Rather than clog up my blog with tons of pictures, I put the best ones in a flickr stream (you can log in to flickr with a Yahoo or Google id). This post is the text that goes along with the photos.
On my second day in Iceland, a perfectly beautiful late summer day, I rented a bike from the hotel and toured around western Reykjavik. Marvelously maintained asphalt and gravel paths about 4 to 6 feet wide that are completely separate from the roadways crisscross the city. You can go just about anywhere on a bicycle. During my ride, I found a very large cemetery (Fossvogskirkjugarður) next to an even larger park and spent some hours exploring both.
That afternoon, an Eldhestar van took me to their farm located south of the tiny village of Hveragerdi, about 50 km southeast of Reykjavik. Eldhestar is one of the larger Icelandic pony touring outfits in Iceland offering guided trips of varying length and difficulty. The word Eldhestar means "volcano" (eld) and "horses" (hestar)--"fire horses" if you want a more colloquial translation. I had arranged to take three day-trips with them, returning each evening to the guesthouse at the farm (some of their other trips involved sleeping in camping huts in sleeping bags; not my thing anymore). The package included all meals, guided riding each day, and a room with a private bath. They were full days of riding too, with more than 6 hours in the saddle each day plus breaks and an hour for lunch. Believe me, that is plenty of riding each day. The cost was extremely reasonable given the high level of fun and adventure. The evening meals in particular are worth noting. The Eldhestar cooks turned out fabulous three-course gourmet meals made from very high quality ingredients. And every day after we returned to the guest house from riding, they had fresh coffee and cake still warm from the oven waiting for us.
The three days that I spent at Eldhestar rank amongst the best vacations I have ever had.
I set that sentence out by itself to make sure you got the point. I had the most wonderful time. Sure, I was stiff and sore in places I didn't even know existed, but that's what ibuprofen and yoga are for. I quickly forgot any little aches and pains once we got out on the trail each morning.
On the first day, we rode up into a geothermally active valley. On the second day, we rode down to the huge, flat delta of the Selfoss river. The weather the first two days was pretty nice, a bit damp and cloudy in the morning and breezy in the afternoon. On the third day, we rode up into the mountains over a huge waterfall to a natural hot pot. It was pouring rain all day, progressing from drizzle to deluge. In the mountains, the mixture of steam from the geothermal vents, mist from the waterfall, and rain and fog made the landscape alternately appear spooky and dreamy. The trail on the third day was so steep--at times the ponies were picking their way across very steep rubble slopes along a tiny little trail; sheer face to one side, sheer drop to the other, and all of it slick with rain--that I wasn't able to take as many photos on this last day as on the other two days. Still, I put up quite a few photos from each day so take your time browsing through them.
And each day we learned more about the natural wonder that is the Icelandic pony.
The horses live in open pastures year round. Each morning, the Eldhestar guides, 98% of which are young, fresh-faced German, Danish, and Icelandic women, drive a number of the ponies into the main corrals. There, they saddle up the ponies that will be needed for that day's rides. The saddles are worth a quick mention. If you are used to western riding, you would find the Icelandic saddles quite small. Icelandic ponies themselves are small--I rarely looked one in the eyes while standing next to it. They have extremely long, thick manes and tails. Here's an unusual fact: the coloration of the Icelandic pony has more variation than any other known horse population. They come in all color patterns--dark horse with a light mane, light horse with a dark mane, tan, black, pinto, chestnut, brown, white, grey, spotted.... And quite a few of the experienced riders noted how unusually close the Icelandic ponies get to each other, flank to flank, one's head over another's neck, even noses side by side. On the rides, it was not at all unusual for your pony to want to keep his nose inches from the butt of the pony in front of you. They just like to be near each other.
Eldhestar does a lot of business this time of year. On the three days I was there, there were on average 8 rides departing each morning, some only going for a half day, some not to return for a week, with group sizes ranging from half a dozen to more than 20 people. I got incredibly lucky and all three days my groups never had more than 6 people plus the guide.
Some ponies are frisky and need to go with experienced riders, of which there were plenty as Icelandic pony tours are one of the big tourist attractions, and some ponies are, well, kind of pokey. In fact, I renamed my first pony Mr. Pokey--he was given to me because I said I was inexperienced. I learn quickly so I got a slightly better one on the second day, but the real magic occurred for me on the third day. I renamed that pony Mistah Buttah. To explain that name, I need to give you a bit more Icelandic pony background.
All horses trot and gallop. But Icelandic ponies have an additional gait called the tölt. Most riders must be taught how to ride the trot; it is a hard and bouncing gait. But the tölt, my goodness, I've been in cars that didn't have that smooth of a ride. To put the pony into the tölt, you move your hands forward on the reins, sit back heavily in the saddle, and enjoy! In the tölt, the pony's topside barely moves. Your ass never leaves the saddle. Your feet don't get bounced from the stirrups. You sit up nice and tall and watch the scenery flow by. The tölt is a gait that can eat up the miles without much effort from horse or rider. Mistah Buttah's tölt was as smooth as....buttah!
In the tölt, both legs on the left side move, then both on the right, compared to the 1L-2R-3L-4R movement in the trot. A pony moving in the tölt reminds me of a windup soldier toy. The Icelandic ponies have particularly straight fronts because their shoulder blades point up more than back and they are also "cobby"--about as long as they are tall (think more square than rectangular).
You certainly didn't need to know anything at all about riding, but in my opinion it adds a lot to the experience--you are able to take longer rides, ride more lively ponies, and just get more enjoyment out of the riding itself. My own riding experience is not that extensive, but I do know how to follow instructions, and I think that I understand the basic concepts of handling animals. Everyone was given a short lesson in a fenced corral before setting off each morning: how to mount up, how to signal directions to the ponies. I'm not an expert by any means but I sure am hooked!
The guides were quietly competent (we had a pony injury the first day and a human injury the second day and each guide dealt with the fuckwittery calmly and efficiently). Most of the guides were college age, working at Eldhestar in the summer, not to earn money necessarily because they were paid a pittance, but because they loved the ponies and it was a great opportunity to be around them for weeks and weeks at a time. They were crammed into a giant dormitory with bunk beds and shared bathrooms--definitely as much an adventure for them as a summer job.
The different scenery on the three rides, the ponies, the fresh air, the great food, even the rain, all combined into one fabulous experience. I definitely recommend Eldhestar and I plan to return for even more adventurous rides!
The last few photos in the flickr set are from the few days I spent exploring the old city center of Reykjavik. I was quite impressed with the Hallgrimskirkja. The exterior of the church looks quite fabulous with sweeping concrete columns flanking the tower. I bought a ticket and went to the top of the tower but it was rainy that day and the photos are a bit disappointing. The interior of the church is amazingly austere but because it is lined with giant windows it had a light, airy feel even on that cloudy day.
Reykjavik has a few museums but, unusually for me, I didn't visit a single one. After my pony adventures, I was content to wander around window-shopping and people-watching and sampling the bland food. The puffin was the most exciting thing I ate after I left Eldhestar.
I can recommend the guesthouse I stayed in (Guesthouse Snorri). It is on the edge of all of the action, which is really only a 20-minute walk away. But that meant that at night, it was blissfully quiet. It is expensive, as is everything in Iceland, but it was well run, clean, and actually quite pretty.
I could have gone to see a glacier, geyser, or volcano... if I was willing to climb on a bus with 50 other tourists. After my disappointing experience in Burgundy with the winery tour, I am a bit hesitant to do the bus thing again. But I did talk to folks and read some brochures and my next visit to Iceland, and there will be a next trip, will include all of these things--on my own schedule. Iceland maintains more than 13,000 km of roads (one goes all the way around the island) and I was told by a German couple that spent several days on them before arriving at Eldhestar that they are in excellent condition. Renting a car is easy and encouraged for the more adventurous tourist. I plan to go during puffin nesting season and visit the nesting sites along the north coast, taking in a volcano and a glacier or two along the way!
And of course I'll visit Eldhestar and do more tölting on Icelandic ponies!
On my second day in Iceland, a perfectly beautiful late summer day, I rented a bike from the hotel and toured around western Reykjavik. Marvelously maintained asphalt and gravel paths about 4 to 6 feet wide that are completely separate from the roadways crisscross the city. You can go just about anywhere on a bicycle. During my ride, I found a very large cemetery (Fossvogskirkjugarður) next to an even larger park and spent some hours exploring both.
That afternoon, an Eldhestar van took me to their farm located south of the tiny village of Hveragerdi, about 50 km southeast of Reykjavik. Eldhestar is one of the larger Icelandic pony touring outfits in Iceland offering guided trips of varying length and difficulty. The word Eldhestar means "volcano" (eld) and "horses" (hestar)--"fire horses" if you want a more colloquial translation. I had arranged to take three day-trips with them, returning each evening to the guesthouse at the farm (some of their other trips involved sleeping in camping huts in sleeping bags; not my thing anymore). The package included all meals, guided riding each day, and a room with a private bath. They were full days of riding too, with more than 6 hours in the saddle each day plus breaks and an hour for lunch. Believe me, that is plenty of riding each day. The cost was extremely reasonable given the high level of fun and adventure. The evening meals in particular are worth noting. The Eldhestar cooks turned out fabulous three-course gourmet meals made from very high quality ingredients. And every day after we returned to the guest house from riding, they had fresh coffee and cake still warm from the oven waiting for us.
The three days that I spent at Eldhestar rank amongst the best vacations I have ever had.
I set that sentence out by itself to make sure you got the point. I had the most wonderful time. Sure, I was stiff and sore in places I didn't even know existed, but that's what ibuprofen and yoga are for. I quickly forgot any little aches and pains once we got out on the trail each morning.
On the first day, we rode up into a geothermally active valley. On the second day, we rode down to the huge, flat delta of the Selfoss river. The weather the first two days was pretty nice, a bit damp and cloudy in the morning and breezy in the afternoon. On the third day, we rode up into the mountains over a huge waterfall to a natural hot pot. It was pouring rain all day, progressing from drizzle to deluge. In the mountains, the mixture of steam from the geothermal vents, mist from the waterfall, and rain and fog made the landscape alternately appear spooky and dreamy. The trail on the third day was so steep--at times the ponies were picking their way across very steep rubble slopes along a tiny little trail; sheer face to one side, sheer drop to the other, and all of it slick with rain--that I wasn't able to take as many photos on this last day as on the other two days. Still, I put up quite a few photos from each day so take your time browsing through them.
And each day we learned more about the natural wonder that is the Icelandic pony.
The horses live in open pastures year round. Each morning, the Eldhestar guides, 98% of which are young, fresh-faced German, Danish, and Icelandic women, drive a number of the ponies into the main corrals. There, they saddle up the ponies that will be needed for that day's rides. The saddles are worth a quick mention. If you are used to western riding, you would find the Icelandic saddles quite small. Icelandic ponies themselves are small--I rarely looked one in the eyes while standing next to it. They have extremely long, thick manes and tails. Here's an unusual fact: the coloration of the Icelandic pony has more variation than any other known horse population. They come in all color patterns--dark horse with a light mane, light horse with a dark mane, tan, black, pinto, chestnut, brown, white, grey, spotted.... And quite a few of the experienced riders noted how unusually close the Icelandic ponies get to each other, flank to flank, one's head over another's neck, even noses side by side. On the rides, it was not at all unusual for your pony to want to keep his nose inches from the butt of the pony in front of you. They just like to be near each other.
Eldhestar does a lot of business this time of year. On the three days I was there, there were on average 8 rides departing each morning, some only going for a half day, some not to return for a week, with group sizes ranging from half a dozen to more than 20 people. I got incredibly lucky and all three days my groups never had more than 6 people plus the guide.
Some ponies are frisky and need to go with experienced riders, of which there were plenty as Icelandic pony tours are one of the big tourist attractions, and some ponies are, well, kind of pokey. In fact, I renamed my first pony Mr. Pokey--he was given to me because I said I was inexperienced. I learn quickly so I got a slightly better one on the second day, but the real magic occurred for me on the third day. I renamed that pony Mistah Buttah. To explain that name, I need to give you a bit more Icelandic pony background.
All horses trot and gallop. But Icelandic ponies have an additional gait called the tölt. Most riders must be taught how to ride the trot; it is a hard and bouncing gait. But the tölt, my goodness, I've been in cars that didn't have that smooth of a ride. To put the pony into the tölt, you move your hands forward on the reins, sit back heavily in the saddle, and enjoy! In the tölt, the pony's topside barely moves. Your ass never leaves the saddle. Your feet don't get bounced from the stirrups. You sit up nice and tall and watch the scenery flow by. The tölt is a gait that can eat up the miles without much effort from horse or rider. Mistah Buttah's tölt was as smooth as....buttah!
In the tölt, both legs on the left side move, then both on the right, compared to the 1L-2R-3L-4R movement in the trot. A pony moving in the tölt reminds me of a windup soldier toy. The Icelandic ponies have particularly straight fronts because their shoulder blades point up more than back and they are also "cobby"--about as long as they are tall (think more square than rectangular).
You certainly didn't need to know anything at all about riding, but in my opinion it adds a lot to the experience--you are able to take longer rides, ride more lively ponies, and just get more enjoyment out of the riding itself. My own riding experience is not that extensive, but I do know how to follow instructions, and I think that I understand the basic concepts of handling animals. Everyone was given a short lesson in a fenced corral before setting off each morning: how to mount up, how to signal directions to the ponies. I'm not an expert by any means but I sure am hooked!
The guides were quietly competent (we had a pony injury the first day and a human injury the second day and each guide dealt with the fuckwittery calmly and efficiently). Most of the guides were college age, working at Eldhestar in the summer, not to earn money necessarily because they were paid a pittance, but because they loved the ponies and it was a great opportunity to be around them for weeks and weeks at a time. They were crammed into a giant dormitory with bunk beds and shared bathrooms--definitely as much an adventure for them as a summer job.
The different scenery on the three rides, the ponies, the fresh air, the great food, even the rain, all combined into one fabulous experience. I definitely recommend Eldhestar and I plan to return for even more adventurous rides!
The last few photos in the flickr set are from the few days I spent exploring the old city center of Reykjavik. I was quite impressed with the Hallgrimskirkja. The exterior of the church looks quite fabulous with sweeping concrete columns flanking the tower. I bought a ticket and went to the top of the tower but it was rainy that day and the photos are a bit disappointing. The interior of the church is amazingly austere but because it is lined with giant windows it had a light, airy feel even on that cloudy day.
Reykjavik has a few museums but, unusually for me, I didn't visit a single one. After my pony adventures, I was content to wander around window-shopping and people-watching and sampling the bland food. The puffin was the most exciting thing I ate after I left Eldhestar.
I can recommend the guesthouse I stayed in (Guesthouse Snorri). It is on the edge of all of the action, which is really only a 20-minute walk away. But that meant that at night, it was blissfully quiet. It is expensive, as is everything in Iceland, but it was well run, clean, and actually quite pretty.
I could have gone to see a glacier, geyser, or volcano... if I was willing to climb on a bus with 50 other tourists. After my disappointing experience in Burgundy with the winery tour, I am a bit hesitant to do the bus thing again. But I did talk to folks and read some brochures and my next visit to Iceland, and there will be a next trip, will include all of these things--on my own schedule. Iceland maintains more than 13,000 km of roads (one goes all the way around the island) and I was told by a German couple that spent several days on them before arriving at Eldhestar that they are in excellent condition. Renting a car is easy and encouraged for the more adventurous tourist. I plan to go during puffin nesting season and visit the nesting sites along the north coast, taking in a volcano and a glacier or two along the way!
And of course I'll visit Eldhestar and do more tölting on Icelandic ponies!
1 comment:
Very cool! Not sure how I would manage in my condition!
Here's link to earthdog dig photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51566722@N00/
-D
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