Day 10 - Friday, 31 July
Scribe of the Day: Carolyn Johnson
Today as we leave the guest house in a valley, I marvel at the sight of small looking houses nestled in against a backdrop of overpowering mountains, often with waterfalls behind them. I am awed at the majesty of God’s handiwork and how little we look in comparison with the vastness of His creation. And yet He knows everyone of us and all about us and cares.
We are heading south and west today and, in the valley, past farms with names that matched our rooms the previous night. These farms are gone now, but they all had a story to tell about the lives of those who had lived there, once upon a time. Most of the day we follow rivers used for salmon fishing. We see fences used for separating sheep in the fall. They have a large ring in the center, then are sliced like a pie for the sheep of different farms to go in when they are separated.
Fisherman can rent a section of river for salmon fishing. The cost depends on the river, the section of river, and the time of year, and varies between $200 a week (for a poor stretch of river) to $1200 a day for the best spots. I recall that a major musician – I’m thinking Elton John or Eric Clapton – comes here every year for a week to fish an excellent river.
I also learned that Iceland is the size of Kentucky which is also mountainous in spots. But to me, Iceland seems bigger because of the vastness of the mountains and glaciers and volcanoes, a geological wonderland. We went through the county known as the horse district. We stopped by a small herd of horses. These are one of my favorite animals. I find them to be beautiful creatures and could watch them for hours.
Icelandic horses were brought into the country nearly a thousand years ago. During the centuries when Iceland was isolated from the rest of Europe, no other horses were brought in, so the breed did not mix with others as they did in the rest of the world. That is still the case. No horses can be imported. And, if a team of Icelandic horses leaves the country to compete in Europe, they have to remain there – they cannot reenter the country.
Twenty-four primary colors of Iceland horse are recognized, with well over 200 variations.
In recent years, demand has grown internationally for these horses; they are currently exported to Europe, and, recently, to the Pacific Northwest. In the airport in Minneapolis, while waiting for our flight to Reyjkavik, I talked to a couple from Sequim, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. She and her husband had bought several Icelandic horses in the last two years. Last year, they spent ten days riding horses on a cross-country trek in Iceland, from east to west. This year they were returning, for a similar trek from north to south. I found a brochure in Reyjkavik describing such a trek. What an adventure that would be for an equestrian!
We saw fields full of these animals during our trip. They look like fairy animals, with beautiful faces and thick, flowing manes and tails. Think “Lion King” horses.
Oops, I just had a Charlotte moment. I have been taking notes with a green pen, looked down and noticed I’ve got green ink all over my slacks.
Another interesting thing I’ve learned today is that the names of babies have to be approved by a committee before that baby can be named.
I sure am happy we are not hiking today as it is very windy, which Brjann says is unusual, but also rainy, which is pretty much normal. I thank the Lord we missed this kind of weather, although I was just getting the hang of hiking a good while and I learned my position in the group just as horses on trail rides all have their own spot. (At least on the trail rides I’ve been on.)
We visited some hot springs. The sign said they were the largest in Europe with a temperature of 97 degrees C. As we go, Brjann tells us history of farms, sagas, geology of the areas as we pass them which is greatly appreciated. Finally he starts telling us sagas about women but it sounded mainly about how to get rid of husbands.
On this day, a few of the women on the tour protested that all Brjann’s saga stories were about men. They challenged him to come up with one about a woman. Brjann accommodated them with a story about a beautiful, headstrong woman who married three men – and then told us about the men’s exploits! The women booed.
Well, after a head wind most of the day we get to Reykjavik and run out of gas, but, thank the Lord, right by a gas station. It could have been on one of our lonely roads.
We left the Ring Road for the last part of our journey back to Reykjavik. On Friday afternoon, the traffic heading out of the city for a “camping weekend” was congested coming from the other direction, and the rain was heavy. Kathleen had told us that we were taking a side trip to a Navy base where Don had been stationed during World War II. In all of Don’s world travels, this would be the first time he’d been back to see it in over 50 years. Don protested, saying he didn’t want us to go out of the way for him, but everyone agreed it was the place to go.
Another rutted, dirt road, of course, and in the pouring rain. Fortunately, we were out of the mountains by now. But the roads were narrow. I was sitting in my usual spot, directly behind Brjann, who was driving, and every once in a while I couldn’t keep from reminding him to be careful. I’m sure he loved me for that.
The only remains of the Navy base were a small community of Quonset huts on the side of the fjord. Brjann said no one lived there any more. But as we passed by, I saw curtains in the window of one, and a light on. I wonder who “no one” is.
Near the base was a closed-down whale processing plant. Formerly a significant industry in Iceland, whale harvesting is no longer profitable – more economic gain can be attained through whale watching than whale eating! In former times, whale were hunted for their blubber, for heating and lubrication. Later it was for their meat, exported primarily to Japan, but that country’s current generation of young people don’t like the meat.
We’d been warned to expect rainy weather on this trip. Today was really the first “bad weather day”. Lucky for us to be traveling by van all day, rather than out in the weather on a hike.
How odd, after 1400 kilometers of travel in the van, all Brjann’s careful fill-up stops – we ran out of gas within the city limits of Reyjkavik! One of Art’s last pictures is from the van’s window, looking down on Brjann’s head as he stoops to fill the tank from a gas can.
After another delicious meal it is time to go to bed, but I can’t because I have to finish this journal. I didn’t get to keep putting it off.
Before our last meal, Art took a nap while I logged onto the computer in the hotel lobby to check email and the latest news of the world. After 45 minutes online, I paid the use charge at the front desk. $30! I remembered, then, that Iceland is the most expensive country in Europe to visit. I was glad we’d paid up front, months earlier, for this almost all-inclusive trip. Watching the money disappear on a pay-as-you-go trip would have been tough.
Our final meal together was at a fine restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. We were joined there by Brjann and his wife. As I recall, this was the longest meal of our trip – at least five courses and over two hours long.
Anyway, as Don said tonight, I never knew so many nice people who ate fish. It was a great trip and I had a wonderful time.
So did we. Lots of hiking, wonderful food, fascinating geology and scenery, good company all around. We were busy from the time we got up at 6 am until we finished dinner and went to bed at 11 pm. Since our return home I’ve looked at other companies providing tours to Iceland. None of them offered the variety, or the out-of-the-way places in combination with the “must see” destinations. Walking the World was the way to go for us.
Upcoming final installment: Day 11, Closing Comments and Retrospective.