The glacial lagoon (Jokulsarlonid aka Jökulsárlón or Jökulsárlónið) was an incredible trip. We hopped into an amphibious vehicle and boated around some gorgeous icebergs on the edge of Europe's largest glacier.

It was cold. Very cold. Even in June, the wind coming off the glacier and across the ice water was frigid. And it was windy, so the wind chill was well below freezing. But it was so incredible that I wasn't bothered by the cold.

Hörður called ahead from Reykjavik, and was told that the tours were open until 5:00. We got there before five, but were told the last boat trip of the day had just left. After some negotiating, we were told that if enough people showed up to make the minimum, they would send another boat (if the pilot agreed). After about 20 minutes, more people did arrive, and we were 1 short of the minimum, which we paid for.

I don't know if it a standard thrill for the tourists, or if the pilot gave us special treatment because he was talked into staying late. But when the amphibious craft entered the water, it did so very abruptly - and water suddenly splashed up. It could have injured someone, or ruined a fancy camera or video camera.

Like many places in Iceland (such as the Blue Lagoon), the Jökulsárlón is other-worldly. It was almost surreal to be bobbing around the water, surrounded by bizarre chunks of ice. In terms of the natural wonders I have seen, it makes my top ten list.

Some of the icebergs were black from lava gravel that they picked up on their way to the lagoon. Other chunks of ice were an eerie blue - these had been submerged at some time, and the water changed the crystalline structure. In some of the shots, the ice came out as a steely-grey color - this was due to the angle of the sun on the water.

As I mention in my Iceland Photography Tips page, a polarizing filter can be very useful, especially when there is lots of glare coming off the water. A minus-blue filter is also good to have, although if you are shooting digital, this can be done later using image editing software.