Into the Fiords

Melting ice!! Sound exciting? It totally is. Well, ok, maybe it'll never be a highly anticipated spectator sport, but with a little creative labelling, it totally sounds better. Some young nature marketing exec tagged what would normally be boring, like the liquification of solidified H2O, and made it all cool and exotic by calling it Glaciation. But even better than watching the painfully slow moments of huge ice cubes, checking out what they have left in their aftermath is worth a special trip.

While in Iceland, more specifically the eastern outpost of

Egilsstaðir, you fully get the feeling of "middle-of-nowhere"-ness. But not content with the middle of nowhere, i headed to the end of the world. Not far from "downtown" Egilsstair, is a collection of houses attempting to achieve hamlet status called Seyðisfjörður. While the climb over the mountain is pretty, it really doesn't compare to the descent into the Fjord. A fjord is a deep scar carved into the surface of the Earth by the immensely heavy glaciers which have ebbed and flowed through the analogs of time. This scar is more of a beauty mark. But most fjords I've seen are wonderful examples of natural wonders.

There isn't really anything to do in the town, especially in the winter. But there really doesn't have to be.

The peace, solitude and National Geographic type scenery is all you need to mist up the eyes. Getting into the Fjords is another thing that might make you cry. While there is a bus into Seyðisfjörður, in the off season, it is non-existent. So self-driving or hitching are the only alternatives. And even though i had already had my fill of hitching in north east Iceland, i was left with no choice. Overall, regardless of how you get there, the fjords are worth the effort.