Up on the rim of the Arctic circle sits Iceland. It was founded a very long time ago (early middle ages? 900-something AD) by Danish settlers and has a pretty interesting
history (go see the ‘Saga’ museum if you’re ever in Reykjavik, as well as the national museum).
This church is called Hallgrìmskirkja. The statue out front is Leif Erikson, thought to be the first European to step foot on North America (he came but didn’t stay).
Birk at Sandfell, a long abandoned farm out in the middle of nowhere in southern Iceland. It was very beautiful and isolated. Not a ton of wildlife and essentially no trees, so also very quiet and vast. it was eerie.
The rainbow road in Reykjavik. Rainbows showed up a lot around Iceland. I’m assuming this was primarily related to Norse mythology (the Bifrost or ‘rainbow bridge’ to Asgard) but not actually sure. Nordic countries are very gay-friendly as well so it could pull double duty for that.
Gulfoss waterfall. Apparently at some point many years back (1907-ish) they were going to dam this river for hydroelectric power. One woman on a nearby farm (Sigríður Tómasdóttir) dug her heels in against it. She showed up in parliament one day to declare she would fling herself from the falls if they dared. They did not.
Vestmannaejar (or ‘Westman Islands’) is a small chain of islands off the south coast of Iceland, accessible by a short 30 minute ferry ride. In the 1970’s a volcanic eruption devastated the island and forced an evacuation (there’s an interesting museum about it). And it’s expanding, a new island just popped up in the 1960’s (that’s how volcanically active the area is). It was probably my favorite stop on the trip. We stayed for 2 days where I discovered a newfound love of espresso, we hiked a volcano, had some amazing food, and visited
Brother’s Brewing for some truly great beer.
A famous Game of Thrones scene was filmed here. In proper GoT fashion I made an epic and ominous pose.
Glacier Lagoon and the black-sanded ‘Diamond Beach’. I think their names are self-explanatory.
The number of waterfalls is more than adequate.
The capitol city of Reykjavik had a lot of interesting history and architecture. American forces occupied here for WWII and quite a while after (a fact I didn’t realize) which is why hot dogs are so popular there (no seriously). There is also a thriving punk scene there (with its own museum in a subterranean water closet). Speaking of which…bathrooms there are called ‘Water Closets’. No one is totally sure, but they think the term originated from the WWII occupation by Allied forces wherein portable toilets were brought in, which the Icelanders at the time had never seen. A sign on the door (in English) read ‘Closed’ which the Icelanders interpreted as the name for the thing – “Klah-set”.
Penis enthusiasts will enjoy a stop by the
Icelandic Phallological Museum. Phallic puns abound and they definitely lean into the joke, but I was surprised by how genuinely interesting it was. Penises and mating habits of every conceivable creature was covered in detail (even some mythological ones). It’s a topic we generally shy away from but the IPM goes there hard.
The Maritime museum which covered a lot of interesting history about the Icelandic fishing industry (this was also covered a lot in the Vestmannaejar museum). It might seem like a dry topic, but it’s worth checking out – I think you’ll be hooked.
Just a cool shot from the Icelandic National Museum, right by (on?) the campus of the University of Iceland. They start with Iceland rising from the ocean and go from there.
The OG Pokemon.
A∂alstræti was the Reykjavik city museum that had all the typical city historical info you’d expect but then you descend down and find this…it’s an excavated Viking long house and the oldest evidence of human settlement in the city.
The meeting of the European and North American plates. Also the original site of the Icelandic ‘Althing’ which is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world.
We finished up our stay in Iceland here at the Fisherman’s Village. It was little collection of rustic cabins by the sea and we practically had the place to ourselves (not quite tourist season). It was really peaceful. The TV only picked up the local Reykjavik channel so Josh and I read books while watching some local schools compete in a televised event that was some kind of physical challenge. It was all in Icelandic which kind of allowed you to just tune it out. This shot was from the roof of the central building where we sat in the hot tub and sauna, watching the gray seas and skies swirl around us.
Don’t be ‘Skyr’ed’ (pronounced “Skeer”). Iceland didn’t really have a lot of signature foods to try. There was fish and chips but that’s pretty universal. Eating out there is expensive (most things have to be imported) so getting food at convenient stores is more the norm and they tend to have better offerings than the junk food found in US convenience stores. But I digress…one thing they have that is a signature Icelandic treat is this here Skyr. It’s like a cross between ice cream and greek yogurt, piled high with lots of toppings.
