Iceland Review

Back home now, I'm remembering and savoring Iceland.  I had a lazy day Thursday recovering from the hectic pace of our sightseeing. Also did some shopping, or tried to. Checked out two pharmacies and a supermarket looking for a couple of items from to the British Isles. Couldn't find them in Iceland. I saw lots of things from the other European countries but struck out for these specific items. 

Sy sent me some photos. A couple from our visit to the Blue Lagoon contrasted the warm water of the Lagoon with the cold wind that was howling across the landscape, and also of the shark tasting. Thanks for sharing, Sy.

Wednesday evening Aaron ordered the fermented shark appetizer. There was a strong smell of ammonia in the container with the small cubes of shark but we all needed to sample it so we could cross that off our to-do list. There was a little taste of ammonia, but mostly it was sort of blah. One of those things I would try but not order again. 

Friday morning we went to the local Covid test site. The US requires a negative test no more than 24 hours before boarding the return flight. We got our nostrils stabbed then waited for the results. Aaron and I got our results in 45 minutes, but Sy and Russ had to sweat it our for two hours before they got their negative tests. Having cleared that important hurdle, we saddled up and headed for the airport. 

As I mentioned in an earlier entry, the Reykjavik airport terminal is a modern, clean facility. I imagine it could be quite busy and crowded during high season but we were able to take our time and admire the surroundings. 

Two stained glass (I think) artworks hung from the superstructure and looked to be about 8-10 feet across. They reminded me of kites.

The passageway for outbound passengers is designed so the easy path is through the huge duty free store. I had some Icelandic currency left so I managed to spend it there instead of converting it back to dollars. 

In the modern men's room I tried our a new faucet combo. Hold your hands together and scrub under the spigot, then spread them apart and the dryer comes on with a blast of warm air to dry them. 

The return flight had more pax than we had outbound but the plane was still only a little over half full. 

We took off at a little after five local time, flew in perpetual sunset until close to Washington and landed in full sunlight a little before five at SeaTac. Russ and I rode the light rail northbound and again remarked how convenient it was to travel from SeaTac to Northgate on the comfortable train for just a buck for seniors. 

Thinking back on the trip, I had a short but wonderful experience. Saw some new and amazing things and one of the good points was the price. 

The Icelandair package included airfare, hotel, and tours to the Golden Circle, northern lights and Northern Light Center for around $1240 per person double occupancy. They offer a selection of hotels for different prices. Where we stayed (Canopy Hotel) was comfortable with friendly staff and a great American style breakfast buffet. I'd recommend this trip to anyone. 

I think the summer tourist season would have better weather but the large number of tourists would impact the experience. And,  of course, there's little chance of seeing the northern lights in the summertime. 

Northern Lights in Iceland

Observing the northern lights is reliably unreliable. The forecast said they would appear one night when we were in Denali National Park in the fall a few years ago. I went out at 0300 to see them. None made an appearance. They are occasionally reported to appear in northern Whatcom County, where I lived for a few years in Bellingham. I never saw them there. In 1976 I went to Fairbanks, AK in the middle of winter and didn't see them. 

In my case, at least, they are elusive, so one of the main reasons I joined this trip was to finally see those elusive lights. 

We were scheduled to go out last night, but the tour was cancelled. They didn't say why but I suspect it was because of the cloud cover. Today we only twice had a glimpse of the sun through the clouds, low in the southwestern sky. Tonight as we walked to and from the restaurant, it snowed on us, and parked cars had an inch or two of accumulated snow. It looked grim, but they didn't cancel the tour so we crossed our fingers 

We finished today's Golden Circle tour around 1700. A half hour later walked to another restaurant where I had herring three ways as an appetizer. There was herring in a good pickle, in a mild mustard sauce, and in a cross between a chili sauce and cocktail sauce. If I were to rank them, I'd choose the pickle first followed by the chili and then the mustard. 

For the entrée I had a traditional Icelandic dish of hashed Cod. It was good--boiled cod that was pulled apart, combined with pre-cooked onion and potato cubed small, and all blended with a white sauce into a medium loaf, topped with a cheese sauce and quickly broiled. 

After that meal I felt ready to pursue those northern lights like a true son of Iceland. 

Back at the hotel we grabbed our heavy coats and backpacks and started out. We took a city bus shuttle to the main station and boarded a tour bus. The mic didn't work on this one so, after 20 minutes our so, we changed to another bus and finally got started. Not an auspicious start. 

We motored into the countryside onto a narrow snow-covered road.

To forestall questions, I don't know what that cutout on the dash was that looks like a shadow on the road. 

After a few kilometers on this road we turned off onto an even smaller road and then into a parking area where I saw three or four other buses. 

Well, here we were. The sky had clouds to the east, over city lights that made observing that way impossible. I could see the stars above and to the north and west with only a few wispy clouds. The temperature was below freezing with a breeze from the southeast. Oh, and there was around eight inches of snow on the ground. I was glad I wore my heavy boots and wool socks. 

Yesterday, I checked the northern light forecast. On a scale of ten, the forecast was a 3 or 4 for every day this week, but our guide said that what looked to the naked eye to be a strip of clouds to the NW, was the northern lights, so I set about trying to get photographs.

Trying to figure out the best settings in the dark while trying to hold the camera still. 

My old phone crashed and I bought a new one at Costco a month or so ago. Still haven't used the camera function much so was feeling my way along. There is a "night" option so tried that. It was a time exposure of about three seconds. When I pushed the shutter button, a message appeared on the screen, "hold camera still" and I tried to obey even though I had to remove my gloves and my fingers quickly chilled in that cold (did I say breeze?) wind. 

I couldn't check the results until we were on the bus headed back to the hotel. The photos below are just as they came out. I haven't yet tried to edit them. The lights at the bottom of some are other people's screens, or snow illuminated by those screens. Or in one case, a flash from someone who was trying to use flash to enhance photos of the northern lights. Or maybe just didn't know how to turn it off. 

I think it's pretty amazing technology. I had no tripod and I'm sure, despite that warning, I wasn't able to hold the camera still. Yet, the lights are clear and even the stars are clear. I was shocked that the software was able to compensate and produce such a clear image. 

On a whim, I tried one photo of constellation Orion. It also came out clear.

I'll have to experiment more with this technology. 

On a side note, I found the big dipper and from there Polaris, almost directly overhead. Reykjavik is located at 64.147 degrees latitude, a little south of Fairbanks, AK (64.838), and South of the Arctic Circle (66.30). Looking at the North Star, I could believe Iceland is in the far north.

Before we left the viewing spot, I noticed this entrepreneur making a buck, or rather, a Krona, from some cold souls in the viewing area. 

We got back to our hotel about 0100. I quickly shed boots and heavy clothing and crawled into bed for some sleep before breakfast. 

Golden Circle Loop

Broke out my faithful Lowa boots this morning. These are the same boots that, in 2018, carried me up the Himalayas to Everest base camp. You can find reports of that journey earlier in this blog (May, 2018).

After another plentiful breakfast, we walked a couple blocks to the bus stop. Waited in 32 degree, light breeze, and light snow conditions for our ride. We boarded a tour bus and started our day's journey.

First stop, a greenhouse operation growing tomatoes, with some Basil and bell peppers. 

One of the attendants said each of the tomato plants provides fruit for about nine months. 

The pipes that circulate heated water also serve as tracks for the utility wagons and ladders used for tending plants and picking fruit.

Bumblebees used to pollinate the plants.

Here's some Basil. I would like to have spend more time in the garden and asked some more questions. For instance, why they don't use honeybees instead of bumblebees and harvest two crops. Maybe the need to maintain the hives would offset to potential benefits. 

Thought you could figure out the appropriate captions for the rest of the photos.

 

Back on the bus, we went to the second stop on our Golden Circle tour, Geyser Park. 

I packed my crampons just in case. I was glad when we reached the trails. Lots of ice and frozen snow made for treacherous walking. I was glad to have those little tungsten spikes to stabilize my boots on the ice.

The fumaroles with temperatures 80-100 degrees centigrade were an interesting contrast to their icy surroundings.

The original "Geyser" which gives us the word in English and from which geysers everywhere from Yellowstone to around the world are named. 

Icicles forming in the below freezing weather formed from the steam rising from the hot pots where it cooled and condensed on this rope.

Next stop was not far from the geysers. The famous Gullfoss waterfall. 

There was a small crowd here on the overlook areas. It made it sufficient to get unobstructed photos. I imagine it must be a real circus in the tourist season. 

Tonight we are scheduled to take the Northern Lights tour so I'll post this and add another post later covering our quest to see those elusive lights.

Blue Lagoon

This morning after a bountiful buffet at the hotel, we (Sy) drive down to the Blue Lagoon. We arrived at a couple minutes after 1000 so the sky was lightening. 

On the way down, the wind buffeted the car. When we parked and walked (trotted) to the entrance we learned quickly that the wind was blowing strongly (25? knots with stronger gusts), it was raining hard (sideways), and it was cold (36 degrees F)

We hustled along the walkway, pushed by the wind and pelted by the freezing rain.

Inside, we checked in, got our electronic bracelet, showered, put on our swimsuits, and hurried toward the warm water of the Lagoon with the wind whistling in my ear. 

Wind whistling? Wait... Oh no, I neglected to remove my heating aids. By this time I was well out into the Lagoon so opened the battery cases, left the aids alone and hoped for the best.

I'm used to the Japanese onzen where the water is uniformly hot, so it was a shock to discover that this water was warm overall but hot in places and cold along the floor in places. There were lots of minerals and chemicals in the water, and it was extra warm compared to the cold air, and cold wind-whipped rain, so overall it was refreshing. 

After soaking for two hours, and sipping the included drinks, I took my warm body and chilled head up to the shower, dressed and headed back to the car. 

Tourists Aaron, Russ and Sy braving the wind and rain near the cold lagoon water waiting to return to the ocean. 

A sample of the volcanic rock in this part of Iceland. 

Through a glass (windshield) darkly, I took a photo of the nearby mountains. 

Back in Reykjavik, we stopped at the Lutheran cathedral to make an inspection. 

As you can read, above, if you enlarge, there are 5,275 pipes in this organ.

A smaller, more practical pipe organ nearby. 

This Leif Ericsson statue was in the courtyard of the church 

Our Northern Lights tour for tonight was cancelled because of the cloud cover, so we took a short rest and then went to dinner to replace some of the calories burned at the Blue Lagoon. 

I ordered the appetizers so I could try the things I wanted without an overload like last night. Below you see smoked lamb shank on thin rye bread; Minke whale, and dung smoked salmon. 

I had room for dessert today so had Citrus Skyr in a deep fried pancake with blueberries and blueberry syrup.

Here's the menu page with appetizers in case you'd like to read the fine print. 

I'm beat, so actually glad the Northern Lights tour was cancelled so I can get a decent night's rest, I hope. This morning I was up at 0330 doing emails and blog update.