Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Page 25

- the reykjavik grapevine -24 may 15 - may 29, 2003 - the reykjavik grapevine - 25may 15 - may 29, 2003
B e w a r e , t h e
countryside might look
harmless, but there are
things out there out to get
you!
Sheep
Cute and suitable for cooking if
you’re hungry and haven’t got a
clue where you are, look both funny
and kind of innocent and are usually
both, until they get in your way on
the highway. Making a whole lot
of sheep ketchup on you bumper
and windshield can quickly wipe
the innocence and beauty away.
Blowing the horn does not disturb
sheep at all. They don’t care so slow
down if you don’t want to make more
lamb chops. Sheep are suicidal, and
they’re eager to take some humans
with them to the afterlife.
Single-lane bridges
Most of these are in the east part of
Iceland, and you will see countless
numbers of them if you’re on your
way to e.g. Egilsstaðir. Suddenly
they’ll jump at you just on the other
side of the next hill, and its strictly
one car at a time don’t try to cross
one if there’s a slightest change of
you not being the only vehicle on it.
If that does happen, you’ll probably
be enjoying the view from your
hospital window.
Gravel roads
Gravel roads and single-lane
bridges are long time mates, and
unfortunately for you they do like
to hang out together. Some parts
of Iceland’s circular highway (a.k.a.
nr 1) is gravel, and you’ll find gravel
roads on your trips more often than
you’ll like. Vestfirðir, (north west
Iceland), is an extremely good
example of bad roads, so stay away
or at least drive very slowly if you’d
like to keep the paint on your car.
Weather
If you’re waiting for the right weather
to go on a trip, you might have to
wait forever. Most of the pictures
you’ve seen in magazines and
brochures about Iceland, were all
taken the same day four years ago,
the last time there was a clear sky.
The weather can and will change
without a warning and sometimes
give you all kinds at the same time.
Getting a tan in the Icelandic rain
while struggling to stay on your
feet in all the wind not an uncommon
occurrence
That said, the weather last winter
has been uncommonly mild, and
one can only hope that it will remain
so this summer. But don´t count on
it.
ICELAND FOR DUMMIES
OUTSIDE THE CITY
5. JÖKULSÁRLÓN
If it’s good enough for 007, it’s good
enough for you. Ian Flemming’s
master spy has a tendency to
pop up here every now and then,
first as Roger Moore, and later as
Pierce Brosnan. Even without Bond
skating across it being chased by
helicopters, it´s still quite a view (to
a kill, even), with a glacier, and a
lake full of icebergs and lost camera
equipment. Truly beautiful, especially
during the summer months (though
that’s not cool enough for Mr Bond)
Other places worth looking at:
Snæfellsjökull
The glacier which was the entrance
point to the centre of the earth in
Jules Verne´s story, and thought by
some to be an alien tourist attraction
(although the aliens are reputedly
invisible), which should be good
enough for us humans.
Hallormsstaður
The only forest in Iceland with trees
taller than two feet. Man made, of
course.
Vestmannaeyjar
A volcano erupted in 1973,
destroying most of the town and
forcing the occupants to flee. Most
of them resettled on the islands as
soon as the lava cooled down.
Dettifoss
Europes most powerful waterful,
which makes you feel insignificant
next to the forces of nature ect.
Kjölur
Simply a gravel road across the
highlands.
Dyrhólaey
A big hole in a huge rock. Lives up
to its name of “doorhillisland.”
Laugarvatn
On your way to Geysir, check out
the food ‘n fun duet here, the natural
sauna and next to it, restaurant
Lindin for good grub.
Ask in your nearest tourist for more
info on tours and traveling tips.
An essential part of travelling these days are the photo ops. Taking
tigerhides back, or in this case, the fur of baby seals, is not exactly
PC, so the pictures will be the trophies you´ll be bringing home, that
is, unless you can afford those pricey wolly jumpers and minature
vikings. Your mom, grandma or kids will probably want to see (or,
if if they really care about you, at least will pretend that they do)
what wonders of nature you discovered on your extremely difficult
and dangerous trip to the uncivilized Eskimo island, full of igloos,
volcanoes, trolls and elves. Well, first of all, you probably aren´t
going to see any igloos or elves, and if you do, you probably picked
the wrong mushrooms. What you are going to see are hot springs,
waterfalls, glaciers and a lot of landscape. Some people assume
that Greenland´s green and Iceland icey, others have heard it´s
actually the other way around. As far as Iceland is concerned,
it´s actually neither particularly green or icey, despite a few large
glaciers. Most of it is, in fact, barren desert. The US astronauts
came here to practice before going to the moon, as Iceland was
country that was considered to reproduce lunar conditions most
accuratly.
Here is a brief guide to what will probably be some of the most
scenic photo ops.To make sure you won’t miss the most important
places, the Grapevine’s research team has made this simple list
of beautiful wonders of nature to check out, in order of their
importance. Now pray to god that the weather will be your friend
and enjoy your trip.
1. THE BLUE LAGOON
One of the first stops for any visitor,
and situated very close to Keflavik’s
international airport. The lagoons´
mud is believed to have healing
powers, especially for people
suffering from psoriasis or other
skin diseases. The distinctive blue
colour is due to the warmth and the
high level of silicone in the water.
Sadly, there´s no evidence that this
increases cleavage size.
2. ÞINGVELLIR
In 930a.d. the Vikings decided they
needed to find a way to settle their
disagreements, so they founded
a parliament, and called it Alþingi.
Today, although relocated, it is
the oldest (sometimes) functioning
parliament in the world, The Vikings,
when not busy hacking limbs of one
another, were quite aware of the
beauty of nature and picked this
breathtaking spot to meet. The
American and European continental
plates meet precisely here.
6. ÁSBYRGI
If you had a 8 legged horse called
Sleipnir were a god of all gods called
Odinn , went out for a spin and by ac-
cident stepped onto the face of the
earth, Asbergi might be the result.
A 3.5 km long hoof shaped canyon
with up 100m tall walls. Naturally
unique and if you’ve got the time,
stop there on your way to Mývatn.
Ásbyrgi is only 65km away from
Húsavík.
3. GULLFOSS & GEYSIR
Usually these two are mentioned
together, partly because of
geographic proximity, partly
because they both start with the
letter G. Geysir is the geysir
from which all geysirs derive their
name. Sadly, it rarely erupts these
days, the family business having
been taken over by heir Strokkur.
Gullfoss is generally thought to be
Icelands most beautiful waterfall,
hence the name, meaning “Golden
Waterfall.”
7. MÝVATN
Mývatn is an oasis with nothing but
strangely color desert surrounding
it. Get lost in the lava labyrinth of
Dimmuborgir (who have given
name to a Norwegian black metal
band) and fall in love with the
unique landscape. Geothermal and
geologally very active, there are a
lot of warm springs and bubbling
cauldrons in the area. After a busy
day rent a room in a decent hotel
and relax in the natural bath of
Bjarnarlaug.
4. LANDMANNALAUGAR
Probably one of the most
popular jeep excursions tours
is a round trip from Reykjavik to
Landmannalaugar. Not surprising
since Landmannalaugar is actually a
natural swimming pool in the middle
of Iceland’s highland desert. Don’t
bring shampoo or soap because this
pool is so natural that we wouldn’t
want to spoil it would we? If you’re
up to a 12 hour journey, most the
time inside a huge jeep, it is usually
worth it.
8. HÚSAFELL
Only about two hours drive from
Reykjavík city, Húsafell is a place
which has a lot to offer but is still
mostly visited by Icelandic tourists.
The area is basically a large camping
site surrounded by summer cottages
and beautiful landscape. Service of-
fers anything a normal person needs
for a shorter or a longer period of
time, including a swimming pool,
gas station and a golf course.