Núpur

After Þingvellir Sigga and I had tea and bread with jams she had made and a lamb paté she described to me as "meat and fat." I decided it was best not to ask further questions about what was in it. It was quite good though. The paté is spread onto rúgbrauð,  a dark, dense rye bread traditionally cooked by burying near a hot spring.

My flight from Reykjavik to Isafjordur was pretty short, about 45 min I think, but I passed out as soon as I got on the plane and was jolted awake on landing in Isafjordur. I was picked up by Siggi who took me on the final leg of my trip to Hotel Nupur.

At this point things begin to run together, with it being light for 20+ hours a day it gets difficult to remember when one day ends and the next begins. For the most part I have been helping out around the hotel preparing for guests to arrive, so nothing too exciting has happened. In my time off I have explored the area to about a mile on either side of the hotel. I took a right onto the road before the snow and a left up into the mountains after it snowed. I saw Iceland's first botanical garden covered in snow, then continued walking on up the valley. Walking through 8+ inches of snow is quite                                                                                     difficult. At one point I found a gravel road to follow
which made it a little easier because most of the snow had been blown off. I followed this road for a while, ate some snow, and drank from the river then decided to head back.






 

Þingvellir

After our tour around Reykjavik Sigga suggested we take the short drive to Þingvellir, the most popular tourist destination in Iceland. It is home to Iceland's largest natural lake, Þingvallavatn, the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the site where the Alþingi was established in 930CE.

We first stopped off and browsed the visitors center and then walked up to the viewing platform to overlook the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Here you can see where the North American Plate and European Plate are drifting apart. We took in the scenery for a few minutes and were back in the car.

Our next stop was Öxarárfoss. This waterfall is along the river Öxará which empties into the lake. A short walk through a canyon surrounded by igneous rock brings you to the base of the falls.

We had still time before my final flight, so we made one last stop in Þingvellir, the Flosagjá fault. The Flosagjá fissure is filled with cold, very clear water and is a popular SCUBA diving destination. The water in the fissure is all glacial runoff that takes 50 - 100 years to reach the lake. One end of the fissure has a bridge that crosses over where people have tossed thousands of coins since its construction in 1907. Looking at the map below you can find Nikulásargjá in the upper middle, where the bridge is. We walked from the bridge to the end of  Spöngin and back. Spöngin is the long spit of lava separating the branches of the Flosagjá fault. In the 18th and much of the 19th century, people identified this with the Law Rock from the early days of the Alþing.

Reykjavik

Once in the car with Sigga we were off to the Pearl, a restaurant, museum, and hot water storage tank. Unfortunately we got there before it opened. Instead of standing around and waiting we went out for the famous Icelandic hotdog. Sigga said they are heated in beer thats why they are so good. After two hotdogs and a short walk to the bank we went across the street to the Hapra concert hall, one of the most bizarre buildings I have ever seen. It is built with clear and colored glass polygons, which makes for an interesting show of colors when the sun shines through.

After this it was time to head back the Pearl to check out the view from the observation deck. Up three flights of stairs and atop a mountain it offers an excellent view of the city.

Our last stop in Reykjavik was the cathedral Hallgrímskirkja. A Lutheran church boasting a 244ft tower and organ with 5275 pipes. We took the elevator up 7 levels and two more flights of stairs to the top for another spectacular view of the city.

Velkomin á Vestfjörðum

I began my journey to Iceland May 6, 2012 around 4:30 a.m. in Birmingham, AL. My dad drove me to the airport in Atlanta, GA to catch a long string of flights to eventually land me in Isafjörður. The first flight took me to Charlotte, NC, the second to Boston, and the third to Keflavik, Iceland. Most of my time on the plane was spent sleeping hoping to cushion the effects of the 5 hour time difference.

Once on the ground in Iceland everyone had to go through customs. I was expecting a much more complicated ordeal than what occurred. I handed the agent my passport he looked at the picture, up at me and asked "how long are you staying?" I answered "three months." He then responded "working?" I told him just for travel and he sent me on my way. 

After I picked up my bags it was on to Reykjavik. There are several bus companies that leave from the airport on various routes, I ended up having to ask one of the drivers which bus I needed. I took the bus directly to the bus station to wait on my guide (Sigga) for the day to pick me up. Going through customs, baggage claim, and the bus ride took far less time than expected and I ended up having to wait for close to an hour. The wait was actually nice to have though, it gave my mind a chance to regroup and settle from the hectic traveling before I was on the road once again. This time with Sigga, exploring Reykjavik.

This brings you to early morning of day two. My fourth day in Iceland is coming to a close, I will get caught up soon. Keep checking back for more.