Fire, Ice, and Water

 

Strokkur showing off on a sunny day

Whoosh! Boiling water shoots up to 130 feet high into the sky every five to ten minutes, and subsides as quickly as it begins from the geyser known as Strokkur. In the amazing geothermal area in the southwest of Iceland geysers, boiling mud pits, and steam rise from the earth in multiple locations. The clever Icelandic people have harnessed nature's energy and geothermal energy heats 85% of Icelandic homes. 

After spending 10 days in The Netherlands in June, Tim and I met up with my sister and brother-in-law and boarded a cruise ship in Amsterdam. Destination: Iceland. The itinerary was to visit four ports around the island, but windy rainy weather reduced that to three ports. 

It's always a toss-up when being a tourist - do we explore entirely on our own, or do we take tours? Since our time in each port was short, we chose tours for two stops and wandered on our own in the third. Our first stop was Reykjavik, the capital city. We saw very little of the city, but plenty of the beautiful countryside with our knowledgeable and friendly guide. We chose to do tours through independent local companies rather than the ship tours. 

Lupins overlooking the fjord at Isafjordur, Iceland

Swaths of Nootka blue lupins, native to British Columbia and Alaska, carpet the hills. They are an introduced species and have spread to every corner of the country. Lupins grow in marginal soil and enrich it with nitrogen. It's a complicated issue and Icelanders are divided - some love the lupins, others hate them. An interesting article on the issue, written by the Hakai Institute that focuses on coastal research, provides more information. Our guide confessed to loving the lupins, as did I. 

Bunarfoss waterfall and lupins near Isafjordur

More lupins with a waterfall in the background. Iceland has an abundance of beautiful waterfalls. 

Oxarafoss waterfall in Thingvellir National Park

Thingvellir National Park lies on two tectonic plates - the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. These plates are ever-so-slowly moving apart, which means, according to our guide, that Iceland's land mass is growing! This spot also marks where the first parliament was held 930, chieftains gathering together to discuss matters. I have not watched Game of Thrones, but our guide told us that filming was done near here featuring the jagged stone cliff face forming a wall through the valley. 

Gullfoss waterfall. Part of the tour taken in Reykjavik.

Magnificent torrents of water thundered over Gullfoss - Golden Waterfall. How exhilarating to walk close to the lookout point edge and feel the spray from the falls. The rainbow was the icing on the cake!

Godafoss waterfall. Seen on the tour in Akureyri.

Around the year 1000, Norway's king was a Christian. Iceland, at the time, followed a pagan religion. Trade with Norway was crucial to Iceland's survival and the leaders deliberated whether or not to convert to Christianity. Thorgeir, a pagan priest, was to make the final decision. He decided that Iceland should become Christian and to show his resolve, took his gods and threw them into the waterfall -the Waterfall of the Gods, or Godafoss. 

Iceland is green and beautiful with well-kept farms, white buildings, and very friendly people. It would be wonderful to explore more of the country by car and not have to rely on the timetable of a cruise ship, but this was a lovely introduction to Iceland. 

We've had some most welcome rain here at home lately. The cooler weather is better for the forest fires and our gardens, and every little bit of moisture helps.