The group boarded a retired Swiss army land/sea vehicle twenty-five folks at a time, for the tour of the lagoon. The vehicle starts on land, drives over a short dirt road and right into the lagoon, where it continues to float and propellors push it close to the massive iceberg display. Rubber rafts with guides precede the large vehicle, and our guide came aboard from one of the rafts while we floated.

The guide, a young Íslander, asked us which language we preferred. She spoke over six languages fluently, including English. She gave us a brief history of the lagoon, and pulled a chunk of ice from the freezing water for the group to touch and taste. Cold and clear, it is as clean as any bottled water anywhere in the world.

Glacial Ice at Jokulsarlon Download screensaver (900K)

Back on shore, the other group boarded the boat as we trooped inside the little souvenir and coffee shop for some hot refreshment and the familiar pastries. Postcards, puffin dolls and other tourist trash were on display for sale, as well as a small selection of snacks. Karyn and I walked to the lagoon for some photographs and to watch the sea birds. She pulled some ice from the water and watched it as it quickly melted.