Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.06.2003, Side 29

- the reykjavík grapevine -28 june 27th - july 10th, 2003 - the reykjavík grapevine - 29june 27th - july 10th, 2003
Beware,
the 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 was 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 etc.
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 info 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 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 icy, others have heard
it´s actually the other way around. As far as Iceland is concerned,
it´s actually neither particularly green or icy, 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
the 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.
Before you leave the city it is a good idea to look at the travel information
from the Public Roads Administration at www.vegagerdin.is.
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 suf-
fering 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 930 a.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 par-
liament 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.
Photo: Aldís