Next stop, the Geysir geothermal area (pronounced gay-zer). Much like Yellowstone, this area is heated by magma under the surface, resulting in many hot springs and geysers. The big geyser, named Geysir, only erupts every 2 months or so, but Strokkur, a smaller geyser, is very reliable, going off every 5-8 minutes. It spouts water about 30 meters into the air and steams away in between. We hiked up to another hot spring and then up to a high point looking over the geothermal area and admiring the purple Alaskan lupine that grows all over the place. The lupine was brought in from North America to help stabilize the loose volcanic soil blown around by the winds, and also to prep the soil for other types of plants to be able to grow. The gift shops carry all kinds of volcanic-themed goods, plus many different kinds of volcanic salt and Icelandic chocolate. We couldn't pass up the chance to try ice cream in Iceland, which was good, but not as sweet or strongly flavored as what we get in the US.
Next up was Gullfoss waterfalls, fed by the Hvita River, which originates at Pingvellir Lake in Pingvellir National Park (more on that in a minute). The falls occur in two stages, with the higher part having a significantly smaller drop than the lower falls. All around you can see the igneous rock columns that frame the river. There is a walkway down to the lower falls and then a trail that takes you down right next to the river and directly adjacent to the falls. Lots of spray! Then we hiked back up to the high overlook, where we could also see the glacial fields between the mountains in the distance.
Last stop, Pingvellir National Park, the origin of the Hvita river. Here you can see the edges of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates as they pull apart from each other at a rate of 2cm per year. Walking down the ravine between them, you actually get to stand in the rift valley between the 2 continents. Some parts of Game of Thrones were filmed here, although I don't watch it so I couldn't say which parts. It's a very wild and rustic looking place.
Eight hours of bus tour later, we were back at our guesthouse, definitely in need of a nap. But by 6pm we were back out on the streets of Reykjavik to explore some more. We headed straight for Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest building in Reykjavik and the largest church in Iceland. Hallgrimskirkja is also a national monument to Hallgrimur Petursson, the most renowned sacred poet of Iceland. The tower is 73 meters high and it has a fantastic pipe organ, two pipe organs, in fact. The larger has 5275 pipes, some measuring as long as 10 meters, and weighs 25 metric tonnes. You can ride the elevator to the top of the tower and see all around Reykjavik and the surrounding countryside, and if you look carefully, you can see some of the 29 bells in its carillon - the 3 great bells in the center of the carillon are named for Hallgrimur, his wife, and his daughter.
After leaving the church, we walked most of the length of Laugavagur, a street filled with shops and restaurants. Then we made our way back into the shadow of Hallgrimskirkja to eat dinner at Cafe Loki, where we tried traditional Icelandic fare. Along with the Icelandic beer, Margo tried the Icelandic meat soup, a lamb and vegetable stew - she loved it! I was daring enough to try the Icelandic plate II, which came with two pieces of rye bread, one topped with mashed fish (think mashed potatoes and fish, kind of) and the other with smoked trout. There was also a piece of flatbread topped with thinly sliced smoked lamb. Finally, there was dried fish with butter and 3 little cubes of fermented shark. I read somewhere that it's usually Greenland shark, and that it has so much ammonia in its flesh that it has to be buried in the ground for 6 months in order for it to be edible. It definitely smelled like ammonia. It wasn't too terrible, but I wouldn't go out of my way to try it again.
Other things we learned about Iceland today:
- the name Reykjavik means "smoky bay", so named by the Vikings for the steam rising from the geothermal activity. Reykjavik and its suburbs are also home to 220,000 of Iceland's 330,000 residents.
- the country was under rule of Denmark until World War II. When Denmark was overtaken by Nazi Germany, British forces occupied Iceland and the US sent 55,000 troops here as well, resulting in the heavy US influence everywhere (everyone we met spoke English as well as Icelandic). After WWII, the US and Britain recognized Iceland's desire for independence and they became their own nation.
- the entire country runs on renewable energy from hydroelectric to geothermal. All of Reykjavik's hot water comes from underground, already heated, and can be recycled back into the ground to be re-heated. Very little CO2 emissions here. Tomorrow - the Blue Lagoon thermal spa and travel to London!
