Land of Fire and Ice; Land of the Midnight Sun - Week 1

27^thto  30^th of July 2014

A short 2.5h flight brought us to Keflavik Airport, Iceland…did this happened only 6 days ago?? By the sparkling-eye-expressions of many of our buddies, I realized that we were touching down in a country that is on the bucket list of many. Our flight to Charlotte, South Carolina, stopped in Iceland, se we decided just to do a short layover here. What a great surprise!! What an awesome country?? We had no idea that we will well and truly fall in love with this tree-less (only 1% of the surface is covered by trees) island.

Now since not many of you have been to Iceland, I’ll start of by giving you some interesting facts about this island.

You’ll find this beauty halfway between Northern America and mainland Europe, with is closest neighbors Norway, Scotland and Greenland. It only covers an area of 103 000 square kilometers, with the central plateau a barren desert. Large areas are covered with snow and ice fields (glaciers). Vatnajokull glacier (914m) is the largest in Europe. Beside all the glaciers, many volcanoes are scattered throughout the island. Mt Eyjafjallajökull in the south is well known for it’s eruption in 2010 and the havoc it created in the international airspace. Dust and debree where launched kilometers into the atmosphere and innumerable flights were cancelled or rerouted for nearly two months.

Now you will understand where the nickname of Iceland comes from: Land of Fire and Ice.

All this volcanic activity causes many underground hot springs and frequently excessive heat generates geysers. These geysers shoot boiling-hot water or steam high into the air through cracks in the earth. In Iceland all the geothermal energy are used to heat homes, pools and to power industries. During the process of generating energy, water of 250+degrees C gets cooled down to round about 80 degrees Celsius…still too hot to be used in hot tubs and swimmingpools!!!

Native Icelandic wildlife include the artic fox and puffin. Mice and reindeer were brought to the island by settlers.

The history of Island is also very interesting, so here goes:

The first settlers arrived from Norway and Britain in 874AD. By 930 the population was just 25 000. Individual settlements had formed leadership groups, called things, to settle disputes among families. A local chieftain rules each thing. In 930 the chieftains came together in Thingvellir to form one large governing group/assembly or an Althing. The Althing established a constitution and is known for the world’s first governing body (or parlement)!! In 1000 the Althing adopted Christianity as state religion.

After some fighting amongst local chieftains, the Alting voted to allow Norway to rule Iceland in 1262. Then in 1380 Denmark took over Norway and Iceland. The Danish king stopped the Althing meetings in 1800, but they resume again in 1843. Although Iceland was granted permission to have it’s own constitution in 1874, it was not until 1944 that it became completely independent from Denmark.

The population of Iceland is a mere 320 000, with almost 200 000 living in Reykjavik!! According to our guide on the Golden Circle tour, there are only 9 golf courses in Reykjavik…in comparison with the 60 to 70 golf courses spread out over the rest of the island. If you play a course per day and swim in at least 3 pools per day, you’ll need to have 2 months set apart for your holiday in Iceland!!

30 to 40 ‘little earthquakes’ are measured every day, with the last BIG one (measured 6.6 in Richter scale) as far back as 2008. Nobody lost their lives due to governmental regulations on the way houses are build.

Almost everybody arriving in Kevlavik use the Flybus and this efficient service dropped us off at the front door of the City Hostel, connected to the Reykjavik campground.

Yes that's us!! Building some muscle!!

It was a bit of a mission getting all our bags(7 of them….) to the spot we’ve picked, but within 20min our 6 person Vango tent was pitched and the kids were happily exploring. We loved this bohemian campground with travellers from around the world. Constant pitching and taking down of tents(to match flight schedules) result in the reception of the campsite only being shut for 2h during the day!!! The communal cooking/kitchen area was also something to experience, even loadsa little bbq’s happening around a big fire pit!!

Our first adventure included a full day bus trip around the Golden Circle(300km loop). Our first stop was at a tomato farm. This greenhouse system(controllable via the internet from anywhere in the world) produces more than 18% of all Icelandic tomatoes- none of it for export. After breakfast of a cup of black tea(could not find a shop on the Sunday-arrival eve to buy milk from) and a few South African rusks(I backed these at the end of June…for such a emergency as this!!!) the cuppa tomato soup and home made bread we bought here at the farm, was just such a treat!!!

Next stop: geyser Stokkur. We were treated to a few of the mini-eruptions of this steam and water blowing wonder of the world. Every 4 to 8 minutes it releases pressure and reaches a height of 15 to 20m. Spectacular!!

We continue along the Haukadklur valley to the golden waterfall or Gullfoss.  Found within the river Hvita, this 32m high waterfall cascades and plunge into the 70m deep canyon.

Last stop was in the Thingvellir National park. It’s here where we could see the Almannagja rift – the Eurasian and American tectonic plates are pulling apart by a few centimeters each year. Thingvellir (no building but just a area with so called sacred/holy ground or soil) was the founding place of Iceland’s Parliament in 930. This venue was in active use for annual meetings until 1798. Also the venue where Christianity was declared over all of Iceland and where independence from Denmark was established in 1944.

A swim in one of the thermal pools were just what we needed after a long day on a bus and since the public pool was right beside our campsite…even better. Now, this was our introduction to Icelandic changing rooms…. Here EVERYBODY showers before and after their swim in their birth-suits. Luckily Arno has read this in a magazine beforehand, so we knew what to expect. (Hee hee, I was getting the impression that all genders where sharing a changing room and VERY relieved that this was NOT the case!!!)

Next day welcomed us with glorious sunshine…just the kinda day for some more hot water outdoor swimming!!!

A visit to the world famous Blue Lagoon was on the itinerary. You might think twice when you see the price tag that goes along with this experience, but since the kids did not pay and the Flybus transport was included, we could shut our eyes and go with it!!(Too be honest, it as worth EVERY penny!!) Mini- hot tubs, steam room, sauna, water jets and falls, do-it-yourself body and face mud-masks…do I need to go on?

We were so sad that we had to go… An awesome day was finished off with a wee stroll to the architectural delight of a church in downtown Reykjavik and some craved for fish and chips in a neat harbor side café. (Everything is expensive in Iceland, so we tried to be good…this included loadsa tuna wraps, Nutella wraps and two minute noodles…brought along from the bottom shelve Tesco in Kilmarnock!! You can imagine what a treat that fish and chips was!!!)

Note on Blue Lagoon: This man-made tourist trap is a clever way of using the wastewater from the nearby Geotermal power plant. Superheated geothermal water is cooled from 200 to 80 and pumped into the lagoon, which gets it’s blue color form natural silica, which reflects the blue light. Walla – Iceland’s number one tourist attraction.

Too soon we had to get up at 5am to take our tent down.. Thomas was clock watching since 3.30am…excitement overwhelming…(Not so much about leaving Iceland, but more so in expectation of seeing his bff!!!) So luckily it was very easy to get the kids up and ready!!

Arno and I have fallen in love with this beautiful mysterious northern island. Our dream book has got a new entry: cycle around this gem in 10 days…just the two of us!!!

Today I’m leaving you with a beautiful greeting I received from Katrena McDonald:

May you see the way wherever the journey takes you, sailing safely over

  rough water & weathering the waves’ dips & valleys.

May you find treasure in Earth’s infinite variety, beauty & surprise.

May you hear the ocean’s music in every shell you hold to your ear.

May your boat fill with insight, laughter, generosity & love as you discover new

  landscapes & explore the wide expanse of memory.

Favorite Icelandic eat: Skyr(pronounced ‘skeer’) yogurts. This dairy product has been a staple food in Iceland for over a thousand years. It’s enjoyed daily in various forms, and renowned for it’s high protein content and smooth texture. The kids absolutely loved it.

Favorite activity: Hot water swimming