Iceland Redux
ICELAND
November 4, 2005
Sarah, November, 2004
Last year's early snowfall here kept us from visiting some of Iceland's scenic wonders. We're back again to pick up where we left off. It snowed last weekend, but that's been washed away by the rain. It's predicted to rain most of this week; we're prepared.
Although the Icelandic Tourist Board claims that Iceland in January is warmer than New York, in November it's not.
After our week here (it's a small country), we have a flight to Paris, France where we plan to spend the remainder of the month.
Click here to see more photos of our last trip to Iceland.
Regards,
Allen & Sarah
P.S.
The bagels were pretty good.
Keflavîk, Iceland
November, 10, 2005
Goden dagg,
For the most part, things worked out pretty well so far in Iceland.
As it did last year, it snowed shortly before we arrived. The snow curtailed some of our planned activities, but enhanced the scenery.
Goðafoss, one of Iceland's many spectacular waterfalls.
Even in early November, it's icy in Iceland.
'Foss' means waterfall. Remember that, you'll need it later.
Goðafoss, one of Iceland's many spectacular waterfalls.
Even in early November, it's icy in Iceland.
'Foss' means waterfall. Remember that, you'll need it later.
Our first destination was the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, about a two hour drive north and west of Reykjavîk. It is the home of the Snæfellsjökull. (jökull = glacier) The roads weren't too bad, considering. Some were hard dirt, some were paved with sealcoat gravel, some were paved with ice. We were happy to have studded tires on our Toyota Yaris (manual transmission).
Sarah was thrilled to see sheep being herded. Motorists were grumbling, "Get the flock out of here." Wait a minute... there were no motorists; that must have been me.
Sarah was thrilled to see sheep being herded. Motorists were grumbling, "Get the flock out of here." Wait a minute... there were no motorists; that must have been me.
We seemed to be the only tourists in the area, and, at times, the only people on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. After staying the night in Stykkishòlmer on Breiðafjörður Bay near the harbor (As almost everybody outside of Reykjavîk lives on the coast, almost every house is near a harbor.), we headed east.
A new-style church in Stykkishòlmur.
On the drive from Stykkishòlmer to Akureyri, the Capital of the North, seeing Iceland's western fiords of Vatnsfjordur, cutting deep inland creating wonderous sights of frozen ponds and tidal flats, made the back-road adventure extra exciting, despite the slick ice-paved road. After some time, we reached Highway #1, the paved road that encircles Iceland, and made some good time and got to Akureyri shortly after nightfall (late afternoon).
Akureyri was to be our home-base for exploring north eastern Iceland and Lake Mývatn. One of its outstanding features is the modern church which towers over the city.
Volcanic crater at Lake Mývatn.
We came to the nationally protected Lake Mývatn area in the north west for hiking and other outdoor activities. We didn't expect the trails to be under several feet of snow so early in the season. As the term 'mývatn' refers to the midge, a gnat which breeds in the lake (They breed like flies.), one can imagine hordes of these creatures filling the summer air. Maybe we were better off just looking during the cold season which seems to be all year except for July and August.
The road less travelled.
This is the road that we drove from Lake Mývatn to Húsavîk, a village on the coast. As far as surface conditions were concerned, this road was better than some, worse than others. When it get snowy, only the yellow markers (see photo above) lets one know where it's 'road' and 'not road.'
An historic church in Húsavîk.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum is now in Húsavîk
Formerly in Reykjavîk, the Icelandic Phallological Museum is now in the small fishing village of Húsavîk. It has a display of penises representing all of Iceland's mammals except humans (one is promised). As the museum closes for in season in mid-September, we didn't get a chance to go in. We should have come sooner.
The harbor at Húsavîk. Fishing is a major industry.
Húsavîk also has some great coastal scenery including a picturesque harbor. We lunched while on a crest overlooking the sea cliffs and the Arctic Ocean.
Unfortunately, with the Lake Mývatn trails and other features inaccessable and the road to Europe's highest waterfall closed for the season (It closed August 31st.) , we cut our trip to the north east short, left Akureyri, and headed to Reykjavîk.
Gullfoss, one of Iceland's spectacular waterfalls.
Iceland's 'Golden Triangle' north east of Reyjavîk consists of Gullfoss, the most majestic of Iceland's waterfalls; Geysir, the water-spouting geyser (the word originated here); and þingvellir, the historic meeting place of Europe's first parliament and a great place to see the rift which separates the North American tectonic plate from the European tectonic plate and drive from America to Europe without flooding one's engine.
It is the friction caused by these two plates moving against each other that creates the heat for Iceland's geothermal activity. Visiting the three is considered a day-trip from Reyjavîk.
Gullfoss and the Geyser Basin are close by; þingvellir is usually a short drive away. During our visit, the road from Geysir to þingvellir was under several feet of snow and to get from one to the other meant going back to the coast; a long way around. As we had been to þingvellur the previous year, we didn't go this trip.
The geyser basin, a geothermal area. The heat comes from the friction between the North American tectonic plate and the European tectonic plate as they move against each other.
Above is the geyser 'Strokkur.' It erupts about every five to ten minutes. 'Geysir,' the more famous geyser, hasn't erupted for decades. It last erupted in 2000 during an earthquake. We're not waiting around.
The Reykjanesbær Peninsula has many geothermal areas with lots of steam and bubbling pools of hot water.
There are many fumeroles. You can easily guess what they are.
Watch your step!
Another highly geothermal area is on the Reykjanesbær Peninsula, south west of Reykjavîk. We visited several sites including a bridge which connects the North American plate to the European plate. One can easily walk between the continents. As the plates are moving apart by a few inches each century, I guess that the bridge needs periodic adjustments. This movement in opposite directions must also account for the increases in airfares.
I am in Europe taking a picture of Sarah in North America. The chasm between us is part of the rift which is the boundary between the North American and European tectonic plates.
Sarah soaks in the therapeutic (?) waters of the geothermally heated 'Blue Lagoon.'
The Blue Lagoon is a major attraction on the Reykjanesbær Peninsula. Many people claim that the waters and mud have healing properties. It's warm when you're in, but when you get out it's a mad dash to the changing room. Slow-pokes are thawed out each spring.
Notice the lifeguard (upper right of the photo) dressed in arctic gear.
Maybe the waters really are magical: I felt the krónurs being pulled from my pocket.
Tomorrow, we're off to Paris.
To see the Paris portion of our trip, click here.
Regards,
Allen and Sarah
A new-style church in Stykkishòlmur.
On the drive from Stykkishòlmer to Akureyri, the Capital of the North, seeing Iceland's western fiords of Vatnsfjordur, cutting deep inland creating wonderous sights of frozen ponds and tidal flats, made the back-road adventure extra exciting, despite the slick ice-paved road. After some time, we reached Highway #1, the paved road that encircles Iceland, and made some good time and got to Akureyri shortly after nightfall (late afternoon).
Akureyri was to be our home-base for exploring north eastern Iceland and Lake Mývatn. One of its outstanding features is the modern church which towers over the city.
Volcanic crater at Lake Mývatn.
We came to the nationally protected Lake Mývatn area in the north west for hiking and other outdoor activities. We didn't expect the trails to be under several feet of snow so early in the season. As the term 'mývatn' refers to the midge, a gnat which breeds in the lake (They breed like flies.), one can imagine hordes of these creatures filling the summer air. Maybe we were better off just looking during the cold season which seems to be all year except for July and August.
The road less travelled.
This is the road that we drove from Lake Mývatn to Húsavîk, a village on the coast. As far as surface conditions were concerned, this road was better than some, worse than others. When it get snowy, only the yellow markers (see photo above) lets one know where it's 'road' and 'not road.'
An historic church in Húsavîk.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum is now in Húsavîk
Formerly in Reykjavîk, the Icelandic Phallological Museum is now in the small fishing village of Húsavîk. It has a display of penises representing all of Iceland's mammals except humans (one is promised). As the museum closes for in season in mid-September, we didn't get a chance to go in. We should have come sooner.
The harbor at Húsavîk. Fishing is a major industry.
Húsavîk also has some great coastal scenery including a picturesque harbor. We lunched while on a crest overlooking the sea cliffs and the Arctic Ocean.
Unfortunately, with the Lake Mývatn trails and other features inaccessable and the road to Europe's highest waterfall closed for the season (It closed August 31st.) , we cut our trip to the north east short, left Akureyri, and headed to Reykjavîk.
Gullfoss, one of Iceland's spectacular waterfalls.
Iceland's 'Golden Triangle' north east of Reyjavîk consists of Gullfoss, the most majestic of Iceland's waterfalls; Geysir, the water-spouting geyser (the word originated here); and þingvellir, the historic meeting place of Europe's first parliament and a great place to see the rift which separates the North American tectonic plate from the European tectonic plate and drive from America to Europe without flooding one's engine.
It is the friction caused by these two plates moving against each other that creates the heat for Iceland's geothermal activity. Visiting the three is considered a day-trip from Reyjavîk.
Gullfoss and the Geyser Basin are close by; þingvellir is usually a short drive away. During our visit, the road from Geysir to þingvellir was under several feet of snow and to get from one to the other meant going back to the coast; a long way around. As we had been to þingvellur the previous year, we didn't go this trip.
The geyser basin, a geothermal area. The heat comes from the friction between the North American tectonic plate and the European tectonic plate as they move against each other.
Above is the geyser 'Strokkur.' It erupts about every five to ten minutes. 'Geysir,' the more famous geyser, hasn't erupted for decades. It last erupted in 2000 during an earthquake. We're not waiting around.
The Reykjanesbær Peninsula has many geothermal areas with lots of steam and bubbling pools of hot water.
There are many fumeroles. You can easily guess what they are.
Watch your step!
Another highly geothermal area is on the Reykjanesbær Peninsula, south west of Reykjavîk. We visited several sites including a bridge which connects the North American plate to the European plate. One can easily walk between the continents. As the plates are moving apart by a few inches each century, I guess that the bridge needs periodic adjustments. This movement in opposite directions must also account for the increases in airfares.
I am in Europe taking a picture of Sarah in North America. The chasm between us is part of the rift which is the boundary between the North American and European tectonic plates.
Sarah soaks in the therapeutic (?) waters of the geothermally heated 'Blue Lagoon.'
The Blue Lagoon is a major attraction on the Reykjanesbær Peninsula. Many people claim that the waters and mud have healing properties. It's warm when you're in, but when you get out it's a mad dash to the changing room. Slow-pokes are thawed out each spring.
Notice the lifeguard (upper right of the photo) dressed in arctic gear.
Maybe the waters really are magical: I felt the krónurs being pulled from my pocket.
Tomorrow, we're off to Paris.
To see the Paris portion of our trip, click here.
Regards,
Allen and Sarah
posted by Allen and Sarah at 3:44 PM
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