Summary

The article recounts a winter road trip through Iceland, featuring iconic locations like Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Black Beach, Diamond Beach, and a Vatnajokull Glacier hike.

Abstract

The travelogue, "Best of Iceland: Great Memories to Cherish (Part 3)," details a 10-day journey through the winter landscape of Iceland, capturing experiences at some of the country's most renowned natural wonders. The author shares personal encounters and reflections on the breathtaking scenery, including visits to famous waterfalls encased in ice, the eerie beauty of Black Beach as seen in "Game of Thrones," and the surreal Diamond Beach where icebergs resemble diamonds on the shore. A significant highlight is the once-in-a-lifetime hike on the Vatnajokull Glacier, where the author fulfills a bucket list dream, marveling at the ice cave's beauty and contemplating the future of such natural marvels. The narrative is punctuated with the author's own photography, eschewing stock images, and ends with a teaser for the next installment featuring a stunning sunrise.

Opinions

The author expresses a sense of wonder and awe at the natural phenomena encountered, such as the frozen waterfalls and the unique Black Beach.
There is a hint of humor in the description of the waterfalls, likening the frozen state of the water to a constant, solid form rather than a flowing fall.
The author holds a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of Iceland, emphasizing the importance of preserving it for future generations.
A personal achievement is noted in the completion of a glacier hike, which was on the author's bucket list, and the unexpected bonus of exploring an ice cave.
The author shares a moment of reflection on climate change and the potential loss of these natural wonders due to environmental changes.
The article conveys a sense of excitement and discovery, with the author encouraging readers to follow their own adventures and support the work of writers by subscribing and joining Medium.
The experience of shoveling snow to free the car is shared lightheartedly, adding a touch of the everyday to the grand adventure.
Anticipation is built for the next part of the travelogue, hinting at an extraordinary sunrise experience.

Best of Iceland: Great Memories to Cherish (Part 3)

Our story of a road trip around the entire country in 10 days — in the middle of Icelandic Winter! This part covers Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Black Beach, Diamond Beach, and a hike on the Vatnajokull Glacier!

The Diamond Beach! Alluring innocent sailors to what might have been!!

Other episodes of this trip down the memory lane: Part 1: Hello Reykjavik, and the plan, Part 2: Gulfoss & Geyser and Part 4: Heavenly Day and a Broken Key

We continue where we left off the last time. This post covers Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Black Beach, Diamond Beach, and a hike on the Vatnajokull Glacier.

I want to mix it up a little bit on this post. I will do a story on the pictures rather than writing long paragraphs and adding photos at the end! BTW, all pictures are mine, no Pexels on this post!

The post covers two days, including some of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland along route #1!

Waterfalls (Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss): It is strange to call these waterfalls since water seems to stay in the solid-state constantly! It should rather be watertrying tofalls! You can climb up the stairs and reach behind the waterfalls, but they had it closed as they believe the only thing that will fall is the humans, not the water!

Water — will you fall, or just stick there! Wake up, its mid-day already!

Black Beach (Reynisfjara): You know this one if you have watched GoT! It is incredible what nature could do if we just left it alone!!

Diamond Beach: This is where the Jökulsárlón Glacier meets the Atlantic!! It is still cold enough for the icebergs from the glacier to remain in a solid-state when they hit the water! The sunlight over these broken chunks of ice is just breathtaking! There was a time when sailors were elated for a few moments, and they thought they were arriving at a beach full of diamonds!! It’s hard not to get excited!

Is that just ice? May be a real diamond there somewhere?

Sun is no longer golden, but it is still beautiful

Hello Glacier, meet the Atlantic! You have arrived at your destination!

When the sun rises, it causes a bit of fury, reversing the hot/cold situation between land and water! The winds move the snow; it creates a surreal state. I’m not really sure if I’m looking at land or water!

Vatnajokull Glacier: Walking on a glacier was on my bucket list, and I was very happy that I could do it finally! You can only do it with a certified guide. That makes sense. You only need one wrong step to get into a very dangerous situation! The guides take you through established paths between the crevasse. And the paths keep changing every day on a glacier!

I also ended up ticking another on the bucket list: being inside an ice cave! It was stunning, the way light cut through the ice!!

I couldn’t help thinking if we would be one of the last of generations to see such stunning beauty! Will we leave the planet in a state where our great grand children can see this as well?

Walking through ice & history, that is thousands of years of snow compressed into huge walls of ice!

Light finds magical ways to cut through the ice, the result is stunning!! Besides the fact that it is amazing to be on the inside of an Ice Cave!

After a long day, we drove back to a cozy AirBnB place. We woke up to find that our car was covered with a ton of snow. I have never shoveled out snow before, took 30 mins before we could get the car out of the driveway again!

In the next part I’ll write about the most beautiful sunrise I have ever experienced! A little preview added at the end!

Half way through the shoveling, I didn’t miss the workout for the day!

What a lovely place to come to after a tiring day!

Not every sunrise is the same, this one was the most beautiful I’ve experienced, more on it in the next post!

This post also helps me relive some memories, apologize if the pictures were excessive!

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