Friday, November 30, 2007
DAY 5: Reykjavik Grand Tour
Now that we had used up all our energy on walking on a glacier and going to Greenland for the day, we kept it light on Day 5... a bus trip around the capital of Iceland.
First stop was at a modern church (Hallgrimskirkaja) which had a statue of Leif Erikson (donated by the US government, acknowledging his discovery of North America) in the front. It was near a Masonic temple which piqued my interest (found out later the Masons have had a presence since the early 1900s).
Past the harbor (highlight: boat painted gold which was to be a disco in the Caribbean but now just abandoned), past the house (Höfði) where Regan and Gorbachev met in 1986... wait is that a McDonald's?... to the Pearl (Perlan). The Pearl is a rotating restaurant/giftstore on top of six hot water containers. Only five of the containers hold hot water for Reykjavik residents, the other one contains a viking museum. The view from the observation deck was fantastic and of course, windy.
The last stop was the National Museum of Iceland. We were not permitted to take photos of the artifacts (except for the room where you could try on traditional viking dress... Great photo of Lucky with a sword and helmet!) and many of the areas were dimly lit to protect the items. Instead of taking the bus back to the depot after 15 minutes, we opted to stay at the Museum to get a free guided tour. Honestly, it's what made the bus trip worth it (the rest seemed very touristy).
Our guide had a woolen cape and a pointer, and with her bright red hair seemed very much like an instructor at Hogwart's! The museum was well mapped out, starting from when the country was first inhabited to the switch to Christianity to current day (WWII items to Björk albums).
We walked back to our hotel, stopping to get some Chinese food. As some of you might know, it's a thing I do when I travel)... But we only got wonton soup. At $10, it was the most I was willing to spend on my whim. We ate it at the hotel with my leftovers from the Thai restaurant.
Finished with lunch, we ventured back out and noticed some luggage in the foyer... It was Franz Ferdinand's! The band was staying in the hotel and were going to be performing Friday night... Alas, we were leaving Friday afternoon.
We used the valuable tourism guide with the coupons in the back for another "cheaper" meal at Cafe Victor. A lovely seafood risotto and fish & chips. Mostly tourists in the restaurant, perhaps since it was near many hotels. It was the first time we had been close to any American tourists and wowee! I think it was the walking and TALKIN' Texas sterotype lady at the table next to us which made us cringe the most.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
DAY 3: Þingvellir
The last stop on the Golden Circle tour was the most spectacular. Thingvellir is a national park which has been added to the list of World Heritage (certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and as such should form part of the common heritage of humankind). It is where the Vikings first met as a government. The volcanic ridges caused by the continental shifts have changed the area a bit since the last millennium but you can feel the awe that they must have felt years ago. Because it is protected, the park has almost no buildings around... nature's hug is a bit strange since we now come from a place where you are never away from the sound of cars, airplanes, and mini-malls. Again, a feeling with an intensity that really can not be described
How do you finish such a spectacular day? Go out for tapas!
The day before, one of the British couples recommended a restaurant because of a coupon. A discount in Iceland? Considering the price of eating out, we took advantage of this offer... spending "only" around $100. Among the many dishes... kangaroo and puffin (served with a blueberry sauce). Everything was delicious... the puffin had a smooth beefy taste. It's a traditional meal in Iceland and Greenland. If you are in Reykjavik, you definitely have to visit Tapas.
END OF DAY 3
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
DAY 3: Geyser
Next stop was the Geysirs of Haukadalur.
Geysir is the one which all geysers all named after (accounts date back to 1294). It used to be a magnificent sight, spouting upwards to 60 meters. Now it rarely erupts... in order for it to show off, tons of detergent are dumped down the shaft, but due to environmental reasons they don't do that anymore. Strokkur (meaning "The Churn") is a two minute walk from the granddaddy of them all and we "made due" with Strokkur's 20 meter burst every five minutes or so. Lucky was amused by the bunches of people surrounding Strokkur in complete silence with cameras positioned just right.
There were plenty of other geysers and hot springs in the area which is prone to earthquakes. The earthquakes affect the activity of these natural phenomenons. A museum in the gift shop demonstrated the most recent earthquake. It also had a nice display about farming in the late 19th/early 20th century.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
DAY 3: Remember to Kiss
The Gullfoss (or Golden Falls) is one of the biggest fall(s) I have ever seen. This photo is from a viewing stand far up and away from the falls.
Someone had written "Remember to Kiss" on the barrier, and we did :)
Icelanders seem to believe in the Darwin Theory, and there were only guide ropes on the path to the waterfall. The path is narrow and occasionally wet from the spray. But the payoff is big... being able to be at the edge of the first fall (topleft corner of the photo; the second one plunges down a ravine and is harder to see from close up.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
DAY 3: The Golden Circle
After walking in the rain on a glacier, we took the next day pretty easy. The fact that we were almost 30 years younger than the average tourist on the bus would give you some idea.
The Golden Circle is THE touristy thing to do (other than the Blue Lagoon) since it shows off many of Iceland's natural wonders.
First stop was in the town of Hveragerði, a town built around the industry of "greenhouse vegetables." The tomatoes that we ate every morning came from this town... a weird orangy, thin skinned,sweet-sour tasting fruit er...,vegetable, as did the more normal tasting cucumbers. This town of barely 2,000 also grows the most bananas in Europe.
This stop was primarily a tourist trap... we stayed for about 45 minutes to use the "facilities" and buy plastic trolls, postcards, etc at the Eden-themed giftshop/restaurant. It was filled with fellow Golden Circle-ists (two buses full).
We were in the German/English tour bus so everything was said in duplicate. I warned Lucky that I might accidentally talk to him in German because I could hear in my head the merging of languages that happens whenever I'm immersed in German. The seats were very cramped and I seriously considered switching to the other bus but luckily we didn't...
On the way to our next stop, the other tour bus somehow got into an accident with a compact car and was delayed waiting for it all to be sorted out.
That stop was Kerith (Kerið)...a volcanic crater lake. It was amazing. The water is a stunning turquoise blue and the red rock was covered with moss and lichen.
Day 3: Part 1
Monday, November 19, 2007
DAY 4: Culture
After buying our pricy goodies at the gift shop, we walked down to the bay for a cultural demonstration.
First, a Greenlander traditionally dressed, complete with sealskin boots and a drum made from polar bear stomach, performed a drum dance. Although most drum performances are now done for tourists, the drum is still considered to be a important part of the Greenlander culture. Drum dance was how their history and lore were passed down. This particular story is about a raven and goose that fall in love during the Greenland summer. When it's time for the geese to migrate, the raven decides to go with the goose. He will rest on the goose's back when breaks needed to be taken since ravens can't swim. But across the ocean, the goose remembers that the raven can't be trusted since his kind steal goose eggs and doesn't let the raven rest. The ravens eventually drowns. (Reminds me off the Silverstein boa constrictor poem).
Then another local demonstrated traditional spear fishing in a kayak. A kayak is especially made for the owner, based on the size and height of the person so that it is as balanced and watertight as possible.
DAY 4: Part 3
Sunday, November 18, 2007
DAY 4: Kulusuk
As we walked from the airport to the village of Kulusuk, we could hear the yapping of the dogs. After a few minutes, we were able to walk up a hill near the cemetery to see the village in the distance... small, brightly painted houses.
The cemetery had lots of plain white crosses. There were no names on the grave markers because, although most of the Inuits had converted to Christianity in the last century, there was still some remnants of their "pagan" religion. One being that, a person is made of three parts: the spirit, the body, and the name. When someone dies, his spirit goes on, his body decays, but his name is still alive.
The village was pretty small; perhaps 30 houses. Most of the residents stayed inside, except for some children playing ball. The general store was similar to one in the Poconos, complete with a gun rack (except this one had lots of dried fish jerky). The gift shop was different though... you could take home a polar bear skull, seal skin, or do as we did and get a tinyhandcarved polar bear made from reindeer horn (and a bracelet made from sealskin and gut).
Day 3: Part 2
Monday, November 12, 2007
DAY 2: Waterfall
We finally nestled into our seats on the van. Maybe nestled isn't the right word... squooshed in is more like it. My hair was wet, my clothes were wet, my shoes were wet... my husband and his backpack were wet.
Luckily, one of the other couples had some Harðfiskur to share and distract us from our soggy tushies. Not the tastiest thing in the world... the dried fish slowly expands in the mouth when met with saliva and gets spongy. The smell is extremely fishy catfood-esque. Apparently it's popular with Icelanders as a snackie or as trail food. I wonder what food that's popular in Jersey would get a strange reaction from tourists... Taylor ham, fried hotdogs?
On the way back, we were treated to the chance of seeing Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall was made famous in Amazing Race 6 (one of the worst kept secrets prior to the airing... Considering that there are only 300,000 people on the entire island, and most live in the Reykjavik area, anyone who doesn't look like a local is going to stand out!)
The waterfall is gorgeous to look at, glacier water cascading down 60 meters off what used to by the former coastline thousands of years ago but it has a great bonus. After doing some light rock scrambling, you can actually go behind the waterfall. As you can see from the photo below, the cliff is hollowed out by about 30 feet. It was an amazing site.
What amazed me was that not everyone went behind the waterfall... some didn't even leave the bus! They definitely missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Shame on them.
::END OF DAY 2::
Saturday, November 10, 2007
DAY 2: Glacier Walk
We woke up early on Monday, put on our thermals, winter wear, and waterproof jackets, and made our sandwiches. Then went down to breakfast. It wasn't as expansive as the one the day before (which had herring, eggs, sausage, and crepes that you made yourself) but definitely filling. I fell in love with the bread that was similar to the wonderstuff but fresher and grainier.
A minivan picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the bus terminal where we met us with the rest of the adventurers. Half of them were going to go snowmobiling on the glacier; the other half joining Lucky and I on the walk. We were the only Americans. Another couple was from Australia, two from England, and others from other European countries. A couple of people commented how "prepared" we were which kinda surprised us... I mean really, it's rainy, we're about to walk up a big hunka ice, wouldn't you want to be prepared?
After a few hours, we arrived at our destination, a dingy grey-aired place with gritty black gravel and spongy, mud moss (the Solheimajokull glacial tongue of the Myrdalsjokull Glacier, the southern most, and fourth largest glacier in Iceland). A river streamed past us filled with water coming from a glacier cave, and frozen rain pelted our faces. We were greeted by our guide in a bright orange skisuit. He geared us up with crampons (which were attached to our hiking boots), and ice-axes. Those who were wearing fashion sneakers and no rain gear... or thin plastic ponchos (hello, you are on a trip to Iceland. Do you not read about the weather?) received spare leather hiking boots and better rain gear. And he taught us the basics about walking up and down the glacier.
Up was not a problem, but down was a complete different story. You have to trust the crampons, bend your knees and put your balance point behind you like if you're on rollerblades. But that fear of falling which doesn't allow me to stop while using blades (I step onto the grass to stop) made me had some mini panic attacks.
But up and onward we walked, stomp stomp... legs wide so there's no accidental spiking of the calves, hand on the top of the ax so there's no accidental swinging into a fellow adventurer. Watching out for crumbling ice and crevices. Occasionally, we would go by a large mound of black rock. But it wasn't really rock, just a mound of ice that had been covered by volcanic soot. That soot would eventually travel down the glacier in a stream. Yes, glacier water isn't exactly what the marketing departments of aqua refreshment companies lead you to believe!
We only went about 4 miles or so, but the ice cold rain which not only hit our faces, also eventually soaked down into my socks which soaked my "waterproof hiking sneakers." Plus somewhere along the line, I realllly needed to go to the bathroom (ya, that didnt happen) and I also started to feel a bit faint. Luckily, we had brought some water and licorice (which was rock-hard) so that I could bring my blood sugar back to normal.
Our guide would stop us every 15 minutes or so to show us large crevices... endless pits, some with waterfalls, others glowing with "blue ice." BTW, "blue ice" isn't really blue; all the air bubbles have been squeezed out and so it's actually clear. It's blue for the same reason that the ocean is blue (something about the red end of the color spectrum being cancelled out blah blah blah).
One of the coolest things was when the guide showed us these bubbles rising from a crevice filled with water. Those were air bubbles from about 70 years ago. Scientists are able to figure out what the air quality was like years and years ago by boring samples at different depths. One of the scariest things was finding out that there was a thermal lake under the glacier that would lift the top of the glacier and overflow into the valley (like boiling water in a pot). When that would happen was only a question of time.
I now see earth and am a bit disappointed that trek is over; I finally had gotten my stride. But wait, the walking isn't over... the bus hasn't returned with the snowmobilers yet. And we're in a dead-cel area. So the guide takes us to the river and shows where the glacier used to start, (apparently this glacier goes back and forth in size but there is a greenhouse effect at work as well). Then back to the parking lot; still no van, and now it's starting to get cold since we aren't walking as much. So the guide gets us to walk down the road toward the backup parking lot about a mile down the road ("You walk, you get warm.") And perfect timing... the van arrives!
:: DAY 2: Part 1 of 2 ::
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
DAY 1: Blue Lagoon
Off the coast of the Reykjanes peninsula, we saw the largest gannet colony in the world (looked like a big rock covered with bird s**t, but all that was actually BIRDS... 70,000 of them). Eldey (also called Fire Island) is one of the many "famous" landmarks in Iceland. It was actually featured in the poster over our bed in the hotel!
The last stop on the tour was actually part of the package we had purchased through IcelandAir... the mandatory Blue Lagoon experience. The Blue Lagoon is a thermal water spa. Years ago, a man with eczema bathed in the waters released by the geothermal plant we had just visited. Apparently the still warm water mixed with the silica and other matter in the volcanic soil of the "lagoon" cured him of his skin ailment; and a homeopathic tourist attraction was born! (Although there were a lot of Icelanders there as well)
And now the Blue Lagoon Experience...When you enter, you must rent a towel ($6) unless you umm... acquired one at your hotel (Since we hadn't checked in yet, we didn't have that option). Then separate from your loved one and enter the gender-specific changing room. Change into your bathing attire, clean off in the shower (notice that Europeans are very comfortable in their own skin AND your body doesn't look bad comparatively), and coat your hair with conditioner (slather it on and don't rinse). Now walk outside. If you're lucky, it's not that cold. But no matter, you're stepping into a warm bath anyways. Careful not to slip on the "milk coated" rocks, you slowly get to about waist-high and start floating. Ahhhh.... If you'd like there some of the white mud some lucky worker got to scrape off the rocks that you can apply to your face or other parts of your body. It's supposed to make your skin silky smooth. Eh, didn't really work for me. Now the 45 minutes are up and you have to get cleaned up. Hey, your hair is feeling funny. How did that happen. Oh ya, you decided to float and your ponytail was soaking up that silica as great as it soaks up bleach. Shampoo and condition all you want... the next few days you're going to be wearing braided pigtails so that you don't go through with the urge to go all Britney on that hair. Consider taking some spa product home for your mom. First, gag at the prices ($10 for one bath tablet) and then consider it for later when told that at the terminal, you can save up to 30-50%.
Helga now drops us off at the Hotel Fron and we check in. We're upgraded to a lovely studio apartment (mini kitchen area with stove top and microwave, sink, pots, pans, etc) and a tv that doesn't get any reception (oh well). After a brief nap (we've been up for over 24 hours), we walk around and realize that talk about restaurants being bloody expensive was right! Finally we decide on a little Thai restaurant on a side street (meals were only $18 a person instead of $30). Still tired, and we're going to be doing the glacier walk the next day, so we call it "Sunday."
:: End of Day 1::
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
DAY 1: Reykjanes Lighthouse
Now you're saying to yourself... what could make this tour complete?
That's right, a hydropower plant! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out which one it is (will fix this post later). Helga had heard that the museum section of the plant was to have been finished in June and so wanted to see when it was really opening up. And of course, we were game.
It wasn't close to being finished. The mannequins were still wrapped up with bubble wrap looking like victims in one of the more twisted CSI episodes. We heard some noise upstairs and found artists working on creating planets. They were nice enough to give us a tour of the place, and dug that we were familiar with the "artistic process" and could really appreciate all the problems they had to deal with, etc. The artists were imported from England since working on creating scenery was their specialty. About 10% of the people living in Iceland are foreigners. They either do jobs that require specific skills but also just general construction (jobs that require lots of workers such as creating dams).
After leaving the soon-to-be museum/energy plant, we followed a path that led us to the ocean. The gravel path was occasionally spotted with grills so we could see the sulfuric water rushing underneath our feet (although knowing that it was boiling hot, I walked on the side when I started thinking to much about it). The water let out into the sea, making a bit of a sizzling noise when the hot thermal aqua hit the cold of the Atlantic Ocean. The steam was incredible and you could feel the heat. Definitely one of those "Not in Kansas anymore" moments.
We drove past the Reykjanes Lighthouse (or "viti" in Icelandic) on the way to yet another Icelandic landmark. Built in 1908, it's Iceland's oldest, and is the landfall light for Keflavik and Reykjavik. The original lighthouse stood only eight years before being destroyed by an earthquake in 1887. The area is pretty thermally active (you can see the steam in my photo) but it doesn't seem to bother the Icelandic horses.
:: End of Part 1A of 2 ::
fully admitting to lengthening the posts about our trip so I don't run out of things to say :)
Friday, November 02, 2007
DAY 1: Rainbow in Iceland
As promised, I'm finally blogging about our trip to Iceland.
Lucky and I arrived at Keflavik Airport at 6 AM GMT. We were met by our tour guide, Helga who drove us to a hotel to have breakfast and adapt to the time change before we got on a boat and see some whales.
Unfortunately, it was pouring on and off... and no one else was as adventurous. So no whale trip :(
Instead, Helga drove us around the Keflavik area on an impromptu tour. The Reykjanes Peninsula covered with lava fields. Low brush, moss and lichen sticking to the sooty rocks, with patches of green grasses. Mud pots (hot water gurgling to the top of the earth and mixing with the dirt) threatened to take over the gravel road.
We first visited the site of a future Viking village museum... see photo! It will have replicas of Viking buildings in the style of when Iceland was first colonized. Already some log and stone furniture has been created, and the outline of where a future longhouse will be built was laid out in stone. They are building the "museum" on the property of a 20th century turf house filled with old farm equipment (apparently sued to be rented out to tourists but now will be used for educational purposes. The boat in the photo sailed to Greenland, Newfoundland, and New York City back in 2000. The "Icelander" is an exact replica of an old Viking-ship called the "Gaukstad-ship" which was excavated from an ancient burial mound in Norway in 1882. The preserved ship was dated back to 870 AD, the time of the settlement of Iceland. It was brought back last year to be a part of the "museum" and will be moored in the river nearby (cranes in the distance). A whole rainbow appeared (with a duller one underneath) and we all raced around the area trying to capture it in its entirity (without falling down through the boggy moss).
Helga then hustled us in her little red compact to the abandoned Keflavik United States Naval Air Station. I remembered when I had last been to Iceland (TWO decades ago!) how the base had all these vehicles coming and going. Now, it was completely empty. Well, not completely... some of the buildings were being turned into housing for college students. The US/NATO closed the base with almost no warning back in 2006, leaving Iceland with no military protection but with a great place to show indoor "drive in movies" (the largest hanger was going to show "American Graffiti").
The "Leif the Lucky" Bridge spans the Alfagja rift valley (60 feet wide and 20 feet deep) near Grindavik that marks the boundary of the Eurasian and North American continental tectonic plates. It was built in 2002 as something to show the tourists, and was next on our "tour." My own Lucky and I kissed by where the two continents met, delighting in the science-kitsch. The continents are slowly separating but Iceland isn't splitting in two, because as soon as the split is deep enough, lava fills in, creating new land.
It was by this bridge, that we saw the most cairns (pyramids of rocks balanced on top of each other). Partly because people (like us) wanted to leave their mark. But also because many hiking trails were nearby. Since there aren't many trees in that area of Iceland, they use cairns to keep hikers on track.
::
END OF DAY 1, Part 1 of 2Labels: iceland
