Iceland, Land of Ice and Fire
The very picturesque Hraunfossar, NW Iceland
For most of us, the mention
of Iceland conjures up images of glaciers, aurora borealis (aka Northern
Lights) and the volcano Grímsvötn, which spewed ashes creating havoc and disrupting
flights all over Europe in May 2011. Other than that infamous eruption, the
very little that I read about this nation in our news media had to do with its bankruptcy
in 2008, and practically nothing else! However, my recent short vacation there had
definitely added more colors and dimensions to these contrasting images and
somewhat limited impressions.
Actually, it was my cousin Tong CW–
also a Royal Lake Club member, avid nature lover and outdoor person like moi --
who prompted me to make a trip to this far-flung island in the Northern
Hemisphere. He travelled there for a hiking trip with his son some years ago,
and both of them were bowled over by its abundant natural beauty and pristine
charm. So, I rounded up a small group of like-minded friends, including a few
from the Royal Lake Club, and embarked on the trip in April 2013. Why April?
Well, we had hoped to sight the aurora borealis in Iceland, as well as catch the
flower parade and visit Keukenhoff Garden in the Netherlands when tulips would
be in full bloom. My research indicated that going in April was about the best bet
for killing these three birds with one stone! J
The following is a brief
account of our travel story, which gives some inkling of why I have since
labelled Iceland as the Land of Ice and Fire:
We arrived at Keflavik Airport
in Iceland in late afternoon. After checking into the hotel, our tour guide
wasted no time and whisked us off straight to dinner! For foodies like us,
nothing was more welcoming than a hearty meal in the very popular and famous
Fish & Chips Restaurant that I have specifically requested to be included
in our itinerary. We ordered the cod and ventured to try the wolffish, which we
have never heard of hitherto. The cod was simply out of this world, fresh and
heavenly delicious, very unlike the frozen version we get here in Malaysia. The
wolffish was surprisingly tasty too, although we might have refused to try it
had we known then what it really looks like! The fish is tossed in barley
batter (free of white flour and refined sugar, so I was told) and fried in the
all-natural canola oil for a remarkably light, crispy finish that doesn't “obstruct”
the delicate flavor of the fresh catch. The fish is paired with malt vinegar or
"skyronnaise," the skýr-based house sauce in eight flavors, including
coriander-lime, ginger-wasabi, and mango chutney. We were also served fresh
green salad, mango salad, tomato/potato salad, home fries, and onion ring….and
delicious seafood soup! Oops, this is supposed to be a travel story, not food
review…..
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| The ugly but tasty wolf fish |
The following morning, eight
out of ten people in the group started the day on a whale watch ship departing
from the port of Grindavik, while the other two –myself included – with an acute
sense of self-awareness, decided to skip this adventure to avert getting
seasick. We opted to spend a more restful morning in the famous Blue Lagoon. We
made the right decision, as the sea turned out to be so rough that three our
friends onboard the ship did get very sick! Anyway, all of us sought respite
later in the beautiful Blue Lagoon where we had a great time enjoying a soak
and swim in the revitalizing mineral-rich geothermal water. (By the way,
renewable sources such as geothermal and hydro power provide about 80% of the
nation’s total energy. Thus, green houses which are abundant in Iceland, are mostly
heated by geothermal power.)
We departed from the Blue
Lagoon to visit Krisuvik, a geothermal field where powerful jets of steam were
seen escaping from deep below the earth’s crust. We were quite happy to be
“steamed” standing in the snow and cold wind. Our next stop was Leif the Lucky
Bridge, a small bridge over the rift between the Eurasian and North American
tectonic plates that runs through Iceland. It was fascinating to see this rift
as most of us have only read about tectonic plate movement in our college geology
and biology textbooks. Clad in our winter coats, we all continued to brave the
snow and cold, for the sheer pleasure of walking across the bridge to gaze into
the fascinating depth of the rift. After this exotic experience, we headed to
the picturesque village of Stokkseyri to enjoy the lobster feast at the famous
Fjorubordid Restaurant, raved and highly rated by travelers on the Internet. Iceland
lobsters are small, look more like crayfish, but they are deliciously juicy and
firm.
After the scrumptious lobster
feast, we hunted for the elusive Northern Lights en route to Reykjavik. Even
though the aurora alert site website predicted high probability of sighting on
that day, we were not lucky enough to see anything near spectacular. We only
saw a tantalizing flicker of light for a split second in the dark of the night,
not the awe-inspiring, swirling and dancing lights across the sky as depicted in
the photo sent to me by a friend from the UK who visited there a few months
ahead of me.
On Day 3, we left Reykjavik
for the south coast, driving through villages, enjoying frequent views of snow
shrouded volcanos including Hekla, the country’s most active volcano. We
stopped along the way to enjoy the splendid Seljalandsfoss and Skogarfoss falls,
which tumble over high rock escarpments dotted by hundreds of bird nests. It
was snowing all the way, yes, in Spring! Abound with legends of trolls and
elves, in the sea off the shores of Dyrholaey and Vik, are rocks 66 meters or
so above sea level, with an iconic one telling the story of two legendary
trolls trying to drag a three-masted ship to land.
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| Beautiful Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon |
The program next day was an
“expedition” to the must-visit Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. En route, we passed
through the vast Eldhraun lava field, the largest on earth since the end of the
Ice Age, definitely more expansive than those I have seen on the Big Island of
Hawaii. Then it was onwards to Skaftafell National Park, one of Iceland’s most
outstanding areas of natural beauty. The
area is dominated by spectacular views of the mighty Vatnajökull, Europe’s
largest glacier. From there, we continued our journey to the breathtakingly beautiful
Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon where bluish huge icebergs were seen floating and
grinding together in the still, deep waters of the lagoon.
The next day we departed for the
very popular Golden Circle tour. First place visited was the Geysir hot spring
area, to see the famous great geysir, Strokkur, a hot spring that spouts “quite
punctually” every few minutes. It is not
as spectacular as Old Faithful in the Yellow Stone Park, but the wait between
spouts was much shorter, and more predictable. Following this was a visit to Gullfoss, one of
Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls. En route, we spotted something worthy of
a special mention: a dozen or so beautiful Icelandic horses grazing in a farm!
Being animal lovers, we couldn’t resist making an unscheduled stop to take some
snapshots with the friendly and docile beauties. Icelandic horses are small,
almost like ponies, and they are so loved by Icelanders that their purity and
bloodlines are fiercely protected. So much so that no other horses can enter
the country, and once an Icelandic horse leaves, it can never return!
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| We sport the same hair style! |
In terms of size, Gulfoss is of
course no comparison to the majestic Niagara Falls, nor is it as spectacular as
Iguassu Falls. But the name Gullfoss or Golden Falls is more than well-deserved.
Standing in front of the falls in bright sunlight, I was literally blinded and spell-bound
by the pretty golden glitters of the cascading water. Our next stop was the
must-visit Thingvellir National Park, the site of the oldest Parliament in the
world which was founded in 930. There, we also saw Almannagjá – Everymans Chasm
– formed about 9000 years ago of extensive layers of basalt lava which shifted
apart to form a great depression about 40 km long and 10 km wide!
After taking in all the
sights and a sense of Icelandic history, geological and otherwise, we headed to
the Hvalfjordur area (Whale-fjord) for overnight at the Glymur Hotel, touted to
be the best and most romantic hotel to experience the Northern Lights.
Unfortunately, we were disappointed yet again: We did not get the
much-anticipated midnight wake-up call to witness the elusive dancing lights!
But I must say we were amply compensated by the serenely beautiful fjord right
in front of the hotel.
On Day 6, we headed north to the
Borgarfjörður district, visited the Settlement Center and a museum in Borgarnes
to imbibe bits and pieces of interesting Icelandic history. We also stopped to
visit Deildartunguhver, the most
powerful hot spring in Europe, then past Reykholt to the very picturesque
waterfalls Hraunfossar, where spring water flows from down under the lava.
After this, we headed towards the Snaefellsnes peninsula to Gerðuberg, where we
enjoyed a snowball fight by the very unique columnar basalt cliff. In the
evening, we arrived at the quaint and picturesque fishing village of Stykkisholmur
for overnight. To me, it is the most beautiful fishing village that I have ever
seen! It even has a pretty church with a unique architecture to boot!
The following morning, we
continued around the peninsula along the north side, going through the villages
of Grundarfjordur, Olafsvik and Hellissandur and then through the National Park,
where we found many beaches with abundant signs of ancient eruptions with
various lava formations and craters. (BTW, Iceland is one of the most
geologically active spots on Earth, with 130 volcanos, about 40 of which have
erupted in the last 1000 years, and on average, a volcano erupts every 5 years.
An eruption will certainly paint Iceland as a land of ice and fire! ) Snæfellsjökull
glacier is a dormant volcano which attracts thousands of people each summer there
to enjoy the energy radiation, as they believe it to be one of earth's seven
energy spots. In fact, I did feel the “qi” when I tried to tap the energy
around there! Perhaps the RLC qigong exponents should go there on a special
pilgrimage? J Next, we stopped at Arnarstapi to
enjoy its extraordinary beautiful shores and scenery. Being nature lovers, we savored
sights of the spectacular landscapes, not to mention the refreshing short hike
in the park, and leisurely bird watching along the precipitous shoreline.
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| Seagull colonies on the shore |
In the late afternoon, we headed
back to Reykjavik -- via a tunnel under the fjord -- for a city tour which
included the uniquely beautiful Hallgrímskirkja church where the world’s
largest pipe organ is housed. We concluded the tour with a visit to Perlan (The
Pearl) to enjoy a panoramic view of the city. Since it was our last evening in
Iceland, the foodies in the group decided to try the famous hotdogs (made of
real meat, usually lamb, NOT factory-made frankfurters of dubious quality) , supposedly the best in Europe, and “endorsed” by no other than President Clinton
himself! I tucked in two yummy hotdogs as my pre-dinner appetizers, and this
speaks volumes, because I am one who scoffs at hotdogs as the lowly “emergency
food”. After the hotdogs, we still had space in our stomachs for a delicious barbeque
dinner at a local restaurant, where amongst a variety of fresh seafood, we got
to try the whale meat! Tough and non-descript is all I can say of this special treat. L
In summary, Iceland is small,
but abundant in natural beauty. It is only roughly 39,000 square miles (about ¾
the size of peninisular Malaysia), with 11% of the country covered with
glaciers, another 30% of the land is lava fields. What one doesn’t see there is
lots of tall trees. Thus goes the old Icelandic joke that if you ever get lost
in a forest in Iceland, all you need to do is stand up! Only about 320,000
people live in Iceland, where they enjoy an excellent quality of life. Yes,
they went bankrupt in 2008, but they have experienced a strong economic
recovery since. Iceland is said to have one of the longest life expectancies
and the highest literacy rate in the world. And, it is one of the most
technologically advanced nations with the highest number of broadband internet
connections per capita in the world. Impressed? But I bet what most Malaysians
may like about Iceland is perhaps the fact that crime rate is very low there. Even
the president’s residence is NOT fenced up! Their police don’t even carry guns
-- guns are illegal, except those for hunting -- they only carry batons and
pepper spray.
for a more complete,
vivid and visual presentation of my Iceland travel story.
