Iceland

The only actual city in Iceland that I know of is Reyjavik. That is probably because over 1/3 of the entire population of Iceland lives in Reyjavik – all 130,000 of them. That doesn’t leave very many folk to populate all the other cities in the country. But with all the volcanos and the glaciers, I guess that doesn’t really leave much room for people anyway.

In October 1986, a summit was held between Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss a nuclear arms treaty. Being a safe, neutral location, Iceland was selected. We got to visit the former British Consulate, called Hofoi, where the summit was held on the 11^th and 12^th. While the talks broke down near the end, the progress that was achieved eventually resulted in the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

We visited the nearby Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, one of 30 active volcano systems on the island. The reason there are so many active volcanos is that Iceland is the only place in the world that is both above sea level and has a junction of two tectonic plates – the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate. All other places were the earths tectonic plates collide are deep under the ocean.

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano is actually underneath a glacier, as many are here. That is why its eruption in 2010 resulted in an enormous disruption of air travel across western and northern Europe for many days. When a volcano erupts under a glacier, the molten lava hitting the ice results in a massive cloud of ash being spewed into the atmosphere. Such ash can easily destroy a jet engine. Over 20 countries closed their airspace for days, affecting 10 million passengers. 

While it can cause problems, the volcanic activity also provides a benefit. We visited the Hverageroi geothermal garden and hot springs. The geysers here were not as predictable as Old Faithful in Yellowstone, but they were just as impressive. These kinds of geothermmal formations show up in many places in Iceland. Locals harness the heat and steam to drive industrial centers, provide heat for homes in a wide area, and provide heated water as well. We even to boil an egg in geyser water and eat it on the spot.

We got to see site of Geysir, also known as "The Great Geysir", which was the first geyser actually described in a printed source, and the first geyser known to Europeans. The name Geysir is a verb in Old Norse meaning to gush. The English word geyser derives from Geysir. While "The Great Geysir" has had few eruptions since 1936, we did get to see its neighbor erupt – Little Geyser, or in Icelandic, Litli Geysir.

Because of all the glaciers, there is waterfall activity pretty much all summer – what little summer there actually is. We hiked up to the Seljalandsfoss and the Hraunfosser waterfalls, as well as many other magnificent waterfalls during our time in Iceland. They were both truly impressive as were the many waterfalls we saw all over the island. But our favorite, even though we have no idea how to pronounce it, was the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.

To get up close and personal with a glacier, we headed to Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajokull National Park. Here I strapped on some crampons and followed the expert guide for a two hour hike up onto Skaftafell Glacier. I thought walking with ice crampons would be difficult, but it turned out to be relatively easy. And the terrain was gorgeous! I enjoyed every minute, and didn’t want to leave. The Woman took a pass, and instead hiked to the glacial moraine (its end) while I hiked above.

The Woman got a treat with a visit to a traditional Icelandic farm. While the owners raise all kinds of livestock and feed, the Woman’s favorites by far were the Icelandic Horses. The Icelandic Horse is a breed that was developed in Iceland. While a bit on the smaller side, these horses have few diseases, live long lives and are extremely hardy. Icelandic law prevents any horses from being imported into the county. If fact, if an Icelandic horse breeder decides to enter a horse into an international competition held outside Iceland, it had better win and collect a purse – once off the island, even a horse born in Iceland cannot return. The distinctive horses are gorgeous – they all look a bit like Fabio.

Iceland was first settled by Viking Chieftain Ingolfir Arnarson in 874 AD near current day Reykjavik. He named his settlement Reykjavik because of all the geothermal activity in the area – Reykjavik literally translated means “Bay of Smokes.” Various waring Viking Chieftains followed making for continuous strife on the island. In 930 AD, all the waring chieftains agreed to leave their weapons at the door, and held the Althing, the first national parliament of Iceland.

Thingvellir National Park was established in 1930 (on the 1000^th anniversary of the Althing) to preserve the site of the first parliament, which actually ran here until 1798. In 2004 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lodberg (Law Rock) was the site of first parliament gathering, with rough structures being built to house the many subsequent parliament gatherings over 850 years. Unfortunately, none of those structures were substantial enough to still be around today.

The other cool thing about Thingvellir is that much of the park lies in the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We got to hike along the edge of the North American Plate in part because Law Rock is actually a part of the leading edge of the Plate. Where we strolled, we could actually touch the towering front edge of the North American Plate. Off in the distance we could clearly see the edge of the Eurasian Plate, perhaps not as high, but clearly the edge nonetheless.

The Golden Circle continued to impress. We stopped at Svartifoss. Because of all the volcanic activity on the island, there are many different basaltic column locations. We couldn’t help but think about the Devils Post pile in California, or the Giants Causeway in Ireland. But when you can combine two magnificent natural wonders – basaltic columns and a waterfall – how could you not take it in!

Our last major attraction was Deildartunguhver Thermal Spring, the highest flow hot spring in all of Europe. The spring is so powerful, its water is piped over 40 miles to the city of Akranes (in addition to numerous other municipalities), serving 3000 residents there with 80-degree water for heating, bathing and other use. We got to enjoy the experience ourselves at the Krauma Spa.

Krauma has a total of six natural geothermal baths. One is cold, but the other 5 range from body temperature to nearly 108 degrees. And, as a bonus, when you checked in to get your robe and towel, you placed your order for your adult beverage, which would get delivered to your pool after you settled in. What a pleasant way to spend the afternoon!

Sad to say we had to eventually leave Iceland and head back to pick up our pooch, Kona. Not very long after we left, we were jerked back into the reality of the world as it now stands. On August 19, activists held a funeral for the Okjokull  (Ok) glacier, the first glacier in Iceland to be lost to climate change. While we were near the glacier – its about 60 miles northeast of Reykjavik – it was almost imperceptible at the time, and accordingly not an attraction.

We said goodbye to Oliver and sincerely hope we might see him again. There were only 18 people on our tour, so we used a Mercedes Sprinter van as our bus. Oliver was both driver and tour director. As it turned out, he also served duty as porter, attraction guide, restaurant booker and pretty much everything else we needed. Thanks again Oliver!

Talk to you soon.