Iceland is pretty chill when it comes to climbing all over stuff. On all the waterfalls, on all the cliffs, there were only ever little ropes that separated you from the steep drop below. And on these ropes were little yellow signs that read DO NOT CROSS TO PROTECT FLORA. All they were ever concerned about was the safety of their precious flowers, not really the falling of tourists off of cliffs. I think that's pretty cool! It meant everyone could get as close as they wanted to the action, to the epic waterfalls and ocean side cliffs. Not once did a ranger tell us to "please step back", like what is common in the States; in fact there were never even any rangers!
So, as we neared Vatnajökull glacier, we came across an old chunk of a highway bridge that used to stand tall, before it collapsed years ago. It was covered in graffiti and markings like "Nepal" or "France 2017", messages from previous travelers, leaving their mark in Iceland. Then we climbed it. And sat on it and bounced up and down on the edge of the steel planks that acted like trampolines. On one side was almost a slide- a piece of metal that sloped down from the perfect height and perfect angle to make the perfect slide.
In the photo above, you can see Vatnajökull in the distance- green, white, blue, black, and grey, all beautiful.
It was really cool. No one kicked us off, in fact there was a sign in front of the ruins that suggested climbing, if I remember correctly. Iceland just wants to have fun!
Me, on the right. An endless field of brown and gray behind us.
On the left, the slide that we all slid down...the best slide I've ever seen.
I love Iceland.