Iceland has a population of approx 320,000 of which more than a third live in Reykjavik City and nearly two-thirds live in the Greater Reykjavik area. It was here in Reykjavik where I began my adventure...
On arrival in Reykjavik on a drizzly Sunday afternoon, there was a somewhat desolate-looking drive to the city. Once there and settled into the hotel, Peggy (who I´d met on the flight - and turned out to be a few doors up on the same floor of the same hotel!) and I walked down to the Nautholsvik geothermal beach. The beach was a nice sandy yellow, but the geothermal bit, the small constructed area of beach fed by a hot spring, was on winter hours and closed. We used the complimentary shuttle bus into town to try out the locally recommended "Cafe Paris" for the meat dish of the day, roast pork.
My first full day there started with a walk up Öskjuhlid Hill to the Perlan. Here 6 big thermal tanks hold the 4 million litres of thermal water for the city. On top of these is a big glass dome holding a gourmet restaurant and a cafeteria. It was in the latter I sampled Pönnukökur, a stuffed savoury pancake. V filling. The Perlan also has an artifial geyser that spouts every 4-5 minutes. In the afternoon I enjoyed a highlight of the main attractions of Reykjavik on a "Grand Excursion" including the tallest building Hallgrimur´s Church, the Old Town, Harbour and National Museum. The evening meal was Fish Meal of the Day at Cafe Paris again. This was Plokkfiskur - a traditional icelandic fish pie.
Tueday was the trip to the Golden Circle. First stop was the Hellisheidi Power Plant where electricity is produced from geothermal energy for Reykjavik. Then it was onto Gulfoss (The Golden Waterfall), a double waterfall that cascades 11m and 21m respectively into a steep sided canyon kicking up a huge amount of spray in the process. On a nice day you can apparently see a rainbow in the spray, but that´s on a nice day. It was very cold and very wet so I didn´t benefit from the full wonder of the occasion.
Geyser Geothermal Field was our lunchstop. Featuring the now inactive "Great Geyser" Geysir and its faithfully spouting buddy Strokkur which spouted and soaked an already wet me! At least the water was warm! I sampled a traditional icelandic lamb stew at the somewhat tacky tourist complex to warm myself up after!
Our last stop of the day, where I had almost dried out was þingvellir National Park where the first national parliament (Alpingi) in the world was created. It first convened in AD930. þingvellir also sits on the mid-Atlantic Ridge where the continental plates of Eurasia and North America are pulling apart creating earthquakes and volcanic activity. This is causing Iceland to grow. Indeed the land in the Almannagja Fissure where the Alþingi met literally sits between the two continental plates.
Take a walk on the ice side was the theme of Day 4. This was a guided glacier hike on the glacial tongue of Solheimajökull off the main icecap at Myrdalsjökull reputedly Iceland´s 4th largest, with the dormant volcano Katla lying underneath. Our guide cheerfully explained that Iceland usually gets an eruption every 2-5 years before quietly adding that there had been none for 5 years so "we´re due one now"!
We had an exciting walk up the icefield viewing ice ridges, sculptures, crevasses and cauldrons. It was an "easy" walk for about 3.5hrs but I´d recommend it to anyone needing a good workout! We stopped off at Skoafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls on the way back to the city.Yesterday afternoon I went Whale Watching out in Reykjavik Bay where we spotted Minke Whales, White-Beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. As Iceland does still hunt whales, supporting whale watching does help with keeping the whales alive rather than them being eaten. It was an excellent trip despite the sea being rough and the ever present cold wind and drizzle being ever present. We were out at sea for about 3 hours so feeling somewhat chilly, I had a small stopoff at a minute seafood cafe called Sea Baron on arrival in the city. This was almost a greasy spoons version of a seafood cafe but good nonetheless and relatively cheap. Lobstersoup and Grilled Shrimp Kebab were on a special and they were hot!!!
By then the rare sunshine had decided to make an appearance and the relatively warm evening was ideal for a walk round the postmodern City Hall and Tjörn Lake (the pond). The lake is apparently visited by over 40 species of migratory birds and laps at the base of the City Hall. Inside the City Hall is a huge 3D map of Iceland.
Last night I was hoping to go on a Northern Lights viewing trip. Unfortunately the weather put paid to that option and the trip was cancelled. I don´t hold out much hope for tonight either, especially as it is raining again (which is why I am in here typing this and not outside getting wet!
)Today I´ve been for a walk round Laugardalur Park & Sports Grounds and the Botanic Garden, about 10 mins by bus from the city centre. Back in the city I´ve sampled Pylsur (an Icelandic Hot Dog) before writing this. This afternoon I will be checking out the shops (though judging by prices, it´ll be more window shopping than buying!)
Tomorrow I head home, but not before I´ve had a long dip in the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal pool created from wastewater from the nearby Power Plant. Its suppsed to be very therapeutic and great for poor skin conditions.
Well that´s about it for this trip. Before I go you will have noted that I have tried to sample a range of local foods during my stay here. However there are a few tastebud teasers that I´ve decided not to munch on (hope you´ve not just had lunch or about to eat as you´re reading this):
Lundi - Puffin
Grilled Minke Whale Steak - exactly what it says. I´ve seen it on offer in quite a lot of restaurants.
Svið - Singed sheeps head complete with eyes but minus the brain, sawn in two and boiled. It can be eaten fresh or pickled.
Slatur - Mishmash of sheep leftovers tied up in a sheeps stomach
Sursaðir Hrutspungar - Ram´s bits (I´m talking Crown Jewels here!) pickled in whey and pressed into a cake.
Hakarl - Putrefied Shark Meat
Yum!!!! Anyone brave enough to try these is a braver person than I, so drop me a mail if you´re one of those rare beings!
On that note, and until the next globe-trotting adventure,
Bless (as they say in Iceland)
Kath
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