Today I’m looking at the second of the alternative top five images from my travels in 2014. These are alternative only in that I’ve already posted about my top five and I like these for completely different reasons.
Iceland conjured up a lot of different emotions as I travelled across the island. Awe is probably the one that most often came up and that is pretty unsurprising given the landscapes to marvel at. Inquisitiveness is probably the next: Why are those mountains all those different colours at once? Why is that beach so black? Why does it rain every five minutes?
But, and it may be something that I shouldn’t publicly admit, but I did begin to feel a sense of the blasé setting in at some point. Yes, as impressive as Iceland is I did eventually inwardly exclaim “Not another waterfall!” That’s OK though, there are a lot of them.
To simplify Iceland’s geography down to its absolute basics, there is a central snow-capped glacial highland region surrounded by lowlands. As winter gives way to spring the glaciers begin the long thaw and water flows in the one direction gravity permits: down. The result is hundreds of waterfalls – literally hundreds – of every conceivable size and shape and even those visitors travelling on a time budget will see at least a few waterfalls if they head out of Reykjavik along Route 1.
One of the most popular of these along the south western coast is Skogafoss. It is popular for a variety of reasons but here’s two. First it is, relatively speaking, close to Reykjavik so even those on a city weekend break can take an organised day trip out to see it. At approximately 200km from the capital you’ll see –and stop at – other sites along the way giving you a full and rewarding day out.
The second reason for its popularity is that it is truly impressive. At 60 metres high its sheer power has a palpable physical effect on you. I visited Skogafoss a couple of times and can attest to how it affects your senses. It is loud. It is big. It is wet and cold. There are no safety barriers preventing you from walking right up to the water pool at its base – although let me know if you try. I got to about 30 metres before the force of the falling water pushed through the waterproofs I was wearing – ones which survived Antarctica – and drenched me to the core. Yes, you don’t just visit Skogafoss, you experience it.
This image captures another aspect of the country I became aware of. Like the majority of the sights in Iceland the falls are free and publicly accessible and if you are prepared to spend a little longer or arrive a little earlier, you’ll spend a lot of time alone with nature. The coach parties beat a rhythmic drum. They arrive, people spill out and get their photographs before the cold gets too much and they get back on board the coach. Maybe a few intrepid tourists take the pathway to the top, but usually not. The coach then disappears leaving about twenty minutes before the next one arrives.
And this image reminds me of all those in-between moments…