Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2011, Síða 35

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KEFLAVÍK
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STYKKISHÓLMUR
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www.airiceland.is
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland
“The Reykjanes Peninsula is much more than a highway
and the Blue Lagoon. It’s the
beautiful landscapes and
dense history that can be
found in the area if one does a
little more searching.
35
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 7 — 2011
Words
S. Alessio Tummolillo
Photography
Maroesjka Lavigne
Travel | Organised
The (Hidden) Wonders Of Reykjanes
“Have you ever been to the Reykjanes
Peninsula?” our tour guide asked. I
thought to myself: “Of course, I took
the scenic drive from Keflavík Inter-
national to Reykjavík and even went
to the Blue Lagoon twice”. He gave
me a smirk, and as if reading my mind
stated, “And I don’t mean just the
drive down the high way and the Blue
Lagoon. There is more to Reykjanes
than that”. With those words, we were
off.
The first notable stop was at an
area where the remnants of dried
cod (also known as skreið) were
hanging. The edible parts were being
shipped to Nigeria. Here we learned
that salting and/or drying the fish,
as opposed to freezing it or selling it
fresh, allows for 90% of the fish to be
utilised, the liver being used to make
cod liver oil and other parts to make
fertiliser, whereas only 30% is used
when freezing the fish. This was a
nice introduction to somewhere we
would stop later in the trip, the Salted
Cod museum.
NATURAL BEAUTY
When we arrived at Krýsuvík, things
started to pick up. First we discov-
ered the beautiful lake Kleifarvatn,
the biggest lake in Southwest Iceland.
The lake covers an area of 10 square
kilometres, and reaches a depth of
97 metres. This breathtaking river is
unique in that it does not receive wa-
ter from any river, but is created solely
by ground water and rain. It maintains
its massive size despite the fact that
there is a rift, the same rift that in
2000 caused the lake to lose 20% of
its surface. Since then, the rift has
decreased in amplitude, allowing the
lake to return to its former glory, to
the delight of scuba divers and trout
fishers alike.
We moved on to Seltún, which
alone made me wonder how this tour
could be such a hidden gem. The
hot springs at Seltún are some of the
most stunning I’ve seen in Iceland.
The area was originally going to be
used to harness the geothermal en-
ergy for electricity, and some of the
boreholes created by these feats
have exploded, notably one in 1999,
the explosion forming a crater 30 me-
ters in diameter.

BACALAO AND VIKING HISTORY
With the exception of the walk be-
tween the Eurasian and North Ameri-
can continental tectonic plates (it felt
good to be home again, may I add)
the tour took a more cultural and
historical turn. First, we visited Grin-
davík, a fishing town and the home
of the joint Salted Cod Museum and
the Earth Energy Museum. The Salted
Cod Museum provided insight into
Iceland’s once staple export, and how
it has evolved through the ages. For
example, how rowboats were used
for a thousand years, which limited
fishing to within 3 miles of the shore.
This changed with the advent of new-
er boats and machinery, and by 1930,
there were only 171 rowboats in use.
The Earth Energy Museum, housed in
the same building, provided history
of how Iceland was formed, and how
geothermal energy has been used in
the country.
We then visited the Íslendingur, a
hand-made Viking ship that in 2000
sailed from Iceland to Canada and the
United States in honour of Leif Eiríks-
son’s discovery of North America, 500
years prior to Christopher Columbus.
In the building where the Íslendingur
rests there is also a brief history of
the Vikings and their way of life.
THE BLUE LAGOON: SPRING
BREAK 2011
Finally, the trip ends at the ever-pop-
ular Blue Lagoon, where after wit-
nessing these hidden beauties and
learning about the history of Salted
Cod and its importance to Iceland,
it was nice to bathe in the blue wa-
ters. If you’re lucky, there will be a
frat party bumping around the lagoon
bar, complete with techno music and
raucous Americans. But only if you’re
lucky. If you’re worried about the beer
that is spilled in the Lagoon from
these frat parties and how they keep
it clean (as I was), common bacteria
does not thrive in the conditions of
the lagoon, and the water is changed
every 40 hours.
Aside from the places mentioned,
we also visited the previous NATO
base, stunning bird cliffs, as well as
Reykjanesviti and Gunnuhver, the
oldest lighthouse and largest steam
crater in Iceland, respectively. There
are a lot of things in Reykjanes that
go under the radar of tourists, but are
very much worth seeing. It is far more
than a highway and the Blue Lagoon.
It’s the beautiful landscapes and
dense history that can be found in the
area if one does a little more search-
ing. And the location for a rockin’ col-
lege party.
The ‘Wonders of Reykjanes and Blue Lagoon’ tour can be booked through Reykjavík Excursions at www.re.is or
by calling +354 580 5400. The tour costs 13.000 ISK, which includes bus fare, guidance in English, and entrance
to the Salted Cod/Earth Energy Museum. Lunch and entrance to the Blue Lagoon are not included in the price,
but there is time given to eat in Grindavík. The tour runs 8 hours, from 9:00 to 17:00, with frequent stops.
The Reykjanes Peninsula as seen NOT through a bus window