Iceland and the Edge of the Arctic

A traditional two mast Icelandic schooner that took us to the Arctic Circle

     A scientific spine conference in Gothenburg, Sweden paved the way for an adjoined side trip to meet up with two friends in Iceland – a place I’ve never been.  Connecting in Boston from Phoenix, the domestic segment was longer than the flight from Boston to Reykjavik (4.5 hrs), Iceland’s capital.

The church of Hallgrimur in the heart of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, whose steeple rises 220’ is higher than any other building on the city landscape

Our Hotel Odinsve was in the middle of the city, near the striking historic church.

I arrived in the morning and after a quick shower and breakfast we were off to explore the nearby area.  I had read briefly about Iceland and its active volcanoes, green valleys, glacier-cut fjords, and raving waterfalls and was anxious to see its beauty.

Iceland’s landscape looks a bit like something out of Planet of the Apes – with a lunar landscape feel. 

 

The volcanic soils make for black sand beaches and rugged terrain.  There are few cars on the road and you have a feeling that there are still some less traveled roads in this world that remain. 

In the distance we saw steam exiting the ground marking the site of sulphur springs called Krysuvik - Seltun.

The steaming sulfuric pools were excavated out of the land and a walking trail installed to allow visitors to walk among the geothermic display of nature. 

It’s an awesome display of the earth’s energy when you appreciate the contrast between the cold air on your face and the boiling pools around you.  I shot a quick video that you can view below.

      A short drive brought us to Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon, a geothermic spa that is a must see for any foreigner visiting the island.  

The entrance walks you through a volcanic lava field brining you to the entrance to the spa. 

After checking in, visitors take a shower and move outside through the frigid air to quickly submerge into the blue water.

 

The spa holds six million liters of geothermal seawater, which is renewed every 40 hours.  The seawater originates 6500’ below the ground heated by the earth’s natural forces.  Coming in contact with cooling magma it captures the earths’ minerals including a high concentration of silica, resulting in its unique blue color.

We soaked in this natural wonder for over an hour.  There were areas that felt like a luke warm bathwater, and others that were really hot forcing us to only stay there briefly.  We saw the women around us putting the silica on their faces – since that must be the thing to do, we promptly followed suit.

The next morning we set of from Reykjavik to the North flying to Akureyri where we were driven to the seaside village of Husavik.

Flying domestically in Iceland today is what it was like to fly in the USA thirty years ago.  No identification needed at check in, no security screening – it was amazing to witness.

As we flew to the North, snow capped mountains were intermixed with green fields and rivers.

Husavik is a small fishing village where we private chartered a schooner from North Sailing to take us to the edge of the Arctic Circle.

     Our schooner, Haukur, is a traditional made 50’ wooden  vessel used commonly to take groups whale watching. Our excursion planned for an overnight journey to Grimsey, a small Island, 25 miles North of Iceland situated directly on the Arctic Circle.

So while the boat’s capacity is 46, it was just the three of us plus the captain and first mate/cook.

With our warm clothes packed, we set out on our journey to the edge of the arctic.

 

 

Cruising to the bay of Skjalfandi, we began our trip by doing some whale watching.  We saw two Humpback Whales and some Minke Whales also.

The Humpback Whales surfaced and rolled to the awe of us all.

The Minke Whale is the most common whale seen in the bay.  The captain told us that the Blue Whale had been sighted the day before so we intently watched the sea for its presence.  I hadn’t really thought about blue whales since I did a report on them in elementary school – they are the largest animal to ever live on Earth – some measuring 100’ long and weighing 200 tons.

Harbour porpoises swam with us as we approached Flatley Island – our stop for a hike while lunch was prepared on the boat.

 The schooner moored offshore as we explored the tiny island.  The natural beauty of this far away place was inspiring.

The island seemed deserted, yet the summer homes on the island should be occupied, after all it is June.

 

After a short walk and a brief rest, the schooner returned to the dock to fetch us.

Lunch was local pickled herring with brown bread, and lamb soup.

 

The sails were hoisted and we again set sail North for the Arctic Circle.

 

 

Before arriving at our port at Grimsey island we did some fishing.  Robert landed the first cod.

David was next.  I was feeling ill from rough seas and sat out this round of fishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With dinner secured, we landed at port in Grimsey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The captain prepared the cod which was barbecued onboard.

We ate together onboard below deck and chatted about our eventful day.  This is the land of the midnight sun, where daylight persists for 24 hours in summer as the Earth’s axis is tilted not allowing the sun to set at these latitudes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boat’s sidewalls served as sleeping quarters. It was a tight squeeze for me, but I soon realized how little room that I actually needed to sleep.  From this experience, I told the guys that I was selling my house and moving my family into our master bedroom – which is really all we need.

Following breakfast the next morning, we circled Grimsey entering the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic Circle.  The seas were rough so I traded off laying on deck with sitting and dreaming about the warmth of the Phoenix, Arizona Desert and the Blue Lagoon as we headed back to port at Husavik.

When you need a blanket over your snow suit, you know it’s cold!

 

 

 

 

 

As we neared Husavik, we stopped to fish again and this time I was feeling better.  I landed this nice Haddock, one of my favorite fish, which went in the overhead compartment for our one hour flight back to Reykjavik.

The church overlooking the port at Husavik, Iceland

We delivered the fish to the front desk, as I placed the plastic bag on the counter and told them that we’d be back down in the restaurant in a half hour for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started with a plate of Icelandic lobster tails and on the right is how the chef prepared the Haddock.

     The next day, we decided to tour one of the local peninsula's near the capital city.  The countryside ranges from grassy fields to volcanic rock, crystal clear lakes and snow capped mountains.

 

We stopped at Budahraun, an old lava field where a small church lies in the foreground of Icelandic mountains. 

 

Not far outside of the city, you find the pristine beauty of Iceland.

Incredible natural waterfalls abound in Iceland.

We also drove to see the edge of the glacier.

 

A small restaurant where we stopped for lunch.

Driving along the sparsely populated roads of Iceland reveal a land of beauty. 

Settled by Nordic people in the 9th Century, it’s the land of Vikings and folklore.  It is said that when the Vikings first saw Iceland -- with volcanoes, black lava fields, sulfurous steam, and bubbling mud pools -- they thought they had discovered the entrance to the Netherworld. 

Today’s Icelanders can trace their ancestry back thirty-four generations to these early explorers.

The Icelanders still today speak the language of the Vikings, and they had continued the tradition of patronymics rather than surnames – i.e. Icelander’s Christian name is followed by his or her father’s name and the suffix –son or –dottir.

 

Dinner that evening was at the Fish Market.  A sashimi starter, followed by giant king crab claws with chili mayo began the meal before the main course of fresh line caught wild salmon. 

 

The following day we trekked along the Golden Circle stopping at Strokkur, we stopped to see the world’s second largest Geyser erupt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not every day that you walk by boiling water in the ground as you stroll by.

A bit further down the road we came upon the waterfall Gullfoss.

And onward in our drive back to Reykjavik, there is nothing to see and everything to see all at the same time.

 

We departed Iceland for the conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, where of course less leisure time, and more business would be had.  An afternoon outing took us by boat to tour the Harbor and see the beauty of this Scandinavian city.

 

Wind turbines line the harbor taking advantage of the natural energy of the region.

 

Summer cottages line the coast line.

We arrived to dock and hike up to a 14th Century Fortress.   We were told that construction of the building took over 200 years to complete.

Dinner was served inside the fortress for a truly unique experience.

Speaking of dinner, the next evening, we dined at Gothenburg’s hip fish restaurant, FiskeKrogen. 

 

 

A freshly caught ling cod garnished the fresh fish selections.

 

 

 

We began with an assortment of local seafood on a huge platter to share.

The main course was poached fillet of turbot served with white asparagus, Swedish caviar, champagne sauce and artichoke, which was fantastic.

The fresh turbot is shown to the right.

 

My visit to Iceland and Sweden was a memorable one and I hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.