Reversing Reverse Chronology

Typically blog entries are posted in reverse chronological order so that the most recent entry appears first.   

Now that the trip is over, presumably anyone reading this blog would like the sequence of entries to lead them from the beginning to the end of our trip.  For this reason, I have used artificial dates and times to put the posts in that order, so by extension the date for any given post is only correct in the title.  

When you get to the bottom of a page, clicking OLDER POSTS will actually lead you to newer dates (i.e. the continuation of blog post in chronological order). 

Quick Facts + Timeline History

I got the following from The Official Gateway to Iceland


QUICK FACTS

Flag: Blue with a red cross outlined in white fimbration, extending to the edges of the flag. The colors are symbolic for three of the elements that make up the island: red is for the volcanic fires, white recalls the snow and glaciers, and blue is for the skies above.

Population: 329,100 (Jan 2015). An estimated 7% (23.000) of the population is of foreign-born nationality. Median age is 37,1 years. 

Capital city: Reykjavík. The largest municipalities are Reykjavík* (121,800); Kópavogur* (33,200); Hafnarfjördur *(27,900); Akureyri (18,200); Reykjanesbær (14.900).  * denotes cities in the capital region.

Size: 103,000 sq. km (40,000 sq. miles), bigger than Hungary and Portugal and a little bit smaller than Cuba.

Government: Iceland is a parliamentary constitutional republic. Suffrage is universal from 18 years of age. The president is elected by direct popular vote for a term of four years, with no term limit. Most executive power rests with the Government, which is elected separately from the presidential elections every four years. Althingi is a legislative body of 63 members elected for a term of four years by popular vote. Judicial power lies with the Supreme Court and the district courts.

Language: The official language of Iceland is Icelandic, a North Germanic language derived from Old Norse. It has changed relatively little throughout the centuries. English is widely spoken and understood. 

Religion: Most Icelanders (80%) are members of the Lutheran State Church. Another 5% are registered in other Christian denominations, including the Free Church of Iceland and the Roman Catholic Church. Almost 5% of people practice ásatrú, the traditional Norse religion. 

Economy: GDP = $14,5 billion. Unemployment rate: 5%.

Currency: The Icelandic monetary unit is the króna (plural krónur) – ISK.*   

* NOTE:  as of April 19, 2106,
$1 equals approximately 120 Kronur

Time: Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) throughout the year, and does not go on daylight saving time. .*   

* NOTE:  in October, Iceland is 4 hours
ahead of Boston -- e.g. noon
in Reykjavik = 8:00 AM in Boston

HISTORY

The history of Iceland is one of survival and prosperity. Settled by Norsemen from Scandinavia and Celts from the British isles settled in the 9th and 10th centuries, Icelandic history has always been shaped by events on the larger politicla stage of the Nordic Countries. Use this timeline to learn more about the history of Iceland.

Timeline:

~7-8th centuries: Celtic monks sail to Iceland.
~860s: Norsemen discover Iceland.
~871: Ingólfur Arnarsson, a Norse nobleman, settles in Reykjavík.
930: The Althing, a judiciary and law-making body of chieftains, convenes for the first time at Thingvellir. Population in Iceland estimated at 30,000–40,000.
~982:  Erik the Red discovers and names Greenland after being banned from Iceland.
999 or 1000: Christianity adopted in Iceland.
1000: Leifur Eiríksson discovers what is now known as North America.
1120s–1230s: Most of the Icelandic Sagas—tales of family feuds and heroics—are written.
1262–1264: Chieftains in Iceland accept the sovereignty of the King of Norway.
1402: The Black Plague infects Iceland. Over 33% of the population is wiped out.
1387: The Kalmar Act of Union unifies Iceland and Norway with Denmark.
1540s–1550s: Reformation in Iceland.
1584: The Bible is translated into Icelandic.
1703: First census is conducted; population 50,358.
1707: Bubonic plague; one third of the population dies.
1783–86: Volcanic activity destroys Icelandic farmland and leads to widespread starvation.
1800: The Danish King orders the closure of the Althing.
1843: The Althing is re-established.
1874: A new constitution is introduced by the Danish King (Christian IX).
1870s–1890s: Mass emigration to North America.
1904: Home rule is granted.
1915: Women receive the vote.
1918: Union Treaty grants Iceland full sovereignty in a royal union with Denmark.
1926: Population reaches 100,000 for the first time.
1940: Iceland is occupied by British troops.
1941: US-Icelandic defence agreement signed; US troops stay in Iceland for duration of WWII.
1944: The Republic of Iceland is formally established.
1949: Iceland becomes a founding member of NATO.
1951: Defence treaty concluded with the US; US troops return to Iceland.
1958–1961: Dispute over fishing limits, first ‘cod war’ with Britain.
1960: The number of Icelanders in Reykjavík and surrounding areas surpasses the number of habitants in the countryside for the first time.
1966: Icelandic state television begins broadcasting.
1968: Population reaches 200,000.
1970s: Two further ‘cod wars’ with Britain (and West Germany).
1980: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir elected president, the first democratically-elected female head of state.
1986: The Reykjavík Summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Secretary-General of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev takes place in Höfði, Reykjavík.
1994: Iceland joins the European Economic Area, an economic arrangement with the EU.
1996: Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson elected president of Iceland
2006: US troops leave Iceland.
2008: Economic crisis, near total collapse of Iceland’s banking system.
2009: Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir becomes the country’s first female prime minister (and the world’s first openly gay prime minister).
2010: Volcanic Eruption at the Eyjafjallajökull. This same year Jón Gnarr, a known actor and comedian in Iceland, became mayor of Reykjavik (2010-2014).
2015: Residents in Iceland number 329.100. Icelandic citizens 296,700.

My last visit to Iceland

I was stationed aboard US Coast Guard Cutter(USCGC) EDISTO (an icebreaker) in 1972.  The following is from a history of USCGC SOUTHWIND

During the initial phases of the operations in the Greenland Sea, CGC SOUTHWIND’s helicopters provided successful ice reconnaissance and logistic support in marginal flight conditions for the USCGC EDISTO and the USNS MIZAR who were both beset in the ice pack. SOUTHWIND subsequently broke out and escorted both ships from the Arctic ice pack...Despite head winds which exceeded 50 knots and seas which reached over 20 feet, SOUTHWIND assumed the tow of the EDISTO, which was damaged and unable to proceed independently, and escorted her from the pack edge over 1,000 miles to Reykjavik, Iceland where temporary repairs could be made to EDISTO in preparation for the long tow to a repair port in the United States. After successfully reaching Reykjavik and following repairs to EDISTO, SOUTHWIND towed EDISTO an additional 500 miles in the face of storm force winds and extremely high seas until the tow could be transferred to USCGC MORGENTHAU.

Undated, unsourced picture of EDISTO and MIZAR, perhaps taken from a SOUTHWIND helicopter after the 'incident'

The backstory on "USCGC EDISTO and the USNS MIZAR who were both beset in the ice pack", was that EDISTO had been dispatched from Milwaukee, WI to rescue MIZAR which was stuck in the arctic ice pack east of Greenland and north of Iceland.  MIZAR's escort cutter SOUTHWIND was having problems that prevented her from freeing MIZAR.  So EDISTO transited 4 or the 5 Great Lakes and through the locks into the St. Lawrence River.  It was early fall and the weather was good, so it was an enjoyable passage...so far.  

The following letter home picks up the story from there.  (You can click on a page to see a larger version, then use the back-arrow to return to this page.)

The subsequent trip back from Reykjavik was miserable, taking nearly four weeks.  The North Atlantic is October-November can be 'uncomfortable'.  For example, icebreakers are round-bottomed so that they cannot be crushed if frozen into an ice pack.  In open seas, they roll.   For the clapper of the ship's bell to strike, the clapper must move approximately 40 degrees.  We heard it ring by itself multiple times on multiple occasions. Sometimes it would strike twice approximately eight seconds apart when we went through a 80+ degree arc. To sleep in our bunks necessitated taking all the clothes out of our lockers to form our mattresses in a "V".  To say that the ship's crew was happy to arrive in Curtis, MD was be a gross understatement.         

In closing this post, and bearing in mind that during the 1970's the Cold War was very real, I would add that USNS MIZAR was allegedly doing oceanographic research beneath the ice pack.  No doubt it was a concern to the "oceanographers" that a Soviet submarine transiting under the ice pack might bump into any highly sensitive sonar equipment MIZAR might just happen be using for said "oceanographic research".  Of course, any other explanation of the research is pure speculation on my part.  Bond...James Bond.

Thank you!

It was an environmentally challenging trip.  The rain was a discomfort and distraction.  It dramatically compromised the experience we should have enjoyed at numerous sites.  By any of several measures, weather-wise, Pam & I considered this the worst trip we have ever taken.  For that reason...

Pam & I were so grateful to every member of our group for being such good sports.  Thank you.  It was nice to travel with them.

Bravo to the leaders of our group.  Under ideal conditions dealing, thirty-five personalities with differing expectations can be challenging.  On this trip, that challenge was overlaid with all the problems caused by the bad weather.  Our leaders not only persevered, but remained positive and upbeat, giving us the best experience conditions allowed.  Thank you.

Day 7 (October 14): Reykjavik to Keflavik to Home

In anticipation of a somewhat tiring trip home, we bunked in later than usual this morning, arising when we noticed something odd.  Looking out our window we could see the sun rising!  The sky was blue!  The wind and rain were gone, of at least missing!  We seized the opportunity.

We packed before having a late breakfast - early brunch that would allow us to defer eating again until the airport or further.  We then dropped our bags in the hotel's baggage room and checked out of our room so that we did not need to return to the hotel until it was time to board the bus for the airport

We walked the several blocks to the waterfront, then along it towards the part of the harbor used mostly for smaller commercial boats, visiting military ships, etc.  Cargo ships, passenger liners, etc. use a different harbor about twenty miles from Reykjavik.

Along the way we saw the symbolic status of a Viking ship that paid tribute to the discoverers of Iceland. 

We passed the Harpa Music Hall and Conference Centre.  We had been told that the center was an architectural ego trip under construction when the Icelandic economy had a major meltdown in 2008.  Halved in size, it was finally completed after the economy began to recover, thanks in part to new emphasis on tourism, now the country's single biggest revenue source.  An example of the excess that led to staggering construction costs was windows what were individually crafted to have different reflective qualities. This was to create an aurora borealis effect when light hit the sides of the building.

 We walked on, looking for and finding the Aurora Museum. 

It was the only way we were going to see Northern Lights this trip, or get a picture (of a picture) of them.

picture of Aurora Museum picture

We took a cab back to the hotel, getting there in time to walk a few blocks before it was time to board the bus for the airport.

With clouds setting in again and some mist in the air, we drove to Keflavik, along the way passing a large aluminum manufacturing plant.  Iceland's cheap electrical energy is the reason for this energy-intense manufacturing process being located here.

Our arrival at Keflavik airport started well, but Icelandair did not maintain the positive experience. When we got to the departure gate we found a cluster of five gates, all of which had a flight departing within a 15 minute window.  The result was a huge lack of seating and in general the ambience of an MBTA subway car stuck between stations at rush hour.

Once aboard the plane, although seated in the next-to-last row, things were looking up.  The aircraft was a new 767.  The seating configuration was 2-3-2 giving us a window and aisle seat.  We had enough room to store our gear within our allotted space even with a compromised area under one seat due to some sort of electronics package.  A pleasant flight attendant did mention that it was a full flight.

It was.  They came streaming down both aisles in an endless procession.  Teenagers - lots and lots of teenagers.  Church group, class trip, group of runaways - who knows.  We braced ourselves for a long, noisy trip.

I had not given sufficient credit to each seat-back having an electronic babysitter.  On went screens, on went headphones, off went posturing and other teen social interaction.  At one level it was a sad commentary on face-to-face communication among teens of the electronic age.  At a more immediate and personal level, it was a welcome relief.

We took off on schedule.  About an hour later we were passing over the southern tip of Greenland.  From the plane we got a glimpse of some land and what appeared to be ice floating in the adjacent waters.

The teens got restless after a couple of hours, but were generally subdued.

The pilot definitely planted the plane on the runway when we landed in Boston.  During the rollout, my chair-back monitor still read 8 meters of altitude.

We got through Immigration and Customs quickly and smoothly, in large part thanks to being certified for Global Entry.

Once we were all assembled, we boarded our last bus of the trip.  Ironically,  Pam knew the bus driver - Roger, aka Elvis.  He frequently drove ski trips run by Bob's Sea-n-Ski.  As for his nickname, one look at him and it was harder to remember his real name.

We arrive at New Bedford Whaling Museum about 8:45.  After the usual chaotic and incomplete round of good-byes, we hoped in a friend's car.  We were home about 9:15 PM local time; 1:15 AM Icelandic time.  Bed time.  The bags could wait until morning...or later.

Day 6 (October 13): Returning to Reykjavik

We were on the bus at 9:00 this morning.  It was raining.  It was windy.  The temperature was about 50°F. 

Our first stop was at Urriðafoss, a waterfall that although relatively unimpressive to look at, reported carried the largest volume of water of any falls in Iceland. 

We passed the Bobby Fischer Center in Selfoss, the town where the famous chess champion was buried.  Bobby Fischer became an Icelandic citizen after he got into trouble that resulted in his US passport being revoked while he was in Japan.  By then, he had become a bit eccentric.  Actually, by most accounts he was just plain bonkers.

We drove through at times thick fog to reach our second stop of the day, a geo-thermal power plant.  Hellisheiði Power Station (HGPS) is the biggest in Iceland and the third-largest geothermal power station in the world. 

As we approached the plant, the smell of sulphur became increasingly stronger.  We were told that Icelanders call the smell the "devil's f#&t". 

It was a nice change of pace that this was an indoor tour.  And it was a good tour, lasting about 90 minutes. 

During the course of the tour, we heard a combination of new and previously learned facts about Iceland's geology.  So many good websites about it and geothermal energy can be found online that I will not endeavor even a summary here.  Instead, with thanks to Wikipedia for the assist, I will bullet-point the two fundamental facts that give Iceland the geological characteristics needed to produce massive amounts of geothermal energy.  

• Iceland sits on the divergent boundary between the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. In other words, although generally considered part of Europian continent, a portion of Iceland is part of the North American continent. There is a 'crack' between the two plates.

• Iceland lies above a hotspot, the Iceland Plume, which is believed to have caused the formation of Iceland itself.  The shape of this plume is called "the headless cat".

In a process much more complex than I had previously imagined, Hellisheiði converts thermal energy from the Iceland Plume into electrical energy with almost no environmental pollution.  Moving towards zero negative emissions, previous promising small scale experiments have now launched larger ones for charging carbon dioxide into rock.  

gifts from Mitsubishi and Toshiba, the firms that built generating equipment

The heated water used to create electric energy serves other needs.  Safe and potable, this water travels by insulated pipe from here to Perlan ("The Pearl") located on a hilltop in Reykjavik.  This famous landmark holds the ready-reserve for the city.   

cross-section of insulated pipe that carries heated water to Reykjavik

From Perlan, the water is piped into homes, arriving at a temperature of about 175º Fahrenheit.  It is used for heating, washing, bathing, etc.   Leaving houses at about 105º Fahrenheit, the water passes under the surface of the city's streets, sidewalks and bike paths, melting snow and ice during the winter. The warm water's final function before being discharged into the sea is to heat Reykjavik's sandy beach at Nauthólsvík.  (Factoid - having none anywhere in Iceland, the "golden sand" on the beach had to be imported from Morocco.) The total length of this network of pipes from generating station to discharge exceeds 1,850 miles.

model of Perlan - "The Pearl"

Our next destination was Reykjavik.  According to Wikipedia, "Steam from hot springs in the region is said to have inspired Reykjavík's name, which loosely translates to Smoke Cove...The original name was Reykjarvík with an additional "r" that had vanished around 1800."

We had lunch at Bryggjan Brugghus Bistro & Brewery.  Good food and located right by the harbor.

After lunch we went to Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church located on a hill.  It's location, it's 244' tower and a lift in the cloud cover combined to let us have a decent view of the city. 

After viewing the church and the statue honoring Leif Erikson in front of it, we wandered around a bit, going the wrong was to see some of the more interesting streets in the neighborhood. 

We checked into Fosshotel Reykjavik, one of several Fosshotels in the city.  It is the biggest hotel in Reykjavik and with 18 floors the tallest.  It was nice, but I preferred Canopy; the hotel we stayed in our first night here.    

Back on our bus, we returned to Hallgrímskirkja, walking from there several blocks to Sjavargrillid for dinner. It had a pleasant, cozy atmosphere.   The cuisine was presented with some pomp.  While good, I came away thinking that the chef tried a bit too hard, but hey, I'm no foodie. 

odd 'statue' on street near restaurant

Day 5 (October 12): Westbound on Route 1

After a comfortable night at a hotel we would stay at again if the opportunity arose, today we headed back to Hella.  The plan was to stop along the way at some of the places we had to drive by yesterday in order to get to the ice lagoon while there was still daylight.

We awoke to rain again, or still, depending on perspective.  When we left the hotel it was  raining hard enough to cause rain-streaking on the bus windows too thick to take pictures.  This was frustrating because I was seated on the same side of the bus as yesterday so had anticipated seeing scenery and getting pictures that I had missed yesterday going the opposite direction.

A more substantive concern was the potential impact that the rain was having on the numerous rivers spanned by bridges along our route.  Rain falling on a glacier causes melting, so two inches of rain - the forecast and by itself a large amount of water - would result in a much larger volume of water making its way into those rivers. In a worst-case situation, Route 1 could become impassable.  As our guide noted, Iceland does not have a complex network of roads - i.e. we might not have an alternate route.  There was no alarm when we set out, but there was the potential that deteriorating conditions might necessitate by-passing some of today's stops.  Conditions might also inhibit getting into some of the places we were scheduled to visit.

Our first stop was at Skaftafell National Park.  We hiked about a kilometer to get a closer view of the glacier Skaftafellsjökull (a spur of the Vatnajökull ice cap).  Some of our group chose to hike further to get even closer.  My sciatica was kicking my butt, so I opted to take a short trail that let me get higher, giving me a good view of the foot of the glacier and sufficient distance for a wider angle shot. 

On our way back to the bus, this young lady gave me a great photo-op.  Her boyfriend was taking her picture.  I saw the first attempt and got my camera into position in time to capture her second jump.

Throughout our hike it rained.  While not warm, neither was the temperature cold.  Most of us were overdressed for hiking.  By the end of the hike anything not fully protected by rain gear was soaked from the outside in.  Anything properly protected was damp from the inside out.  As we rolled down the road to our next destination there was rainwear and various garments hanging from every practical place inside the bus.

We rolled on westward in the rain, stopping at a huge moss-covered lava field. The eruption of the Laki volcano that produced the lava field occurred in 1783/1784.  It was by all measures a catastrophe that stretched far beyond Iceland.  To quote from Wikipedia, "...clouds of poisonous hydrofluoric acid and sulfur dioxide compounds killed over 50% of Iceland's livestock population, leading to a famine which then killed approximately 25% of the island's human population." and "The Laki eruption and its aftermath caused a drop in global temperatures, as sulfur dioxide was spewed into the Northern Hemisphere. This caused crop failures in Europe and may have caused droughts in India. The eruption has been estimated to have killed over six million people globally, making it the deadliest in historical times."

We drove down the east side of Dyrhólaey, which was an island but became a peninsula, to see the Atlantic Ocean raging against the rocks.  Wet and windy. 

We stopped in Vik for lunch, eating at a slightly sketchy place with great lamb goulash.  It was next door to the wool factory we had stopped at eastbound. Once again we looked at the factory, wandered around the gift shop and wondered about the car choreography taking place at the church on the hill, this time with headlights on.

Back on the road, we passed several traditional Icelandic turf huts built into the side of a cliff or hill.

hut is in lower left quadrant of picture

We only had one stop left on today's itinerary - Seljalandsfoss.  This was a beautiful waterfall, even in the rain.  We could walk behind it, and we did.

We rolled into Hella, arriving at the Hella Hotel about 5:45.  We returned to Hotel Rangà for another tasty dinner, although that event ran a bit long. We again wished we were staying there.

In the lobby of Hotel Rangà was a stuffed polar bear. We'd seen it on our last visit, but I got a picture of it this time.  It stood about nine feet tall. 

Polar bears are not native to Iceland.  Once in a while one shows up.  Because a polar bear will aggressively stalk and attack any living thing including a human, they are so dangerous that they are shot on sight. 

Back at our hotel, it was promptly off to bed, listening to the wind-driven rain hitting our window. There was no expectation of being awoken to see Northern Lights.