Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2023, Blaðsíða 22

22 The Reykjavík
Grapevine 2/23
Best before:
March 2, 2023
TRAVEL
The Volcano Is Dead,
Reykjanes Lives On
A do-it-yourself tour around
an oft overlooked geopark
Words: Lea Dörschel
Images: Lea Dörschel
Who would have thought that
the Reykjanes peninsula would
become one of Iceland’s most
visited places? Thousands of tour-
ists streamed to the heart of the
peninsula to witness practically
back-to-back volcanic eruptions at
Fagradalsfjall. The fascination was
intense with the visitor-friendly,
capital-adjacent spectacle of
nature.
Although the volcano is now
dead, having last shown signs of
life in August 2022, Reykjanes is
very much alive! With a laundry
list of nature sights to visit, I
ventured out one Saturday in
January for a DIY adventure
around the UNESCO Geopark.
Let’s go to Mars!
A short 35-minute drive south
of Reykjavík, you’ll find yourself
facing a big lake by the name Klei-
farvatn. In winter it’s completely
frozen over, while in summer the
reflection of the sun often glistens
on the surface of its beauti-
ful marine blue waters. Being
winter, I’m seeing it in its frozen
state. Still, the largest lake on the
peninsula is a sight to behold,
surrounded as it is by beautiful
lava rock formations resulting
from previous volcanic eruptions.
A curved road follows Kleifar-
vatn’s western shore, from which I
admire beautiful panoramic views
to a geothermal area called Seltún
— which so happens to be my next
stop.
You’ll know you’re in the right
place if you’ve begun to sense the
faint smell of sulphur in the air
— it’ll greet you in the car park
even before you lay eyes on the
hot springs and mud pools. Walk-
ing through the pungent steam
along the wooden paths flanked
by bubbling pits feels like taking a
stroll on another planet, like visit-
ing Mars. The chemical composi-
tion of the soil and gases at play
at Seltún create a wild variety of
colours, with different shades of
red, silver, blue, grey, white, beige,
yellow, brown, and orange all
around. I lament having left home
without my space suit.
The beauty of water
Looking out across the expanse
from Seltún, I spy another lake in
the distance. Grænavatn gets its
name from the distinctive green
shade of its water, created by its
high concentration of sulphur —
a key component of the area. It
was formed over 6,000 years ago
and fills two maar type explosion
volcanic craters.
But enough about lakes, I yearn
for the sea and head west along
Reykjanes’ south coast, which
is known for beautifully formed
basalt cliffs and rock formations.
Among them is Brimketill, a stun-
ning lava rock pool located at the
bottom of some steep basalt cliffs.
During high tide, you can spend
too much time mesmerised by the
waves crashing against the cliffs
and spilling frothy water into the
pool.
Ready to meet a
ghost?
Driving another few minutes
down the road — another great
feature of Reykjanes is the close
proximity of all its geological and
geothermal gems — you’ll soon
spy a huge cloud of steam rising
high into the sky. It’s coming
from a gigantic hot spring called
Gunnuhver, which gets its name
from an old tale about Guðrún
Önundardóttir (nicknamed
Gunna) who died about 400 years
ago. Legend has it that Gunna’s
ghost sought revenge against her
landlord, and murdered him and
his wife, while driving others on
the peninsula mad. Luckily, two
courageous farmers eventually
managed to trap Gunna’s ghost in
the hot spring.
If you dare to walk through the
steam of Gunnuhver, take care not
to get trapped like Gunna — you
can navigate by the prominent
white Reykjanes lighthouse
perched on top of a hill in the
distance, a one-kilometre walk
away.
A bridge between
continents
The last stop of my self-drive
adventure was a personal high-
light of the day. The Reykjanes
peninsula lies on the fissure
zone of the Mid-Atlantic ridge,
one of the world’s major tectonic
plate meeting points. The bridge
between continents lets visitors
walk from the Eurasian plate over
to the North American plate — or
vice versa, if you’re feeling crazy.
If you dare to walk beneath the
bridge, then you are technically
walking between the two conti-
nental plates. Wild!
You may not be able to warm
yourself by an active volcano right
now (at least not in Iceland), but
there’s still plenty to see and do on
a daytrip around Reykjanes. There
are remnants of the peninsula’s
volcanic history everywhere you
look. It’s a fascinating place to
come face to face with the forces
of nature that have shaped the
landscape over thousands of
years.
TRAVEL
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D 1940
Skólavörðustígur 7
Skólavörðustígur 12
Kringlan
Harpa
Flugstöð Leifs Eiríkssonar
1
2
4
3
A great
selection
of design
and
local craft
1 Post cards — Signý Þórhallsdóttir
2 Ceramic — Aldís Bára Einarsdóttir
3 Tarot candle — Þórunn Árnadóttir
4 Pillow case — Signý Þórhallsdóttir
Reykjavík ó Reykjavík
Signý Þórhallsdóttir fyrir Rammagerðina
Reykjavík ó Reykjavík
Signý Þórhallsdóttir fyrir Rammagerðina