Iceland, The Director's Cut - Epilogue

It's been almost two weeks since I returned from the trip. Everyone has asked the obligatory, "how was Iceland?" My response has been the same - it's a beautiful country. Go if you get the chance, but make sure you budget appropriately. It's not cheap there. Don't stay in Reykjavik just because you've heard it has a great nightlife. You can eat, drink and dance anywhere in the world. You can't stand under a rainbow. You can't get sprayed by a 25m geyser every 10 minutes. You can't stare out at vast expanses of empty black sand. Sunsets that last for hours, viking settlements, a unique history - all things worth experiencing. Explore the country.

There are things I didn't do - hike on a glacier, snowmobile on a glacier, 4x4 into the interior, climb the lip of Europe's most active volcano, not to mention all the things I've already said we skipped for various reasons. I think it's worth going back to.

Have you ever experienced the phenomenon where you do something, or get something, and suddenly you see references to it everywhere? It happens all the time to me. Now that I'm back, I've seen no less than 5 references to Iceland from various sources. New films, talk show interviews, historical landmarks, even old Snorri Sturluson has come up. Somehow, Iceland looks to have become the hot topic out there. Go figure.

I'm glad to be home, but between Iceland, and Israel earlier this year, my wanderlust seems to have returned. Now I need to pick my next destination.

But first, I need to organize all those pictures.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Days 9 & 10

Our goal was Cape Breton. We rose, had the first hot breakfast we'd enjoyed in over a week (in fact, the Hilton Garden Court has a great included breakfast - cold buffet, or your choice of hot entrees, all included) and got away a bit later than expected. It's a 4 hour drive from Halifax to Sydney, where we dropped off my brother so he could meet up with a friend who lives there (because my brother has friends who are insane). The drive there was... interesting, with my brother driving, my youngest brother navigating (hey, someone other than me has to do it sometime), and my mother driving from the backseat, and driving them nuts. Them taking the pot-holed side road instead of the handy major highway was less than welcome.

Regardless, we made it, dropped off my brother, and made our way to Tim Horton's for a snack. Unexpectedly, this particular Tim Horton's was right next to Casino Nova Scotia. How could I not go in to check it out? Wow. The floor was only a few thousand square feet, and full of crappy slot machines. About 8 table games, that were all closed, and a small 3 or 4-table poker room that was also not open on a Sunday afternoon. I still played the slots, and left up $10, knowing that if I stuck around longer, I'd have hit that oversized progressive. :)

We went down to Louisburg - the site of French port from colonial days. At its peak, Louisburg was the 3rd busiest port in North America, behind New York and Pittsburgh. The shipping and fishing industries were incredibly profitable for France, and it was a key military point against the British. After being taken by those pesky Brits, it was abandoned and fell into ruin. The Canadian Government rebuilt the whole thing as an historical site.

It's impressive - a rather regal French colonial town, with a dominating fort that is more castle than base. Throughout the day it is populated by people portraying daily life at the time, teaching the tourists. Or so I hear. You see, it closes at 5:30pm and they recommend an entire day dedicated to seeing it. We got there at 5:15pm and didn't get in. Oops. Still got some pictures though :).

A bit more random driving around and my brother was picked up as we began our long, dark journey back to Halifax via the Trans-Canada highway. It rained, it got dark, and the highway wasn't exactly "lit". Even in remote Iceland, the road was clearly marked by reflective posts along the edge. Here, in Nova Scotia, if it wasn't for high beams, you could find yourself in a ditch next to the highway. After a few hours, we found ourselves near St. Francis Xavier University, and college towns have civilization. We grabbed some dinner (mmm.. Boston Pizza) and got back on the long dark road for a couple more hours. A brief, and unnecessary (but nobody listens to me) about running out of gas, and we got back to the hotel for our last night.

Next day, more tasty breakfast and off to the airport.

I believe I've stated the problem of flying on employee passes. They're standby. Monday was supposed to be easy, with tons of open seats. Something changed and all the flights were greatly oversold, with tons of standby passengers who ranked higher than us. Our 10:50am flight was full, as was every other flight for the next 8 hours. Finally, we were able to (barely) get on a flight to Ottawa, where the plan was to connect to Toronto. This is the benefit of employee passes - it's easy to change your route on the fly.

This Halifax-Ottawa flight was interesting. We were told not to bother, because they were short two flight attendants, and therefore couldn't run a full flight. Also, it was over 2 hours delayed in departing. Somewhere, they found some extra staff and we all got on and out. The problem was, we weren't going to make our Toronto connection any more.

The pilot informed us as to the reason for the delay. A North American summit was taking place outside Ottawa between our Prime Minister, the Mexican President, and some yahoo cowboy from the States. Turns out W's little private jet (Air Force One or something) had landed behind the plane we were one before it could leave for Halifax, and they shut down the airport for 90 minutes for all those fun Secret Service things, delaying the plane from reaching us in Halifax, and causing it to miss some crew.

But it did make it eventually, and made it back to Ottawa, were we got a good view of that big honkin' 747 and its security force. As we were pulling up to the gate, the crew let us know that we were screwed. Anyone with a connecting flight had missed it, go to customer service to find out where you were rebooked. Damn. I really wanted to get home.

So I rushed off the plane and looked left to the gate we were SUPPOSED to go to. What's this? People? AHA! They lied! Our next flight was listed as "Departed" but hadn't QUITE finished boarding yet! I ran over and they reluctantly let me and the family on, literally closing the door behind us. I settled in my seat with a smile on my face that we'd made it... just.

The flight home was uneventful, and I was FINALLY able to settle into my own bed and get the sleep of the travel-weary. I have traveled all around this tiny planet of ours, and every single time I have the same thought - There's no place like home.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Day 8

A week had passed since leaving for one of the most unique countries in the world. In that time we'd circumnavigated the whole country, seen absolutely gorgeous scenery, learned a thing or two about its history, and generally been impressed.

Today wasn't gearing up to be too full. We were potentially 20 minutes out side Reykjavik, with our flight leaving in the evening. So we took it easy, had breakfast and rolled out.

From Borgarnes you have two choices for getting to Reykjavik (well, 3 if you count going the wrong way for 800km) - a tunnel under one of the fjords, or the old road around the fjord. We opted for the old road, aiming for Glymur, Iceland's highest waterfall. We'd be warned there was a somewhat arduous and high hike to get there, but we figured it wouldn't hurt to get to the start of that and see what was in store. We never got that far, because what wasn't mentioned was, once again, the horrible condition of the road to get there. A dirt road that got progressively worse and steeper met us, and eventually we were forced to turn around.

So we continued on the old road, met up with the main road again, and made it into Reykjavik. We drove over to The Pearl - another landmark clearly visible from much of the city. It's a very large series of water tanks above the city. However, instead of your standard "oh look! a water tank!" style, it's an architectural attraction. A series of large tanks with a glass dome and observation deck on top, a history of Iceland museum inside, and a revolving top-tier restaurant.

Outside The Pearl is a man-made recreation of Strokkur - that regular geyser from day 3. It actually quite humourous after seeing the natural one. Every few minutes, this stream of water and steam is forced a couple dozen feet in the air, but it looks so artificial. Inside is a fountain that I believe is matched to the outdoor one's cycles.

We climbed to the observation deck and enjoyed the 360-degree views of the largest city in the country. We also went through the history of Iceland museum, where I learned that nothing has happened in the last 300 years. Seriously, there's this whole display with life-like models, recreated historical scenes, descriptions, audio tours, and the rest, but it ends in the 1700's. I suppose nothing quite matched the days of the Vikings since then.

We made it to the airport, and found ourselves waiting to board the plane because the pilot was having a hard time getting away from an annual festival in Reykjavik. Icelandair has a tendency to force you to be there early. 2 1/2 hours before departure, boarding beginning 20 minutes before scheduled, and leaving as soon as possible. However, the staff seemed perfectly okay with herding all the passengers into a tiny holding room because the pilot was having too much fun. We finally took it upon ourself to go back out to the larger waiting room and sit down, and the staff reluctantly agreed they were morons.

All told though, we didn't leave that late, and arrive in Halifax relatively on time. Here was when my family, except for me, were pulled aside for a random customs check. I strolled through, they got pointed through another door. Here, they were caught for transporting rocks that hadn't been washed in vinegar. Seriously. Rocks=dirt and you can't transport dirt. But you can if you wash it in vinegar apparently. So the customs official washed their rocks and let them pass. He missed the tomatoes they were carrying, go figure.

We scarfed down some fast food and got the to hotel for the night.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Day 7

Akureyri was the biggest city we'd been in since Reykjavik, so after breakfast and checkout there was but one thing to do -- buy souvenirs! Oh, there also happened to be the largest souvenir store in Iceland down the road from the hotel.

Funny thing about Iceland is that everything is expensive. Because, you know, it's ICELAND. What I love though, is that the souvenirs, hand-made in Iceland, are cheaper outside of Iceland. Regardless, I picked up some stuff. Who doesn't need more shot glasses?

The tourist drag is actually pretty cool. A large blue Parisian cafe with castle-like turrets, and other cool buildings.

We were off, a few hundred clicks to go, and not a whole bunch in between.

Except a turf village from the late 1800's. Low-built homes and buildings, covered in grass. Some were moved to this spot to recreate the village, others were here originally. However, the museums of old farm implements didn't interest us, so we moved on.

A turf church warranted a brief stop, then a monument to a poet who moved to Canada, then a stop for ice cream, and another quick shot of another nifty church.

And then a series of craters, a small one, a larger one, and other than the view, less impressive than the ones we'd see a few days earlier. You see, we were doing the standard tour in reverse, so where this may have impressed us if we'd seen it first, it paled in comparison to the sights we'd seen already. Although it was more than a few stairs to make it to the top. Including one broken step that will undoubtedly cause a broken leg at some point.

Our destination was Borgarnes, a short jaunt from Reykjavik, but before we got there, a few more sights had to be seen. We drove to the most powerful hot spring in the world. It's an impressive description for a large rock shooting out steam and water, being tapped by a geothermal power company and sent off to the capitol. Although we were able to buy some hydroponic tomatoes.

And then - Reykholt. This was the home of Snorri Sturluson. Considered on of Iceland's greatest statesmen and poets, he lived in the 12th century, and served twice as lawspeaker. His old stomping grounds now house a hotel, library, churches, and research area. It's considered one of the most important historical spots in Iceland. Still there is Snorri's old thermal bath. A shallow pool with hot-spring water piped in via a stone channelway. He got there from his house via an underground tunnel, the same tunnel he was assassinated in.

We walked the grounds, took some pictures, and continued on. There was one last waterfall worth seeing, but the prospect of another 100km round trip lots its appeal as the sun began to set. Instead, we continued on to Borgarnes, found our hotel (which was conveniently located past the town), and settled in to watch a killer sunset over the golf course. Did I mention that there are a bunch of courses in Iceland? Shame that I don't golf.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Day 6

This day happened to be my brother's birthday. It was also a much shorter drive than the previous day. Also? Minimal mountain passes.

No breakfast included with this hotel, so we stopped at the local grocery store and picked up sandwich stuff. We stopped at large ravine and unfordable river. Until a bridge was built, this was a fairly hard-to-access area.

Filled with food, we drove, and drove... and drove. Then we turned off towards Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Average flow? 193 cubic meters per second, during floods it hits 500. By comparison, Niagara Falls has an average flow of 1,833 cubic meters per second, but it's MUCH larger than Dettifoss.

We got out of the car and quickly realized it was cold, and windy, and damp. Luckily, the walk to the falls was only a kilometer or so over rocky terrain. No problem. We reached the falls and started checking out the various vantage points. One brother decided that six inches from the shore at the crest of the falls was a good place. Again, I took some pictures so there'd be a document of his last moments on earth, and again, he managed to not fall in. He did admit that it wasn't his smartest idea though, since the wind was making it very hard for him to not keel over to his doom. The idea was toyed with to visit the two other falls nearby, but somehow another 40 minutes of walking plus time standing around in the cold wasn't that appealing with our noses running and ears turning red. Well, my ears were red, my brothers had hoods. Who knew it would be chilly a few degrees south of the arctic circle?

We shivered our way back to the car and drove back across the vast wasteland we had traversed on the way there. Land scoured by glaciers, with a single road winding through it. Eventually we made the main road again and continued west.

The thing about hot springs is that you can see them coming. Plumes of water vapour in the air visibile for a while. We were coming up on some more. These ones were surrounded by a very large geothermal plant, but had no shortage of visitors. The main attractions were the two volcanoes. Well, one volcano, one crater full of hot spring water. Across from these was a series of hot springs and mud flats. This tends to create bubbling mud... and a strong smell of sulphur.

Over a much smaller mountain pass, and on to a most unique place. Volcanic pillars, mounds, and other rock formations all in one small park. It was described regularly like being on another planet. In reality, it was like walking among a bunch of lava pillars. It was still very unique, but underwhelming after the buildup.

This was by Myvatn, a large, shallow lake, which was filled with pseudocraters. A pseudocrater is caused by explosions of gas during a volcanic eruption. Lava into the lake... lava cools... gas inside explodes... pseudocrater.

And then on the road again. To Goðafoss - Falls of the Gods. When Iceland chose Catholicism as its official religion, the man who made the decision tossed his pagan idols into these falls. Or so legend says. They're a small falls, but one of the most interesting ones. Think a mini Niagara Falls, with an extra small falls in the middle, and a few extras on the side. Once again, much time was spent wandering around, enjoying the vistas.

And then, onto Akureyri, the capitol of Northern Iceland. A large resort town of 18,000. It's a great town, with good food, a great hotel, and yet another cool-looking church. We arrived with time to spare, so some exploring was in order. Directed to a local restaurant, we had a solid meal. Saltfish for me, although the Kangaroo was very tempting. Back to the hotel, and a solid night's sleep.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Day 5

I should try and speed these up. But then again, I was hit with a solid case of apathy Monday night.
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Awaking from a comfortable sleep in a comfortable bed, we started out with the standard continental breakfast before packing up to head out.

Once again, the landscape was surprisingly barren as we went. Wide, flat, wind-swept lava plains as far as you could see. This are was desolate due to the regular volcanic activity under the rather large glacier to our west. Eruptions under the ice cause rapid melting and flooding, which the subsides. One of the most recent events wiped out the bridge, the landscape, and was back to normal in 36 hours. It did make for a rather spectacular sight as we approached a bridge: The ground was slightly raised and a ribbon of sand and spraw blew across a pond and over the bridge for a solid 2-3 minutes. The 3 cars on the road, including us, all stopped to watch and take pictures.

Before long, we came across not one, but two glaciers. In fact, they were tongues of the much larger Vatnajökull - Skeiðarárjökull and Öræfajökull. We pulled into the national park Skaftafell and assessed our situation. Nobody quite felt like the multi-hour hike to some waterfalls, and we didn't have our glacier-climbing equipment. So we bought some postcards and drove about 2 minutes to Öræfajökull. An easy hike to the edge of a ravine and we got plenty of views of the glacier on the other side, as well as the valley it was slowly carving. It's amazing that something so seemingly immobile can carve entire landscapes if given enough time. It could be seen as a lesson in patience.

We moved on, passing the long black sand spit of Breiðamerkursandur and then came upon one of the most amazing spots I've ever seen - Jökulsárlón. Another tongue of Vatnajökull, Breiðamerkurjökull, comes down to a freshwater lagoon (undoubtedly created by the glacier itself), which in turn connects to the ocean and its saltwater. This creates a warm spot where the glacier starts breaking up, creating... icebergs. So here we were, in above-freezing temperatures, looking at a lagoon FULL of icebergs, slowly drifting to the open sea. It was also full of gulls, terns, skua (big brown bird), seals, and tourists.

Obviously, there was lots to stick around and see, so we did. The highlight happened just a few minutes after arriving through. While taking pictures of the lagoon, there was a VERY loud cracking and crashing sound, followed by rushing water. One of the larger bergs had broken off and begun to tilt in the water, exposing its underside. When you see and iceberg, you see the dirty white top, but seldom the bottom. As it turned, I was amazed by the incredible shade of blue the previously submerged half was. Think cyan. In fact, it almost appeared to be glowing.

We crossed the bridge to get a different perspective, and watched the seals convene. Six or so black heads constantly popping above the surface, and then diving down again. I'll assume there were also a few fish around. We also met with a skua - a large, ornery brown bird who was afraid of neither man, nor car, nor boat. They did, however, tolerate us.

Much of the day had already passed, and we'd barely covered a third of our distance for the day, so we got back on the road. To Hofn, where it was windy, cold, and empty. There is apparently good birdwatching here, but they decided to stay low today. So instead we did some groceries, had some dinner, and moved on.

To the fjörðurs! Yes, fjords. This means coastal roads that wind and have wind. In this case, underpaved curvy roads with lots of wind, blind turns, and blind hills. We came on option A. The Öxi road, road 939. This option carves out a large chunk of driving, so we turned to it. We got 10 meters when we saw the sign - 17-degree grade, narrow, unpaved road, 35km. Right, we're going to do that in a Skoda. We debated, turned around, and stuck to the main road.

A while later, the main road turned off towards our destination. This was option B. Option C was to continue on the winding and windy coast for twice the distance, and it was getting dark. So we took the main road. We kept taking the main road, and 20 minutes later, we came upon the sign. 12 degree grade, curves, unpaved, 30-some-odd km over the mountain. In the rain. And the dark. It hadn't been dark all trip, today it was overcast and going to be pitch black, and we were going over a mountain.

So we continued over the mountain, and it got dark, and it rained more. Before we made it up, it was pouring and black. Before that, we had a few spectacular views of the valley, but it was too dark to get a picture, besides, we just wanted to keep going. Then we met the curves that were almost literally 180 degrees, and somehow didn't go over the edge. You need to be hitting the gas to make it up the hill, and not hitting the gas to make the turn. I'd call them hairpin turns, except the radius of the curve was tighter than that. Then we made the next one... and the next one. It was harrowing for all of us.

Now, before you think I'm exaggerating. Years ago we traversed the Alps via car. Heading TO the Swiss side, you're going 8000ft up on a road that constantly curves back on itself, with rotting 2x4 s and a thin wire being the closest thing to a guardrail. You're constantly looking down on the tiers of roadway below you and shear cliffs that you can see yourself tumbling down. Motorhomes and trailers are regularly coming past you the other way on a road that is BARELY wide enough for 2 cars, and mirrors get bent back constantly from meeting other cars. I was fine for that trip. This one ended in a rather large sigh of relief. Maybe it was the horrible road, rain, and pitch blackness.

We crested the mountain, and started down. We pulled over to let one large 4x4 pass us on its way up, and eventually got to some flatter ground. This is where we met our first cat, when it ran in front of the car, got totally freaked out and escaped... everyone lived. Eventually, we found our way into Egilsstaðir, and got directions to our hotel. We pulled in after 11, and gladly found our beds.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Day 4

The weather so far had been fantastic. 17+ degrees C, lots of sun. It got a bit overcast and windy at Gullfoss the day before, but otherwise everyone, including the locals, was impressed. We have a tendency to change the weather when we travel. When in the Alps, it was the hottest heatwave they'd had in 20 years; Japan - we missed Typhoon Robin by a day the whole way, with it starting to rain as our plane left Tokyo; Banff - it went from -26 for two straight weeks to +2 when we arrive and +8 when we left. Iceland? Overcast, rainy, and chilly to Sunny, calm, and warm.

We headed out from Reykjavik to Kirkjubaejarklaustur (Klauster), with a few planned stops along the way. The drive starts out with rather uneventful scenery. Kilometers of lava desert on either side, and a road over a small mountain. Then, as you come down, you see a valley spread out below you, the town of Selfoss in the distance - it's a welcome sight. We unsuccessfully searched for a particular cafe, and carried on to our first stop.

Seljalandsfoss is one of Iceland's more famous waterfalls. Tall and narrow, falling over a grotto into a small pool, it's incredibly picturesque. This day, there was a bit of a wind, so the cascade was blowing around, with the mist reaching the parking lot a couple hundred meters away. The most unique aspect of this falls is the ability to walk behind it, into the surprisingly dry grotto.

A tangent here. Iceland has a few naming idiosyncrasies. One that I've noticed has caused some confusion (both with me and online) is the name Selfoss. Foss = Falls essentially, so Gullfoss (Golden Falls), Goðafass (Falls of the Gods), etc, are easy to pick out. Selfoss, however, is both a waterfall and a town. The problem is, they're nowhere near one another. The town of Selfoss is near Seljalandsfoss, not too far from Reykjavik. Selfoss the waterfall, however, is located in the northern part of the country. That said, I've seen more than a few people confuse Seljalandsfoss with Selfoss, although they look nothing alike and are hundred of kilometers away from each other. End tangent.

So, we pull into the lot and I walk out to the falls, snapping pictures along the way. I had learned my lesson at Gullfoss and brought my lens cloth so I could wipe my camera off as I went. Even so, the mist was everywhere, and try as I might, a lot of my pictures are marred by water on the lens. Still, they views make for some great shots, moisture or not. As I was crouching to get a low shot of the falls, I saw my first rainbow of the trip. Now I know it's just the refraction of light through water droplets, and I've seen many in my life. But it's a rare occurence when you find one right next to you. I took a picture and moved on. Climbing behind the falls on a rather treacherous path of slick rocks and rough steps. Behind the falls I took what might be the most artificial-looking shot of my life, with my brother in front of (behind?) the cascade. It looks photoshopped, despite how real it is.

The walk out from behind the falls was slightly better, and afforded some absolutely fantastic pictures... like the one on the right. I must have taken a couple dozen from various angles. I think it was more than worth it. In fact, I spent so much time taking pictures at this site, that my family had grown fairly impatient with my delay. One of my brothers echoed my thoughts exactly though - "Sure, he'll wait until the next time he's in Iceland."

We carried on down the road to our next stop - another waterfall, and one I was looking forward to seeing since before the trip. Skogafoss.

A few weeks ago, I posted some random links. Among them was a flickr link of people standing under a rainbow in Iceland. At Skogafoss to be precise. I could only hope the conditions would work for me to see something similar. My hope was not in vain.

Where the previous falls were tall and narrow, Skogafoss was majestic. Taller than Seljalandsfoss, and wider, in a cove that had been cut out of the hillside over centuries, it is an impressive sight to behold. Unlike Seljalandsfoss, you can't go behind this falls, but you can climb to the top. I decided to stick around the bottom and middle, and got more than my fair share of shots. It was a gorgeous sight, and a big destination for tourists of all stripes.

Like every other falls in Iceland, you can get as close as you want to these. Many of us emerged from the shore soaked from the mist, while others literally chased rainbows. The sheep on the farm next door seemed disinterested.

After a long time (with no complaints), we continued. Next stop - Vik. No, wait, we turned off early because something looked interesting... and we found Dyrhólaey.

A peninsula that is about as South as you can go in Iceland, this was a side trip that shouldn't be missed. The road was rough (to call it unpaved would be an understatement), narrow, blind, but luckily - flat. A 4x4 isn't necessary, but you can't avoid the potholes.

Jarring our way to the end of the line, we were greeted with one hell of a view. Black sand beaches, rocky shores, cliffs, caves, basalt sea stacks, glaciers, and ocean. Then we looked closer. Why were all those people up on that hill? The answer was obvious very quickly - puffin nesting. Dozens of puffins were on this cliff, many barely a dozen feet away, unperturbed by the small mass of people and their cameras.

But as I said, there were more than puffins to see here. I walked away from the birds and wandered onto one of them many rocky cliffs to see what was out there. A bridge that looked like it was made of shale crossed over a cauldron of violent water. My brother decided standing on the precipice to get a good look as a brilliant idea, and he manage to not fall to his death. Looking back at the fishing puffins, I noticed the other wildlife - a seal near the beach, loons diving, ducks gathering, and gulls and terns overseeing the whole menagerie. It had easily been the most wildlife we'd seen in one day, let alone one spot.

We had a fair ways to go, and a stop or three left, so we got back on the bouncy road and headed to Vik. Vik's a fishing town that is the southernmost town in Iceland. It offers more views of what we'd just seen, so we didn't stay long. We stopped at a few restaurants on the way, but none offered much of interest. Finally we made it Klauster (there was some napping on my part), and our hotel. Unfortunately for my appetite, the dining room was full of a tour bus's passengers when we arrived. Luckily, we were able to squeeze in 30 minutes before close.

I may have mentioned there's a sheep or 2 in the country. I had the lamb, it was delicious. In fact, everyone loved their meals. It made for a good ending to the day.

Iceland, The Director's Cut - Day 3

We awoke in time for breakfast. Pretty standard continental option, except with herring, skyr, and Nutella (not together). Out we did head for the 1000 year-old town of Þingvellir (the Þ is pronounced like a "th"). It was here where the laws of Iceland were read aloud every year at the alþing, which was held from 930 to 1798. It was essentially the capitol for the original Icelandic settlers, when written language didn't exist in the country, and there wasn't a governmental organization like we know to day. The Lawspeaker was the most important person, for he had memorized the entire code of laws. The lawyers out there should like that. It was also the site where Iceland accepted Christianity as their national religion, and where the country regained independence in the 1940's.

Today, it's got a visitor center, a view, and a walk. It is yet another place where the continents drift apart, which has allowed for a pathway down the rift. There's also one heck of a view of Lake Þingvallavatn and its various islands. Glacial lakes and volcanoes meet many times in this country.

Not knowing where the path led, we opted to drive down the road from the visitor's center and check out the park. The first thing I noticed was the waterfall. Just a small one, but loud enough to be heard. Next came the crystal clear water you had to cross to walk to the Law Rock. Naturally people tossed coins in... because people are idiots. It's a creek people, not a fountain.

There isn't much of note on the short boardwalk to the rock, and in fact he rock itself is unimpressive save for its historical significance. You can, however, imagine throngs of people in the field below, listening to the laws and judgments being read.

From here we made our way across some mountains and vast empty lava fields to Geysir, yet another hot spot of geothermal activity. Here lay a field with numerous active geysers. The king of them was Geysir himself, yet he only went off when there was an Earthquake. Capable of reaching heights of 70-80m (for comparison, Old Faithful can reach 25-55m), you kind of wanted some seismic activity to see this. It was okay though, because nearby was Strokkur, a smaller geyser that went off every 5-10 minutes and reached as high as 25-35m. This was the one with the most attention, for obvious reasons. Watching the whole process, from the bubbling pool, to the rapid expansion as surface tension tries its best to hold back the steam, to the powerful explosion of steam and water to the final emptying of the pool which quickly fills back in.

There were other spots as well, a couple hot pools with small streams pouring out, and a few small geysers that did little more than bubble and spurt. It had been made into a rather big (for Iceland) tourist attraction.

Then it was off to Gullfoss - the Golden Falls. Up to this point, we'd only seen small falls from glacial streams. This one was something else. The river Hvítá runs down from the glacier Langjökull and becomes a rather impressive cascade. As you approach the falls, the entire bottom half is hidden. The thought is, "0h, that's a pretty waterfall," as it appears to just drop off into oblivion. Once you get closer, and descend a long staircase, you realize that they're much bigger, and FAR more impressive, with a second wide and tall cascade falling into a ravine below.

A recurring theme with the big falls in Iceland is how close you can get to them. In this case, there's a rocky outcropping that the falls roar right past, and dozens of people can be found standing on it. No guard rail, no warning signs (because you see, they don't assume people are as moronic as they do here... the fact there's a giant rushing torrent of water 12 inches away should be warning enough). All-in-all, an impressive sight.

Then we turned around and started heading back, with a brief stop at Kerið (again, pronounced like a "th" but a sharp one), a large volcanic crater and lake, with deep green water and a bunch of people trying to throw rocks in it (it wasn't as close as it appeared).

Still awake, we made our way to The Blue Lagoon to relax. This pool is constantly refreshed, with the water being completely changed every 40 minutes, keeping it nice and warm, and in some spots (especially near the artificial hot spring) damned hot. The floor is covered in silica mud and volcanic sand, and the whole place is just... relaxing. Stepping purposefully into the wall of steam from the spring, or just lying on your back and floating effortlessly is a calming experience for sure. Throw in a waterfall that offers one hell of a massage and it's a great way to end the day.

We left to see the sun setting, and made our way back to Reykjavik. It was late, so the possibility of finding an open restaurant on a Monday was slim. We settled for Domino's pizza, because it was convenient and open. After covering as much ground as we did, any food was welcome... and it was still a better option than McDonald's and its $15 Big Mac combo.

Iceland The Director's Cut - Days 1 and 2

First, a preface. For as long as I can remember, my family has traveled. My dad was an airline employee, so flights were always cheap. My mom is a geographer, so the trips were seldom anywhere that involved a beach or other typical relaxing setting. We also tended to cram three weeks worth of travel into one. For instance - we did Paris and the surrounding country (beyond Versailles) in a week. We covered 3000km in northern Italy, the south of France, Monaco, and Spain (and back again) in 9 days. The Alps (France, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, Switzerland) in a little over a week... etc.. It continues.

We went somewhere interesting every year for a long time, and the list is very impressive. Often we'd hear the phrase, "you should appreciate this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip." But as I and my brothers grew older, the trips became fewer. My mother and brothers have gone on two trips without me in recent years, and I've done a few on my own, Israel being the most recent.

So, as my brothers were simultaneously graduating this year, and therefore losing their flight privileges, the time had come for one last family trip. Originally, it was to be Peru in July, but we just couldn't coordinate vacation time. So it became Iceland in August. My mother, me, and my two brothers heading to Iceland. My dad staying at home to watch over the various things that apparently couldn't go untended for a week. While traveling with my family can be... stressful to say the least, I was looking forward to this.

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We started our journey heading to Nova Scotia. There's no direct flight from Toronto to Reykjavik until later this year, so we were going via Halifax. My middle brother was out on a different flight than the rest of us (pass situation), and ended up waiting an hour for us to arrive. I slept from takeoff to landing on the first leg -- apparently I missed a croissant. We arrived with 7 hours to go until we had to check-in for the flight out. We grabbed our rental car and drove out. The decision was made to swing by Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg instead of hanging around Halifax all day. I had been to both, my brothers had not. The day was sunny and bright, so it couldn't have been better to see two places known for being scenic.

Peggy's Cove hasn't changed much in decades. Big lighthouse, rocky outcropping, lots of people. I started taking pictures. There will be a link to vacation shots eventually, but for now, I have to work them down from the current count of 2600+.

Then came Lunenburg - known for being a shipping town, with a unique architectural style. The pictures were fewer due to our tighter time, but I still got plenty of one of the coolest-looking schools I know of.

Enough of Nova Scotia for now though. We got to the airport where I deftly stepped in front of a large tour group to get to the desk. Seats spread across the plane, but it didn't matter because my plan was simple - sleep. For the majority of the 4 1/2 hour flight, I did just that. It was night so I wasn't missing much. I did, however, miss dinner. We landed in Keflavik (where the airport is) around 5am local time, meaning it had been 18 hours since I got up to leave, with about 6 hours of broken-up airplane sleep. Our day was far from over though, as you can't check in to a hotel before 3pm apparently.

So we rented our car and started driving around. First around Keflavik, looking at a viking ship, old farmhouse, and one giant sword statue. Exciting stuff for sure. Then to Grindavik, a largish town on the south tip of the Reykjanes peninsula. As usual though, it's the journey, not the destination that is important.

First I straddled two continents. The European and North American continental plates meet at the North Atlantic Ridge, which runs through Iceland. There are gaps throughout the country, including one in Reykjanes where they've cleverly built a footbridge, allowing us tourists to walk between continents. A short walk up a narrow path in the wind brings you to the gap, filled with and surrounded by black volcanic sand. A sign explains the concept of continental drift, and countless tourists before have left message written in rocks on the floor of the gap. As far as initial sights to see go, it's impressive if you give some thought to the reason for its existence, and not the fact it's neither all that wide nor deep.

Iceland is known for having a rather poor road system. Their ring road circumnavigating the country is relatively new, and not paved everywhere. In fact, most of their roads are unpaved, untended, and narrow. There are plenty of blind turns and hills, and most bridges are 1-lane jobs where right-of-way goes to whomever is closest.

Our paved road turned to unpaved, and we turned off that to an even worse road in order to chase down a view, a lighthouse, and some hot springs.

Running over a rock on a "gravel" road, fighting the wheel, and fearing small, steep hills, we made it past a lighthouse to the ocean. Where we caught a view of the the island Engey, which is a big volcanic rock of an island in the ocean. There's a few of these in Iceland. The shoreline was impressive as well, what with the rather large faulted uplifts.

Iceland is powered by geothermal power. Its water system comes directly from cold glacial sources (for cold) and hot springs (for hot). Throughout the country there are telltale plumes of water vapour from the various springs and the geothermal plants on top of them.

The shore we were on happened to be right near some, so we continued on our bumpy trail to the steaming mud and smells of sulfur. I'll say this for Iceland, you learn to drive quickly. Our area had a few cars coming in and out, and there was that narrow, rocky road. It appears that when you pass hot springs, there's a good chance you'll suddenly find yourself engulfed in a cloud of vapour, completely blinded. Luckily, we didn't pass anyone. We pulled over in a clear spot, and my brother and I went for a walk to get a closer look at the steaming, bubbling mud. We quickly found ourselves surrounded by a sulfur-rich cloud, and were instantly wet. Unfortunately for us, my brother has dreads, and I had hair paste and glasses, which made for an interesting sight when we walked out covered in condensation.

We dried off quickly and continued on our way, coming up on a Grindavik a noise was heard and our hubcap spun off down the road... odd. To the side of the road we did pull and discovered our flat tire. It was changed quickly enough and we continued on our way... to the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon has nothing to do with a young, naked Brooke Shields and her journey into womanhood. Well, it does... but not this one. Yet another hot spring, but this one turned into a spa as well as geothermal plant. It is aptly named -- in the middle of a lava field, surrounded by nothing, there is a large pool that is a shade of turquoise you'd swear was fake. Think berry blue Kool-Aid, or blue cotton candy. It's natural, caused by the silica particles in the water refracting the light. During some periods, a particular algae takes over, turning the water green instead. This seemed as good a place as any to stop and eat for the first time since the plane (which, if you recall, I slept through). Monkfish on potato was alright, but didn't live up to the hype. The fish was chewy and lacked flavour, although the sauce, veggies, and potato were good. I came very close to falling asleep at the table, so a trip into the water wasn't going to happen that day.

We headed to Reykjavik and the hotel, but arrived too early to check in, so it was off to the downtown flea market to see their wares. To say it was underwhelming would be... accurate. To kill enough time to get back to the hotel and find a bed, we swung by Hallgrimskirkaja - possibly the most famous church/building in Iceland. A tall obelisk of a front, with wings that resemble a pipe organ, it's an impressive sight. It could be said that I took a picture or two.

We finally made it BACK to the hotel and were able to check in... 6 hours later I woke up, changed, and fell back asleep until the morning. This was, after all, the first time I'd found a real bed since I woke up 33 hours earlier.