More Adventures in Iceland

Friday, September 4

Ula had created a fantastic itinerary for three days of land exploration and I had arranged for a rental car and a place to stay in Vík for one night. Peter went off to pick up the car, I packed snacks for the first day of adventure along the Golden Circle, a popular route for tourists. We found that the spectacular waterfalls close to Reykjavík were mobbed with people; a long line of a couple hundred visitors snaked from the parking lots to the cascading water and we did not want to be part of that experience.

Our first stop was on the edge of Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. It is situated on the Reykjanes Ridge, a part of the Mid-Atlantic Rift, where the North American and Euroasian tectonic plates are separating. People have erected numerous cairns of various sizes on the rugged plain where we stopped for our first break from the drive. Of course, superstitious Shalako had to place a stone on one of them to ward off otherwise certain misfortune. 

Cairns near Thingvallavatn

Shalako placing a stone on an arched cairn

Thingviller National Park has both geological and historic significance. Geologically, it marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which can clearly be seen, particularly at Almannagjá, where it is possible to walk within the tectonic fissure to where the Öxará River forms a waterfall called Öxarárfoss. (This means Öxará Falls; the Icelandic language is very literal.) Near the falls was the site of punishment for crimes, which included hanging and chopping off heads for men and drowning for women. 

Peter descending into Almannagjá

Öxará River

Ula, Enis, Shalako, Sherri and Peter at Öxarárfoss

Almannagjá and Thingvallavatn

Historically, Thingvellir is important as the site of the annual parliament, the Althingi, from 930 until the last session held there in 1798. The Althingi (meaning assembly fields) is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. After Iceland came under Norwegian rule in 1262, the Althingi did not have legislative power, but sessions were still held at Thingvellir annually until 1800. All free men could attend the assemblies, which were usually the main social event of the year and drew large crowds of farmers and their families, parties involved in legal disputes, traders, craftsmen, storytellers, and travelers. (Unfortunately, we did have time to visit the actual site of the assembly.) Althingi is also where independence from Denmark was declared on June 17, 1944, with crowds of thousands attending the event (in the rain, of course).

Having only eaten snacks in the car, we stopped for a late lunch at Laugarvatn Fontana, a spa and geothermal bakery where bread is baked in a whole in the ground for 24 hours before being dug up and served. At the cafe, we took advantage of the buffet of two vegetarian soups and white bread with pesto, gorging ourselves on the delicious fare. After, the others enjoyed the geothermal bread. (I don't like rye, so I didn't have any.)

Our next stop was the Haukadalur geothermal field. The word geyser (from the Icelandic verb "geysa," meaning to go quickly forward") comes from Geysir, first mentioned in written sources in the early 13th century, which is the earliest named fountain hot spring. Geysir itself rarely erupts now, sometimes not for many years at a time. Close by is Strokkur, which erupts to a height of 15-20 meters (49-66 feet), although it can sometimes go as high as 40 meters (130 feet). The white plume of water and steam occurs every 6 to 10 minutes but lasts only seconds. There are also mud pots and other geothermal features in the area. We were fortunate that the skies had partially cleared and a double rainbow stretched low across the sky.

Strokkur geyser

Sherri and Ula in front of the rainbow

A mud pot

Geysir

Steaming springs

Bubbling hot spring

We traveled on to our next destination, Gullfoss, an enormous waterfall in the canyon of the Hvítá River. The river flows down a wide, curved three-step staircase before plunging in two stages (11 meters or 36 feet and 21 meters or 69 feet) into crevice about 20 meters (66 feet) wide and 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) long. In the first half of the 20th century, plans were developed to use Gullfoss for hydroelectric power. Sigríður Tómasdótttir, daughter of the co-owner of the sheep farm around the falls, is recognized as Iceland's first environmentalist for her legal actions and numerous treks to Reykjavík, sometimes by foot, to meet with government officials to stop the project. Although she did not win in court, her efforts spurred public attention and led to the acquisition of the area by the Icelandic government for permanent conservation in 1979 (22 years after her death). 

The thundering water and the surrounding rugged landscape are truly awesome, and we took numerous photos from every vantage point. As luck would have it, another rainbow appeared during this stop on our tour. 

Gullfoss' three staircase drops and first plunge

Ula, Enis, Shalako, Peter and Sherri at Gullfoss

The river plunging down into the canyon

Rainbow over Gullfoss

Our final stop was Kerið Crater, a volcanic crater lake. It is one of four craters along the 800-meter fissure called the Tjarnarhólar row, formed through explosive volcanic activity and is elliptical, measuring approximately 55 meters (180 feet) deep, 170 meters (560 feet) wide and 270 meters (890 feet across. The walls of the crater consist of basalt and scoria. We walked around the top of the crater and then took the stairs down to the water's edge, where we also circled the lake.

Kerið Crater

Sherri, Peter, Enis and Shalako by the lake

Our last stop of the day was in Selfoss for a late dinner at the Old Dairy Food Hall in Selfoss. We arrived back at Mantra quite late and went directly to bed in order to rise early the next day for more adventure.

Still in Iceland

We have too busy having great adventures over the past week for me to post anything, so now I face the daunting task of catching up because we have done a lot! I will create this post with headings for each day I have not posted.

Tuesday, September 2

Having stayed up past midnight the day before to see the northern lights, all of us--Peter, Ula, Enis, Shalako and me--slept in and had a late breakfast. In the early afternoon, appreciating the warmer weather and sunshine, we set off, first walking along the waterfront, past the sculpture abstractly representative of a Norse ship, Sun Voyager. 

Sun Voyager sculpture

We walked to and spent a couple hours at one of Reykjavík's public pools, Sundhöll. (Every town in Iceland has one.) For about $10 US a person, we were admitted, but not until we had read the rules. (Seriously, they would not accept payment and issue passes until each of us had done so.) The main rule is that you have to thoroughly wash and shower naked in the locker room before entering the pool area. Another woman, seeing me struggle to put on my swimsuit with wet skin, gave me the advise to get it wet first, and it worked. Visitors are also required to shower and thoroughly dry before entering the locker areas. All these rules make perfect sense. We enjoyed the swimming pool and a couple different hot pools as well as the frigid cold tub, which we dared each other to get completely wet in. We went from one to the other but mostly stayed in the hottest pool as the sun beamed down on us. (No photography is allowed, so we have no visual evidence of our time using the pools as the locals do.)

Enis had to get back to the boat mid-afternoon to work, but four of us went shopping, managing to fill two shopping carts and spend the equivalent of $600 US for provisions at one of the less expensive supermarkets, Bonus. However, we had too much for four people to carry, so we called a taxi (which fortunately was a large van) to drive us a short distance to the entrance to the dock. Then, I watched the bags as the others shuttled back and forth with our groceries. Peter took off for a hardware store after everything was on the boat. It took me about two hours to organize and stow everything. We now have an abundance of food for the rest of the month. 

The highlight of the day occurred in the late evening. After dinner, we went to hear live music at Hús máis og menninger. I managed to secure us a table right in front of the stage. The crowd was lively, and the band was playing Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, which the lead singer performed superbly. Unfortunately, what we did not know was that the every night live music is staged from 8 to 11 every night, so that was the last song. Most people cleared out after the music ended, but we got drinks and stayed until almost midnight, chatting and having a great time.

Live music by the Bookstore Band

Wednesday, September 3 

On this morning, we were just getting ready to leave the boat when we were asked to move to the floating dock to allow a larger boat to tie up on the wharf. Enis had already spotted this strange-shaped, non-angular ship coming in to the harbor. With heavy lines and lots of fenders, the silver and orange Tara Polar Station docked. This new drifting scientific base was constructed between September 2023 and April 2025 in Cherbourg, France. For the next 20 years, climatologists, biologists, physicists, ecologists, glaciologists, oceanographers, doctors, journalists, artists and sailors will study the Arctic and its evolution. The vessel, 26 meters in length and 16 meters wide, with a draft of 3.2 meters, is equipped to be functionally autonomous for 500 days. It will be frozen in ice and drifting 90% of the time. It just arrived here having just completed it first test drift in the southern part of Spitsbergen, where it practiced installation on the ice, opening of the moon pool, immersion of scientific equipment, inspection dives under the hull, energy production and other tests. 

Crew members posing for the photograph

Mantra and Tara Polar Station

After watching Tara Polar Station dock, we set off for the main shopping area of the city. On Stangarholt, the Rainbow Street, we found a popular bakery and cafe where people were waiting for tables, so we bought sandwiches to go. Enis and Ula set off in a different direction to visit a coffee shop they had seen, and Shalako, Peter and I found a small park where we ate our lunch. Then we set off for the Whales of Iceland Museum, stopping to look at buildings and statues along the way.

We first lingered in the square of Aðalstræti (main street), where there is a statue of Skúli Magnússon, who is considered the father of Reykjavík because he developed commercial fishing and other industries which led to urbanization of the small farming area. This square, one of the oldest parts of Reykjavík, was the site of Vikurkirkja Church, probably the first church in Iceland, with its oldest records dating to the 13th century. It was in use until 1796, when it was replaced by Dómkirkjan (Reykjavík Cathedral). Another feature in the square is a Swedish whitebeam tree, planted by Georg Schierbreck in the late 19th century, who built a house near the old churchyard and planted a garden there. The tree flourishes today and is believed to be the oldest in Reykjavík. 

Peter taking a photo of the oldest tree

19th century building at the other end of Aðalstræti

Back by the waterfront, we encountered a small stone and wood cottage called Garðhús and a sign beside it that told us that this type of building, with long walls of cut stone, replaced the traditional turf wall houses in the 19th century. Only a few remain. This one was built in 1884 by a fisherman and later harbor pilot. His granddaughter, Thurður Dýrfinna Thorbjarnardóttir, was born there on October 30, 1891. Educated and regarded as a unusualy good linguist, she worked at a hotel in the summer of 1921, where she met a marquis of the Grimaldi, one of Europe's oldest dynasties. They fell in love and married that year and then traveled to his estate in Portugal. Two years later, she developed tuberculosis and died in October 1925 at the age of 33; her grave in Brussels bears the arms of the Grimaldis.

Garðhús, one of a few remaining half-stone houses with a small addition

Finally we reached the Whales of Iceland, the largest whale museum in Europe, where Enis and Ula met us. The exhibition consists of 23 life-sized models of various cetaceans (the biological order which includes, whales, dolphins and porpoises) that are found in Icelandic waters. Near them were signs giving their weight, length, life span and diving and swimming behaviors. There were two short documentaries which we watched, one on orcas as apex predators and the other about the unique biological features of sperm whales. We learned (or re-learned) fascinating facts, including: Cuvier's beaked whales can dive to 3000 meters and hold their breath for 140 minutes; the spiral tusk of the narwhal actually is a tooth which emerges through the upper lip; the gray whales travels 20,000 km each year; each individual humpback whale can be recognized by its unique fluke pattern while each common bottlenose dolphin has a unique call; and the fin whale, the fastest swimmer of the cetaceans, can reach speeds up to 28 mph.

Narwhal and other toothed whales

Baleen whales

After the museum, Enis and Ula separated from us again to wander around town and we made our way back to the dock via the waterfront, stopping for ice cream; passing small fish processing plants (The industrial areas are all tidy and clean.); spotting a mink among the boulders separating land from sea; and climbing the spiral path to the top of Thúfa (meaning tussock in Icelandic), a 8-meter, grassy semi-spherical mound. This art installation, commissioned in 2013, has a real wooden shed for drying fish at the top and offers great views of the harbor and the city. We also walked next to a dry dock where two ships were being cleaned and re-painted quite close to the street. (We could feel spray from the pressure washer.) Before reaching Mantra, we also stopped to look at an outdoor installation of large panels with photographs and descriptions of the city from 2024 and from up to 125 years ago, showing its development from a farming community to an urban area. 

Mink among the boulders

View from the top of Thúfa

Peter and Sherri climbing Thúfa

Peter and Shalako on top of Thúfa

Drying fish

Ships in dry dock

Thursday, September 4

On this day, Mantra left the dock to sail to Hvalfjörður, a fjord north of Reykjavík. We sailed for a brief time until the wind died as we rounded into the mouth of the fjord, when we fired up the engine. On the south side of the water there is a hot springs spa. We would have liked to visit, but it apparently is not accessible from the water.

Mouth of Hvalfjörður

Instead, we anchored around 10 a.m. and enjoyed each other's company and the scenery. Shalako decided it was time for the (almost) polar plunge. We all watched. After drying off, he shamed the other two men into following his example and even put his wet swim suit on to join them. The photos of their experience are worth more than words.

Shalako diving in

A big splash

Reaction to the temperature of the water

Shalako emerging

Three silly men

Shalako providing encouragement?

They all dive in

Reactions to the cold

Race to the stern

Peter climbing aboard

After lunch, we headed back to the city. But before we left, I took the opportunity to (finally) cut Peter's hair, so he looks less shaggy now. 

That evening, Ula prepared pan-fried cod (from the frozen stash), delicately flavored boiled potatoes, fried breaded zucchini and a colorful salad for all of us. It was one of the most beautiful meals served on the boat this year.

Sherri, Shalako, Peter and Ula before digging in

After dinner, we walked to the bookshop bar to listen to more live music, arriving early enough to listen for more than an hour. 

Ula, Sherri, Peter, Enis and Shalako

It is late on Tuesday, September 9, now, and I will continue to write about our adventures tomorrow. It has been a gray day with wind and rain, and we have all stayed aboard most of the time and have not left the wharf. Enis, who now has a cold, worked all day and into the evening. I cleaned the interior, made three meals and wrote this post. Peter fixed the second alternator, which had mysteriously stopped working a few days ago, as well as the heating and air conditioning system. We have been warm enough with the two little heaters, but it's nice to have the de-humidifying feature of the system working because there is no escaping the chilly dampness of the northern Atlantic.

Reykjavík: Sunshine and Warmer Weather

On our first night in Reykjavík (Sunday, August 31), we luxuriated in inside warmth. With shore power, we were able to generate enough heat to get well above 70°F and finally things started to dry out! Duvets and extra fleece blankets were set aside with great relief, and it was wonderful to have clean bodies and clean sheets.

Early on Monday morning (September 1), Ula arrived after four flights and an hour-long bus ride from the international airport. We continued to do laundry. We even washed and dried the duvets and their covers. Enis came up with a novel way to put the cover back on. 

Ghost Enis assisted by Shalako

Enis and Shalako shaking the cover over the duvet

By late morning, we were ready to set off and explore more of the city. The skies were overcast, but Reykjavík was still warmer than Greenland, and we only needed a couple layers of clothing. We walked along the main shopping street, Laugavegur, and then veered off unto Skolavordustigur. The lower pedestrian part is painted in wide, bold stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and pink and is aptly called Rainbow Street. The lively street is lined with shops, restaurants, bars and galleries. 

Peter, Shalako, Enis and Ula in front of the Prime Minister's Office

Skolavordustigur

Hallgrímskirkja at the top of Skolavordustigur

Our first destination was Hallgrímskirkja, situated at the top of Skolavordustigur. The largest church in Iceland and the second tallest building in the country, it is one of the best-known landmarks. From the outside, it resembles organ pipes or an abstract representation of Iceland's rugged landscapes. Construction of the church began in 1945, and it was consecrated in 1986.

Hallgrímskirkja

Large organ inside Hallgrímskirkja

In the plaza in front of the church is a statue of Leif Erikson by Alexander Caulder. It was a gift from the United States in honor of the 1930 Althing Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the convening of Iceland's parliament at Thingvellir in 930 AD. 

Leif Erikson statue

Hunger was beginning to gnaw at our stomachs as we were leaving the church, since it was 1:30 and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We found a cafe nearby, but after being seated and looking at the menu, we decided that the prices were high (more than $40 for a vegetarian lunch), got up and searched for a bakery. Along the way, Enis and Ula posed as Vikings. The sight of other people with small paper bags and our noses led us to a little bakery where we purchased pastries, including hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls and happy marriage cake or Hjónabandssæla, made with oats, butter and rhubarb. We ate them on benches at a street corner park.

Enis and Ula as Vikings

Nourished, we continued rambling in the city, noticing that many of the buildings were constructed of corrugated metal, usually in bright colors. Since Iceland has no forests with large trees that can be used for construction, the original settlers built with peat. During the 18th century, a few buildings were constructed with stone, including small cottages built with leftover rocks. Turf houses were still the most common type until the early 20th century,

Introduced in the late 1870s, metal facades became popular in the late 19th and early 20th century as a durable material effective against the harsh elements, particularly in Reykjavík. The iron was made weatherproof by dipping it in molten zinc. After a major fire in 1915, the government required corrugated siding for new houses built close together, leading to the large concentration of metal-clad buildings throughout the country. Originally utilitarian, it became an appealing architectural feature. In Icelandic, it is called bárujárn, which translates literally to "wave iron." 

Two wave iron clad houses

A wave iron house with Victorian decoration

Arctic fox mural on corrugated metal

While walking along Laugavegur, we stopped in a unique bar from which we had heard live music the previous evening. Bókabúd Máis og Menningar, which translates to Máis Bookstore and Culture. This multi-level bookstore and bar features live music every single night. We explored it and Ula and her band made a brief appearance on stage.

Instruments as decor at Bókabúd Máis og Menningar

Ula and her group

We love Reykjavík. Most of the city is not laid out in a grid pattern, and the lack of long or wide streets preserves a sense of neighborhoods next to each other. The scale of the buildings is small, with Hallgrímskirkja being the highest at 74.5 meters (244 feet). There are only four buildings between that height and 54 meters (177 feet), and the sixth tallest building is Harpa, at 43 meters (141 feet). There are little squares and parks scattered throughout the city. 

Although Reykjavík is believed to have been the site of the first Norse settlement in Iceland (870 AD), the area did not become urbanized until the mid-18th century. In 1752, the King of Denmark, Frederic V, donated the estate of Reykjavík to a private corporation led by Skúli Magnússon, the first sheriff, with the wool industry the basis of the economy. The corporation also developed fisheries, sulphur mining, agriculture and shipbuilding. Monopolies were abolished by the Danish Crown in 1786 and six communities, including Reykjavík, were grantd exclusive trading charters. 

In the 19th century, dense clusters of small houses and fishermen's huts formed most of the town. Buildings for government offices such as Parliament as well as a high school and other edifices were erected in the mid-19th century, but it wasn't until the end of that century that the city started to have denser housing, more commercial and government buildings and public parks.

One of these is Austurvöllur, a grassy square with flower borders. Around the perimeter of the square are cafes and restaurants and also Alþingishúsið (Parliament House) and Dómkirkjan, the city's oldest church building. In the center of the square it a bench set up for photo ops; we took advantage of the opportunity. Behind the Parliament Building is another lovely green space, ⁨Alþingisgarðurinn⁩.

Austurvöllur

Enis and Ula

Sherri and Peter

Ula, Shalako and Sherri

⁨Alþingisgarðurinn⁩

A short distance away is Tjörnin, or the Pond, originally a sea lagoon separated from the ocean around 800 AD by a natural gravel barrier. It was transformed into a freshwater body in 1911 when the Lækurinn River, which once flowed into the ocean, was channeled underground and diverted to Tjörnin. In the winter, it is a popular place for ice skating. It is also a bird sanctuary and a great diversity of avians. One is the whooper swan, a species we had not encountered before.

Tjörnin

Whooper swan

On the north side of Tjörnin is an eye-catching sculpture entitled Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat, created with bronze on the lower part and an unrefined block of Icelandic volcanic basalt. The artist, Magnús Tómasson, created the statue in 1994 as an alternative to a tribute to an unknown soldier found in other countries, as Iceland has no standing military. 

Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

On our way back to the dock, we went inside Harpa, the music and convention center, where the architecture and style create a vision as unique and riveting as the exterior.

Looking up in Harpa

Windows and surrounding buildings

At 4 p.m., Magnús, a peer and friend of our good friend in London Liz Tanner, whom Peter has known since the 1970s, joined us on Mantra. We enjoyed tea and pleasant conversation with this native of Reykjavík before setting off for a restaurant where we had reservations at 6 p.m. Along the way, he provided us information about some of the things we were seeing, such as Arnarhóll, a hill near the city center named after Iceland's first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, which is surrounded by the buildings of many ministries as well as Þjóðleikhúsið, the National Theater of Iceland. 

Arnarhóll

We walked past his high school, the main one in the city, and strolled through Hallargarðurinn Park. Bindindishöllin, the gorgeous house on the property, was built in 1908 by entrepreneur Thor Jensen, Magnús' great-great-great-great grandfather. 

Bindindishöllin

Ula, Enis, Shalako and Magnús in Hallargarðurinn Park

Just in time after a nice stroll under sunny skies, we reached the restaurant, Þrír frakkar, the Three Overcoats. It's a pleasant place with a warm atmosphere and friendly servers. Featured on the menu are traditional Icelandic dishes such as fermented shark, raw or roasted whale, smoked puffin and horse along with local seafood such as plaice and cod, mussels, herring, salmon and halibut. The men had to try all the traditional dishes. 

Ula, Shalako, Sherri, Peter, Magnús and Enis

After dining for a couple hours, we walked with Magnús to the main shopping street and then meandered around, admiring the evening light on things we had seen earlier, and discovering striking murals. Some other tourists were posing for photos by Harpa, and we mimicked their pose and they took photos of us in the twilight. We returned to a boat that, for those of us suffering from heat deprivation, was beyond warm. 

Skolavordustigur after rain, near sunset

The Deacon of the Dark River mural

Ingólfr Arnarson, the first Scandinavian settler in Iceland, Arnarhóll

Peter, Enis, Shalako, Ula and Sherri in front of Harpa

Interior temperature!

Ula and I had already gone to bed when Shalako came back from a short walk to the restroom to announce the northern lights were visible. What a way to end a glorious day!

Northern lights over Reykjavík Harbor

Northern lights

I am still a few days behind on our adventures, but it is time for me to stop for now. More later.