England/Iceland 2003

To see all of my two week visit to both England and Iceland click on the 7-1-03 to 7-31-03 archive link on the right side of your screen!

Enjoy,

Mike & Jean Troiano

Today we had a relaxing revisit to a few local art galleries (Monday is free entry day). It is great to view both modern and historic Icelandic art and historical items. This country has a long history that has been documented since the Vikings first settled here. There are twelve Icelandic saga's which are rather long, but tell the entire creation of this beautiful land and its people.

Tomorrow I will not be creating an entry since we have to head for home undertaking a 13 hour journey.


For more information about this art gallery visit: http://www.listasafnreykjavikur.is/index.en.shtml

Today was cold and wet, but worth it! We went whale watching about 20 minutes outside of Reykjavik harbor. We had calm seas and clouds which is supposed to be the best for whale watching. The first whale sighted was a calf Minke whale. A short time afterwards we were able to see two adult Humpback whales breech the surface a few times, this was a magnificent sight!

On the way back we stopped by Puffin island to view Puffins.


Reference: THE THREE WHALES

For more information about Humpback whales visit: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/humpback/

Today was a large lesson in map reading! We took a 6 mile walk through and outside of the city of Reykjavik. We started out walking down the main shopping street (Laugavegur) located in 101 Reykjavik all the way out to the 105 Reykjavik area to a music shop I had always wanted to visit.

The walk took us past the normal tourist areas into the sleeping (bedroom) communities. On the way back we stuck to the path along the bay. This path took us directly to the Hofdi House which became famous when then President Regan and Premier Gorbachev had their historic meeting in 1986.


For more information on this summit please visit: http://oll.temple.edu/hist249/course/Documents/excerpts_of_gorbachev_reagan.htm

Today we had a more extensive tour of the lava fields and a trip out to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue lagoon is a geothermal spa. The water in that area normally is about 500 degrees, but it is mixed with cold well water and was turned into a resort.

Geothermal use in Iceland is widespread. The streets in town are currently being torn up to add more sewer lines, but in the process they are renewing the hot water pipes that run underneath the sidewalks to prevent freezing during the winter months.

From our many trips we have noticed that there are hot steam vents everywhere! The geothermal steam provides hot water and steam heat for all of the residents of the island.


For more information about this area visit: http://www.bluelagoon.is/english/

Today was a tour that any teacher (who loves geology and dinosaurs) would love! We took an 8 hour trip far outside of the city to some very interesting sights. We were able to visit two lava fields and study the layout of what lava will do to the land. Next we visited the geyser springs. One important note was that the main attraction was called Geyser, and all such events have been named after this one. When the eruptions occur, the most beautiful aqua marine color is displayed. Most of the ground (even in the city) is lava rock, and some very large and distinctive volcanic rocks were anywhere, so was the ever present smell of sulfur!

Next we visited the queen of all waterfalls Gullfloss (golden waterfall). This is the run-off from the nearby glacier. This is a massive two step waterfall that was donated to Iceland by a farmers daughter who wanted to prevent a hydroelectric plant from being built at this sight.

For more information about this area visit: http://www.south.is/gullfoss.html

Trying to find lunch and attempting to take a local bus was quite a job today. Supermarkets and local shops closed at about 7 pm today, we were not expecting such early closures.

This afternoon we took a tour of the city. It was interesting to see how a city this remote functioned. We visited a glorified thermal water tank reservoir that was added on to include an observation tower, restaurant and museum relating to the Icelandic Saga's (stories how Iceland was founded). The tanks are located at the highest point of the city and provides the cities residents with home steam heating. The observation deck also provided a breath taking view of the entire city.

Most Icelanders are taught 3 different languages in school: Icelandic, Dutch, English. Not all Icelanders keep up on languages other than their own, so getting around or even trying to get a simple thing like lunch can at times become very frustrating.

For more information about The Pearl visit: http://www.randburg.com/is/or/

We left London's Heathrow airport yesterday for a 3 hour journey to Iceland's capitol Reykjavik. Getting here was easy as was getting around. Pronouncing the street names and towns is something else. Language acquisition is a chore. My wife wanted milk and we had about 10 types to choose from, we had to ask the clerk which was the regular milk, having to do this is difficult and rather frustrating. Not knowing the native language makes your life hard and takes away from the beauty of your surroundings.

For more information please visit: http://www.ismal.hi.is/malsten.htm