Reykjavík, Iceland
64° 9' N 21° 57' W
Mar 15, 2007 06:00
Distance 4208km

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Reykjavík, Iceland for the Northern Lights

Text written in: English

Sorry for the delay all. There has actually been a bit of interest in our time in Iceland from back home, and I guess it was one of the more remote places that we have been to since we started this little trip. So I have thrown on a bunch of photos for your persual and amusement. I have also tried to be a little more descriptive than normal, so please let me know what you think. If no-one say anything, I'll assume that no-one reads this stuff and that I shouldn't bother.

We had a three night in Reykjavík thanks to a halfway decent website offer. The hotel was, as usual, rubbish, but considering that the total cost was only half what it used to cost for airfares alone five years ago, we snapped up the chance.

Our main reason for visiting Iceland was so that Julz could pursue a life long ambition to see the Northern Lights. Alas, we had left our run too late, and the season ended the night we arrived, having endured two straight weeks of cancellations due to inclement weather. The ideal conditions are cold, clear and still, but we had a decent level of cloud cover for our entire trip, so the lights will have to wait until we visit Scandanavia next year.

The capital Reykjavík is a town of about 110,000 (The population of Iceland is 300,000) and it is as expensive as everyone makes out. We didn't get up to too much, but walked the main streets and tied to get a feel for the place. All the locals we spoke to were more than helpful and we spent our time window shopping, visiting the more noable tourist attractions and generally trying to conserve funds.

Our first true tourist experience was the Blue Lagoon, a large series of pools that utilize hot water that is expelled from the nearby Thermal Electricity Power Plant. We arrived early and were one of the first ten or so people to make a hideous 15 metre walk from the changing rooms to the water. During the daylight hours, the air temperature hovered between 3c and -3c. The water temperature was 42 at it's hottest (near the pumps) and you can imagine the relief once you are fully immersed. I'll let the photos do the talking about what it all looks like, but all too soon, hordes of other tourists found their way to the lagoon, and our peaceful wallow was over. Still, we both came out like bleached prunes and felt invigorated for the experience.

On our last full day we took the Golden Circle Tour, which carried us from central Reykjavík out to some of the more notable geological sights. Iceland is extremely active in a Geologic sense and there are many waterfalls, volcano craters and geysirs to check out. Some of these don't make for great photos (you'd be amazed how lame a 50ft Geysir blast looks against a cloudy sky), but I have included some good ones of Gulfloss waterfall and one of the more consistent geysirs.

Note to anyone planning on going to Iceland: It is much cheaper for four people to hire a car for a day and do the Golden Circle Tour by yourself. You will prbably get dragged off to a lot less tourist shops too.

Thanks for reading everyone. Lots of love,

 

Paul and Julz

 

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Photos / videos of "Reykjavík, Iceland for the Northern Lights":

The Hallgrímskirkja (the church of Hallgrímur) is a church in Reykjavík. The church is named after an Icelandic poet and clergyman but its shape reminds Paul more of Thunderbird 3. Paul wearing his hood up, or an Icelandic Yeti... you decide. This is the diagonal entrance to an underwater labrynth of caves and tunnels. It is permanently obscured by steam due to the water temperature, but you can make out the dark patch which is the core of the shaft. I love this photo that captured the point of eruption by the geysir. This geysir was the Icelandic equivalent of Ol' Faithful, in that it erupts fairly frequently, so all you have to do is wait. ...and the point of eruption. ... the explosion... ...and the natural response. The Blue Lagoon is actually run-off from the nearby Thermal Power Plant. It's a lot healthier than it sounds and makes for an interesting contrast between the relaxation spa and the monstrous power plant in the distance The Blue Lagoon is one of Icelands biggest tourist attractions. Julz at the blue lagoon. Apparently, it takes only 40 hours for the water of the lagood to be completely replaced. Most of the Landscape we saw up close consisted of crunched-up Volcanic rock such as this. It makes the terrain look very inhospitable. As vast as the lagoon looks, it is at most 4.5ft deep, so you spend most of the time crouched down and waddling around like a duck. We invested in an underwater camera. You know, like those cheapo Kodak ones you see just as you exit K-Mart. In line with most items for purchase in Iceland that isn't dried fish, it was VERY expensive. This one cost me about £20 (or $50AUD). We arrived at the Lagoon before the crowds, but slowly and surely, the water began to fill up with noisy Poms and a few locals. ...but then the sun came out and it was all good. this waterfall provided an in-promptu neck and shoulder massage/battering. I lifted Julz above the waterline so she could get the full benefit but my gesture was not reciprocated. When the crowd numbers began to swell, we discovered a small grotto just beside the main building. It was a good place to hide for a bit. We just floated in the hot water and stared at our toes. Before emerging back into the hordes. The Lagoon is bordered by Volcanic rock, but not too far in the distance, one of the many snow capped mountains rise up to remind you that it ain't worth trying to walk back to Rekyjavik. The Gulfloss is described as one of the great wonders of the world. The White River plunges into a ravine that cuts directly left, seemingly finishing off one river and starting another. Julz at the Gulfloss. These pictures were taken at about 1pm, yet the lack of sunlight is already merging the sky and snow together. Another photo of the Hallgrímskirkja. They let us ascend the bell tower 5 minutes before they closed for the day. So many tour groups! The icy track from the carpark to the viewing area saw many slip ups.
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