Reykjavik
The first 4 weeks of practice nursing have been unbelievably busy. Between practice nursing and my job, I worked 70 hrs the first week, then 65 the next week. In 25 days I had done 28 shifts, 5 of them double. Meantime Tor Idar is training 10 hours a week(his goal is the Trondheim - Oslo bicycle race in June), next to his part-time job and most of the house work, including carrying firewood and shoveling snow. Exhausted we took 5 days off, left the girls to take care of the farm, and vacated to Iceland.
Hallgrim's Church.
The first impression on coming out of the airport was of a country bare of snow, above freezing temperatures and a light rain. Amazing! We haven't had above-freezing temps since beginning of December! Too stingy to order buss tickets all the way to the hotel we dragged our suitcases up the hill from the buss station (Isn't Reykjavik flat?) At the top of the hill was Hallgrims church, an amazing structure with a statue of a viking in front. Apparently one of the best views in Reykjavik can be had from the top of the tower, however we were told the church is closed for repairs - until march. From the church the road descends steeply toward the harbor into the old town. There, nearly at the bottom we found our hotel, surrounded by restaurants, fashion shops and jewelry stores. There are also many shops selling crafts: knitted goods, pottery etc. The jewelry is nice too: a lot of it viking inspired, or made with lava.
We had dinner at a bistro just down the street. They make the most amazing salads: Tor Idar had a salad of greens, tomato, peppers, cucumber, big slices of mozzarella, shrimps and a rosette of smoked salmon in the middle. Mine was greens, red onion, cucumber, peppers, grapes, melon and chicken with satay sauce.
Town Hall and pond
It was open Museum night and the light festival with which the Icelanders welcome back the sun. As we walked through the town in the rain, we found a wind band and choir were gathered under the overhanging roof outside the entry to the town hall. This building looks as though it rises out of the surrounding pond which is full of ducks, geese and swans. We hung around for awhile, but nothing happened so we started to go on. Suddenly there was a loud noise and the show began. The pillars rising out of the water were lit up by a show of colored spotlights (a passerby told us that the light show was designed by a Mexican artist). Then Icelandic poetry boomed over the town followed by singing and music, all broadcast from a huge loudspeaker hanging on a crane.
We eventually found the Iceland national museum which was the one we most wanted to see. Ballet dancers (from a community ballet school?) were placed in the foyer, along the staircases and here and there in the museum. They stood like statues, then danced to music coming from the foyer. When the ballet was over a mens choir began to sing Icelandic folk songs and hymns. The museum, which depicted the history of Iceland from the first settlers in 870 to the present was very interesting. I was especially interested in the viking and medieval history and culture of Iceland.
On Saturday we wandered around town during the morning. We wanted to see by daylight what we had missed last night in the dark. So we revisited the pond and fed the birds, having saved a roll from breakfast for just that purpose. The ducks were so quick to grab the bread that the only way for the swans to get any was to hand feed them.
We then went down to the harbor and tried to find the Settlement museum, but were unsuccessful. Behind the town hall is an archaeological excavation of a viking long-house dating back to about 870 - perhaps the original settlement built by Ingolfur Arnason, who came from Norway, the first Viking to settle in Iceland.
Ingolfur Arnason
At 12:30 the bus picked us up to take us caving. This was not one of those lighted up caves with walkways, ropes and mood music. This was putting a headlamp on your helmet, putting on overalls and gloves and climbing into a hole in the ground. The cave was about a km long. and divided into 2 tunnels at one point. These tunnel caves are made of when parts of a lava stream harden more quickly than other parts. The floor was fairly smooth. The Stalagmites and Stalactites tiny and anything and everything could only be seen by the light of the headlamp on the helmet. About half way down the cave there can still be seen the skeleton of a lamb that wandered in and got lost there. This is where we turned back, taking the other branch of the place that divided. At the end of a short tunnel we all sat down and turned off our lamps, tuning in to the absolute dark and the silence. The tunnel leading out had several places where you had to crawl on hands and knees and one where you practically had to creep on your stomach. The mouth of the exit was just opposite the mouth of the entry, separated by only a couple of meters.
Entrance to the cave
Back in town after caving we decided to have some more coffee before leaving for the blue lagoon. We had read that Iceland is famous for their coffee and that they have a chain called Kaffitår - the Icelandic equivalent to Starbucks. The coffee was indeed really quite good, but nothing like the cafe mocha at Cafe Rot, a little hole in the wall near the bus station! The place was furnished with sofas and armchairs around coffee tables as well as small ordinary tables with chairs. In one corner was a chess set. Both times we went there people came to play chess. There was also a bookcase full of books - all in Icelandic unfortunately. Sort of a youth-club atmosphere, but boy could they make coffee!
The Blue Lagoon
In the evening we visited the Blue Lagoon. This is an absolute must. The blue lagoon was created when the geo-thermal power plant tried pumping their surplus hot water into the ground, expecting it to dry or drain away or something. Instead the silica in the water which consists of 2/3 seawater and 1/3 fresh water, sedimented out and created a lagoon of a light blue/green color. The color is the result of blue algae and minerals. It is very healthy to bathe in and the temperature is between 35 and 40 degrees centigrade: like a hot bath. When you get too hot you can get up and let the cool wind and rain or snow cool you down. It was absolutely fantastic.
Sunday we had reserved for exploring Reykjavik. It was no longer raining and we could see the mountains surrounding the town, though capped with clouds. It looked as though they had gotten a dusting of snow during the night. It was fairly windy though. The problem for us is that we are early-to-bed, early-to-risers, and in Reykjavik nothing opens until 10 or 11 am. Especially on a Sunday. So we walked along the pond, and by the old cemetery which I wanted to explore, but Tor Idar wouldn't let me - he said it would be disrespectful - until we came to the sea. There we walked along the bicycle path, listening to the waves breaking against the shore and admiring the rich peoples houses that overlooked the bay. We wanted to check out the swimming beach we had heard about. They have carted in a bunch of sand (there was a family there building sand castles). Every day in the summer, and 2-3 hrs 3X a week in the winter they pump geo-thermal water into a little inlet so that people can swim in 20 - 25 C degree water. The beach is free too, but we missed it. Too bad.
The beach
Our next stop was the Pearl (which didn't open until 12). A glass dome set on 6 hot water tanks. One of the tanks is empty and houses the Saga museum where various scenes of Iceland viking and medieval history are portrayed with irritating sound effects that grate on your nerves. The lowest level of the dome is a cafe. The coffee was awful, but the cake was scrumptious: a huge slice of layers of chocolate cake with berry flavored cream between two layers and Irish coffee flavored cream between the other two and an icing of chocolate and caramel with chocolate shavings... You can walk around the entire dome and get amazing views of Reykjavik in all directions.
The Pearl
Instead of taking the bus to the suburb where the fairy paths are, we ended up walking back to town because now the museums were opening. Iceland likes it's statues. They are everywhere! Outside the pearl are these. Perhaps they depict the fairy people. Icelanders are among the few people who don't deny the existence of elves and fairies - the hidden folk.
Back in town we visited the national art gallery (it was free). The art was extremely modern. I couldn't really relate to most of it. We finally found the Settlement museum but decided not to spend the money. They had some exhibits for free, but seeing the actual excavation cost money and we had seen enough viking stuff by then. We had dinner at a restaurant which was known for using organic ingredients. I had a delicious lamb dinner. It was served with a baked potato and sautéed zucchini, mushrooms and peppers.
The main shopping street on which our hotel was.
Monday we were having gale force winds and snow flurries. We spent the morning shopping. I was looking for a longish sweater of Icelandic wool to wear with tights. Also bought Icelandic wool cap and gloves as a valentines gift for Tor Idar, and socks made of angora rabbit wool (also produced in Iceland) as presents to take home. And at a cafe called Tio Dråpar we has the absulutely best coffee ever! Cafe moccha again (I like the combination of coffee and chocolate) it was creamy and mild with just the right sweetness! Spent the afternoon in the bus, driving around and sightseeing in the southwest part of Iceland.
Thingvellir
This is the place where the Chieftains of Iceland would meet every year to pass judgment and enact laws, from 930 - 1210. Thing (council) vellir (fields) was by a river to ensure water to all the participants. The fields lie in the rift between the American and the European continental plateaus, which move apart about an inch pr year.
The golden Falls
This is an amazing two tiered waterfall and you can see the ice formations. From this site we could see one of Iceland's glaciers in the mountains on the horizon.
Strokkur
... is the name of a geyser that goes off every 4-5 minutes. The whole area is covered with holes in the ground in which water bubbles, and there are several geysers. Strokkur is the most dependable. You stand there watching the bubbling pot. Just before it goes of a big bubble rises out of the hole. After the eruption the hole is empty then it gradually fills up, and starts bubbling and the whole process repeats itself. Driving back by a different route we passed one of the villages where they grow all kinds of fruit - including bananas - and vegetables in greenhouses heated with geo-thermal energy. The earth's crust is so thin here that they had to put the cemetery a few km outside of town. It was impossible to dig very deeply in this village. Also heard a story of a family where a geysir appeared in their living room. They had to move.
Tuesday morning: up before the crack of dawn (3:45 am). Breakfast at 4, then bus in the dark to the airport and on towards home.
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