Iceland Summer—Seljalandsfoss
Hard to believe that its been five years since our honeymoon in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland…but it has. When I look at my photos, I realize that I’m itching to get back there…and not just a mosquito-bite-itch but a full-blown lay-in-poison-ivy-scratch-til-it-bleeds type itch. That’s how much I liked the place.
To celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary I’m going to relive some photographic highlights of our honeymoon to Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland over the next few weeks (How many new brides would let their husband bring a tripod, camera gear and binoculars on a honeymoon…and use them! …Thanks Bridget!)
Iceland, July 2006: It never got above 63 degrees…and drizzle was our constant companion, except when it rained. But Iceland is such a fascinating place that we really didn’t care. We spied the cascade from the Ring Road (the two-lane “highway” with no shoulder and dozens of single-lane bridges that serves as the main artery for the country (more like the restricted artery of a 500 pound chain smoker!). A short gravel spur brought us to this waterfall.
This is Seljalandsfoss (“seal’s land waterfall”), created by a glacier-fed river that flings itself off a nearly 200 foot high cliff. The spot is basically a wayside rest with a tiny dirt parking lot, one outhouse and a couple picnic tables. In America this place would be a national park! Its real claim to fame is that you can walk behind the thundering cascade…and not get too wet. We nearly missed this spectacle because it didn’t even make the cut for our Discovery Channel Insight Guide book…That’s how many spectacles there are in Iceland!
This is one of the few waterfalls that you can safely walk behind. Note the two figures behind the curtain of water. This also gives scale to the top image…Seljalandsfoss is a BIG thundering waterfall!
We both made the hike behind the cascade and felt its tremendous power fully. We would definitely recommend adding this falls to any Iceland itinerary.
I suppose this type of rainbow should really be called a mistbow. I post it here upside-down because it looks more interesting that way.