I took Icelandair from Edmonton to London so that I could take advantage of their free layover program. I stopped in Iceland for 5 days on my return flight.
My first impression of Iceland, while on the bus from the airport in Keflavik to Reykjavik was “What a waste of my time, this will be.” The landscape was so barren I thought there is no way that this will be an interesting experience. How wrong I was!!
First some interesting facts and history about Iceland.
(aka: stuff I wish I knew before I went.)
Iceland has a population of about 330,000. 200,000 of that population live in the capital of Reykjavik. Iceland gets about one million tourists a year! 50% of their revenue comes from tourism, then fishing, then aluminum (?). After the financial crash of 2008 someone got the brilliant idea of subsiding flights for people on international flights to have a free layover in Iceland. The idea has been such a massive success that the infrastructure has not had a chance to catch up with the influx of tourists. I can say, first hand, they are doing a terrific job!
Iceland sentenced five senior bankers and one prominent investor to prison for crimes relating to the economic meltdown in 2008. The people were mad as hell and weren't going to take it anymore. There was a backlash against establishment politicians. So when a comedian named Jon Gnarr started a satirical political party after the 2008 crash, poking fun at everything the government did wrong, the people rallied behind him and the Best Party actually became a political powerhouse and he won the seat of mayor. Some of his campaign promises were "free towels in all swimming pools, a polar bear for the Reykjavík zoo, all kinds of things for weaklings” and he would not enter a coalition government with anyone that had not watched the HBO series 'The Wire'. (He was a huge fan.) Although he did not run for a second term, the polls said he would have won. Everyone thought he would run for President but he declined. What started as a joke, ended quite well.
Iceland is a relatively new civilization; about 1000 years old. It is isolated and has a population of 330,000. All this considered, it is no wonder that an app has been developed to see how closely related you may be to that cute person you want to go home with from the party. All you have to do is tap your phones together and a database will inform you of how closely related you are. The Vikings were nit-pickers on documenting genealogy, which makes the app reliable.
Everyone has heard a story of going to a family event and running into a girl/guy you hooked up with some time ago. How embarrassing! The app's slogan is "Bump the app before you bump in bed". This is not to say Iceland is an inbred island. In reality, it is more because Icelanders are big into genealogy.
The early settlers of Iceland had the sense to record their history and genealogy in Landnámabók aka:The Book of Settlements. Dating back to the 9th or 10th century, it is divided into five parts and has over 100 chapters telling how the island was found and who settled where. It lists 435 men as the original settlers but expands to tell the history and sometimes anecdote-like stories about the 3000 people and 1400 settlements. A valuable piece of history!
Iceland phone books are not categorized by the last name first. It is listed by first name, surname, occupation, then address. There are no Mr. or Mrs in Iceland. Everyone is addressed by their first name or their complete full name, even the teachers in school and the president. This is because Icelanders have no surname, in the traditional sense. The surname is their father's first name with either son for boys or dottir for girls added to the end.
For example, if Jón Helgason (his father’s name is Helgi) and Margrét Magnúsdóttir (her father’s name is Magnús) have a son, then his surname will be Jónsson while his daughter would take the name Jónsdóttir – four different surnames in the same family! Talk about confusion when you got through immigration at a foreign airport.
There isn’t really any official background checks for what profession one lists. According to our guide, there are nine sorcerers, 52 princesses, 59 Jedi Masters, and…two hen whisperers listed in the Icelandic phone book.
Iceland is a self-sufficient island. Despite the cooler weather - or maybe because of it - they have a thriving agriculture that is pretty much organic. There are few insects on the island so they rarely use pesticides or herbicides. Using steroids on livestock is illegal. The long summers and cool temperatures help the grains (rye and barley) and grasses to grow exceptionally nutritious. The general lack of pollution, due to sparse population, means that food is less contaminated with artificial chemicals. Despite the cool climate and restricted growing season, potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower do well. Other hot crops (such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers), cut flowers and potted plants are grown in greenhouses heated with geothermal energy (of which Iceland has an abundance - more on that later) In some cases artificial light is required to supplement the shorter daylight hours. Specialty fruits can also be grown in this way, but not usually on a commercial scale
Iceland is self-sufficient in the production of meat (mutton, beef, pork & poultry), dairy products, and eggs. The main livestock is sheep. The cattle industry expanded in the 20th century.
The only native animal of Iceland is the Arctic Fox. All other animals, including the caribou, have been introduced.
The Alpine lupin, which is seen everywhere, was introduced to help stop erosion. When the Vikings arrived they brought their Norse farming practices with them. However, the soils in Iceland are the result of volcanic eruptions and are more susceptible to erosion than soils in the Viking homeland. Extensive grazing and removal of trees also contributed to the erosion. Archaeologists estimate that over 50% of Iceland was once covered with shrubs, trees, and grassland. Environmental laws were put in place as early as 1895. The lupin was introduced in the 1960's to help hold the soil for newly planted native trees. The lupin needs full sun to grow, so as the trees take hold the lupins die off. Native trees do not grow very tall. There is a joke in Iceland: What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest? Stand up.
It seemed as if every building had a balcony or at least very large windows. One taxi driver told me it was because they love their beautiful mountains. There is even a movement in Reykjavik to outlaw the planting of trees because they block the view. Some of the older buildings have galvanized metal siding, but there is not much wood used in building construction these days. It is mostly cement. Mud and peat are still used, rarely, in rural areas.
There are bike lanes all over the city. Some fire escapes on tall buildings are circular staircases.
Although it seemed cold when I was there at the end of June, that is normal. The average summer temperature only about 12 degrees C. However, the winters are fairly mild, with temperatures sitting from -2 degrees to +4 degrees C. They also do not get much snow.
And now my journey:
I started off on the wrong foot. I got the shuttle to take me to a guesthouse that I had forgotten I had canceled in favor of a cheaper one. Iceland is very expensive, and even a cheap one is expensive. So I had to take a taxi to the one I had booked. It was clear across town and about 5 km away from downtown. But considering I had just walked an average of 25 km per day, this was nothing.
I got settled in the Guesthouse Summerday a little later than I had hoped and was quite hungry. Some other guests were cooking up a storm and I asked them where they bought their food. They happily gave me directions to a supermarket only a few blocks away.
The supermarket was easy enough to find. I am always curious what regular stores carry for merchandise. It speaks to what the locals actually buy. The thing that was very different, for me, was the wide selection of dried fish. There were huge packages, small snack size packages, and bulk. The store had a very nice self-serve deli – pick what you want and it is sold by weight. I picked up a few things and some blueberry Skyr yogurt. Skyr (pronounced "skeer") is an Icelandic yogurt that they consider a soft cheese. It is very thick, almost like a Dairy Queen Blizzard, and super yummy. The deli food was VERY expensive but the yogurt was decently priced - I am guessing because it is a local product. I figured if the grocery store prices were high, then the restaurants will be even worse. I decided to come back the next day and stock up on pasta, some veggies and more yogurt, for the protein.
I did eat in a restaurant one day while waiting for my tour bus. A soup and sandwich cost $25! I was happy to have my pasta in the evenings and yogurt for breakfast.
Since I only had 3 full days I had to make the best of it. Iceland is not that big, but there are not many roads. I had talked to some people who had rented a car and drove the circumference of the island – which is basically the only major road. They said it took them 6 days with stopping to see sights. I didn't have 6 days so I decided to see and do as much as possible with day tours from Reykjavik.
I went with Gray Line Tours. They offered a wide range of tours and seemed a little less expensive. They also offered a pick-up service from a large hotel nearby. Remember, I said I was clear across town. The Arctic Comfort Hotel was a mere 5-minute walk. For the first tour, I signed up for a city tour of Reykjavik to orientate myself.
The first place we went was to the Bessastadir church and the official residence of the president of Iceland. They are located on the same plot of land, just across the Skerjafjordur Fjord. Although visible across the Fjord, it is about 10 km away, due to the curve of the peninsula.
Sigurður Jónasson bought the land in 1940 and donated it to the state for the future residence of the Icelandic presidents. Bessastadir has been the presidential residence since 1941, but the site has a much older history, having been mentioned in the Islendinga Saga (Saga of the Icelanders)**. The main building at Bessastadir was built in 1761-1766 and housed a school until 1867. It is assumed that Bessastaðir has been a site of a church since the year 1000. The church, which stands now was consecrated in 1796 and is among the oldest buildings made of cemented stone in Iceland. Normally, visitors are allowed into the church, but the President was home so we were not permitted. We could only wander through the small cemetery next to it. It stuck me as odd to have the graves so close to the Fjord. It seemed as if they would have been damaged by the water, tides, or ice. Apparently not.
**Islendinga Saga makes up a large part of Sturlunga saga, a compilation of medieval Icelandic vellum manuscripts dating back to around AD 1300 and believed to have been written by Icelandic chieftain, Sturla Poroarson. The saga has been a major source of material for historians concerning events in early 13th century Iceland due to its frankness, openness, and impartiality. Because the author or authors would have been dealing with contemporary events, it paints an accurate picture of Iceland in the 13th century.
We drove back along the peninsula where I saw a cute road sign cautioning drivers to look out for ducks and ducklings crossing. And a lonely house that in the middle of nowhere – no other outbuildings, just a house. The view of Reykjavik, with the snowcapped mountains (the date is June 28!) was strangely beautiful and I began to feel why Icelanders are so passionate about their scenic beauty.
The houses seem to be built helter-skelter, stuffed in between huge boulders – likely lava flow. The grass looked more like moss. At least it didn't need cutting twice a week!
The Viking Village was pointed out and I thought it would be an interesting place to return to, but upon research, I found that it was basically a hotel set in a Viking motif.
We stopped at the harbor for a photo opportunity at the stone arch. It is a monument in remembrance of the first Lutheran church in Iceland. The church was built by German people visiting Iceland from Hamburg in 1533. It remained a church until 1603 and was taken down in 1608 by the order of Christian IV, King of Denmark. I have to point out here that the date was June 28th, but cold enough that it felt like early spring. If you could find some reprieve from the wind, the sun felt warm; but there was no reprieve from the wind. I saw many people walking around in winter coats and hats.
From there we carried on past the Harpa Concert Hall and stopped at the Sun Voyager – a large steel sculpture of a Viking ship. It is a reminder of the history and heritage of the first Viking settlers. It is located along the waterfront and is a beautiful spot to take a picture and capture one's thoughts.
We then headed to Hallgrimskirkja church. It is a Lutheran church named after a poet and clergyman from the 17th century. The hexagonal concrete columns were built to resemble the cooling lava flows of Iceland's landscape. Construction began in 1945 and was completed in 1986 (41 years). It is 73 meters (244 ft.) high and is visible throughout Reykjavik. - a great landmark to navigate by. The large clock on the tower often gives the wrong time, as gusts of wind frequently knock the hands out of step.
The interior of the church was white cement. With the sun shining in through the tall skinny windows and reflecting off the white cement, it gave me the feeling of being in an ice cathedral. It was stark yet beautiful and elegant. It also houses a large pipe organ that is 15 meters tall and weighs 25 tons! It seemed to hang, precariously, over the front entrance.
The church’s front courtyard boasts a statue of the Norse voyager, Liefr Eiricsson (c. 970 – c. 1020). Eiricsson beat Columbus to the “new world” by nearly 500 years. In the statue, Eiricsson strides confidently forward with axe in hand and a cape fluttering behind him. His back is turned on the church – does that mean something? The statue predated the construction of the church and was a gift from the United States in 1930 to honor the 1000th year anniversary of the Icelandic parliament. (More on their Parliament and early location later) I could have lingered longer but the bus was ready to leave.
When I arrived in Reykjavik I saw a large dome, high on a hill, and wondered what it was. Well, I was about to find out, as the Perlan (the Pearl) was our next stop. A glass dome perches atop the city's 6 huge hot water tanks, each having a capacity to hold 4 million liters of geothermal hot water. One tank now houses a museum. Inside the dome is a large atrium for exhibitions and events. There is a revolving restaurant with a magnificent view of the city and countryside. There is also a cafe, shops and an outdoor viewing deck. The water tanks were built in 1940, but the Pearl was built in 1988. It is a clever way to beautify a working facility. Just outside the entrance are 4 unusual sculptures depicting a group of dancing musicians.
We also drove past and were pointed to Höfði House, a beautiful house built in 1909 for the French Consul. It is where presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbatsjov met to effectively end the Cold War. It sits along on a plot of land overlooking the bay and mountains beyond. It is not open to the public.
We then headed back into town to be dropped off. We drove past the Reykjavik City Hall. Initially, I thought “Oh no! It got flooded!” I found out later that it was deliberately designed on the edge of Lake Tjörnin to connect nature, water and to attract birdlife to the center of town. I went back and walked around the entire building, and even at close range it still looked like it got flooded. I didn't realize at the time that there was an information desk, a cafe overlooking the lake, gallery and a 3D relief map of Iceland. Lesson learned: do more research before going to a country!
I chose to be dropped off in town and not back at my pick up point. It was still early afternoon and I wanted to wander and explore a bit more. I was especially intrigued with the Harpa Concert Hall. It is the most striking building I have ever seen. Maybe not as grandiose as Taj Mahal, but intriguing none the less. The structure consists of a steel framework clad with geometric shaped glass panels of different colors that sparkle and fade as one moves along the building. It was designed to look like giant ice cubes. Inside the building, it looked and felt as if I were in a gigantic glass bee hive, the network of steel and glass having a honeycomb effect. It is built right on the water and has a reflecting pool in the front of the building, so it also gives the illusion of floating on the water.
It was opened in 2011 and almost didn't get completed due to the financial crisis. As it stands it does not have the luxury hotel, apartments, retail outlets and car park that was in the original plans. It houses the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the offices of the Icelandic Opera.
Across the street from the Harpa Concert Hall is a park with a big hill in the center. On top of the hill is a statue of Ingolfur Arnarson, sitting on a half dragon (not sure why). Ingolfur is considered the first settler of Iceland. In 870, after quarreling with, and ultimately killing, a Norwegian earl's two sons, he fled to a new island he had heard of in the Atlantic with his entire family, slaves, and everything they could stuff into their boats. When he got to the island (Iceland) he threw his high seat pillars (a sign of being a chieftain) overboard and promised to settle wherever the gods deemed the pillars should come ashore. Three years later his slaves found them in a little bay on the southwest part of the island. He named the location as Reykjavik (Smoky Bay) after the white “smoke” rising from the hot springs. This park is said to be the original location of his farm. His son, Torstein was a major chieftain and was said to have founded the first parliament in Iceland. (This parliament thing just keeps coming up, doesn't it?)
The next day I went on the Golden Circle Tour. We headed out into the stark countryside. Initially, there were lupins all over the place. The ground seemed to be more purple than any other color. As we got out further out the landscape became more and more alien looking. The mountains in the distance were still covered with lots of snow and ice. Considering it was the end of June, I wondered if these mountains were ever without snow and ice. There were no foot hills, just flat barren land then a mountain, almost like a gigantic pimple on the surface of this island. When we did get close to the mountains, some were ragged and torn – evidence of centuries of harsh winds.
Amazingly, every now and then a building seemed to spring out of nowhere – a farm, a church, a troll house. It was a cloudy, rainy day and the mountains and buildings seemed almost mystical, vaguely in sight, but not quite visible.
Our first stop was a horse ranch. We let a few people off but didn't stay long enough for anyone else to disembark. I got a few pictures through the window. As we drove off we were given a bit of history on the Icelandic horse.
There is an important export trade in Icelandic horses. Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return, for fear of bringing disease. The horses are small, almost pony size. But we were told, in no uncertain terms, the Vikings did not ride ponies! Genetic analysis shows this horse has ancestry to the Mongol horse. The breed worked its way to Scandinavia and eventually to Iceland via the Vikings. The horses are extremely hardy, foraging freely off the land in all seasons. They have five gaits: the walk, the trot, the canter, the tölt, and the flying pace. The ones I saw had beautiful flowing manes, many had blond manes despite the body color, and looked very majestic. There are about 85,000 horses and nearly 45,000 riders.
Then we carried on to Þingvellir National Park. Þingvellir is a site of geological, historical, and cultural importance. It lies in a rift valley that separates the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. This valley was created by the plates moving apart at a rate of 2 centimeters per year for eons. It has been said in real estate “They aren't making more land”; well, in Iceland they are. It is technically no-man's land in that it is new land and is neither part of the American nor Eurasian continent. With two tectonic plates in constant motion, it is no wonder that there are volcanoes and earthquakes all over the island. At the heart of the rift, the land had sunk 40 meters and one of the faults has left a veritable canyon.
Historically, this is where the early parliament met. Remember Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler? The descendants of Ingolfur dominated the region of southwest Iceland and became the most powerful family in the country. Other chieftains felt a need for a general assembly to a central location with lots of grazing land for horses, a few building and a forest for kindling. One tribe had to travel 17 days to get there, but it was a pretty good location for everyone else.
Iceland is one of the world's oldest parliament, established in 930, and held its sessions there until 1798. Pingvellir National Park was founded in 1930, marking the 1oooth anniversary of Althing (Icelandic Parliament). It was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area and became a world Heritage site in 2004.
There is a natural outcrop of rock, called Logber (Law Rock). Anyone attending the assembly was entitled to present his case on important issues for the Rock, but only appointed council members decided the outcome. It was used to give speeches and make announcements, such as new laws made and for judgments handed down on law breakers. One person was appointed as head of the legislature for a 3-year term. It was his job to memorize the laws and to offer advice in legal matters.
As was the custom in former times, the dispensing of judgment on criminals was a social event. What better time and place than the annual assembly! The men were either hung or beheaded and the women were drowned – because it was a more delicate way for a woman to die. However, most crimes were encouraged to be settled through arbitration, wherein the victim and perpetrator agreed to a fine paid.
Although the duties of the assembly were the main reason for going there, ordinary people gathered at Þingvellir for a wide variety of reasons. Merchants, sword-sharpeners, and tanners would sell their goods and services, entertainers performed, and ale-makers brewed drinks for the assembly guests. News was told from distant parts; games and feasts were held. Young people met to make their plans, itinerant farmhands looked for work and vagrants begged. Þingvellir was a meeting place for everyone in Iceland, laying the foundation for the language and literature that have been a prominent part of people's lives right up to the present day.
I walked down as the trail toward the Law Rock, but it was a bit too far for me to be able to return before the bus left. Interestingly, while I am walking through the 40-meter gorge, not far away, in an indentation between massive outcrops of rock people were people setting up tents and in a general camping mode. Just beyond them was a flat gentle plain leading to the lake. Apparently, one can scuba dive in that lake. I didn't even ask about it – I prefer tropical waters, not frigid waters. However, I bet the visibility was incredible in those glacier fed waters.
As we drove to the opposite side of the lake, what looked like cliffs on the side we just left were really the rim of the rift. It felt like we were inside a dormant volcano top. Which, technically, we were.
The land became more barren again, with scrubby trees and lots of lichen. I could get no explanation for what I saw along every road adjacent a field. The land would be cultivated, with a fence; but there was always a wave of dirt and grass, starting at the fence and hanging out over the ditch - like an actual breaking wave on the ocean or a curled snowdrift after a strong wind.
We traveled for about an hour until we reached Gullfoss Falls (Golden Falls). As we approached, the edge of the falls is obscured from view so it seems as if the water simply vanishes into the earth. Is this monster amount of water under me, threatening to wash away the very ground I am standing on? Further on the entire spectacle came into view.
The wide Hvítá river plunges down a two-step staircase (11 meters and 21 meters) and then tumbles down into a 32-meter deep crevice. The crevice is only 20 meters wide and runs perpendicular to the flow of the river. With an average amount of 140 cubic meters per second hurling down, it is a terrible yet magnificent exhibition of Mother Nature. Even with this massive display of power, I could not help but venture out onto the outcrop of rock with the lip of the falls a mere few meters away. There was only a partial guard rail, the rocks were wet and slippery from the mist, and it was windy as hell. There was evidence of high erosion beneath the outcrop; but what a rush!
In the early 20th century a fellow actually owned the waterfall. His daughter Sigríður loved the falls with all her heart. During this time there was talk of harnessing and ultimately destroying, the falls with a hydroelectric power plant. Sigríður protested so vehemently, that she threatened to throw herself into the falls if the plan were to proceed. To show that she was serious about her passion for the falls, she walked barefoot on rugged roads 120 km to Reykjavik to protest the power plant. The people believed her and the plant was never built. The waterfall was later sold to the state of Iceland, and is now protected. There is a memorial site to this dour looking girl, considered Iceland's first environmentalist.
After a brief stop for lunch in the Gullfoss gift shop we retraced our route, stopping at Geysir Hot Springs. Geysir is from the Icelandic verb geysa – to gush. Research shows that Geysir has been active for approximately 10,000 years. The oldest account of hot springs at Haukadalur valley dates back to 1294 when earthquakes in the area caused significant changes in local neighboring landscape creating several new hot springs. In records dated 1630 the geysers erupted so violently that the valley around them trembled. The name "Geysir" was first mentioned in written sources in the 18th century.
Geysir activity is directly related to earthquake activity. As such, violent earthquakes can revive a dormant geysir. The Great Geysir (18 meters wide and 20 meters deep) was almost dormant prior to 1896, then an earthquake awakened it to erupt several times a day, lasting up to an hour and causing spouts of boiling hot water 60 meters in height. Talk about being grumpy at being woken up! The eruptions subsided slowly, to the point of near dormancy again, over the course of 20 years. It had remained sluggish until another earthquake in 2000 revived it quite spectacularly with the eruption reaching 122 meters and lasting for two days! It went back to sleep quite quickly, this time, and within 3 years has slowed to only 3 eruptions per day. However, it was found that the eruptions could be induced by adding soap. This practice is not encouraged by environmentalists and is now instigated only on Icelandic National Day. It was sound asleep when we were there.
Stokkur, the Geysir baby brother, was not asleep. Its activity is also affected by earthquakes, but not as badly as the Great Geysir. Stokkur erupts every few minutes and, we were told, can reach 30 meters. In reality, it looked more like a burp. It was very interesting to observe (and to try to capture by camera) the blue bubble just before it burped. Stand back! It is still boiling hot water.
Prior to erupting, the pool is full and gently pulsates up and down. The eruption starts when steam rising from below pushes the water in the pool upwards forming a large dome (or bubble) of water. The steam bursts out and pushes much of the water in the pool skywards. (Think of a pot of water at a hard boil, but with only one big bubble.) This leaves the pool temporarily empty but it refills rapidly from the water flowing back and also water rising from underneath.
Photo thanks to Google.
There were little baby geyers no more than 30 cm across scattered here and there, happily bubbling away. The whole area sits on top of a vast boiling cauldron and smells of sulfur and boiling mud. There were some lovely flowers in this area, that, I was told, are considered “primitive”. There weren't many and they seemed ever-so-delicate poking out from the rocks. I was especially pleased to see the mountain avens up close. It is Iceland's national flower.
We had a brief stop at the gift shop, of course. There was a giant Troll statue outside of the gift shop that was a cute photo opportunity.
There was also another statue that was quite bizarre. It looked like one man flipping another man over his shoulder, with the second man grabbing at the first man's underwear.
Iceland is full of strange items. For instance this..... strange woolen knit attire.
Or this...... toque.
Or this.....nasty little stuffed animal.
Or this can of Fresh Icelandic Mountain Air.....You guessed it – it's empty, except for the air at $10/can!
We made a bit of a side trip to Faxi Waterfall on our final leg of the tour home. The waterfall itself was nothing special – it's hard to top Gullfoss! What does make this waterfall special is the salmon ladder running along the side of the falls. The river is full of salmon and there is no way they could jump the nearly 7-meter waterfall. Although salmon fishing is allowed in the river, it is closely regulated. There are only a certain number of hooks allowed in the water at any given time. We were told that Eric Clapton “rents” the river for himself and a few friends every year. Only their hooks are allowed in during that week. It must be nice to have that kind of money!
Not far from the edge of the river is the Biskupstungur community sheepfold. Early in the month of May, the sheep are herded a long distance into assigned common grazing areas in the mountains. They graze in the remote areas until approximately September at which time they are herded back to the sorting area. Roundup schedules vary by grazing area and generally take four or five days of intense work involving humans, horses, and dogs. Each grazing unit has its own sorting facility. It is a circular enclosure surrounded by pie-shaped pens for the sorted groups. From these smaller pens, the sheep are trucked off, either back to the appropriate farm (ewes, for breeding) or to the abattoir (most lambs and the older ewes who will not be bred again).
The 90 minute bus ride back to Reykjavik was broken up with the tour guide offering bits of history and funny stories.
Most Icelanders believe in, or at least refuse to deny the existence of elves, trolls, fairies, gnomes, and hidden people or locally known as “Huldufólk” people. It is said that only children can actually see them. Annoying the mystical creatures is thought to carry a heavy price, so human inhabitants will do almost anything to avoid getting on their bad side. All around the island, one can hear tales of people suffering mysterious illnesses or their houses burning down after provoking the wrath of invisible beings. Elf spotters decide how a human settlement develops in order not to disturb the country’s supernatural inhabitants. Engineers will often reroute roads, pipelines, and utilities, at a steep cost, only to avoid the dwellings of elves and other supernatural beings. There is a recent case of workers becoming ill, machines breaking down and all other sorts of problems. A spotter was called in and told the construction company they were intruding on an elf path (or some such). The road was detoured and the problems stopped. (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/mar/25/iceland-construction-respect-elves-or-else) All over the island doors are propped up on rocks, complete with door number, depicting a Huldufólk home.
Sometimes it seems as if the rocks have a face carved into them. Apparently, this is an actual troll that was spotted by a human. The poor troll turned to stone.
The driver pointed out a house that was built beside a mountain with boulders, obviously from a landslide, surrounding it. The boulders were two and three times the size of the house. The driver said that only a madman would build his house there, and after much convincing from friends the man finally sold the house and moved away. But who did he sell it to? His mother-in-law!
We drove past Hellisheiðarvirkjun where the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant and Geothermal Energy Exhibition are. We didn't stop, but we got a bit of history as we drove past. The area sits on one of the most extensive geothermal areas in Iceland. It is the second largest geothermal power plant in the world. It has a capacity of 303 MW of electricity and 133 MW of hot water. It takes 180 degree geothermal steam from 30 wells 2-3 kilometers deep to run the turbines. The electricity is sent to Reykjavik, as is the hot water. The pipelines taking the hot water are built in a zigzag way to protect them from earthquakes. The heating and electrical bills are so small the people don't even consider it a cost.
Driving by we could see steam spewing out of the ground all over the place. We were told that they do not bury their dead here, because of the steam. “They don't want to boil their dead” is what the guide told us.
All of Reykjavik is heated by geothermal hot water - every house, shop, business, and greenhouse. There numerous swimming pools, spas, and saunas all heated the same way. Somewhere along on our tour, we went past a lake where many people park their caravans, trailers and other assorted mobile homes year round. Every one of these mobile camping units had a hot tub next to them. Why not? The hot water is free!
It was a long day of sitting and I was happy to stretch my legs with a walk back to my guest-house.
The next day I walked back into town and enjoyed some wandering around town. I was walking past a shop and saw a beautiful lopapeysa (lopi / yarn, peysa / sweater) in the window. All lopapeysas are characterized by the yoke design. It is knitted in a non-varying circle, with no difference between front or back. The wool is from Icelandic sheep and is not spun, so it contains more air than spun yarn and as result has better insulating properties. It is light, warm and keeps you warm even if it gets wet. This particular lopapeysa was more cape or poncho like than a typical sweater. Although there were lopapeysa for sale everywhere, I had not seen one like this anywhere. The wool looked scratchy so I asked the clerk if I could try it on. Surprisingly, it was not scratchy at all! However, it was close to $400! gasp! But it looked so nice! There was a lady watching me try it on with a look on her face that said: “I am buying that the second she sets it down”. So I asked the clerk if she could keep it for me until the end of the day if I paid for it now. Not a problem. Whenever I wear it, I get dozens of compliments on it and several inquiries as to where I bought it. I also bought a pair of lava rock earrings – which were surprisingly expensive considering there is lava is all over the place. Oh, well....
This shop also had a lot of Icelandic t-shirts. “What part of Eyjafjallajokull don't you understand”, “Don't f*** with Iceland, we may not have cash but we have ash”, “In Iceland, I wear my sunglasses at night”. This last one was so true. These pictures were taken at 11:30 at night. The sun only set for 3 hours, but there is still enough twilight to read a book.
With no worries of my lovely lopapeysa being gone when I return and no bulky bag to carry, I carried on my walking explore. Reykjavik is full of artsy curiosities. There was a garden fence gaily decorated, a delightful wall mural covering the entire exterior wall of a 4 story building,
a creative gate to keep automobile traffic out, a bottle recycling container – shaped like a huge bottle,
imaginative posters, and funky statues.
I saw a bar called “Lead us into Temptation”. On one street were two gigantic trolls with movable arms. People were posing with them, putting their arms around themselves, like they were the trolls child. It was cute and I couldn't resist.
There was even a friendly little elf guarding the entrance to a grocery store.
As near as I can figure, this is a public utility access.
I had booked a whale watching tour not so much for the whales but for the puffins on Lundy Island (literally Puffin Island) on the way to the whales. I have long wanted to see a puffin. They look so cute! And have a cute name too – Puffin. How can that not be cute?
There were about 16 people on board the Zodiak. We all had on protective outer coveralls that also acted as a flotation suit and survival suit in case we fell into the frigid water. There were two long air-filled benches, which we straddled, with a bar attached to hold on to while we zoomed across the bumpy waves. We were also given goggles to wear to protect our eyes from the wind and spray.
There are 4 types of puffin. They spend most of their lives at sea and only return to land to breed and raise their single chick in their nests in rocky cliffs. They mate for life, but if one partner should die they do take another partner. However, if the supposedly deceased partner returns, the new partner is booted out. Iceland is one of the nesting spots for the Atlantic Puffin. 60% of the Atlantic Puffins nest here from April until September each year. That is about 3-4 million pairs per year!
Their colorful orange beak is only for show at mating time – kind of like lipstick. In the winter it fades to gray. The honeymoon is over.
They are seabirds that are excellent swimmers. They can dive up to 60 meters and use their wings to stroke underwater in search of herring and sand eels. When flying in the air, they can flap their wings 400 times per minute and can reach speeds of 80 km/hr. They will use a cliff to jump off in order to get flying and struggle to take off from the water. Their 18 centimeter high bodies are shaped like a penguin which probably accounts for why they are not very graceful in the air. They looked like a fat, clumsy budgie when they flew. But they are still cute.
Alas, we merely slowed down near tiny Lundey Island to catch a brief glimpse of these comical looking yet lovely birds.
Ahead of us and way off in the distance, were snow covered mountains that seemed to be rising up out of the sea. Behind us was the skyline of Reykjavik with Hallgrimskirkja church piercing upward like the Biblical tower of Babel. The Harpa Concert glimmering off to the side. From a different angle, the skyline changed to a string of high-rise and high priced apartments on the water's edge. Majesty to money.
On with the whale watching tour! There are white-beaked dolphins, harbour porpoise and 6 types of whales (Orca, Minke, Blue, Fin, Humpback, and Sperm) that frequent Iceland. Oh, to see a Blue Whale or an Orca or even a Humpback whale up close! We saw several playful dolphins jumping out of the water, some came quite close to our Zodiak. There were several boats out looking for whales and as soon as someone spotted a whale all the boats converged to that spot. Alas, all we saw was a Minke whale – or so the guide said. The name Minke comes from the Norwegian whaler named Meincke, who mistook a minke whale for a blue whale. Big difference! The Minke whale is, on average, 7-8 meters in length and weighs 4-5 tonnes. The blue whale is 30 meters long and weighs 173 tonnes. It was so far off in the distance it could have been the Loch Ness Monster for all we knew. Wait! Maybe it was a blue whale afterall.... :-)
This is the fourth whale watching tour I have been on and have yet to get a good look at one. All I can say for certain is, it is expensive and cold. But one of these days I WILL see a whale up close!
It was a relatively short tour so I had plenty of time to wander the city afterward. Along the harbour is an outdoor museum / memorial area. There is a bronze statue of two fishermen in long raincoats and boots looking out to sea. One is pointing to something in the distance and the other holds his hat to keep from blowing off. It is aptly called “Facing the Sea”.
There are huge placards showing a map of Iceland with the locations and types of ships that wrecked around the island. There are so many shipwrecks that the placards had to be broken up into segments by years. A chilling reminder of the dangers of sea life.
I kind of got lost in my wanderings and came upon a beautiful park along the edge of Lake Tjörnin – City Hall was on the other side of the lake. Away from the busier streets, the lake was full of birds. There was a two story gazebo-type building nestled against some trees and off from the street. I was told that it is a music pavilion and that musicians come here to practice and play for people enjoying the park. Nice!
There were lots of unusual statues in the park. Some were whimsical but one, in particular, had a somber significance. It was a piece of stone from WWII atomic bombing of Japan with a woman's face etched into it and a pledge to peace.
I had to think long and hard on this next tour - Inside the Volcano Thrihnukagigur. I had not even heard of it until I saw a bus advertising it. It takes you into a volcano! Whereas after a normal volcano erupts and the crater closes afterward, this volcano drained back into the earth leaving an enormous cavern big enough to easily fit the Statue of Liberty into it. One descends 120 meters but the chamber itself goes down another 30 meters on one side and an unknown amount on the other side, as no one has actually gone down into it. The cavern is shaped like an upside-down funnel, with the opening on top only about 4 x 4 meters, but at the bottom, it is 60 x 70 meters (about 3 full-size basketball courts).
The locals have known about this deep hole in the ground for years, but it wasn't until Árni B. Stefánsson, a doctor in Reykjavik and a lifelong cave enthusiast descended to the ground floor in 1974 that it was finally conquered. He was spellbound by its beauty and uniqueness. Ever since he has pleaded the case for protecting and preserving this phenomenon. In around 2010 National Geographic wanted to descend to take pictures inside the volcano. A relatively simple lift was constructed to take the men and heavy photographic apparatus down below. Since the lift was now in place, it was decided to open the cavern to tourists.
NOTE: The environment is sensitive. This is a footprint-free tour. If you bring it in, you carry it out.
We bussed an hour to a ski lodge, now closed for the season, then hiked 3 km across an uneven lava field covered with lichen to the site. PLEASE stay on the path! Lichen grows at a terribly slow rate of about 1 mm per year. That is 1 cm a decade (about a half inch per 10 years). It is incredibly delicate and we were cautioned to stay on the path whenever we were near lichen. One footstep could wipe out hundreds of years of growth. From afar, the lichen looks like dirty snow. We also had to trek across a fair amount of snow on the trail.
The trail itself was quite interesting. If one has never walked on lava before, it is quite the experience. It is a moon-like surface. For the most part, it looks like solid rock, but it can shift and slide under one's feet giving you as much stability as walking on sheets of glass thrown into a pile. It can also clink when you step on it. There were a few lava bridges. Some had perpetual snow under them, with others we could see completely under them to the other side like one would with a culvert under a road.
We reached the base camp after walking about 45 minutes in the cold wind. We were broken up into groups of 4 as only 6 people could fit into the lift at one time. Someone had to operate the lift and someone else was the guide. We were given lighted helmets and a belt with a carabiner to attach to a railing that was part of the catwalk onto the lift. We walked up the steep 35 meter high mound with a chain & rod ladder looking affair on the ground for traction, and a guard fence that was about 30 cm high.
We rounded a corner and there was the lift and cat walk hanging precariously over a gaping hole, that we knew went down, down, down. Butterflies of excitement and apprehension skittered across my stomach. A group was just getting off the lift with huge smiles and twinkling eyes, and all talking at once saying “OMG you are going to love it!”
We got onto the lift, the guides made sure we had our helmets and safety belts all secured. Then down we went. It took about 4 minutes to completely descend. The opening actually gets narrower at first. The lift had rubber wheels to push it back from the stone face. Once past that narrow part, it was straight down to the bottom. We could see someone down below and that gave us our first idea of just how far down it was. They were minuscule. Condensation was dripping on us like a soft rain. The temperature in the chamber holds at a steady 5 degrees C – about the temperature of your refrigerator.
There were bright lights shining on the walls of the cavern which is absolutely necessary since our little helmet lights would not have been enough. The first thing we saw was the brilliant colors – like peacock colors - due to the variety of minerals that melted at its eruption 4000 years ago.
There was a swirl of hardened rock stuck to the wall. It was meters wide, yet delicate looking. There was a huge gash in another part of the wall, meters long. Both looked like someone had swiped their finger through the cake icing, swirling a bit on the finger to taste and the other leaving a long, straight and smooth trench.
We were all snapping pictures like crazy when the lift operator told us to look up. The 4 x 4 meter opening we had just descended through looked like a pin prick now. Light was pouring down through it like God himself had poked a hole in the earth's crust.
We got off the lift and were told we could wander wherever we liked, but please do not cross the rope barrier. Where the lift stops is fairly flat and smooth, but beyond that are huge boulders and slippery slopes. Beyond one of the barriers is where the chamber slides off sharply to the unknown depth. Most of the rocks were, as I said, peacock colors. But there was also reds, oranges, and yellows. It is impossible to describe. It was beyond anything I had ever experienced before, and likely to ever experience again.
Even writing about it months later, I get the same feeling of humbleness at the magnificence and splendor of our fragile little blue planet. The feeling, the knowing that there must be a God for I saw his finger poke a hole in the crust of the earth to let in light and I saw his finger marks in the swirl and gash He left in solid rock.
We stayed at the bottom for about 30 minutes. It was long enough, as there is only so much to explore and it was getting cold. It was also the next group's turn to come down. Back at base camp, we were served a hearty and delicious meat soup. While we waited for the other group to return I explored the area around the camp. There was a trail that led off from the shack and off I went. I didn't go far. The trail led up to some lava bubbles. Just as a pot of porridge bubbles up and bursts, so did the boiling lava. But part of the bubble cooled and hardened before it could roll back into the ground, leaving a dome of rock.
There were also lava flows – like when cake batter is poured into a pan and has to be smoothed out before baking. It is lumpy and very obvious it was cooled in mid flow. There was also an elf door leaning against one of the lava bubbles. Apparently, the tour people asked permission from the elves to be in this area.
On the way back to the bus we met an older gentleman and young boy. Our guide excitedly introduced us to Árni B. Stefánsson and his grandson. The first man to descend the volcano! What a treat! We talked with him for a few minutes then let him carry on. He does not have to pay the $500 that we each had to. He and his family have a lifetime pass. Nice!
Driving back I was seated in the front and got a good view of how dramatically the roads switch back. I have been on switchbacks before but this road was something else. It curved around, nearly into a circle, doubling back on itself and seemingly disappearing beneath us.
It is quite ingenious how Icelanders have found ways to work around the harsh landscape. The island is covered with live volcanoes. (Remember Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 that disrupted air travel for 6 days?) As such, the land is full of huge fissures and cracks, in some cases, several meters wide and deep formed by cooling lava. Growing on top of this moon like landscape is lichen, the first plant to take hold on the lava soil. Yet somehow there were, what appeared to be, farms stuck in the middle of this barrenness. A golf course was nestled between the fissures and the sea. It is a land of lava, moss, and water.
The next day I went to the Blue Lagoon. It is the most visited attraction in Iceland. Its icon picture of a beautiful woman lounging in the milky blue waters are seen the world over. The warm waters (37-39 degrees C) are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in these waters is supposed to help with skin diseases such as psoriasis. There is a research facility at Blue Lagoon which is experimenting with using the mineral-rich water and mud to help find cures for skin ailments – their effectiveness is still subject to debate. The milky blue color is due to silicate minerals. There are pots of silicate mud all around the pool to smooth onto one's face or body in hopes of looking like the model in the promotional posters.
The warm water is NOT a natural hot spring, as is generally thought. As mentioned earlier, there are geothermal plants around the island that use the super heated water from the ground to run turbines and generate electricity. Once the water has gone through the turbine it goes through a heat exchanger to provide for the municipal heating system. It is this water that gets dumped into the man-made lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in. There is a big, fenced off vent off to the side of the main pool where the hot water comes in. It is naturally much hotter water near the vent.
There are saunas and pools of varying degrees of heat around the pool. There is a small bridge to take a shortcut from one from one side of the pool to another. There is a pool bar that serves alcoholic and fruit drinks. Inside the main building is a nice restaurant where one can look out onto the pool and its bathers. It was a nice experience and something I can tell my Grandkids that I bathed in the same waters as Kim Kardashian and Britain's Next Top Model, but it was basically a big hot tub and I got wrinkly skin from soaking so long.
The water eventually filters back into the ground. However, because of the mineral concentration in the water, a sediment forms which, after time, basically blocks the water from seeping back into the ground. The geothermal plant has to keep digging new ponds in the nearby lava field. This particular geothermal plant is probably not sustainable and in the meantime is causing a huge environmental impact. The first pool formed in 1976, people started to bathe there in 1981. The Blue Lagoon company cashed in by building the bathing facility in 1992.
My time was up and it was time to fly back home.
The bathrooms in the Keflavik Airport have to be the nicest I have seen anywhere in the world. It wasn't your typical bathroom with rows and rows of stalls with a common hand wash station. This was more like a luxurious home, with nice doors widely spaced down sparkling clean passageways. The toilet facility was your basic toilet with a sink inside the same room. But it was the sink and faucet that really made me go wow. The faucet was shaped kind of like an airplane, a long pipe coming out of the wall and two smaller pipes coming off the main in a perpendicular way. The water was motion activated, no big surprise. When you were finished washing all you had to do was move your hands under the 'wings' of the faucet and warm air blew them dry, right there over the sink. There were no drip marks anywhere in the bathroom because one does not have to move to another part of the room to find a hand drying dispenser. I have seen hand dry stations just above the sink and under the mirror, but even that allows for a lot of drip marks down the wall and onto the counters. This was super clean and efficient.
What I initially thought would be a waste of my time turned out to be a true adventure. I would definitely go back to Iceland. I would probably take more time and explore the north and east side of the island. It is a place like I have never seen or experienced.
Petrol: 225 Krona = $2.35 per liter (Edmonton was $1.01 per liter)
You can use your credit card at public pay toilets. Smart!