The flag of Iceland comes in three colours, blue, white and red, representing the sea, glaciers and volcanoes. For nature lovers, volcanic eruptions, glaciers cracking, and geothermal fumes largely satisfy fantasies about distant places. For me, although Reykjavik belongs to the city, it is close to nature, and there is often a magical feeling of "the world is on my doorstep".
Flag of Iceland
Participating in the glacier hike, the favorite moment is to stand on the glacier and look around, the kind of ice that is so spectacular that it makes people feel as if they are on an alien planet, without any human traces, without any life, even if they want to leave some traces, they are quickly engulfed by the glacier.
Once there was a strong wind, I hiked on the Sol Hema Glacier. There were no trees, no obstructions, and the primal winds blew from all directions, much more violently than on land. I closed my eyes, and the wind seemed to be mixed with the cry of the devil, and the fear struck instantly, probably in awe of nature.
Sol Hema Glacier
A friend has not been to Iceland yet, and in her eyes the glacier is what Iceland looks like. That's right, ten percent of Iceland's territory is covered by glaciers, and the largest glacier in Europe (Vatnajökull glacier) is located in southeast Iceland. I told a friend that one of the most beautiful sections of driving on Route One is the drive that keeps getting close to Skaftafell National Park while turning the island counterclockwise. First, I saw the glacier in the distance, the world of endless water, like the earth that astronauts saw in space. Then outside the car window on the left, the glacier climbs over the mountain and slopes down in the form of a solidified waterfall, forming a spectacular ice tongue.
As the national park gets closer, beautiful volcanic tundra appears along the way, and no one can resist without a camera.
National Parks of Iceland
The first time I saw the glacier up close, I couldn't understand why it was covered with black particles and some dirty. After the tour guide explained, it was understood that these black particles were volcanic ash that had erupted in recent years.
Listening to the guide's introduction of the rocks on the glacier, I was a little fascinated. The ice sheet moves with enough force to penetrate the rock, and those lonely stones are pushed out by the movement of the ice. The so-called one thing descends one thing, and the rock-solid mountain also has a nemesis.
Glaciers with volcanic ash
Out of curiosity, I asked the tour guide, will I get bored watching the glacier every day? The tour guide, a young Icelandic girl, told me that the job was only a summer part-time job, that she was in the physical education department at university, and that coming to glacier band did not make her bored. "Glaciers are alive, living, moving all the time, not coming every other week, and are likely to change dramatically."