Home Pictures
Links Mail Me
Updated
03/05/03
Iceland - October 2001
Way back in the depths of 2001 we received a wedding invitation with a difference. Yes, the wedding was a normal conventional denomination boy girl type do, the difference was the location - Reykjavik. I suspect that this would not be viewed as the first choice for everyone, but in this case it was the perfect setting. I have not included hundreds of wedding photo's as the couple are personal friends of mine so it is not directly family related. I have concentrated on trying to convey the look and feel of Iceland as a country. It is a place of stunning scenery and friendly people. I highly recommend a trip.
Arrival in Reykjavik via Keflavík Airport and the weather is distinctly moody. Any thoughts of a swim in the sea were well and truly put to the back our minds! The following morning however was bright and cheerful so we indulged in a couple of trips out of the town. I was facinated by the volcanic landscape as I had never seen anything like it before. The land is full of contrast with dark rock, green lichen and deep blue rivers. The river in the picture has been formed by a glacier that is melting several hundred kilometres from this point.
The Tour
Our host and sometime guide suggested that we take the Golden Circle tour which takes in some of the best sights in South Western Iceland. If you get the chance to do this I highly recommend it. Now, my memory is terrible and I cannot remember the exact order we visited each location (I will check) but the pictures give a good idea of how varied Iceland can be.
Gullfoss
The next and perhaps most exciting part of the tour is at Gullfoss. This is on the glacial river Hvita and is the subject of a bit of local heroism. The falls were originally under the remit of a local farm and a group of foreign investors wanted to purchase them. The plan was to harness their power for electricity and to charge visitors to look at them. The daughter of the farmer was so angry about this she took the case to Parliament and also threatened to throw herself off the waterfall. Fortunately for her the government decided to purchase the falls and it is now a free tourist attraction.
Geysir
For me the visit to Geysir was a highlight as I had never seen a real life geyser before. I've seen waterfalls and glaciers but not geysers. These things are pretty amazing, and to think that they are a natural phenomenon is just . . . well I don't know what the right word is but I was impressed.
Pingvellir
Certain members of the party were particularly underwhelmed by Pingvellir - check out the woman in the black coat and hat. Comments like 'it's just a big cliff' were the order of the day. Personally I found this very interesting. This is geology at work. OK, so I'm an anorak but I don't care. What is Pingvellir then? Well, it's where two tectonic plates meet - Europe and North America. It is an area rife with volcanic activity because the two plates (continents if you like) are moving towards each other. I suppose an easy and well known example of this is the San Andreas Fault. There isn't a lot to see here but a big ridge of rock - half way up the second photo. This 'join' though runs all the way down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where there are several areas of live volcanic activity. Iceland is the only place on this 'fault' where it is above sea level. I know this isn't thrilling, but having studied basic geology I can appreciate the forces at work here.
Reykjavik
Reykjavik is a well cared for town. It is cosmopolitan and has a number of good bars and restaurants. It is built on a low hill with a lake at one end. The lake is home to a large number of birds as they know that they will get fed. On crisp winter mornings families go down to one end of the lake with food and are mobbed by gulls as they squabble over the crumbs.
Not all the birds were happy though. Steph discovered that at least one of the local restaurants had Penguin on the menu. She was not impressed. We found a couple of good restaurants though, both of which we will return to if we are ever in the area.
The 'church' is actually Reykjavik cathedral. This is where our friends Ashley and Tanja were married. The place is massive and we only filled the few front pews, but it was a wonderful experience.
The Way Home
Sunday finally arrived and we had to consider our journey home. This was nicely broken up by a visit to the Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport. This is a weird experience, a sulphur pool of naturally heated water in the middle of a volcanic landscape. Note the lack of sunbathers - it was about 40 degrees centigrade in the water and about minus 10 out!!!
The final picture is a shot of the moon on our flight home. We both thought this was a bit surreal, then again that could have just been a side effect of all the alcohol . . .
Relevant links -
www.iceland.org
www.icelandair.co.uk
www.alltraveliceland.com
Pictures Index