Iceland – ALL I NEED IS MY PASSPORT

Odds and Ends

Iceland

Jun 252022

June 2022

Kirkjugólfið

Church Floor

Kirkjugólfið (the church floor) is a basalt column rock formation located in Kirkjubæjarklaustur. It was originally believed to be an old church floor but research showed there had never been any building there.

The name is probably related to many of the other names in the area that have relation to Christianity like Systrafoss and Systravatn meaning the Nun waterfall and the Nun lake. Apparently there was a nun convent in the area at one time.

Random Icelandic Public Art

Heavier Mountains

On a very windy two lane road (route 93), just past the peak of the mountain are these 12 concrete cubes .

This is Heavier Mountain, a piece of art by local artist Davíð fra Davíðsstaðir. It represents native residents of East Iceland and their relationship to the region’s long, dark winters. Originally, a television sat on each cube, but all that remains are the cubes themselves and Davíðsstaðir’s artist statement.

Eggs of Merry Bay

Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson created these 34 enormous eggs in honor of the 34 species of bird that nest within the area. These are in the town of Víkurland.

Public art is everywhere in Iceland, it is so wonderful to see. Including these hysterical street lamps.

The artist on these pieces was Hohannesi Jonssvni and the pieces were done in 2007 but I found no more information sadly.

Random things I saw

Northern Fulmar Gulls roosting on the cliffs along the ocean shore can be seen everywhere.

Bro Party at Þingvellir

The sign on the left says “Sexy Viking Getting Married Need Money to buy wife” I have no idea what this was all about, but they were having a lot of fun.

Power Plan(e)t Earth

The planet Saturn in the Plan(e)t Exhibition by the Geothermal company HS ORKA

On road 425 on the way to the Great Auk and the road to the Geothermal plant are these concrete pillars mounted with the different planets of the solar system.

Each has the planet name and a diagram showing its distance from the sun. The planet is represented by a metallic ball whose diameter reflects the actual size. This outdoor exposition is part of the HS ORKA “Power Plan(e)t Earth” Exhibition.

Kleifaheiði‘s Stone Man

Kleifaheiði‘s Stone Man

Cresting a hill while driving over the mountain pass of Kleifaheidi this cairn man pops into your view. The road was built over 60 years ago and was considered a major feat. It is a tradition for road construction workers to erect a monument after completing a difficult stretch of road.

The Great Auk

The Great Auk in Iceland

I will end this with the Great Auk. I visited the Great Auk on Fogo Island in Canada a mere 18 days ago, so I had to see the one in Iceland. The sculptures are part of artist Todd McGrain’s “Lost Birds Project”. The auks, now extinct, were last seen on Fogo Island and Iceland, so the sculptures stand, facing each other, in remembrance of this long gone species.

Hotels

Hotels that stood out on this trip are:

Hotel Borg in Reykjavik

Magma in Kirkjubaejarklaustur

Hotel Laxa at Lake Myvatn

Hofsstadir Skagafjörður

Arnarstapi Center Arnastapi

Icelandic Things of Interest

Iceland

Jun 252022

June 2022

Discovery

Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarsson was the first Norseman to intentionally sail to Iceland. His story is documented in the Landnámabók manuscript; however, the precise year of his arrival is not clear.

It is told that Hrafna-Flóki began his journey with three ravens. At some point he decided to use his ravens to find the land he set out to discover. The first bird he set loose promptly turned around and flew back towards the Faroe Islands, a sign land was still a long ways away. The second raven flew for a while but eventually returned to the ship’s mast. The third raven flew to the northwestern horizon and did not return. Taking this for a sure sign of land, they continued to what is today Reykjavik.

Iceland’s First Parliament

The round circle on the left is where the Alþingi met.

One of the first sites I visited was Thingvellir National Park. It is a geographic wonder, but it is also one of the most important historical places in Iceland. In 930, local chieftains from across Iceland convened here and formed the Alþingi. The Alþingi was formed out of the need to regulate laws, settle disputes, and deal with other administrative issues. This foundational moment placed Iceland on its path towards sovereignty

Religion

There are approximately 350 churches scattered across Iceland, mainly because it once was hard to travel even somewhat short distances due to climate and landscape. In many places poor roads were a hinderance in others there were no roads at all.

Church of Vatnsfjörður built in 1913

Today, due to improved travel conditions many churches stand unused, and yet, Icelanders tend to keep their churches in pristine condition, despite the lack of regular use.

Sod Church in Varmahlíð

Overall, there are 41 religions in Iceland, including, but hardly limited to Christianity, Islam, Paganism (which follows the the ancient Icelandic mythology of Ásatrú) , Buddhism, and Zuism (another Pagan religion recognized by the Icelandic government).

Ég tala ekki íslensku (I don’t speak Icelandic)

Most everyone you meet in Iceland speaks Icelandic, Danish and English. Why Danish? Iceland was a Norwegian dependency from the Middle Ages and therefore became part of the Kalmar Union and Denmark–Norway, both entities dominated by Denmark. After the dissolution of Denmark–Norway, Iceland became part of the Kingdom of Denmark from 1814 to 1918. Then in 1944 Iceland declared independence.

Danish was taught as the second language in Iceland, and is still compulsory as a third language from seventh grade on.

Fun Facts about Iceland’s Geothermal Industry

Iceland has a 99.96% renewable energy supply
Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital has the biggest district heating system in the world
The Blue Lagoon is entirely powered by geothermal energy
Iceland has over 600 hot springs and 200 volcanoes
The hot water is so cheap in Iceland that Icelanders are known for their long showers
When a space gets too warm Icelanders are more likely to open up a window than to turn down the heat

This is all true with the exception of parts of Westfjords, which are not so fortunate as to have geothermal heating, and they take short showers.

Employment and Tourism

As of 2022, the Icelandic population was just over 376,000. About 86,000 residents (23.7%) were of foreign background.

For this reason the first thing you notice when entering into hotels and restaurants in Iceland is that you are not talking to an Icelander. It was an absolute pleasure speaking with the bar tenders, waiters and front desk staff about their work in Iceland.

Iceland is one of the most tourism dependent countries on earth. In 2019 tourism accounted for more than 33% of the country’s GDP. At the present time Iceland unemployment is 2.5%.

Iceland is experiencing a huge increase in tourism, and, as other countries around the world, the service sector is suffering the most. During Covid, many people left the tourism industry with no intention of coming back, which means the need for foreign employees is rising. The same is true with the construction industry in Iceland. Nearly 500 foreign construction workers are registered as employed in Iceland, and that is increasing by 100 in a month. Much of this is because Iceland has a housing shortage. However, as someone who experienced 100% occupancy at every hotel she checked into, it seems the hotel industry is lacking in rooms as well.

Throughout the country only 24 percent of hotel staff is Icelandic. Poles are the largest group of immigrant workers at hotels, however I met workers from Spain, Israel, Portugal, Slovakia as well as Poland. When speaking to these people they all mentioned that you will never find an Icelander in the industry unless they are high up in management. This was confirmed by my Icelandic taxi driver.

Westfjords

Iceland

Jun 222022

June 2022

Westfjords are the oldest part of Iceland. They originated during a series of volcanic eruptions which took place during the Tertiary Period, around 14 to 16 million years ago. After an ice age which ended about 10,000 years ago, the progression of the glacier carved deep valleys and fjords in the landscape leaving behind layers of rocks of different degrees of hardness.

Piles of driftwood

When first visiting the sod houses one learns that the lumber used in their construction was drift wood. It was confusing as there are so few trees on Iceland. Then as you drive the north and west you begin to see piles of driftwood that has washed ashore. It originates from the boreal forest regions of Siberia. The trees find their way to the Arctic Ocean via rivers where it is caught in drifting ice and rides the oceanic currents. Because of the relatively short buoyancy time of the driftwood, it spends most of its time frozen in sea ice. Dated samples of the driftwood show that it is possible for arctic driftwood to reach the coasts of Iceland in less than six years.

Puffins

I drove 62 miles, in one direction (62 on the return as well), on horrendous roads to Látrabjarg to see puffins. Alas, there were not very many to be found. Here are some fun shots of these adorable creatures.

The cliffs of Látrabjarg

Eider Ducks are everywhere in North and West Iceland.

Eiderdown is the soft under-layer of feathers shed by the eider duck during nesting. The ducks line their nests with this down that they pluck from themselves.

Once the ducks are hatched and the mother duck leaves the nest, the down, lining the abandoned nests, is collected It is cleaned and processed and ready for down comforters and coats.

The early Viking settlers used eider down to fill their blankets, and medieval tax collectors would sometimes accept eiderdown as a form of currency. The birds became so important to Icelanders that, in 1847, the government officially designated the eider duck as a protected species. And the industry is so important to the Icelandic culture that the Icelandic government has officially-designated inspectors to check eiderdown for authenticity and quality.

Fun things outside of the welding museum in Thingeyri

Whaling Ship Garðar BA 64

Garðar BA 64 is the oldest steel ship in Iceland. It is perched on the shoreline at Patreksfjörður, Westfjords. Originally known as Globe IV, the ship was completed in Norway, by a Norwegian shipyard in 1912. Back then, it was used in the Icelandic waters for whaling. This Norwegian whaling vessel was used to break through the ice, it had a powerful steam engine along with the traditional sails, which made it a hulking hybrid.

It had many owners and arrived in Iceland in 1963. Whaling restrictions made its survival rather unnecessary so now it rests on shore as a tourist attraction.

Sheep a little stuck when the tide rolled in

The scenery all over Iceland is ever changing and stunning

The Black Church of Budir

Dritvik Lifting Stones

The roots of Iceland’s stone lifting culture can be found in Dritvik. Historically, the sailors and fishermen who rowed out from this port would lift the stones to prove their worth to a ship’s crew.

The Black Sand beach of Dritvik

Stones along the coast of Westfjord

Basalt columns that appear to be stacked logs on the rock

Gatkelettur in Arnarstapi

Arctic Fox

I had only seen Arctic Foxes stuffed in the museum at Sudivik. While wandering the beach at Dritvik, an off leash dog took off running. It took me a moment to realize what he was running after and I was able to get off one shot. I was really lucky, Arctic Foxes don’t usually show themselves.

Trolls, Dwarves, Sea Worms and Lore

Iceland

Jun 222022

June 2022

An Öndvegissúlur

Öndvegissúlur, or high-seat pillars, were wooden poles placed on each side of the chair of the head of household in a Viking-period Scandinavian house.

According to writings in Landnámabók and sagas, written after the settlement of Iceland, some of the first settlers brought high-seat pillars with them from Norway. Once the land was sighted, the high-seat pillars were thrown overboard, and a permanent farm was established where the pillars washed ashore. The first farm established in Iceland, located where the capital, Reykjavík, stands today, was allegedly founded using this method.

And yes, this is obviously a reproduction. It sits in the town of Selffoss, and there is no record of it prior to 1940.

Dverghamrar or Dwarf Cliffs

Basalt columns are created when a volcano erupts, and the hot lava flows cool off very suddenly. Apparently, this set of basalt columns is the home to elves. According to legend, in 1904, a young girl living in a nearby farmhouse was walking near Dverghhamrar when she heard singing. She looked around but saw no one. She was sure she knew the song. It was a Christian hymn about “The Father in Heaven”. The singing followed her all the way home. Due to this legend, Icelanders still believe that dwarfs are Christian beings.

Dverghamrar

Lagarfljót

Lagarfljót is a lake in Eastern Iceland. It is surrounded by Icelands largest Forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur.

Hallormsstaðaskógur

The lake is home to Lagarfljótsormur or Lagarfljót worm.

Sign alerting you to the Lagarfljótsormur

As so many tales do, this involves a girl. Apparently, a young girl from the Lagarfljót area received a gold ring from her mother. She asked her mother how to keep it safe, and her mother responded that she should place the ring in a chest underneath a worm. She did so, but one day when she looked to make sure her ring was safe, she saw that the worm had grown too large for its chest, so she tossed it into the lake.

The worm liked the cold and stayed happily growing and growing. Eventually, it started wreaking havoc in the area, so the local fisherman called two Finnish shamans to put an end to the problem. Sadly all they did was neutralize the risk by tying the worm’s head to its tail, and it has remained harmless in this form for eternity.

Sightings continue to occur as frequently as those of the Loch Ness Monster.

Elf Houses

Elves in Iceland are called the Huldufólk, which means Hidden People. Elves are a ‘living’ part of Icelandic culture. They are especially believed to live in rocks. Major roads have been diverted to avoid disturbing elves residing in the mountainsides. People will go out of their way to avoid stepping on rocks or hills in which elves are thought to reside.

When walking around Iceland, you will see tiny elf houses (‘álfhól’ in Icelandic). Apparently, this is to alert you that elves are present, so do not disturb them. But most likely, it is a cute way of saying, yes, I do believe in elves.

A stone that looks a lot like a troll in Dimmuborgir the home of the Yule Lads

Dimmuborgir is a large area of unusually shaped lava fields composed of various volcanic caves and rock formations,. This area is also home to the Yule lads.

The Yule Lads are the sons of trolls Grýla and Leppalúði. They are a group of 13 mischievous troll pranksters. They come to town one by one during the last 13 nights before Yule, leaving small gifts in the shoes of good children or a potato if one has been bad.

Their names are Sheep-Cote Clod, Gully Gawk, Stubby, Spoon-licker, Pot-Scraper, Bowl-Licker, Door-Slammer, Skyr-Gobbler, Sausage-Swiper, Window-Peeper, Doorway-Sniffer, Meat-Hook and Candle-Stealer. Their names come from their particular talent in harassing the townspeople.

Dimmuborgir

Witchcraft

“Seiður” is the Icelandic word that is used to describe the magic rituals that were practiced in Iceland during the Viking Age.

Sorcery was commonly practiced in Iceland until the 17th century, when what is known as the Icelandic Brennuöld (The Age of Fire) took place, during which well over 200 people were officially charged for either practicing sorcery or for being in possession of dangerous magical artifacts. Although during the Icelandic age of fire, only 20 people, the majority of them men, were sentenced to death and burned at the stake.

The predominant theme of the Icelandic persecutions is that when someone fell ill or was involved in an accident, he would simply blame his misfortune on a particular person he did not like, who consequently had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not a sorcerer.

Bardur Snaefellsas

The Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss is a relatively late Icelandic Saga, probably dating to the early 14th century. It is preserved in 16th- and 17th-century paper and vellum manuscripts and one fragment of about 1400. Bárður was the settler of this area, half a troll, and half a man, his father was half a titan, but his mother was human. Bárður came to Iceland in the 9th century and gave the peninsula its name, Snjófellsnes peninsula, but both words “snær” and “snjór” mean snow in Icelandic.

The sculpture is by Ragnar Kjartansson.

Food of Iceland

Iceland

Jun 222022

June 2022

Many people told me that the food in Iceland was blah and uneventful, if not downright bad.

I beg to differ. I NEVER take pictures of food, but I felt I needed to to show how lovely the food was.

Lamb chops

This was not the only green salad I had, it was just the only one I remembered to photograph. The portion was much larger, I got half way through before I took the picture.

Butter mixed with skyr and topped with powdered kelp. It was so hard to resist.

A side dish of potatoes, a very common thing in Iceland, but beautifully presented with a lovely sauce.

Cod topped with shrimp

Birch leaf soup – absolutely delicious

Lamb tacos

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

Trout tartar

Atlantic Salmon

Lamb chops again, because they are so good

Icelandic Pork

Dessert

I will let you make your own opinion, but even Stanley Tucci raved about the food in Iceland in his book My Life Through Food.

I sat next to an Icelander on my flight to Iceland and she insisted I try the local hotdogs. Now, I am not going to rave about them, but it is a tradition worth doing, and they are probably the cheapest thing you can eat in Iceland.

Driving in Iceland

Iceland

Jun 212022

June 2022

Iceland roads are excellent until they are not. They are nicely paved, and the traffic is almost non-existent, but then you get to the western fjords.

One of the nicer gravel roads in the West fjords.

There a gravel road is not uncommon and should you want to explore things on the coast a very poor dirt road might be your only option. But I will not complain, considering some of the atrocious roads in this world I have had to drive.

Other possible hazards are the one way bridges, fortunately with enough vision to see oncoming cars.

There are more sheep in Iceland than people so they stand by the side of the road just dying to dash into the road in front of you.

Of course it is always interesting to listen to Siri interpret the street names.

The Icelanders are safety conscious, but they are very nice about it too.

The Streetlights of Akureyri Iceland

According to the Huff Post in an interview with the former mayor of Akureyri the traffic lights were instigated after the financial meltdown to “remind the citizens what really mattered” and give people a reason to smile at crosswalks and intersections.

Why aren’t these everywhere?

How fast are you going?

When you enter a town of course you must slow down. If you are doing the proper speed limit you receive a green smiley face, if you are not you get a red frowning face. There is no scolding, no fast flashing signs announcing your speed, just a nice reward, just like a gold star in kindergarten.

There are many nerve wracking very narrow roads that drop off precipitously with no guard rails, and then there are the one way tunnels.

It feels pretty good so far

Then you see headlights in front of you….

Fortunately there are turnouts, but it takes a moment to figure out the system. They are marked with large M’s that face both directions so everyone knows where they are, but I did have a close call none-the-less. Maybe an ignorant tourist?

Happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel – LITERALLY

There are presently ten tunnels in Iceland with another under construction. I traveled through Héðinsfjarðargöng, Iceland’s longest tunnel. Finished in 2010 it is 6.83 miles long. Found in Akureyri it stretches from Ólafsfjörður, going west to Síglufjörður. It is a two way tunnel.

Another I traveled through was the Breiðadals- and Botnsheiði tunnel at 5.66 miles. Part is two lanes, but most is one lane. Then I went through Arnardalshamar Icelands first tunnel that is a mere 98 feet long and two lanes. These were the most unique of the many tunnels I drove through.

The The Hvalfjörður Tunnel is especially interesting. It travels under the Hvalfjörður fjord. So the instant you enter you go down, at the bottom you start up again with very little leveled off road. The tunnel is 18, 930 feet long and goes 541 feet below seal level.

One last comment about the roads. There are absolutely no shoulders. You go for miles and miles and miles before you find a turnout. When you do, there will not be a sign to let you know, so most likely you pass it before you even know it is there. In fact, minus speed limit signs, warning signs, such as watch for cows or one lane bridges, there are no signs at all. You often pass the turnoff to your destination, then frantically look for a way to turn around.

Now, having said all of that, there are so few cars on the road that I was known to make a three point turn in the middle of the road. Of course it took me three days to get up the nerve to do so.

Fire and Water, the Geography of Iceland

Iceland

Jun 212022

June 2022

Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North America Plate and the Eurasia Plate drift apart. Essentially, due to the drift, the crust at the plate boundary is gradually stretched until it fails. Then magma rises to the surface to fill the gap. The drift is about 2 cm per year, approximately the rate your fingernails grow.

The plate boundary crosses the entire country.

Þingvellir

Iceland is the only place in the world where this rift is above sea-level, and nowhere can you see the edges of both plates as clearly as in Þingvellir. This is a rift valley, created by the pulling apart of the two plates.

Þingvellir

Grjótagjá

Grjótagja is a rift with hot water. It was once a popular bathing site, but due to disturbances in the earth that occurred between 1975 and 1984 the water became too hot for bathing.

Strokkur

Strokkur is a fountain-type geyser located in a geothermal area of Iceland. A geyser is where ground water beneath the surface is heated up until it explodes into boiling water and steam. Geysers almost always occur in regions close to a volcano.

The geysers around Stokkur are the only erupting hot springs in Europe

Krafla

The Krafla zone is made up of three sites. Leirbotn, the geothermal power plant, Viti Maar, a volcano crater whose name means “Crater of Hell” and Leirhnjukur with is a large terrain of nothing but black volcanic lava fields and bubbling sulfuric pits.

The area is one of the most active volcanic regions in Iceland. In 1975, a series of events known as the Fires of Krafla ran on for 9 years. Thus far this stands as the largest volcanic eruption in Iceland’s modern history. Today the area is not much more than steaming vents, scorched earth and bubbling mud.

Lichen beginning to take hold in the scorched earth area

Steam rises from every nook and cranny in the area

Geothermal waters

Sheep enjoying the heat of the Krafla area.

Waterfalls

Running water and waterfalls in Iceland are so ubiquitous that discussing them seems rather silly. There are many that are on the “standard list” of things one must see, and they are rather wonderful. However, a few stood out.

Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland and the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls.

Godafoss was one of my favorites, and is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. It stands at 39 feet high and 98 feet wide

Looking down on another favorite the terraced waterfall of Dynjandi. Dynjandi is made of several waterfalls: Hæstahjallafoss, Strompgljúfrafoss, Göngumannafoss, Hrísvaðsfoss-Kvíslarfoss, Hundafoss and Bæjarfoss.

Hrísvaðsfoss section of Dynjandi

Bæjarfoss section of Dynjandi

Hundafoss section of Dynjandi

I have already covered the skeidararsandur portion of Iceland as well as the glaciers, just part of Iceland’s geology that is so overwhelming. I am at a loss to present it so here are some random shots from all over the island that show its immense diversity.

The Citadel is a columnar basalt fortress and a volcanic plug

The walls of the river at the bottom of Godafoss

Basalt Columns at Dverghamrar

A black sand beach at Vik and the Reynisdrangar rock formations

Basalt Columns at the Black Sand Beach at Vik

* * * * *

Northern Iceland

Iceland

Jun 192022

Northern Iceland is dominated by Fjords. Defined as narrow and long inlets surrounded by cliffs and steep sides, fjords are so varied in their topography and vegetation as to be gorgeous and yet indescribable.

They are mesmerizing but also frightening to drive at times.
Farm houses dot the sparsely populated roads.

Fjords form as a result of erosion triggered by the flow of massive and powerful glaciers. Iceland has 109 fjords, some of which are real fjords and other bays with fjord-like characteristics.

Ásbyrgi canyon

Ásbyrgi canyon is a little less than 3/4 of a mile wide and almost two miles long, and shaped like a massive horseshoe.

Legend has it that the canyon acquired its distinct horseshoe shape thanks to Sleipnir, the 8-legged flying horse of Norse god Odin. While Odin was out on a joy ride with Sleipnir, the horse accidentally touched one of its giant hooves onto the earth, creating the mighty canyon.

However, geologists insist that two massive floods from Vatnajökull glacier are responsible for its formation, the first 10,000 years ago and the second 3,000 years ago.

A shallow end of Lake Mývatn which was a great place to bird watch

Lake Mývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake surrounded by wetlands with an exceptionally rich population of water birds.

The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including shapes such as these lava pillars.

What will overwhelm the visitor is the infestation of midges in the summer months, making most people high tail it to the local store to buy facial netting.

Húsavíkurkirkja Church in Húsavík

The Húsavíkurkirkja Church is an early 20th century church. This charming wooden church was built in 1907 by Icelandic architect Rögnvaldur Ólafsson.
Northern Iceland is long valleys and peninsulas interspersed with mountains, lava fields and smooth hills carved out by rivers.

The adventure takes you from lush valleys filled with vegetation, to others barren and eerie.
Driving the fjords is miles and miles of stunning beauty punctuated with small fishing villages.

Arctic Terns in a feeding frenzy

Herring Fishing

Iceland Herring Museum in Siglufjordur

Fishing is vital to this part of Iceland and plays a large part in its history.

Norweigans came to Iceland to begin fishing for herring around 1903. They opened fisheries and hired Icelanders to help with the processing. Eventually Iceland gained control over the market and became the leading exporter of herring.

Herring plays an important part in Iceland’s independence (1944) due to the wealth it brought. It also brought liberation to the women of Iceland due to their important role in the herring industry.

One of several buildings at the Herring Museum

But why herring? Herring fish meal has a very high protein content and contains many valuable nutrients. It is an important constituent of animal fodder and plays a vital role in meat production and fish farming around the world. Fish meal has also been used as an agricultural fertilizer

In the days before mineral oil was discovered the lamp oil that lighted homes and streets in Europe was fish and whale oil. Fish oil was later used in margarine and other cooking fats, soaps, cosmetics, medications, and leather treatments.

During World War II herring oil acquired a new significance when the Germans started using it to make glycerine to manufacture explosives. This resulted in the bombing of many herring plants across Norway and Iceland.

Machinery used in Herring Processing

As I write and re-read this post I realize how it jumps all over the map. No pun intended. But that is Iceland. Every time one goes one mile everything can change in a moment. The geography, the weather, the traffic, this constant change is hard to grasp and hard to put into a coherent story.

Iceland Farming

Iceland

Jun 172022

June 2022

Driving through Iceland, one comes upon these “furrows” that are regular and yet mysterious. They are created to dry fields mostly for hay-making and grazing.

Excavators cut deep trenches into low-lying wetlands. Interestingly, some money from the Marshall Plan was originally used for this purpose. The trenches are connected to a brook or a river, and within some years the whole drainage system of the chosen wetland has changed.

What people did not realize was that this caused increased emission of carbon dioxide, as oxygen would react with the wet peat-like content of the soil.
Originally, Icelandic wetlands covered about 4000 square miles, or roughly 10% of the island. The “drying-up” scheme resulted in 20,000 miles of trenches that affected 2,000 square miles of wetlands or about 40% of Iceland’s total wetlands.

There are now some restoration projects underway, under the auspices of the State Soil Conservation Service.

Today, about 5,000 people work as farmers in the agricultural sector (about 1.7% of the population). The number of Icelandic farms barely exceeds 4,000.

One will see sheep wandering all over Iceland. They have been the lifeblood of Iceland for centuries. Brought from Norway by some of the first settlers, their wool and meat helped humans survive Iceland’s harsh conditions.

The 1783 eruption of the volcano Laki was the most fatal in the country’s history. Up to 25 percent of the population died, primarily because of famine caused by the 80 percent of the nation’s sheep lost to the ash’s poisons.

Iceland’s significant growth during World War I was also due to these creatures.

As Europe was ravaged, Icelandic wool was in high demand. The wealth that came from sheep products during the war years helped propel Iceland into the modern nation it is today.

There are approximately 800,000 sheep in Iceland, more than double the number of people.

Ice cream, a tourists way to enjoy the Iceland cow.

Not as prevalent as sheep, the Icelandic cow exists and is rather unique. Icelandic cattle were brought over with Norway’s earliest settlers and have since developed unique traits. They are smaller than their European counterparts and very susceptible to foreign diseases.

Salmon Farming

In Iceland, Atlantic salmon has seen huge fluctuations in production. However, it is expected that salmon will remain the most important farmed species in Iceland over the next years, with annual production expected to rise to 22,000 tons.

Controversy surrounds this type of fishing regarding the ecological and health impacts of intensive salmonids aquaculture on the environment and its impact on wild salmon stocks. In Iceland, only certain coastal areas are open for salmonid aquaculture, mainly in the Westfjords and Eastfjords. The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) is tasked with estimating the carrying capacity of the affected areas of each operation, watching over this controversial form of farming.

For an island, this country is very interesting in its ability to historically feed its people. Now there is also a very progressive food culture, that is having an influence on the farming of the island.

Glaciers and Icebergs

Iceland

Jun 142022

June 2022

Skaftafellsjökull

Or Skaftafell Glacier

Skaftafellsjökull

The glacier tongue Skaftafellsjökull sits in the nature reserve in Öræfi, Vatnajökull National Park. It is one of many tongues stretching out from the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull. This ice cap covers eleven percent of the surface area of Iceland.

Skaftafellsjökull

Small pieces broken off of Skaftafellsjökull heading to the ocean

Skaftafellsjökull is an excellent but concerning example of how climate change is steadily affecting the glaciers in Iceland.

Driving along and seeing more tongues of Vatnajökull

Over the last decade, Skaftafellsjökull has been receding dramatically. Many trees have been planted in the area to help absorb carbon dioxide around the glaciers, but many scientists believe that this is too little, too late.

Another tongue of Vatnajökull

Wandering along the way to the glacier this free falling of stone from the hillside was rather interesting

After many miles of driving we drove over a bridge on our way to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. I had been told back on Fogo Island that this is one of the more magical places one can experience. I had no idea how absolutely true that was until I looked to the lagoon as I crossed the bridge.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

This is where luminous blue icebergs drift out to sea. They can take as much as 5 years to leave the lagoon, so in the meantime they float, melt, refreeze, topple over and sit there as you watch in pure awe and wonder.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures I took, because it was simply so mystical as to not know when to stop taking pictures.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

*There are not many places in the world that make you stop dead in your tracks and realize what an awesome thing Mother Nature is, but this is without a doubt, one of those magical places.
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On the right you can see a piece of one of the bergs that had just fallen off with a very, very loud bang

Skeiðarársandur A Sandur

Iceland

Jun 142022

June 2022

It is always interesting when ones preconceived notions are tossed to the wind and then brought back again. In the first two days of driving in Iceland, I was awestruck by the green hills, fertile valleys, and luscious hills. But this is not what I had expected. I had expected black sand, black gravel, and volcanic, well…black.

Then I began driving through the Skeiðarársandur…

The Skeiðarársandur (referred to from here on out as sander) sand flats are flat and empty regions along Iceland’s southern coast. They are created by glaciers that are situated high in the mountains. The glaciers scrape up silt, sand, and gravel, which eventually finds its way down to the coast via glacial rivers, where this collection of mother nature is dumped in huge desert-like plains. The sander here is so huge that the Icelandic word (singular: sander) is used internationally to describe the topographic phenomenon of a glacial outwash plain.

Looking out at the Skeiðarársandur

This is the largest sander in the world and covers a 510 square mile area. This sander has swallowed up a considerable amount of farmland and continues to grow.

The Ring Road that crosses the sander was the last part of the national highway to be constructed in 1974 due to this vast outwash.

The highway that runs through Skeiðarársandur

In November 1996, the road crossing the Skeloararsandur sandflats was washed away in a huge glacial flood following an eruption of the volcano in the Vatnojaokull glacier. The flood water rose, reaching its highest level in 15 hours, and then took two days to subside.

Pieces of the bridge left after the great flood

Huge blocks of ice were swept along by the flood causing damage to the road and washing the Gigjukvisl Bridge completely away. It is estimated that the icebergs that reached the bridge weighed between 1,000 and 2,000 tons.

If nothing else, this all showed how sensitive the Icelandic road system is to natural disasters.

Eventually, nature takes over, and some moss does grow.

So to keep this post from simply being photos of black, let me bring you some fabulous scenes before and after this amazing expanse of black that one just sees along the road.

Lupine, while gorgeous, has become an invasive species in Iceland.

Turf Houses and Caves of Iceland

Iceland

Jun 122022

June 2022

Iceland is overwhelming on so many levels. Driving the Ring Road, which is essentially circumnavigating the island, every 5 miles is different, and I am frankly, overwhelmed. I needed to begin this blog somewhere because if I wait to process all that is coming at me I won’t be able to do so until November. I am going to begin with something I can grasp, and something I fell madly in love with and that is the Turf Houses.

Turf Houses with a more modern church were added later as part of the community.

Most of the turf houses that are in good shape are now restored and protected by the government. You will see ruins as you drive, but the following are some that are in good shape.

As you visit different sites, you can see how the techniques have evolved, but the materials are pretty much the same.

Most turf houses have a wooden frame structure, with stone walls and a complete covering of turf.

There are areas of this island with no turf. If that was true in ancient times, I have no idea, but the turf houses I have seen tend to be found in very specific areas.

The turf is cut from the ground, and then, what they call mats, are stacked on top of each other with stones to form walls.

The roof is also made of turf and it was traditionally made waterproof with tree bark. The stone foundation prevents moisture from the ground rising up the wall, which helps prolong the lifespan of the structure.

The ceiling of one of the turf houses

The first turf houses in Iceland consisted of one large space, and the design resembled longhouses built by Vikings in other countries.

While exterior walls were made of stones, sometimes there were light wooden interior walls that divided the space into two or three rooms.

Over time the design evolved into a series of smaller houses connected by a passageway. The houses, and I assume the families, would grow over time, and new “rooms” were added.

This was especially charming when the ferns began poking through the interior walls, something I am sure would never have been allowed when the homes were actually in use.

Since wood was very sparse on the island, most of the wood came mainly from driftwood, and most houses usually had some wooden parts.

Interior of one of the turf buildings

Iceland is unique in its turf houses. This form of construction existed in Northern European countries and is much older than the settlement of Iceland. But in the European countries, they were only built by the poorest people. In Iceland, turf houses were common among all classes, which says something not only about their viability of construction but their sensibility of use in this extreme climate.

Root cellars near the turf houses

Pre-dating the turf houses were caves.

Twelve man-made sandstone caves have been discovered on the bank of the river Ytri-Ranga near the town of Hella. The historical site is Iceland’s oldest still-standing archaeological remains. Some believe the caves date even further back than the settlement by the Nordic Vikings. The caves were found in an area called Ægissíða, which is actually a farm. The name of the farm can be found in written sources from 1270.

The stones that create the entryway are layered with turf and are critical to the structure of the entire cave

Over the centuries the caves have been used by Icelandic farmers as sheep sheds, barns, and food storage. And yet nobody knows for certain who made them and why. From the beginning, however, the people of Ægissíða have said the caves were built before the Viking settlement. Most likely by Celtic monks.

Markings from the tools used to carve the caves

But there is no real way of knowing. Icelanders tend to hold onto tradition, so if it is not in the written history, essentially, it is not investigated or studied. It is sad, but that is politics. The caves, none-the-less are fascinating and the tour is extremely enlightening with a lot of humor thrown in.

Chimney of the cave

Runes have been found within the cave. It is possible there is also Ogham writing, but so many people over centuries have carved things into the walls that it is impossible to know for sure.

Staying at the Magma Hotel in Kirkjubæjarklaustur you can see how the concept of turf roofs is carried over into the present.

As I have mentioned, Iceland is simply overwhelming. It has history, geography, geology, and mother nature all competing for your attention. I hope to sort it out as I go along and bring you a coherent story, but for now, enjoy the turf houses and the caves that have no explanation but are a wonder.

Walking Reykjavik Part 1

Iceland, Reykjavik

Jun 102022

June 2022

I fell in love with Reykjavik the moment I stepped out of my hotel. It is at a scale that is so very livable. Most of the streets are car free and those that are not are pedestrian, scooter and bike dominated so that the cars go so slow you wonder why they are even there.

Because of that there is a large cafe scene, at least when the weather is nice.

Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to Landnámabók, was established by Ingólfr Arnarson in AD 874. The Landnámabók is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in detail the settlement (landnám) of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.

Ingólfr Arnason

The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew to what it is today a national center of commerce, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.

I am staying in the historic art deco Hotel Borg which sits right on Austurvöllur square. The hotel was built by wrestling champion Jóhannes Jósefsson, who made a fortune as a circus performer in America.

Austurvöllur square is the center of Reykjavik. Around the square you will see hotels, cafes and the government buildings of Iceland.

Austurvöllur Square

Iceland’s Parliament Building sits on the square. Built in 1880 it is covered with dark gray dolerite, a volcanic rock similar to volcanic basalt. Designed by the Danish architect Ferdinand Meldahl, it is today one of the oldest stone buildings in Iceland.

Iceland’s Parliament Building

Domkirkjan, the oldest church in Iceland

Sitting just slightly off the square is Domkirkjan. This wooden structure dates to 1796 and is the seat of the Lutheran bishop of Iceland.

Gröndal‘s House

This house stands in the oldest part of Reykjavik and is called Gröndal‘s House after its former owner, the writer, artist and scholar Benedikt Gröndal, who lived in the house from 1888 until his death in 1907.

I stopped to admire it because of a sign with one of Gröndal‘s sayings:

“Books are people. Or, to put it another way, people’s spirits live in them; though the authors be long-dead, they speak to us through their books.”

Vainsberinn by Ásmundur Sveinsson in 1937

Reykjavik is filled with public art, it is a paradise for people like me.

The Unknown Bureaucrat by Magnús Tómasson – 1993

The Unknown Bureaucrat sits in front of Tjörnin which means mountain lake, although due to its shallow depth the locals simply call it the pond.

Every time I walked by the pond there were people sitting on the benches and someone feeding the ducks. During the winter months, Tjörnin freezes over creating a place where Icelanders have been skating since 1892.

Walk just a ways out of the center and you have the ocean.

Looking out at mountains on the other side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula

When I was admiring the view several children were balancing rocks. These balanced rocks can be found anywhere there are rocks in this country. These are Cairns and the tradition of building these is world wide and goes backs hundreds of years, and the purpose for them is as varied as the number of cultures that create them.

Of course I could never visit a place as wonderful as this without a visit to a cemetery. Hólavallagarður opened in 1838 as Reykjavik’s new cemetery, replacing a burial ground used since Viking times. The area is so verdant and I am told it has more trees than any other part of Reykjavik. It is beautifully tended. I ran across some teenagers that were cleaning the graves and planting flowers so I stopped to talk. They are summer hires and they really like working here, despite what their friends think of their jobs.

I chose to show the above grave with its iron cross, as it is the oldest in the graveyard. I read that there is a wonderful Icelandic tradition that the first person buried in a graveyard is its guardian and will protect all the dead who come after. The iron cross is on the grave of Guðrún Oddsdóttir, the guardian, who died in 1838, the year the cemetery opened.

The greenery of the cemetery is unmatched.

This was just a small taste of this incredible city. Here are some fun random shots.

Once the largest building in Reykjavik is now the Apotek Hotel, it sits next to and is owned by the Borg Hotel It was built in 1916/1917, it was influenced by Art Nouveau and Nationalist Romanticism and on the corner is this wonderful piece by Einar Jónsson.

A particular sweet gravestone at the cemetery

An art exhibit I found just delightful

These are part Reykjavík Arts Festival biennial. There is a set of 3, they sit in Hallgrímskirkja square and are by Steinunn Thorarinsdottir

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Walking Reykjavik Part 2

Iceland, Reykjavik

Jun 102022

June 2022

When I mentioned I was looking forward to spending time in Reykjavik to explore the architecture, most people expressed surprise. There is far more here than you can imagine.

The architecture of Reykjavik needs a little history. From the landing of the Norwegian Vikings in CE 870 people resided in wooden longhouses protected by turf and grass. Over the years, houses were still built out of wood, but styles changed from gable-fronted houses to farm buildings to Swiss chalet styles. The first stone houses and churches did not begin to appear until the 18th century.

In 1915, whenReykjavik had a population of around 14,000 people, a large fire devastated the city, and many of the wooden houses were destroyed. The fire changed the city. Fire hydrants were installed and a fire brigade was established.

Icelandic architect, Gudjon Samuelsson, having just returned from studying housing design in Denmark became the country’s chief architect and had a hand in changing the face of Reykjavik forever.

Hallgrimskirkja Church

The one building many people do know is the stunning Hallgrimskirkja Church, which has been described as an important symbol for Iceland’s national identity since its completion in the 1980s.

Its steeple rises nearly 246 feet, making the church one of the tallest buildings in Iceland. Instead of rising separately from the church building the steeple is a part of the front of the church.

Designed by Samúelsson in 1937 it is said to have been designed to resemble the trap rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape. It took 41 years to build the church, construction started in 1945 and ended in 1986.

Interior of Hallgrímskirkja

The interior reflects the clean lines and sparseness of Nordic architecture.

Leif Erickson

The statue of explorer Leif Erikson (c.970 – c.1020) by Alexander Stirling Calder in front of the church predates its construction. It was a gift from the United States.

The National Theater

It took 77 years between idea and finality to build the National Theater. The unfinished building was occupied by the British Army during World War II. It is a perfect example of art deco architecture. The National Theatre also designed by Samuelsson, apparently showcases the architect’s love of basalt columns.

It is said the theater is Samuelsson’s version of an Elf Palace, referring to the ancient Icelandic belief that elves live inside rocks and that humans can enter into their colorful world of plenty, dance, and song.

University of Iceland

Another of Samuelsson’s is the main building of the University of Iceland campus. This art deco building features two large wings, and a center with elongated windows.

According to local lore, when Reykjavik was occupied by the British Army during World War II, the army did not seize this building, as it was deemed too beautiful to be taken over by the troops.

Harpa Concert Hall

A magnificent building that sits near the old fishing harbor of Reykjavik is the Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Center. Designed by the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects in co-operation with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. The structure consists of a steel framework clad with geometric shaped glass panels of different colors. I walked around this building many times, and it changes from every angle, it is truly incredibly designed and absolutely gorgeous.

Nordic House

Designed and built by the acclaimed architect Alvar Aalto, the Nordic House, is a celebration of all things Nordic. Built in 1968 the building includes Aalto’s signature traits: for example, the organic shape of the ridgeline of the ultramarine-tiled roof, echoing the range of mountains in the distance

The Nordic House maintains a library that is unique in Iceland not only because of its architecture but also for its collection of over 30,000 items in seven Nordic languages, though not Icelandic.

Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum

In a previous post I put up a sculpture by Sveinnson. His style is very organic and appealing, his studio is now a museum dedicated to his work and you can wander the grounds to get a great sense of his huge body of work.

Sveinsson was one of the pioneers of Icelandic sculpture. In his early days his pieces invariably met with criticism, but he held to the principal that art was relevant to the people and belonged with the masses. His fame eventually came.

Ásmundur bequeathed his works and his home/studio to the City of Reykjavík at his death, and the museum was formally opened in the spring of 1983.

Sun Voyager

Walking along the water I came upon this sculpture that stopped me dead in my tracks. It is so incredibly beautiful.

It is titled Sun Voyager and was designed by Jón Gunnar Árnason. It is made of stainless steel and originates from 1986. Reykjavik ran a competition to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the city and wanted a sculpture created that would create a point of interest. The Sun Voyager was the winning design.