These are a few pictures of what we saw last night. Simply amazing.
The Blue Lagoon - Awesomeness!!!!
Before our group headed for the Blue Lagoon, we stopped at a sculpture several blocks from the hotel called the Solfar Sun Voyager. It’s a massive steel sculpture by Jon Arnason. It resembles a Viking ship, but in fact is a dream boat and ode to the sun with Mount Esja in the background.
Next was a wonderful morning at the Blue Lagoon. The average water temperature is 100 degrees. It was so relaxing and you felt noodle-like when you got out. It was sunny and clear skies when we arrived and about halfway through it started to sleet and snow on us. It was so bizarre being in a warm pool with it sleeting and snowing on you. You have to shower before you go into the pool and again when you get out. Also, got a wonderful, colorful sculpture in the gift shop.
Next was a wonderful morning at the Blue Lagoon. The average water temperature is 100 degrees. It was so relaxing and you felt noodle-like when you got out. It was sunny and clear skies when we arrived and about halfway through it started to sleet and snow on us. It was so bizarre being in a warm pool with it sleeting and snowing on you. You have to shower before you go into the pool and again when you get out. Also, got a wonderful, colorful sculpture in the gift shop.
Can’t believe the time here is ending. I don’t believe I’ve ever met friendlier people in my travels. They don’t seem to have the same hateful attitude of Americans, at least not yet. If Iceland isn’t on your bucket list, it should be. Catch me again in the fall for another wild adventure.
We Saw The Lights!!!
We headed out in search of the lights at about 9:00pm. Our Northern Lights guide took us outside the city about 45 minutes to get away from the light pollution. It was at 0 degrees already and most people were going in and out of the bus to stay warm. I guess it was about 10:30pm when the first glimpse of them occurred. It was pretty special. They weren’t super intense but we could definitely see them all around us making all kinds of movement and in about 20 minutes they were gone, at least for this go around. We returned to the hotel about 11:00pm. Unfortunately, my camera wasn’t cooperating because of the intense cold and I had the shutter speed set a little too long, so I got nothing but visual. However, another lady in the group is sending me hers and we were at the same site, so I will post those when I get them.
The end is near - have enjoyed this cold as heck country!!
The end is near - have enjoyed this cold as heck country!!
Waterfall, Geysirs & Tectonic Plates
The day started with somewhat of a disappointment. We overheard some people at breakfast talking about seeing the Northern Lights last night. They said it was between Midnight and 2:00am but they were apparently not strong enough for the hotel to alert the guests. Bummer!!!
We began at the Geysir area, with hot springs, fumaroles and geysers. We saw the world-famous Strokker Geysir - it went off every 5 minutes. You could tell when it was getting ready to erupt because the steam would increase and then up into the air it would go. Pretty impressive. There were quite a few more but didn’t see any of those erupt. Lots of steam and bubbling going on.
Then it was on to Gulfoss (the Golden Waterfall) said to compare to Niagra Falls. It is the most impressive waterfall in Europe with thousands of tons of icy water falling into a deep gorge. It is the only one glacier fed. Pretty impressive I might add.
We had lunch at a very impressive family-run Frioheimer Greenhouse / restaurant. They grow three varieties of organic, pesticide-free tomatoes and cucumbers with the aid of geothermal heat. We had organic tomato soup and homemade bread. The owners also breed Icelandic horses. They are pretty different from US domestic horses. Their bodies are heavier, their fur seems thicker and their legs are definitely shorter.
Bees that were brought in to pollinate the plants because they’re not outdoors.
Following lunch we headed for the site of world’s oldest democratic parliament founded in 930AD, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were able to stand on the dividing fault line between two of the earth’s tectonic plates.
Before dinner at the Hamborgarafabrikkan “Hamburger Factory,” we walked across the street to photograph the house where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986 - The Hofdi House.
The Mini burgers were wonderful and being right around the corner from the hotel wasn’t bad either.
Tonight at 9:00pm we head out to hunt the Northern Lights. Our nights are few, so everyone is hoping for sightings.
We began at the Geysir area, with hot springs, fumaroles and geysers. We saw the world-famous Strokker Geysir - it went off every 5 minutes. You could tell when it was getting ready to erupt because the steam would increase and then up into the air it would go. Pretty impressive. There were quite a few more but didn’t see any of those erupt. Lots of steam and bubbling going on.
Then it was on to Gulfoss (the Golden Waterfall) said to compare to Niagra Falls. It is the most impressive waterfall in Europe with thousands of tons of icy water falling into a deep gorge. It is the only one glacier fed. Pretty impressive I might add.
We had lunch at a very impressive family-run Frioheimer Greenhouse / restaurant. They grow three varieties of organic, pesticide-free tomatoes and cucumbers with the aid of geothermal heat. We had organic tomato soup and homemade bread. The owners also breed Icelandic horses. They are pretty different from US domestic horses. Their bodies are heavier, their fur seems thicker and their legs are definitely shorter.
Bees that were brought in to pollinate the plants because they’re not outdoors.
Following lunch we headed for the site of world’s oldest democratic parliament founded in 930AD, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were able to stand on the dividing fault line between two of the earth’s tectonic plates.
Before dinner at the Hamborgarafabrikkan “Hamburger Factory,” we walked across the street to photograph the house where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986 - The Hofdi House.
The Mini burgers were wonderful and being right around the corner from the hotel wasn’t bad either.
Tonight at 9:00pm we head out to hunt the Northern Lights. Our nights are few, so everyone is hoping for sightings.
They Have Eluded Us Tonight
We arrived in Iceland at 7:00am today (Wednesday), was met by our tour guide Oli (for short) and the rest of our full tour group. We had breakfast at the Harpa in Reykjavik
and were then taken on a city tour, visiting Hallgrimskirkja Church. Massive, massive place with a wonderful pipe organ.
You can see it from all of the city. It is the sixth tallest and most impressive man-made structure in Iceland. The clock tower is 244 feet tall and took more than 40 years to complete.
I took the elevator up to the observation deck - spectacular view of the city and snow-capped mountains. Even caught a rainbow. The statue in front is of Leif Erickson and was a gift from the United States.
We then saw the Pearl which also has an observation deck with spectacular views of the city and snow-capped mountains
on to a geothermal plant we went. Quite impressive the way they extract the hot water from deep below the ground. Some of it is as hot as 600 degrees. Therefore, most people in Iceland do not have hot water heaters. They connect to the system and automatically get hot water. Their utility bills run only about $45 per month for water, electricity and sewer. The power plant supplies all of Reykjavik using large pipelines approximately 8 inches thick. We were told that the temperature of the hot water only decreases a couple of degrees because of the pipe insulation. He said the pipes can be covered with snow and the snow will not melt. Can’t beat that. Because the majority of Iceland is lava fields, the constant activity generates movement, which generates the hot water and steam.
We are now in Hella and, unfortunately, due to the rain and cloudy skies, no Northern Lights tonight. however, you can register your hotel room for a call should the hotel cameras etc. detect activity.
Tomorrow is another day - waterfalls and better skies for the pursuit. By the way it’s about 32 degrees
I took the elevator up to the observation deck - spectacular view of the city and snow-capped mountains. Even caught a rainbow. The statue in front is of Leif Erickson and was a gift from the United States.
We then saw the Pearl which also has an observation deck with spectacular views of the city and snow-capped mountains
We are now in Hella and, unfortunately, due to the rain and cloudy skies, no Northern Lights tonight. however, you can register your hotel room for a call should the hotel cameras etc. detect activity.
Tomorrow is another day - waterfalls and better skies for the pursuit. By the way it’s about 32 degrees
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)