bring in a map of the area. Constable Point is where we landed and the sailboat was supposed to pick us up. Hurry Inlet is the part that was full of ice. It just worked out that way due to the prevailing winds and currents. The rest of the fjords and sounds were navigable. The helicopter took us from Constable Point to Ittoqqortoormiit and from there the sailing journey starts.
Bear Island didn't quite match its name's expectations, though we did encounter a bear in a different location. Regrettably, the bear was distant, and I couldn't capture a clear picture. Bear with me, this is all meant to justify a Svalbard expedition in the future.
Filling my cup and the ship tank with glacier water.
Pretending that I am enjoying the situation.
While icebergs can look very peaceful, they can be in fact very dangerous. When they collapse they create big waves. Also, their center of gravity changes and they can flip around in totally unexpected ways. Better to stay away from them.
If you've been curious about the survival of Ittoqqortoormiit, here's the insight: sporadically, a large container ship arrives right at their doorstep to provide essential supplies. Their houses are built around these containers in a very functional way. Some world renowned architects could learn a thing or two.
Why did I not think of taking this picture? Photo by Raymond Hoffmann.
Muddy takeoff.
Back in Reykjavik as I was exhausted and already in bed I realized that the sky was about to light up. After a short debate with myself, I decided to run out and get a shot of the Harpa concert hall. Did not get the peak color, but still quite good.
All good things need to come to an end at some point. Today I head back to reality.
As I am waiting for the airport transfer some lucky dog is about to go on a hike.
