The finale - Iceland

On Sunday, June 25th we left central Rome, moving to a hotel attached to the airport. We flew out on Monday - flying over the alps - and arrived in Iceland that evening.

Tuesday, we took a Golden Circle tour. The day was overcast, but the rain held until our last stop. I think the cloudiness added to the mystique of the scenery.

The bus ride took us through giant lava fields with volcanic cliffs in the background. The colors were amazing, with reds from oxidized rock, fields covered in green moss and purple lupens. Periodically steam escaped the ground from the geothermal activity. It was barren - and yet still stunning.

Our first stop was a visit to the 3000 year old Kerið Crater Lake, which is a nearly neon blue lake sitting in a volcano surrounded by rare red volcanic rock.

Kerið is unique among crater lakes in that its caldera likely didn’t form from an explosion as most do. The Kerið volcano is thought to have formed when the magma in the center simply depleted itself, and the empty chamber beneath caved in.

The bright, sapphire-colored waters, red volcanic rock on the steep slopes and the rich green moss create an almost unearthly blend of colors.

Our next stop was the breathtaking Gullfoss waterfall. We were able to walk along the top and at the base of the falls, feeling the mist in our faces. Our guide mentioned that the flow is even heavier when he temperatures are warmer, causing more ice to melt from the glacier.

Next we visited the Geysir Geothermal Area. We could see the steam rising from miles away. Signs noted that the water reaches 80-100 degrees Celsius. Many hot pools, clay pots, and fumaroles dot the area. Minerals vividly color the hills and soil.

It would be a fascinating enough site even without the two geysers that make it famous. While Geysir, in the foreground, is largely dormant, Strokkur, behind, erupts every ten minutes or so.

We saw Strokkur erupt several times while we were exploring the scenery. Seeing steam rising from the ground created an unworldly feel. And it felt wonderful to walk through the steam.

As we drove to our next stop, we had a great view of a distant glacier.

Our last stop was Thingvellir National Park. The park's unique geology comes from its location between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which create the rift valley that runs through Iceland.

Iceland is the only country where this valley, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, can be seen above sea level. This is particularly visible in the park.

A magma pocket formed between the tectonic plates, rising as they moved apart. This venting was responsible for creating Iceland millions of years ago. Their continued separation is the reason that Iceland has such fascinating volcanic activity.

Despite the rain, we enjoyed our walk through the park and the spectacular formations.

On Wednesday, we took another tour of the south coast. Once again the volcanic landscape was beautiful. The south coast was much more lush. The volcanoes created a stunning backdrop for the green fields, filled with grazing sheep and horses. Many of the fields were strewn with rocks.

We learned that, as recently as a hundred years ago, Icelanders built their homes into the rocks and we saw examples of that during the drive.

We drove by a snow capped volcano, Hekla. We also passed the Katla volcano, which many believe is due to erupt soon after more than a hundred years of inactivity.

Our first stop was the Sólheimajökull glacier, a glacial tongue and part of the mighty Myrdalsjokull Glacier. Although Solheimajokull’s icy terrain is constantly changing, it’s estimated to be roughly 8 km long and 1-2 km wide. It was great to be so close to the glacier and to see it now, as it is losing volume with each passing year.

Next we stopped briefly at the town of Vik, with a lovely little church and great views of the water. The rock formations are said to be a troll and a sailing ship with its three masts. I’m not sure about that(!) but it was beautiful nonetheless.

At lunchtime, we stopped at the Reynisfjara black sand beach. It was incredibly windy, almost blowing us over but we were able to collect a few rocks and see the amazing basalt formations.

According to local folklore, these large basalt columns were once trolls trying to pull ships from the ocean to shore. However, these trolls were dim and went out too late in the night; dawn broke on the horizon, turning the trolls into solid stone.

Last we went to visit two waterfalls. The first was Skogafoss, one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland.

The second was Seljalandsfoss, where you are able to walk behind the falls. Being already wet from walking too close to Skogafoss, we opted to only walk on the sides and not to behind the falls.

Both falls were beautiful to see.

Thursday, June 29th was our last morning in Iceland. We spent a little time in Reykjavík, exploring the downtown and visiting some of the local artisans’ shops.

It is a beautiful city. It’s quaint and a little quirky and has a fun, fresh feeling. I look forward to returning and spending more time.

Sadly, we only had a couple of hours before we needed to leave for the airport. We flew to Newark late that night and took the train home on Friday.

It was an amazing trip. We were so fortunate to have had this experience. I’m happy to be home now, for a rest … but already looking forward to the next adventure.