July 27, 2023-Iceland trip -day 1, Reykjavik

July 27, 2023

After an over night flight on Icelandic Air, we flew into Keflavik International Airport, about 30 miles southwest of Raykjavik. We arrived about 5am our time, which was 9am Icelandic time. I wasn't able to sleep much, but Peter seemed to do OK, sort of. In any case, we arrived and had to be ready for a full day of touring and sightseeing.

Before I start on our daily itinerary, it might be useful to give a brief summary of Iceland's history (which we learned through various lectures) and general observations:

Iceland was created by volcanic eruptions under the ocean, so the entire island is volcanic lava rock. Then, the glaciers carved steep, deep valleys, creating the water-filled fjords, all around the island, with many incredible waterfalls. Then, there is the geothermal activity throughout the island, giving rise to geysers, hot springs, and power plants that use the very hot water to create electricity. It's like seeing a young earth, geologically
The Vikings settled Iceland in the 9th & 10th centuries, bringing along with them stolen women from Ireland.
Iceland created their own parliament in 930AD. And the island adopted Christianity in 1000. Icelandic Sagas were written in the 13th & 14th centuries.
The 14th - 18th centuries were very hard for the Icelanders, due to cold temperatures, disease, volcanic eruptions. Originally under the Norwegian crown, by the 14th century, they came under Danish rule.
They struggled for independence, and by 1874 they were granted a constitution, in 1904 they acquired home rule, in 1918 they were recognized as a sovereign state, and in 1944 they became a republic.
During WWII, they were occupied by British forces, and then American forces. Their presence had a significant influence on Icelandic culture and economy.
The "crash" of 2008 hit Iceland very hard. Due to tourism, they have now have an economic boom. There are only 350,000 people living in all of Iceland, yet they have over 2 million tourists each year, mostly in the summer.
I was very impressed with how modern and "liberal" the country seemed. Women's rights and LGBTQ pride is very evident.
Many of the Fjords have very picturesque, little fishing villages. But there are very few people living in Iceland, with most in the two bigger cities.

After breakfast, we boarded a bus to tour the Reykjanes Peninsula (SW Iceland). In 2021, a volcano that had been dormant for 800 years erupted, significantly adding lava to the altered landscape. So now, there are lava fields, some covered with white fungus, everywhere.

Our first stop was at the Mid-Atlantic rift. This is where the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates that meet there are actually drifting apart, at the rate of 2 cm per year. This has created a lava-sand filled river. So we were actually standing right on the rift!
Along the route, we then stopped to view a geothermal bubbling steam vent that just happened to be bubbling next to the road.
The highlight of the day was the Blue Lagoon, where we were able to soak in the mineral-rich geothermally-heated waters. Superheated water from a nearby lava flow feeds into the nearby power plant system. The outflow from the power plant flows into the large, extensive lagoon, where the temperature stays between 98 and 104 degrees. We got to drink a beer and soak for 2 hours--how relaxing.
After our soak, we got to stroll around the water-filled lava pools next to the Blue Lagoon. These were so neat! Little islands of lava, surrounded by white silica at the very blue water's edge.
Our final stop along the route back to Reykjavik was overlooking Lake Kleifarvatn.

July 27th photos: