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BennyBeanBears Travels
Here L will take a couple of paragraphs and explain the tree situation or lack there of.Apparently there used to be reasonable forests here at the time of settlement. However, the people of the time needed the timber for construction and for firewood so the forests got totally destroyed. In the 20th century a few small re-aforestation project got under way. So there is some trees here, mostly they are a conifer, probably spruce, along with some birch and arctic willow. None of these trees, even the oldest are any great size, the climate doesn’t allow for that. They do grow well but only for a short period each year and have a very long dormant season. Even now, well into June some are just coming into leaf. Of course the conifers are evergreens.Even since my lot were here in 2007 it seems that quite a lot more small areas of forest have been planted. There is no concerted effort to plant a large area, most ‘forests’ consists of just a few thousand square metres down to a few hundred square metres.We have had more wind, L says she will never complain about cyclonic wind ever again, it’s nothing compared to this wind we’ve had here. It kept up for days and was often so bad that L and D could only open the door on the leeward side of the car, but wind being too strong on the other side. A few times I nearly lost my ears again, and a few things we dipped out on visiting because it was just too unpleasant to go off walking in such conditions. One night the car was rocked violently by wind all night. My lot were glad they weren’t in a big motorhome, it might not have been comfortable.So we have continued our way around Iceland; called at another information to check interior road conditions but noting is open yet. We have visited a couple more little churches that have a not history though the buildings are far more recent. One was built of black stone that the farmer had hauled across an icy lake in winter and another, once the most important in the country is built of red volcanic rock. The latter was once the seat of the Bishop from the 11th century until the reformation in the 16th century. The catholic bishop at the time of the reformation and his son who were both beheaded elsewhere in the country are buried here in or under the church tower. Like the other church it was locked up tight and not a soul in sight. Far too early for Icelanders is 9am. Not even supermarkets open till 10am. At the other end of the scale 10pm is more like the middle of the afternoon.One area we passed through is a popular with those that are into and can afford heli skiing. That is not a sport for the faint hearted, the amateur, or the poor. Those early Viking settlers were not a peaceful lot. We keep reading about the different sagas as we go around and it seems that most of them liked to pick fights with each other. Some of these were over land but most had to do with avenging the death of a relative, a continuous state of ‘payback’ or revenge. It wasn’t always the men either, the women seem to be equally involved. There is these people who think the world would be a more peaceful place if women were in charge, they might change their mind if they read some of these sagas. Yet here’s another odd thing, it’s said that they didn’t stay in Vineland (north America) because they didn’t or couldn’t get along with the local people. It seems to L that they couldn’t get along with each other let alone anyone else.Sad news reached us one day this week. Peggy, L’s bother and sister-in-law’s little dog passed away after having a bad turn. All of us were very fond of Peggy, she was a dear little doggie who touched the heart of all her knew her. she and I spent quite a few hours together on the lounge though I was quickly abandoned in favour of L or D if they should come along and occupy a seat. We all believe she will have a special place in Doggie Heaven.Possibly the best folk museum to visit is that at Glaumbaer: The present position of the turf houses, these built in the 1800’s, is where they have been since the 12th century but excavations have found that the original site is a little lower down the hill. It was here that those who had been to Vinland (north America) settled when they returned in the year 1000. There are several turf buildings joined together and some are interconnected with a long passageway. The rooms are displayed as they would have been in the late 1800’s, not as they might have been in the year 1000 or even 1200. There was one long room that had 11 beds so it possibly actually slept about 22 people. if necessary. One would sleep while the other worked. the women would have the beds along the side below the windows because they would be spinning, weaving or sewing, and so need more light. There wasn’t any heating here so they slept in most of their clothes under wooden blankets or down quilts.there was a kitchen and a main pantry and a dairy room where the milk, yogurt, butter etc was made and stored. The meat and fats were kept in another room. Some of the barrels and casks that were used were made from driftwood collected from the beaches. In one of the separate houses there is a blacksmiths workshop and another was the tack room where all the harnesses and saddlery was kept from what we could see anyway.A bit of a special display separate from the turf houses was upstairs in the cafe. L was not impressed as she doesn’t yet class herself as a museum piece but most of what was on display were things she remembers from her childhood and even some plastic things that are from the 60’s. No mobile phones or video cameras, that would be a worry. In the church yard there is a memorial to Gurthrithur Throbjarnardottir, the woman who had a child in Vinland in 1000, and then returned here to this very spot. She also walked across Europe twice and had 5 major sea voyages in her life. The church has an organ with wooden pipes, made from pine.Finally we got to see some puffins. We came to some cliffs north of Husavik where there were lots of nesting sea birds. Mostly they were puffins and fulmars. The fulmars lay their eggs on rock ledges or just about anywhere while the puffins dig burrows into the soil near the cliff tops or in this case where soil had collected part way down the cliff face. There were plenty of these bids both on the cliffs and also sitting on the water just out from the cliffs. My lot spent quite a while watching these birds along with a number of other people.Godafoss is so named because the law reader from the Althing (the parliament) threw this wooden (pagan) gods into the waterfall. He was returning home after having made the decision at the Althing sitting that the country should adopt Christainity. One things is for sure, there wan’t any way he could have retrieved them once he tossed them into that maelstrom.In the Jokulsargljufur National Park we went into the Asbyrgi canyon. Legend has it that it was created by a foot print left by Oden’s 8 legged horse, while the more scientific would have us believe it was created by one of those huge glacial outburst floods 4000-2000 years ago. L isn’t speculating on just who might be right. It is quite a canyon however and shelters one of the few remaining natural woodland in the country. there is birch, rowan, willow and some pine here and the bird song is almost deafening at times. there is a small crystal clear lake with moss covered rocks in the bottom and all about. We saw widgeon, eider and mallard ducks, and several small birds here. It is a beautiful spot despite the frigid conditions, some snow flakes and sleet in the air when we visited.Further south along the river that runs through another separate canyon are several waterfalls. Dettifoss is the largest and most spectacular of these, it is also the most powerful waterfall in Europe (whatever that means). Certainly L says its the biggest waterfall she has seen anywhere in Europe, but then most of those in Iceland would be bigger that anything L has seen in Europe. Near Myvatn, the big lake in the northeast of Iceland there is another geothermal field. It is very active, probably the most active we’ve seen and the best. It has small and large mud pools boiling springs, sulphur deposits and steam rising out of the ground all over the place. One really big steam vent roars like a jumbo jet and belches vast amounts of steam and fumarole gas into the air. The sulphuric acid that these gasses create melts the rock so the whole area is full of very sticky muddy clay, the type that sticks to the bottom of your boots and just builds up so that the boots get really heavy and you are 20cm taller by the time you get back to the car park.A road leads up past the geothermal power station and on towards the Krafla volcano. It end just below the Viti crater: a walk around the crater is usually possible but at present you can only get half way round because of the melting snow. The lake in the bottom of the crates still has thick ice covering much of it but it is slowly thawing. Which is more than can be said of those of us tourists who braved the elements and walked around. The wind was blowing a gale, when isn’t it? and there were frequent snow showers that really chilled to the bone no matter what clothes one might be wearing, and there was me naked as the day L knitted me.. Nearby was another place to go off walking to see thermal activity in the area of the Krafla fires, the big lava flow that lasted from 1975 to 1984 and to walk across the lava fields to a view point. Couldn’t see a great lot because of the snow showers. This walk entailed a trudge across 5 small snow fields through the soft snow. It is melting but very slowly. and the frequent snow showers aren’t encouraging it to happen any quicker. It was another bitterly cold walk that took my lot a couple of hours but they seem to enjoy it and were really happy with themselves for reaching the view point. There is another walk, somewhat longer to another crater but my lot were knackered, the cold seems to say their strength, so we returned to the car and warmth. Only a few of the many tourists who come here venture beyond the end of the board walk at the blue pool, so my lot did OK I reckon.The pseudo craters are pretend volcanic craters, they are formed usually under water when water gets trapped in the lava flow and pressure builds up as it heats, then it just blows out leaving an often perfect shaped cone. There are lots of them around Myvatn and we walked around a cluster of them. These are now lovely and grassy and have sheep grazing on them. L read somewhere that they are only 2000 years old, mere infants in geological terms.Then there is another area when somehow the lava formed a gigantic bubble the roof of which has collapsed leaving fascinating pillars, columns, caves, ridges and valleys. There are lots of natural arches and holes and one collapsed cave resembles a great gothic church and is called the Kirkja. There are big rifts in the ground so one must watch ones footing and many of those rifts have snow in them. Some go down a long way, don’t drop anything, that includes me, it would be a one way trip. Again it was bitterly cold and the snow showers became continuous with some snow beginning to settle on the pathway.Back at the carpark there is a cafe that offers, as a special a bowl of meat soup and bread for the meagre sum of 1900ISK (that $19au, 9.50 pounds). We know that food is expensive here but just the same it does seem a bit over the odds. We met three cyclists at the swimming pool, what better place to warm up. They said that mostly they seem to have had a head wind no matte which way they are heading. This morning they awoke to find snow on their tent and most of their stuff wet so they have moved into a small guest house to dry out.Over the next few days we did a lot of the tourist sites. We walked about the lake shore and watched some of the water birds, the grebes and the divers among them and saw lots of little birds in the grasses and bushes. We climbed around the lava fields and to the top of the explosion crater, and right around it. fortunately the weather had taken a turn for the better, the wind wasn’t so cruel and it was fine, no sun or blue sky but this was quite OK. At least we didn’t feel as if we were about to get blown off the top of the crater and I could pose for photo’s without being blown over all the time.Each day my lot enjoyed an afternoon dip in the pool and soak in the hot tub, this could become habit forming I fear. I am left to hold the fort in the car. Usually i take a nap but don’t tell my lot that or they might find a replacement for me.A tour to the Ice cave called Lofthellir was next on the agenda. Would you believe it, the day we’d arranged to do this dawned brilliantly bright and sunny. Summer had arrived in Iceland and what were we about to do, go down underground into an ice cave. Talk about bad planing. We should have been doing this on one of those bleak, dismal days.First a helmut and special boots with studs were issued, good job I wasn’t needing them, don’t think they had any in my size, nor a helmut that would fit over my ears. after that we all climbed onto the mini bus, one of those real Icelandic ones with big wheels. We had the privilege of having 2 guides for the day, the diver guide whose name was the Icelandic version of Steve L thinks, and another younger fellow who is learning to be a guide for this cave too. Of us tourists there were 9 humans and me. A Chinese family from HongKong, a young woman from Taiwan and a young couple from Beijing. They all wanted to know about me, I became a star for the day. i was the centre of attention, got my photo taken so many times I was exhausted by the end of the day. the ice cave came off second best with me there. the bus trip was less than an hour and although the guide kept on about how bumpy it was he hasn’t been the places we have so he doesn’t know what really bumpy is, try Mongolia Steve or outback Aussie! (to be fair there are some extremely rough roads in Iceland, just not this one). Then after parking the bus we had a good walk over a lava field, L just loves the formations of this solidified lava. Much of this is a ‘rope’ lava, it looks very much like rope. This lava flow is about 3500 years old, and over the top of it nearby is a darker lava flow that is 3000 years old.When we reached the cave everyone had to put on their big rubber boots with the studs, their helmut, gloves, and waterpoof pants if they them. It would be around 0C in the cave but with out wind, and that everyone agreed is quite comfortable. Then we descended down the ladder and onto the icy floor. I was with David but I very nearly got a frozen face as D pulled us both up the icy slope on his tummy using the rope then we slid down the other side using the rocks on the side as hand brakes. We did this a couple of times and there was one really low narrow bit that we had to pull ourselves along with another rope. Good job I had D to do the hard work for me.Finally about 150m into the cave we came to the big chamber, 50m long and 6-8m high. It is a lava cave that has filled with water and frozen. The temp varies between -2C and +2C over the year. Today it is about 0C. The floor we walked on and crawled over could be deep or shallow ice, we have no way of really knowing in any one place. It is very deep in some places and we can see rocks that have fallen from the roof at some point in time and are very slowly sinking through the ice. We can see them because the ice is so clear, the water being free of pollutents. There are icicles hanging down from the roof and some growing up from the floor, both resemble stalactites and stalagmites to some degree. They too, take a long time to grow and some damage was done to them during the years the cave was open to unsupervised visits. The guide put a few red and white light about so that we could see and appreciate the formations. It really is a wonderful, magical place, L in particular was enthralled. We also experienced total darkness when the lights were switched off for a couple of minutes. All too soon our visit was over and we made our way back out of the cave via the same route except this time I was with L and again almost wiped the ice with my face as we crawled along. You would think that a bear of my standing would get better treatment.When we arrived back outside the sun was still blazing out a a bright blue sky with just a few clouds about, so again we had a very pleasant walk across the lava field and back to our bus. On our return drive I requested that we stop and have a group photo at the ‘Troll boat” a lava formation along our route. So this we did! It is believed by Icelander that a lady troll who had been out fishing was running late getting back to her hide out in the lava fields and had to abandon her boat and make a dash for cover before the rising sun caught her. The rising sun turns trolls into stone, they must get into their hiding places before sunrise. At this time of year that doesn’t give them long out, but in the winter they can be out and about most of the time.My lot really thoroughly enjoyed this trip and after a meal adjourned to the swimming pool and hot tub for another soak, again I had a nap, ssshh! I can dream of becoming famous all over Asia after today. They were a really great bunch of people today, guides included.WE returned to the Jokulsargljufur National Park and visited Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfalls from view points of both sides of the river. We had slight hopes that the road north along the western side of the river might have opened however, that was not the case so we had to return over the one of the eastern side. The wind was blowing a gale again and the water was being blown off the waterfall in great clouds and wetting us as we viewed the falls from the western side.On the eastern side you can get right down to the waters edge just above the falls, both at Dettifoss and a kilometre further upstream at Selfoss. The volume of water going over these falls is astounding, 400 cubic metres per second, Dettifoss is said to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Along with all that water an estimated 23000 tons of glacial debris a day is washed over too.Then, the funniest thing my lot have seen in a long time is the sign in the loo, ‘please save water, there is a shortage in this area’. Excuse me mate!, what’s that if not water going over them falls!Downstream but on the western side of the river again is an area of basalt columns called Hljothdaklettar (echoing rock). A walk around here is a must to see all those basal columns that are laying at all sorts of angles. One cannot imagine just how they come to form in such a pattern as some of these. The columns form at a perpendicular angle to the the cooling surface, L can’t really work that out but OK we accept that, then how the hell did they get to look like a giant fan? The stacks where you only get to see the ends of the pillar almost appear to have scales. Whether or not they are echo really well we didn’t get to hear. There must have been a few other people around as there were a few cars in the carpark but we didn’t meet anyone else in the hours we spent walking around here.Just upstream from the basal are two stacks on the bank of the river known as the man and the witch. At this point part of the river seems to disappear into a cave. The really odd thing is that there seems to be much less water in the river compared to that going over the falls upstream. It’s not very wide here and it is quite shallow, where does that water disappear too, perhaps it’s all used in the toilets despite the sign. Those toilets have only opened since we were here last week, and will close again mid to late August.One of the tyres keeps loosing pressure, not a long but each morning it has to be pumped up again so D decided we would head back to Husavik and have it repaired. Along the way we called at the cliffs where we had seen the puffins, but this time we saw only a few of them. The sea was calm and they were mostly sitting out on the water. Around 8pm a few were on shore with the rest still at sea but by 10pm they had all come ashore and gone down their burrows. At 8am they were all out at sea again leaving only the fulmars on the cliffs.After getting the tyre repaired we again passed the puffin cliffs and they were all still out at sea just sitting there bobbing up and down on the waves while the fulmars flew to and fro and some would come in and feed their mate sitting on the egg on a rock ledge. We drove on round to Kopasker where we visited the local folk museum. There my lot got talking to the lady curator whose mother and grandmother collected much of what is on display. Again much of the stuff L and D remember as being in use when they were kids. There is an old cabinet from 1726 and some wedding dresses, black was the fashionable colour of the time but there is one white one too. What I liked most was the old fire engine. It’s a horse drawn vehicle with sled attachments. At the earthquake centre we read about the earthquake that hit this village in January 1976 doing a great deal of damage but no-one was killed. The lady at the museum had been at school in that very same building at the time and she told us how scary it was.© Lynette Regan 19th June 2015
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