Reykjavík sculpture
This sculpture is located in Reykjavík. It is an abstract form following the lines of the classic Viking ship.
(Use the back button to return to the previous page.)

Reykjavík
Iceland doesn't really have much ice. The 8400-sq-km glacier Vatnajökull, which reaches a thickness of 1 km in places, is Iceland's greatest icecap. Reykjavík, the world's most northerly capital city and also on of its smallest. It was the first place in Iceland to be intentionally settled. The original settler, Ingólfur Arnarson called the places Reykjavík (Smoky Bay) because of the steam rising from nearby geothermal features.
(Use the back button to return to the previous page.)

Our trips to Iceland
We were there twice: once in November of 2000 and then again in May of 2001. These off-season times allowed us to see all the beauty, without so many people, and an much reduced cost!
(Use the back button to return to the previous page.)

Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon isn't a lagoon, but rather a pale blue, 20 °C pool of effluent form the Svartsengi power plant 70km south-west of Reykjavík. Its deposits of silica mud combined with an organic soup of dead algae have been known to relieve psoriasis. A swim can be an ethereal experience with clouds of vapor rising and parting at times to reveal the stacks of the power plant and moss-covered lava (and in the winter snow highlighted lava) in the background.
(Use the back button to return to the previous page.)

Waterfalls
"Foss" is the Icelandic word for falls. Seljalandsfoss is shown on the left. The picture you see if you move the mouse over this picture is the view from behind the falls. The other falls are included are named Gullfoss. At one time there was a plan to dam this river. The daughter of the man who owned the land where the damn was to be placed, threatened to commit suicide by jumping into the falls. So far, the river still runs free!
(Use the back button to return to the previous page.)

Beaches
This is a black beach near the town of Vik along the southern coast.
(Use the back button to return to the previous page.)

Iceland horses
The Icelandic horse has been prominent in the development of the country. It's small (about 133 cm high) and weights between 390 and 400 kg, but it's a sturdy animal perfectly suited to the rough Icelandic terrain. It is said to have originated in Northern Europe. The horse has lived in Iceland for 1100 years without the admixture of other breeds, but despite this isolation, it has gradually developed into several strains.

Most breeds of horses have just three gaits: the walk, the trot, and the canter. The Icelandic horse has, in addition, the toelt and the pace. Icelanders consider these last two to be the major pride of the Icelandic horse. When walking the horse moves without tension, but briskly, in an even, four-beat cadence, each foot independently. The trot is a two-beat gait, in which front and rear legs on opposite sides move together. The canter is a three beat gait; an easy canter makes for comfortable riding. The toelt is a remarkably smooth, four-beat gait, in which the horse moves its feet in the same order as in the walk. The pace is a two-beat movement, in which both legs on each side move together. For centuries used as a beast of burden, today the Icelandic horse is considered the most versatile riding horse in the world.

Our ride was to Thingvellir (parliament plains) located 45 km from Reykjavík. This is where the world's oldest extant national assembly was set up by settlers in AD 930. Now a national park full not only of history but also extraordinary natural beauty, with its stunning lake, lava landscape and rugged chasm wall on the rift where the continental plates of Europe and America are slowly moving apart.

By the way, like the Icelandic horse, the Icelandic sheep is a unique breed that has remained pure since the settlement of the country. Through the centuries of harsh climatic conditions, a very special type of wool has formed as on outer layer of protection for these gentle creatures. Its defining characteristic is its blend of coarse and fine fibers, which makes it both wonderfully light and flexible and tremendously warm. Products made from Icelandic wool range from sweaters to overcoats, the texture of which is often more akin to mohair than the more common types of wool.