BY JANET STEINBERG
“People
are always asking me about Eskimos,
but there
are no Eskimos in Iceland.”
Bjork
They shouldn't call Iceland
“Iceland”. The misnomer of this Scandinavian island dates back more
than a millennium (874 AD) to Ingolfur Arnarson, a Norwegian Viking frequently
credited with discovering the island. By naming it Iceland, he hoped
to discourage future voyagers from settling on this green and appealing
island. Throughout the centuries, unsuccessful attempts have been made to
rename the country.
Once thought to be a cold barren place
sans people, this Arctic land that has no snow and ice in the summer has been
ranked second on the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) list of
the ten hottest destinations for 2019. Berries, vegetables and
flowers grow in many places and from March to September the sun shines on the
entire region for at least part of the day. At the onset of summer,
the sun never sets and white nights illuminate the annual Arctic Open Golf Championship that begins
at midnight sometime during the month of June. To quote Jack
Nicklaus: “There’s probably more golf played in Iceland than most places in the
world. They play 24 hours a day in the summertime and the northern part is
warmer than the southern part.”
Iceland, just 625-miles west of Norway,
is a craggy land of fire and ice...where steam and snow are side by
side...where erupting volcanoes, boiling geysers and bubbling hot springs lie
next to glistening glaciers and ice fields. This land of pure untamed
nature is etched with craters of slumbering volcanoes that pockmark an eerie
landscape so lunar-like that America's moon-mission astronauts trained there.
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ASTRONAUTS TRAINED ON ICELAND’S LUNAR-LIKE LANDSCAPE |
Known as "The Land of the Midnight
Sun," Iceland, a country the size of the state of Ohio, has a total
population of 340,410. Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik (meaning Smoky
Bay) is often called "The Smokeless City" because it is heated by
geothermal energy in the form of boiling water piped directly from natural hot
springs. Perlan (The Pearl) is a domed architectural wonder that, in
1991, was constructed atop a cluster of six geothermal water storage tanks. The
symbol Iceland's capital city, Perlan houses an exhibition space, a
planetarium, a restaurant and an observation deck. Perched 200-feet above sea
level atop Öskjuhlíð Hill, it offers
a view over the city and its surrounding area.
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| PERLAN IS A DOMED ARCHITECTURAL WONDER |
Greater Reykjavik, the heart and center
of the Icelandic nation, contains approximately one-half the population of the
entire country. Picturesque tin houses, in a riot of gay colors,
surround the Arctic tern-inhabited lake in the center of the city. The
bustling harbor, the historic old town huddling nearby and the modern new town
are all encircled by mountains for which the people feel an intimate affection.
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| PICTURESQUE TIN HOUSES IN REYKJAVIK |
Reykjavik (pronounced rake-ya-vek) is
the most northern capital in the world. In this city of civilized tastes,
there are two symphony orchestras, the Icelandic Opera House, a major sports
center, art galleries, the National Museum exhibiting artifacts of yesteryear,
the Nordic House Cultural Centre, and Hallgrimskirkja Church that offers
glorious views of the city and a glacier at the other end of Faxafloi
Bay. This Scandinavian city has a standard of living as high as any
in continental Europe. There are a wide variety of hotels in
Reykjavik. The Hotel 101, a 4-star boutique spa hotel,
occupies an historic 1930s building in
downtown Reykjavik. Overlooking the stunning harbor, its sleek monochromatic
palette is the epitome of Nordic cool.
Iceland is as much the home of
magnificent cuisine as magnificent scenery. Icelandic menus offer
lamb in all its variations and fish in countless permutations. Traditional gravlax (raw salmon and
chopped dill) tastes even better as you gaze at the pink streaks of a midnight
sun. An Icelandic buffet gives you a taste of
Iceland. The continental cuisine should be preceded by a glass
of Brennivin, Iceland's "Black Death."
Laekjarbrekka , situated in the heart of Reykjavik in a restored
1834 house, offers an Icelandic tasting menu that might include the likes
of hardfiskur (dried fish), hakrl (ripened
shark meat) or hangikjot (smoked lamb). Skyr,
the uniquely Icelandic dairy product is a delightful
dessert. So, gjorid svo ve! (Help
yourselves!)
Iceland’s countryside embraces the
wonders of a land filled with natural beauty and dramatic contrasts. The Golden
Circle is a popular day excursion from the city. Favorite stops
along the Golden Circle include Gullfoss Waterfall, Strokkur Geysir and
Thingvellir National Park. Cascading with incredible power, Gullfoss
Waterfall (“Golden Falls”) is Iceland’s most famous waterfall. When the
sun peaks through, this iconic force of nature is crested by a vivid rainbow.
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| GULLFOSS WATERFALL |
Geysir Park, (geysir is the correct
Icelandic spelling) is home to Strokkur ("The Churn"), the mighty
geyser that erupts once every 6-10 minutes sending boiling columns of water
anywhere from 50 to 130-feet skyward.
 |
| TOURISTS AWAIT STROKKUR’S ERUPTION |
Thingvellir National Park is a hallowed
spot where the Vikings first met in parliament in 930 AD. Take a walk through
the canyon that is the meeting place of two of the earth’s tectonic plates.
Also, not to be missed is the colorful Kerio Crater, an inactive volcano
crater that houses a nearly-neon turquoise lake inside a stunning bowl of green
moss and red volcanic rock.
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| THE COLORFUL KERIO CALDERA |
If time permits, visit the Westman
Islands, the single most dramatic locale in Iceland. On
Heimaey you will see the pitch-black mass of Eldfell, the volcano that erupted
in January 1973 and made world headlines when the town of Vestmannaeyjar had to
be evacuated. Iceland's greatest fishing harbor was almost
closed off by lava from the eruption. Only ingenious high pressure
hosing of seawater onto the advancing lava prevented the harbor from being
destroyed. From 700-feet above sea level, you look down on the
rebuilt town that has piped into the slopes of the volcano to extract steam for
heating homes and businesses. As you walk over jagged boulders of
hardened lava, you will spot a tiny splash of color amidst the rubble. The
tiny clumps of pink and white blooms are called lava flowers. From
Early April to September, puffin birds inhabit the islands’ basalt
cliffs. Iceland is the breeding home for
about 60 percent of the world's Atlantic puffins that spend most of their
lives at sea, but return to land to form breeding colonies during spring and
summer. In the spring, these sea birds are distinguished by their bright
colorful beaks that fade to gray in winter.
 |
| ATLANTIC PUFFINS |
A trip to Iceland, a fantasyland of fire
and ice will alter any preconceived notion you might have had about the
country. Although perpetual darkness prevails during Iceland's
winters, in summer there is no night. Golfers putt, and
photographers snap, beyond the bewitching hour. Bathers swim in
pools heated by thermal pools and the country is ablaze with colorful
blooms.
One visit to this verdant Nordic nation
just below the Arctic Circle will convince you...they shouldn't call Iceland
‘”Iceland”.
Janet Steinberg, winner of 47-travel
writing awards, resides in Cincinnati but calls the world her home.
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