- The Nordic Sojourn 2022 — start of trip
- Western Norway — Fjords, mountains, and a lot of rain!
- Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and start of the cruise
- Magdalenefjorden and Gravneset
- Texas Bar and…
- Arctic pack ice and polar bears — what a day!
- Ny London, Ny Alesund, and the massive glacier!
- Poolepynten and fin whales!
- Northeast Greenland National Park and Scoresby Sound
- Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland
- Patreksfjordur, Iceland and the bird cliff
- Reykjavik and the start of our Icelandic sojourn
- The Golden Circle, Iceland
- Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
- Westman Islands, Iceland
- The South Coast and Waterfalls, Iceland
- Vatnajökull National Park — Svartifoss, Skaftafell and Glacier Lagoon Jokulsarlon, Iceland
- The East Fjords, Iceland
- Working our way north — canyons, wastelands, fumaroles, pseudo craters and lakes!
- The Diamond Circle
- Akureyri, a breakdown, and a detour
- VR Viking battle, Glaumbær, Icelandic horses, and back to Reykjavik
- Husafell
- Into the Volcano!
Today we were off on our second day trip out of Reykjavik, this time to the Reykjanes Peninsula. But the surroundings could not be more different than what we saw in Reykjavik or the Golden Circle. Unlike the lush vegetation in the Golden Circle, the Reykjanes Peninsula was formed by volcanoes and glaciers, leaving the surface covered with giant basalt lava fields. It’s almost like a moonscape! And this is an ongoing process, with lots of volcanic activity starting in 2020 after nearly 800 years of inactivity. In fact, the biggest volcano in the area (Fagradalsdall) had erupted in early August and literally stopped the day before we arrived in Iceland. Geologically, this is the youngest area of Iceland with a volcanic belt (including a hot spot) and plate tectonics doing their work. Apparently, in the lead up to the most recent eruption, there were dozens of earthquakes that rattled not only local residents, but also those in Reykjavik. Because of all of this activity, the entire Reykjanes Peninsula is a UNESCO Global Geopark.
We started our exploration of the peninsula at the “Bridge Between Continents,”a 50 foot footbridge that spans the fissure between the North American and Eurasian plates. It was built as a symbol for the connection between Europe and North America. On each side the bridge, welcome signs are posted for their respective sides of the plates. Of course, the touristy thing to do there is to “bridge the gap” between the continents with everyone holding hands across the sand-filled crevasse below. A variation on that is to have everyone hold their hands up to appear to be holding up the bridge. And yes, we did both…
Nearby, we visited the Reykjanesviti, the oldest lighthouse in Iceland. Well, actually that’s not quite true. This is the second lighthouse on this overall site, with the original being built on Valahnúkur hill nearby in 1878. And Valahnúkur is really what we came to see here. This hill juts out from the peninsula and is surrounded with 1-3 foot diameter rounded stones that form the rocky beach below. From there, Eldey Island is visible which was the home of many sea birds, including the Great Auk. Sadly, the last pair of these beautiful birds was killed by in 1844 and a statue of a Great Auk is a memorial to their loss. There is one other oddity in this area — two electric pianos that mark the exact spot where Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams performed “Volcano Man” for the movie “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.” This movie was a huge for Iceland and we will be visiting the major film setting in Husavik next week.
From there, we made a brief stop at the Gunnuhuver Geothermal Area, with its many mud pools and steam vents. Legend has it that this area is haunted by an angry female ghost (Gudrun) whose spirit was trapped in the hot springs by a priest around 400 years ago. What is different about the steam vent here is that it spouts 100% seawater, unlike the rest of the steam vents around the country that spew largely fresh water. The sulfur smell was pretty rich and some of our group walked through the steam cloud. Of course, the 30 credits of chemistry I took in college reminded me that the hydrogen sulfide coming the fumaroles mixed with water yields sulfuric acid — something I was not interested in breathing in…
The highlight of the day was our visit to the Blue Lagoon. The geothermal seawater here comes from a nearby power plant and is mixed with freshwater to cool it down. The water contains a combination of silica, algae, and minerals. The spa really came into being after an entrepreneur noticed that workers from the power plant were bathing in what was thought to be poisonous water and some who had skin diseases appeared to be getting cured (at least that is the story we were told!). Today this spa is a machine, receiving over one million visitors per year. Our group opted for the premium package that provided 3 facial products and a drink at the swim up bar while enjoying our soak. I have to say it was pretty wonderful!
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
