A geologically young land, Iceland is located on both the Iceland hotspot and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs right through it so the island is highly geologically active with many volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgjá, Herðubreið and Eldfell.
The volcanic eruption of Laki in 1783–1784 caused a famine that killed nearly a quarter of the island's population. In addition, the eruption caused dust clouds and haze to appear over most of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa for several months afterwards.
Iceland has many geysers, including the eponymous Geysir and Strokkur, which erupts every 8–10 minutes. With the widespread availability of geothermal power, and the harnessing of many rivers and waterfalls for hydroelectricity, most residents have access to inexpensive hot water, heating and electricity.
NB: On 21 March 2010, a volcano in Eyjafjallajökull in the south of Iceland erupted for the first time since 1821. The resultant ash cloud brought major disruptions to air travel across Europe and made our trip to the Galapagos less crowded!
Day One
Hired a car for our trip to Glasgow Airport - IcelandAir to Reykjavik... (Actually flew into Keflavik and picked up our Suzuki 4x4). Found Reykjavik OK but the hotel (Foss Hotel Baron)
took a bit longer! It's not far from the sea - near the Viking Ship sculpture.
We wandered around the world's northernmost capital town - had a cake and a coffee - which gave us an intro as to how much things cost!
We were amused at a sign that instructed you not to bring tractors into Town!
And the four laid up whalers on the same pontoon as a whale watching trip ship!
Also caught the "Faces of the North" - an exhibition of photos by Ragna Axelsson - capturing lives of the people of the Faroes, Greenland and Iceland.
We had an excellent meal at the 'Tveir Fiskar' (see photo below) the first night (lucky I had booked as in this 60+ seat restaurant we were the only ones in until 10pm!). Owner was Gissar Gudmundsson (Chairman of the Icelandic's Chefs' Association - and meant to be one of the best chefs in Iceland - he won Chef of the Year in 2003).
Reykjavik ("smakey Bog") seems unremarkable - except that 190,000 Icelanders live in the town - & there is only about 300,000 of them! Dominating the skyline is the cathedral or main church - "Hallgrim's somehow well named! (the proper full name is Hallgrímskirkja - its a Lutherean Church!)
Cannot remember the rest of the trip in terms of when and where but we certainly ...
... walked along the beautiful black sands of Djúpalónssandur beach
... marvelled at Goðafoss waterfall (the Waterfall of the Gods).
It’s said that into this 30 metre wide, gently curving waterfall, a pagan priest called Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði symbolically threw the idols of the Norse gods in the year 1,000, signifying Christianity becoming Iceland’s official religion.
... stayed in Husavik and and did some whale watching.
It's near the capital of the north, Akureyri which is the second biggest town in Iceland (though that is not a big boast!). Not far is the stunning Lake Mývatn and surrounding area of Dimmuborgir (Dark Cities). A lot of geothermal activity is in the area, resulting in numerous hot springs and Mývatn Nature Baths.
... travelled across Modrudalsoraefi - the highland desert
stared at the renowned for its stark beauty to Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, located in the majestic Jokulsargljufur canyon - Europe's mightiest cascade.
watched awe-struck as 96,500 gallons of water flow through it per second, often black from sediment, and it’s so powerful that the vibrations can be felt in the nearby rocks. The falls are 100 metres wide, with a 45-metre drop down into the craggy shores of Jökulsárgljúfur canyon below.
The Eurasian and American tectonic plates may now be pulling apart in Thingvellir National Park, but over a thousand years ago this was the site where Iceland's first parliament came together
Þingvellir National Park is home to the Parliament Plains. Þingvellir was the location of Iceland's first parliament, founded in 930 and ostensibly the world’s oldest, and is the location of the Silfra fissure, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart.
The resulting gap is partly filled with fresh water and is clearly visible. Near here we went to the Geysir geothermal area, and checked out the Strokkur Geyser – we got a thrill when the geyser swelled with water before erupting and shooting a cloud of steam & water some 20-30 metres in the air. We were spellbound by the immense beauty and sheer power of the Gullfoss (Golden) double waterfall on the Hvita River.
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