{"id":405,"date":"2011-07-23T18:48:05","date_gmt":"2011-07-23T22:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Sarcastic-Travels.com\/?p=405"},"modified":"2011-07-23T18:48:05","modified_gmt":"2011-07-23T22:48:05","slug":"iceland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sarcastic-travels.com\/iceland\/","title":{"rendered":"Iceland, Greenland, and Back Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Iceland is a wondrous destination for the outdoor adventure traveler whose pulse races at the thought of climbing glaciers, white water rafting, rock climbing, sea kayaking, and all other sorts of potentially perilous pastimes. So, it would be reasonable, for anyone who knows us, to wonder what in the blazes we, of all people, were doing there. Good question, especially since Matthew was toting his new cane along (more on that later). And the answer as it so often is, is Delta Airlines service additions. Delta is the only carrier flying to Iceland direct from the US aside from IcelandAir, and since it is such a hot summer time travel destination, they made a smart market move by starting service from New York-JFK 5 times a week. The route map says that they fly to Reykjavik, the capital city, which is not really true. They fly to Keflavik, about 60 kilometers south east of Reykjavik proper because that is there the international airport is located. NATO built it where they built it, so while there is an airport in Reykjavik proper, which we would eventually use, our entry and exit from Iceland took place in Keflavik.<\/p>\n
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\nThere really isn’t much in Keflavik aside from the airport and sea port facilities, and the first impressions of Iceland were of a rugged place with covered in grasses and wildflowers but mysteriously no trees except where they had been obviously intentionally planted. Silly me thought that perhaps Iceland was above the treeline but turns out that no, there used to be trees, but the early settlers, and I mean EARLY as in the 800s or so and the world’s first parliament, still functioning was founded here in 930, cut down all the trees for the construction of housing, ships, and for firewood. Let it be a lesson to us all that which appears inexhaustible in reality isn’t. The land appears excellent for herding and we would see a fair number of sheep and small, tough Icelandic horses. I was most taken with the enormous drifts of lupines in full bloom which reminded me so of the lupines I used to see as a child in the Sierra Nevada. It turns out that the lupines were imported to help control erosion losses and are now considered invasive by some people who would like to remove them.<\/p>\n
Reykjavik is a small city that has the distinction of being the world’s most northerly capital city and it is certainly the northernmost I have ever been. Its population hovers around 200,000 if you include the greater metro area, and considering that the ENTIRE population of Iceland is only slightly over 300,000 you quickly realize that Reykjavik is the only real place of note in the country. It is pleasant and clean with a mix of colorful corrugated iron buildings scattered amongst much newer constructions. Iceland had a very big economic boom followed by an equally big bust that left a fair amount of unfinished construction. The abundance of hydroelectric power on the island makes it a very attractive place for electricity intensive activities such as the smelting and refining of aluminium. And I spelled aluminium that way intentionally as it more correctly conforms to the IUPAC rulings.<\/p>\n
A very distinctive feature of our time in Iceland and Reykjavik was the proximity to the summer solstice and the enormous length of the days. Official sunset was about 1am with sunrise at 3am. In truth, it was never completely dark and it was disconcerting to see the remnants of Reykjavik’s infamous nightlife wandering around drunk in the broad daylight of 12:30am one morning. The blackout curtains in the hotel came in handy!<\/p>\n
The hotel was a family owned local venture and while the room was microscopic we managed. Another feature of Iceland is that it isn’t cheap. EVERYTHING from hotels, to meals, to activities comes at a dear price. Case in point was a falafel sandwich for dinner which cost somewhere around $30. Dinner for two at an average Thai restaurant was almost $100. The tourist economy of Iceland really only runs, and it runs hard while it runs, for three months a year, so they sock it to everyone who ventures up there. Communication was amazingly easy as Icelanders speak better English that most of you reading this do, certainly better than I do. And it is the only place I have seen French people willingly speak English. Realistically less than half a million people speak Icelandic so English becomes the lingua franca for everyone involved with tourism, including the tourist themselves.<\/p>\n
The main sections of the old town of Reykjavik are highly pedestrianized making it an easy place to walk about while leaving the car behind. The older part of the city sits on a bit of a hill, but once you are up there, the walking is easy and the views out over the harbor are lovely. There are lots of small shops and places to eat, all eager to get your share of the annual importation of tourist kroner, the local currency until the euro comes on tap in the near future. The shops are invariably high end with local woolen goods and plenty of art galleries and such establishments. You don’t run a high risk of dodging lots of tacky t-shirt shops.<\/p>\n