Iceland - God's Vacation Spot (Part 1)

Is it possible God created Iceland simply to be his vacation spot when leaving heaven? Looking at the scenery suggest that might be its origin. But now, it entertains travelers from around Europe and the globe and probably even from beyond earth! Certainly, some of the landscape looks straight out of an extra-terrestrial movie set. Mere words from my humble fingers can’t do it justice so this post has everything to do with the pictures and narration only to the point of setting the scene.

Arrival - The Capital Reykjavik

Landing at Keflavik International Airport and winding your way towards Reykjavik your visual senses are overwhelmed by the difference in landscape. The dirt is black volcanic gravel and everything is rocky. But soon you arrive in Reykjavik, a settlement for over 1000 years, and are greeted by a modern city with so much historical “root”. The city is set on a bay and in fact got its name from this as Reykjavik means “smoky bay” in English. You can get to water quickly from basically anywhere in the capital city. I had the pleasure of getting a picture of the smoky bay minus the smoke.

The picture is from a little peninsula that also hosts a quaint little lighthouse and a breeding ground for the Iceland national bird – the puffin. The rocky beach area is a prime puffin breeding ground and off-limits during part of the year. This little peninsula is also a fantastic place to see the northern lights in the winter. So, here in the bustling capital city of Iceland you can get away to natural beauty. And if you like lighthouses – which I do – then it is doubly satisfying.

This article is about natural beauty, but I would be totally uncouth if I didn’t at least talk about some cool history things in Reykjavik. Literally right next to my awesome hotel (The Centrum) was a museum built over the foundations of a Viking Long House (The Settlement Exhibition). I totally geeked out here as I have studied Viking history and the stories around the Saga. It was almost like history coming to life for me. If you get to Iceland, it is a must-see attraction if you’re a historical nerd and love the Viking heritage – like me. The National Museum of Iceland is also a cool place to visit. Loved it there!

One more cool thing to talk about just outside of the capital city for you geological geeks. There is a national park called Thingvellir. I can spell it but please don’t ask me to pronounce it. It is part of the “Golden Circle” set of highlights close to Reykjavik. There are a couple of significant things here. First it was the site of the annual Althing

(or Parliament) from 930 AD to about 1790 or so. This was the oldest parliament in Europe. But the nerdy geological thing is you can literally stand with one foot in the Eastern and Western Hemisphere.

This picture is the rift valley. I must admit this was one hell of a hike back up this thing but the sheer excitement of standing straddle of two major tectonic plates drove me onward. There is history, dark history (drowning pools), and natural wonder. What a great place!

Natural Beauty

Alright, I know, enough of that crap, get to the natural beauty you talked about. If I truly reflected upon my favorite thing in Iceland, it would be almost impossible to decide about number one. But I keep gravitating to the black sand beaches of a little village called Vik. This is a picture across the beach to some amazing rock formations.

These have been carved over the eons by an unruly surf that is as dangerous as it is beautiful. The sand is volcanic and speaks to the origins of the island and the over 400 volcanoes that inhabit the place. If you just use your imagination this could be one of God’s pets simply sipping cool water in the North Atlantic. But there is another cool feature on this particular beach that is just beautiful.

Even with hundreds of visitors a day in the summer there is a sense of calm here. You could sit here for hours and take in the roar and crash of the ocean, chatter of the sea birds, and silence of the sand and wonder where the time went. I saw hundreds of sea birds swoop and land inside the cave and on the steps to heaven as I think of them. The birds taunted the lowly humans with their ability to interact and not simply behold the beauty.

Even with hundreds of visitors a day in the summer there is a sense of calm here. You could sit here for hours and take in the roar and crash of the ocean, chatter of the sea birds, and silence of the sand and wonder where the time went. Yes, today my favorite thing in Iceland is the black sand beaches at Vik and the sheer beauty of the countryside getting there. Around very bend in the road is another thing of beauty. One comes to anticipate it but never quite prepare for it. It would seem impossible for the internet to hold the number of pictures I have of Iceland. So, I am only tantalizing you with these few.

Part 2 of the BLOG will pick up where we left off here. Treatment of my second favorite natural wonders in Iceland - waterfalls and glaciers. There might even be a surprise movie of a geological phenomenon thrown in there for good measure. Back soon!