Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.03.1995, Page 25

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.03.1995, Page 25
Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 17. mars 1995 • 25 lceland - Mother Nature’s Panorama Continued usual gaits of the walk, trot and gallop, the tölt (also called the rack or running walk) and the pace. The special gaits are natural and in-born characteristics of this breed of horse. The tölt is spectacu- lar to watch and the rhythmic sound generated by three horses speeding around the track in the tölt is something I won’t forget. This gait is so smooth you can carry a fiill glass of beer without spilling a drop. Akureyri, with a population of 14,000 is called the “Jewel of the North”. The Gulf stream flows clock- wise around the island and at this far north point, it meets the cold stream just south of the Arctic Circle. Consequently the city is fogged in at least 267 days of the year. This is the heart of the co-oper- ative movement in Iceland. There is an excellent harbour here and the fishing industry flourishes creating 95% of the jobs in the area. Driving inland to Lake Mývatn, we follow the Laxá River, a famous fishing area where Prince Charles comes to físh. Over 75 species of migrant birds nest in this area although only 20 species live here permanently. Near the lake volcanic explosions have created weird upright formations of lava caused when the hot rocks hit the water. There is a large geothermal field and a steam powered electric gen- erating station has been erected here. There have been at least 15 earthquakes and in 1984 a 10 kilometre fissure opened revealing boiling lava. This is 20 feet wide at some points and quite spec- tacular to view. Below the rift there are caves with deep pools of hot water. Climbing down into these caves is quite dangerous as one lady from the French bus unhappily discovered. She fell back- ward into a cave luckily avoiding the boiling hot water but injuring her back. With so many tourists travelling around Iceland they are going to need to set up precautionary measures. Many of the points we visited were quite dangerous and there was a noticeable lack of wam- ing signs or roped off areas. Leaving Akureyri in dense morning fog, we drove up into the mountains to find the sun shining and a million dollar view of distant glaciers. We travelled up the Tjömes Peninsula to see three mil- lion year old fossils in the high cliffs. There were layer upon layer of sea shells in the rocks indicating the rise and fall of the ocean beds and mountains as the island was forming. The horseshoe shaped canyon at Ásbyrgi has 90-metre cliffs where many species of birds were nesting. This area was formed by sinking land during earthquakes. One interesting bird here is the fulmer which Spews fish oil at you when frightened. Quite tasty when pick- led but better to avoid it in flight. The tern is a very aggressive bird which would attack if it felt its nest threatened. Our road leaves the delta and takes us back up into the mountains to a point where we hear the roar of mighty Dettifoss Falls. This powerful glacial river surges over a huge expanse of arid plain and deposits millions of tonnes of sand in the ocean. It has been estimated at 120 tonnes per hour — no wonder the coastline of Iceland changes every year. This interior highland plateau had been arable land at one time but volcanic (poisonous) ash from eruptions had killed all the vegetation and driven the farmers to a mass exodus to Canada and other places. The last farmer left in 1946 and we visited his farm where the typical sod and rock buildings still stood. Ironically, the area was now lovely and green near a good fishing lake and a stream beside the farm. Independent People, a novel written by H. Laxness, is worthwhile reading to understand the terrible hardships endured by these Icelandic farmers in the early 1900s. Our ovemight stop was Hotel Edda in Eiðar, another boarding school, near Lögurinn Lake and the best forest in Iceland. A great job of reforestation was being done here with the help of an experimental farm. An evening of out- door entertainment by an Icelandic dance and drama group was enjoyable though we were hard pressed to under- stand the poetiy. The road to Borgarfjörður Eystri was twisty and rough with insecure shale banks on one side and a 431 metre cliff overlooking the sea on the other side. It’s no wonder there had been a cross placed at a particularly bad comer in 1300 with the inscription “Kneel and pray to God for a safe joumey”. The famous painter Kjarval was bom in this area and we vis- ited a church graced by one of his paint- ings of “Christ on the Mount”, hanging over the altar. The bishop had refused to bless this painting because the artist had used a famous Icelandic view of “the doors” (a mountain) in the background. Heading south along the mgged and varied coastline of the eastem ijords, we reached Almannaskarð, offering a strik- ing view of Vatnajökull Glacier. We stopped at Nesjaskóli, Hornafjörður area, the most important fishing port on the south. Following the Cod Wars with Britain, a 200 mile limit was set. This plus a quota system seems to be bringing a renewal of the fishing industry. If a fish- erman buys a new trawler, he must sink the old one because if you sell, your fish- ing quota goes with the vessel. Subsidies are a hotly debated subject because there is no govemmqnt help in Iceland, mak- ing it difficult for them to compete inter- nationally. If they find the size of the fish is getting smaller, there will be limited fishing and closure in some areas causing more hardship. They estimate 100,000 tonnes of cod are lost to the seals eveiy year and there are also 40,000 whales in this vicinity of the Gulf Stream. This rich fishing zone has an estimated yield of 3500 kilos of fish from one square mile but still the danger of over fishing looms. The original fishermen came about their trade accidentally. In the old days the rich farmers would send their ten- ants out to catch fish for them. If a man didn’t own land, he wasn’t allowed to mariy. Hence a great many left the farms and settled at the coast making fishing their livelihood This is a dangerous busi- ness as there has been 342 “offers to the sea” since 1923. We made an interesting visit to a sheep farmer named Högni whose side- line was smoking shark meat. In his smokehouse were 30 inch slabs, of shark, some 6 inches thick, which would hang to dry for a month and then be shipped to Japan. Shark meat, washed down with Brennivín, a potent liquor made from potatoes and cumin (40% proof), was considered a real treat. Surprisingly, the largest glaciers in Iceland are in the Southeast. At Lake Jökullón, we had an opportunity to take a boat trip among floating icebergs bro- ken off a “finger” of Vatnajökull. Viewed up close, these icebergs were varied in colour, texture and density. They ranged from dirty embedded silt to ciys- tal clear or cobalt blue in all shapes and sizes. There is only a small portion visi- ble above the waterline and they some- times flip over as they melt so it could be a risky proposition being nearby. We were followed by a young boy in a small boat — no doubt ready to send for help if needed. While the “finger” of the glacier was at least 30 metres thick, it was dwarfed by the actual glacier. These glaciers can move as much as 50 feet a day so though the caves beckoned, our guide said it was unwise to venture into them. when it is quiet you can listen t.o the sounds a glacier makes — grinding, creaking and sometimes booming. Indeed, glaciers are the most efficient sculptors in the country. If a volcano beneath the glacier heats up, it creates a flood. Then 200,000 metres of water a second can pour out of the glacier washing away anything in its path and causing the ocean to rise. There can even be pools of hot water on a glacier. Skaftafell National Park is a beauti- ful green oasis beneath the towering Öræfajökull, the highest peak in Iceland at 2119 metres. Vast stretches of black sand formed by the huge glacial rivers form the coastline on the joumey to Kirkjubæjarklaustur. This road was the final link in the highway which cir- cles Iceland. We crossed the vast Eldhraun Lava Fields and Mýrdalssandur, an extensive sandy desert, to Dyrhólaey Headland a nature reserve and bird sanctuary. The Eldhraun area was the site of the 1783 volcanic eruption from Mt. Katla. Many earthquakes had preceded this event and on June lst, thick clouds of ash rose and the river turned to a glowing lava stream covering 465 square kilometres. Thousands of people died and a whole village was wiped out from the poisonous nitrogen and sul- phur gas. The acid killed all vegetation and 50% of the animals. This volcano erupted again in 1918 and it is believed that another eruption is eminent, but the villagers still remain. Earthquakes and the smell of sulphur will be wam- ings and evacuation plans are in place. Our bus driver lives in the village and told us there is no insurance against a natural disaster. We wondered why anyone would stay under the circum- stances! The fínal day of our 2,340 kilometre journey took us to Skagafoss where you can climb the mountain and walk behind the falls. We went on through fertile farming land to a large thermal field where, amongst the gurgling mud pots, is the Great Geyser which has erupted since antiquity but now has itspipe blocked by siliceous deposits. It can be forced to empt by injecting soap into the pipe. A new geyser called Strokkur spouts to a height of 30 metres at ten minute intervals. There are nearly 100 steaming aper- tures scattered over a surface scarcely more than two square miles in extent and not a sign of warning for the unwary tourist. You certainly had to keep your eyes on the ground. We visited our last and most spectac- ular waterfall, Gullfoss. This mighty two-tiered cataract thunders 32 metres over a fault in a gorge 2.5 km. in length and 70m deep. A bid to harness this splendid waterfall was (thankfully) tumed down by the govemment. We couldn’t leave Iceland without a visit to the “Blue Lagoon,” an offspring from the geothermal power station in Svartsengi. This station provides elec- tricity and hot water in a pure and nat- ural manner by using the energy of geothermal water which lies at depths of over 1000 metres. After the water has served its primary purpose it flows through the Blue Lagoon keeping it fresh and warm. The lagoon has a salt concentration equal to that of the sea with silica mud (good for facials) on the bottom. With hot steam blowing over the bright blue water, where weird rock formations emerged and heads bobbing here and there it looked like a picture from Dantes Inferno. Undaunted, we plunged into the steaming water and emerged 30 minutes later relaxed and carefree. The evening before our departure, we were invited to attend a service at Bessastaðakirkja, an old Lutheran Church south of the city. The minister had served a parish in North Dakota and was known by several of our group. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the president of Iceland, attended the service. Following refreshments provided by the excellent choir, we were pleased to meet and chat with this beautiful and charming lady. She embodies the character of the Icelandic people who are guided by a strong work ethic and a high awareness of their cultural identity. We flew home with a feeling of kin- ship for these people who had struggled for so many years for the good life and were willing to share their spectacular land with strangers and relatives alike. Canada is all the better for having a touch of Iceland dotted throughout her Provinces. Special Chartcr to _ _ _ FROM lcaland $609 in Canadian Dollars Book by Mar. 31/95 Depart from Vancouver Return Keflavik June 29 Adults/Children/Seniors Return Keflavik July 20 Adults/Children/Seniors Retum Keflavik August 24 Adults/Children/Seniors JUNE 14 $649 / 609 / 609 $799 / $749 / 759 $799 / 749 / 759 JULY 5 $949 / 889 / 909 $949 / 889 / 909 AUGUST9 $949 / 889 / 909 All Prices are in Canadian Dollars — Airport Taxes $82. — Infants (under 2 yrs.) FREE Deposit of $250. due at time of booking and balance due 42 days prior to departure. Contact Kolly at (604) 531-8431 Fax: (604) 531-8316 Öfuartrrirccfe ®rahrí 102, 1711-152 Street, Surrey, British Columbia, V4A 4N3 Special rates for stopover accommodations in Vancouver, contact Kolly at your earliest convenience

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