Af alle ting vi oplevede på Island, var vores besøg i Raufarhólshellir lavagrotten for mig den største oplevelse. Aldrig i mit liv har jeg følt mig mere som en globetrot end i det øjeblik, vi kiggede ned i grottens mørke indgang og besluttede os for at kravle ned og udforske stedet. Det skal siges, at vi var lidt tøvende i starten. Indgangen bød på en kæmpe snebunke belagt med en skorpe af glistrende is. Skulle vi rutsje ned? Ville vi kunne komme op igen? Var det sikkert for os at vandre rundt dernede uden hjelm? Og ville vi ende med at skøjte rundt som hovedløse kyllinger på det glatte isbelagte gulv? Snakken gik i et par minutter inden Lets do it! attituden vandt diskussionen. Andre turister havde trods alt gjort det på egen hånd, så hvorfor skulle vi ikke kunne gøre det samme. Sara og jeg hoppede i regnbukserne, spændte pandelamperne på og tog rutsjeturen ned i grotten.
Of all the things we experienced in Iceland, our visit to the Raufarhólshellir Lava Cave was for me the highlight of the trip. Never in my life have I felt more like a globetrot than in that second we looked down the deep dark entrance of the cave and decided to venture down. I must admit we were, at first, quite hesistant. To get inside the cave we had to slide ourselves down an ice-slippery path. Should we do it? Could we get up again? Would it be safe to explore without a helmet? And would the slippery cave floor make us skate around like headless chickens? The discussion went on for a few minutes before our Let's do it! attitude took the victory. Other tourists had done it before us and on their own hand, so why shouldn't we be able to do the same. Sara and I jumped into our rain trousers, tightened our head lamps and slided ourselves down into the cave.
Raufarhólshellir lavagrotten er godt en halv times kørsel væk fra Reykjavík og er beliggende sydvest fra Hveragerði ved "Road 39". Den er med sine 1360 m lange tunnel Islands trejde største. Det menes, at grotten blev dannet for flere tusinde år siden, efter at underjordiske lavastrømninger er opstået og uddøde. Vi fik kun set en meget lille brøkdel af grotten, men det var alligevel nok til at blow-my-mind! Allerede fra første sekund hang min kæbe af ren forbløffelse. Langs de første 100 meter af tunnelen findes der fire åbninger ned til hulen, hvor den tættest på vejen er hovedindgangen. Bjerge af sne havde vokset sig høje under disse åbninger og det gav grotten en fantastisk dybde og dimension. Vi skøjtede lige så forsigtig fremad og længere ind i grotten, mens Sheena fulgte med fra jordens overflade - hun var vores safety guard, hvis noget skulle gå galt.
The Raufarhólshellir Lava Cave is a 30 minutes drive away from Reykjavík and is located Southwest of Hveragerði off Road 39. With its 1360 m long tunnel, the cave is Island's third largest of its kind. It is estimated that the cave was formed several thousand years ago after underground lava streams emerged and later ceased. We only got to explore a minor fraction of the cave but it was still enough to blow-my-mind! From the very first sight my jaw dropped open. Four openings down to the cave can be seen in the first 100 meters with the one nearest to the road being the main entrance. Mountains of snow had grown tall under these openings. It added an extra amazing depth and dimension to the already impressive cave. We slowly skated forward and further into the cave, while Sheena followed our moves from the surface of Earth - she was our safety guard in case of an emergency.
Små 100 meter inde kom belønningen for vores eventyrlyst. Der foran os voksede de flotteste istapper fra gulvet og op, og dette fantastiske isformation syntes at fortsætte længere ind i grottens mørke tunnel (man kan fortsætte ind i tunnelen, men det er på eget ansvar!). Jeg har aldrig set noget lignende, så for mig var det noget ganske specielt. Jeg ved ikke med jer, men nogle gange forbløffer naturen mig på en måde, hvor jeg bare har lyst til at plante min røv et solidt sted, så jeg kan sidde og betragte den i flere timer. Så UTROLIGT fascinerende! Sheena, der i mellemtiden havde ventet på os oppe på jordens overflade, gik glip af hele oplevelsen nede i lavagrotten. Som et plaster på såret, moslede Sara og jeg en allerede afbrækket istap med op til overfladen, så hun også kunne nyde bare lidt af synet. I det øjeblik følte jeg mig lidt som en skattejæger, der stolt bar rundt på jordens største diamant for nu at kunne fremvise et bevis på vores eventyrlige triumf.
Our adventure lust was rewarded with a spectacular sight just 100 meters inside the cave. An ocean of upward growing icicles stood right in front of us and the incredible iceformation seemed to continue further down the dark tunnel of the cave (you can go further down the tunnel but it's at your own risk!). I have never seen anything like this before so of course this was something special to me. I don't know bout you but sometimes nature really astonish me. Like astonish me in a way where I feel like planting my ass in the ground so I can just sit there and admire its beauty for hours on end. So UNBELIEVABLE fascinating! Unfortunately, Sheena didn't get the chance to share this experience with us. When Sara and I emerged from the depth of the cave, we brought back this icicle with us. We wanted to show it to her, so she could feel part of the adventure too. At that moment I almost felt like a treasure hunter, carrying the biggest diamond in the world and proudly showcasing it as a proof of our succesful adventure time!
