Iceland made me contemplate the intense beauty and power of the earth. It evokes a sense of fear and reverence.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík. I cannot spell it no matter how many times I see it. Do you have words like that? Reykjavík. My mind can’t make sense of that word! It means "smokey bay." But what the Vikings meant to call it was "steamy bay" because of the steam rising from geothermal pools that are scattered around Iceland.
I headed down Rainbow Street to explore the downtown's museums, including one with an original Viking longhouse. These guys must have been disgustingly tough. It's freaking cold in Iceland. I cannot believe they came in on a ship and were like, "Yes, we should settle here." The landscapes are breathtaking but unforgiving. Wood was limited, and they had to use rocks and turf to build houses.
The Golden Circle and the Southern Coast
Darcy and Brenda planned our Icelandic adventure, and I'm so thankful. Otherwise, I'd be stuck taking tours out of Reykjavík (still can't spell it), too scared to drive in unpredictable weather. It was fun to be traveling again with my Canadian buddies!
We started on the Golden Circle with Þingvellir National Park. It was originally a meeting place for different clans that first settled on the island and acted as the first sort of parliament. You walk through a giant gorge and can see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate move apart at a rate of 2.5 centimeters per year.
Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall) is MASSIVE. It was almost dammed by a businessman to use for hydroelectricity but was protected by local people. This thing is seriously powerful, and it makes sense that it is such a popular tourist attraction.
Nearby was a geothermal field where we watched geysers swirl, bubble, burp, and erupt into the sky every seven minutes or so. It's strange, but at this moment, I felt guilty for ignoring Mother Nature. She was so present everywhere in Iceland, and I was always aware of her, especially beneath my feet at the geysers. She is alive and feisty, and we humans are treating her badly.
We stayed at quaint little cottages with no light pollution and could see all the stars. You all know I’m obsessed with the night sky and the Starwalk app. I was mesmerized by how clear the constellations and planets were; Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Mars, Jupiter, Andromeda, and so many more were visible.
Dark, clear nights were perfect for aurora-watching. We turned off all the lights, posted up at various spots, and stared out the windows hoping to get a glimpse of her. It didn't happen that night, but we saw her the next couple of nights. Aurora, the thick, green bend in the black sky. She doesn't appear to move, but that's her magic act, tricking your brain into thinking she's somewhere else. The aurora has been on my bucket list for quite some time, and I was elated to see it in this year of fulfilling my travel desires.
You can hike behind the Seljalandfoss waterfall and observe from behind the veil. It was quite slippery and wet. Farther down the path, there is a hidden waterfall, only accessible by hopping rocks through a large stream in a cavern. Some people hesitated to go in, but Brenda and I were so used to being completely wet and marching through mud and water on the West Highland Way that we did not blink twice at this. That was an invigorating experience, and I was pleased with my new hiking boots staying completely dry!
Reyisfjara Beach was magical. The basalt columns stood tall while I watched the sunset, and the moon rise and experienced the black sand running through my fingers. The waves look harmless at first but have surprised tourists trying to get a photo and have claimed many lives this way.
Visiting the icebergs at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon was surreal. The afternoon light was catching the icebergs, and seals were popping in and out of the water, dodging swirling currents from the tide. The lagoon is part of Vatnajökull National Park and is home to the Vatnajökull Glacier. It is the largest glacier in Iceland and covers 1/10 of the country. Nearby is the otherworldly Diamond Beach. You can see chunks of icebergs melting and washing up on the beach, where shiny pieces catch the light and look like small diamonds scattered in the black sand.
Swimming in the Blue Lagoon was one of my favorite experiences. It is super touristy, and there are many other geothermal pools to choose from. However, I loved it and would go back again and again. If you can find a quiet spot, it can be relaxing. The steamy, light blue water and silica-covered rocks make for quite the scenery.
I guess we just couldn't get enough hiking because it happened in Iceland, too. This was my first time using crampons and an ice pick. I was very scared of falling, but I didn't! We hiked on the Falljokull Glacier with a guide and explored an ice cave. Roberto told us locals can nearly SEE the glacier rapidly melting—there has been a significant amount of ice loss in the last 28 years. He pointed out the ice lines on the mountainside, where you could see how old the ice was. My favorite part was filling my water bottle with pure glacier water. It sparkled like it was from a water bottle commercial and tasted amazing!
On our last day, we walked along cooled lava from the Fagradalsfjall Volcano that erupted. It still had gases leaking out of it! We also crossed the Bridge Between Continents. One side is the Eurasian Plate, and the other is the North American Plate, and they are slowly moving away from each other I wish kids in science class could experience this because the tectonic plates come alive!
Fun Facts About Iceland
There are many lists of this sort on the interwebs, but I am taking from my knowledge and the knowledge gleaned from our wonderful city walk tour guide, Thomas.
Genetics. Thomas said Iceland was #1 in genetics studies, and it’s not because they’re smart. Who said Icelanders didn't have a sense of humor?! For real, they are a homogenous group of people, and incest is an issue. So much so that Icelanders have to be very careful about who they date because they are related. A safe gap is someone at least five generations back. It's quite handy that they can trace their ancestry back seven generations to the Vikings and look up their lineage in the Book of Icelanders. The island was isolated for 3,000 years, so they kept track of everyone! Similarly, there is a Book of Settlements that describes what early life was like for the newly settled Vikings.
Iceland is treeless. Forty percent of Iceland was covered in birch forests. Now there are virtually no trees, but not for the reasons you might think. When the Vikings brought sheep to Iceland, the sheep ate all the vegetation. They devoured the roots around trees so much that new trees couldn't grow. Iceland had to import wood to build anything (remember the turf houses). Now, houses are made from corrugated metal, a law enacted after a fire took out most of Reykjavík, totaling 10 houses.
Daylight hours are short during the winter because Iceland sits inside the Arctic Circle. 1 in 10 Icelanders experiences symptoms of depression, which can be linked to the long winters and lack of daylight (https://borgenproject.org/mental-health-in-iceland/).
Swimming is a thing. There are 45 hot springs and 200 swimming pools. I gathered that it's also social. Thomas said some of his friends go to the pool twice a day!
It's super safe. There are few policemen ( I saw just one the entire time I was there) and low crime rates. People leave their babies in strollers OUTSIDE a store to nap in the fresh air while they run errands or have a coffee. There is no security anywhere, even outside Parliament, which is like their White House.
It is super expensive. One Krona is .00069 USD—now that's sticker shock! We stuck to the local grocery stores (NOT the small tourist grocery stores), and that made eating manageable. Thank god Brenda can cook!
The Icelandic language is old, and they don’t adopt new words. Though Icelandic came from the Vikings, Iceland kept the traditional language while other Scandinavian countries adopted their own languages. That's why Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes can understand each other but cannot understand Icelanders. It's pretty cool that Icelanders are brought in to read old Nordic texts because only they can understand them!
There are no family names. The naming method is very traditional. A male child's last name is their father's name plus "son." A female child's last name is their father's name plus "dottir" ("daughter"). No one in the family would have the same surname, and this has admittedly caused problems in the modern day.
Beer was banned until 1989. Turns out that because of seasonal depression, Icelanders turned to the bottle too much, and alcoholism was a real problem. Beer is still the most heavily taxed alcohol, and you can only buy alcohol to take home at the airport or at a special government store. I found a cool craft beer bar that was delicious, but when I saw the bill, I wondered if I needed my eyes checked
The whole city runs on geothermal energy. They've figured out how to harness the endless energy beneath the ground, so heating is very cheap in Iceland. Some pipes run the hot water through the city and even under some sidewalks and roads to keep them snow-free. They joke that it's the only cheap thing in Iceland. If they get too hot inside, Icelanders would rather open a window than turn the heat down. That's my kind of thinking!
Funky foods. If heat is the only cheap thing, then hot dogs are the only affordable food. The Icelandic hot dog is DIVINE. It is a pork dog with MAGIC brown mayonnaise, raw onions, and crispy onions. Skyr yogurt hits differently there, and it's addicting. They also eat a lot of dried fish (which I disliked). Oh, and they eat ice cream all year round.
Iceland was one of the coolest places I have ever experienced and where you can truly feel the power of the earth and Mother Nature. Now, I'm headed for a respite and to cat-sit in the land of tapas, siestas, and flamenco! xx Rachel