Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Reykjavik, Iceland

After two days at sea it’s nice to be in port again—with the sun shining brightly.  Although it is very cold out here by the dock, warmer central Reykjavík is just a quick taxi ride away.  Taxis are metered and the driver will take almost any currency or credit card.  His meter has built-in currency conversion rates so there is no problem in paying in my remaining Norwegian Kroner (and a credit card on the way back).

I bundle up in t-shirt, shirt, two sweatshirts and a jacket—I should have brought gloves.  But my costume is a little over-kill since the temperature rises as soon as I get away from the water.  I spend this morning doing a short walking tour of central Reykjavik.  It is interesting that most homes are built of corrugated metal; the more expensive ones have a layer of stucco on top of the metal.  Homes are built up the sides of hills surrounding the city, most with lovely gardens and wonderful views.

 

 

After lunch back on the Eurodam I prepare for my afternoon excursion—“Photogenic Iceland.”  This is an intensive five-hour tour to visit some of the most scenic spots on the Reykjanes Peninsula, that juts out westward into the Atlantic south of Reykjavik.  First stop is a fish-drying frame, used as part of Iceland’s largest export—dried fish bones (don’t ask about the smell).  The tour guide was so happy and proud that this stop was available—it’s almost the end of the fishing season—that most of us on the tour didn’t want to puncture his balloon with our total lack of interest.

As we head south the terrain becomes more interesting, changing continuously from moss-covered green hills to moon-like fields of lava and boulders.  NASA astronauts trained for the moon missions in this part of Iceland since the terrain is the most-lunar-like they could find.

Further on glacial lakes of deep blue and green lap against black lava sand beaches.  The rift that separates the European and North American tectonic plates runs right through this area and I stand with one foot in each continent as we visit the Sultun geothermic site (you can’t quite do this in Istanbul unless you are in the middle of a suspension bridge).  This small area is full of bubbling hot lava beds that continuously spout and give off funnels of steam (along with that wonderful sulphuric smell).  If you have visited the northern part of Yellowstone Park you will get a sense of this terrain, although the colors here in Iceland are more muted than those in Wyoming.

We drive through scenes of lush farmland and small villages.  The world-famous Icelandic horses run free here.  They are part of a pure breed that goes back to the very first settlers of the land in 700 AD.  The breeding rules are very strict; if a horse leaves Iceland for any reason it can never come back and must either be settled or sold abroad.

We stop at a small fishing village to watch the last of the day’s catch being unloaded and then head to the westernmost point of the peninsula and the nearby lighthouse.  There is plenty of wild surf crashing against the rocks and black lava sand beaches, all watched over by a six-foot life-size statue of a Great Auk, a species now extinct.

From the lighthouse we drive a short distance to one of the most important tourist sites in all of Iceland—The Blue Lagoon.  Created from the exhaust steam of the nearby power plant, the Lagoon’s blue-white waters are gathered in a large pool with modern bathing facilities.  The water is supposed to have therapeutic value and there are many swimmers today who emerge from the waters covered in a thin layer of white silt.  But the sight of the blue-white water against the background of lava boulders is startlingly beautiful.  For those who wish to spend the day, there is a restaurant, snack bar, changing rooms, and—of course—souvenir shop.

From the Blue Lagoon, the coach takes a more direct route back to Reykjavik, passing Keflavik International Airport, several golf courses built by the American military during the Cold War, and growing suburbs with their shopping centers and high-rise apartments.  Our guide has been quite good, providing factual and interesting background at each of the stops.

The tour arrives back at the Eurodam just in time to dress for dinner and have a glass of champagne.