Spa, Caves, and Northern Lights - 10/30

I'm sitting in the water at the beach! Decided to go for a traditional Icelandic experience. Went to the Nauthólsvík beach. First I immersed myself in the ocean water, which is a brisk 35°-40°. Then I ran to the "hot pot", which is filled with 100°.

This going back and forth between the cold and how water is said to improve the immune system, blood circulation, and asthma. All I know is I coughed much less today and has a lot more energy. I hope to get back before I leave.

The hot pot was not as hot as I expected. I figured it would burn, especially after the cold of the ocean, but it was merely warm to me. I'm not sure if it was because the cold had lowered the temperature, or if I was dreaming.

It is funny to see people in their swimsuits wearing hats, gloves, and neoprene shoes.

It's later in the day, and i went cave exploring afternoon u went cave exploring.  The cave, which is really a lava tube, was formed over 1000 years ago from a nearby volcano.

I was fascinated by the moss covered spikey lava rock that covered the address outside the cave. There's a couple pictures of it in my room that I had noticed and wondered where it came from.

The tubes were formed when the outer crust of the lava chilled due to outside temperatures.  The lava on the inside kept flowing, making the tubes.

I had been in lava tubes in Australia and to very old collapsed caves in the Galapagos. So I was not sure I wanted to see them again. Sego, my Kathy twin from yesterday, talked me into it, and I'm glad she did. In Australia, the tubes we went in were huge and black in color. We did not go into the smaller ones like these. (On a side note, the other guide was a twin of Heidi K. Not just a similar personality and sense of humor, but build and voice).

 There were times I was able to stand in the cave, times I stooped a ways, and times I crawled without putting my knees on the wet ground.  I made it all the way to the back of the cave, which was not much much more than 2 feet tall.

They gave us helmets to wear, which was a good thing.  Not because of falling objects -after 1000 years, that's rare. The problem is how often you hit your head on the ceiling. I heard one of the ladies asking her husband how many times he would have knocked himself out if he didn't have a helmet. I knew exactly what she meant.  Although the helmet would not help my jacket. I was convinced i would tear it on the ceiling.

The lava was black outside the tube, but lots of red and a little yellow (sulfur) on the inside. the pictures don't do it justice.

As we got near the back, the guides turned off the lights for several minutes and one told Icelandic folklore about trolls, the 13 Icelandic Santas, a cat who eats bad children, etc (interesting tidbit, bad children don't get coal for Christmas, they get potatoes).

Although it was pitch dark with the lights out, so dark you couldn't are your hand in front is your face, it felt like you were seeing little bits of light. I'll have to ask my optometrist, but I wonder is it was the blood vessels in the eye. Or maybe I'm just seeing things.

We had to retrace or steps to leave. Near the end, there was an alternate route out of the cave for those who were interested. However, when they said I would have to crawl out using a pushup position sideways, I knew it was not for me

Spent the evening hunting for Northern lights.  On the way away from the lights off the town, we passed by Yoko Ono's "peace light" memorial to John. It's a big light in the sky.

Saw the Northern Lights, but it was not what I expected.  The leader kept saying they were pale green and pink, but I mostly just saw white. It sort of looked like back lit clouds. Then I saw the clouds moving a bit and a pop of orange on the edges. That was it. Later, the guide confirmed with a site that tracks magnetic waves, that there was one spike in the evening, the one we saw.

So I'm 3 for 3 on rainbows. Saw two more today, one, a full arch.

Snorkeling On Two Continents at Once - 10/29

With the late cancellation of my glacier trip today, I got the morning free and has a nice relaxing breakfast. I then went on an afternoon trip I booked this morning -  snorkeling the Silfra fissure, where the North American and Eurasian continents meet.  Well, sort of meet. In fact, there is a crack between the fissures, which is increasing very slowly. Thus the fissure.  But anyway, it is the only place where you can snorkel in the crack between two continental plates.  We snorkel in the upper part of the spring lake. Further down it gets bigger and dirtier.

The water is from the Langjökull glacier (wonderful name, huh. Pronouncing words is so painful here - I feel sorry for the natives who have to listen to me butcher their language).  The water is very clean, even drinkable. Although they encourage you to take a drink, mine was by accident. I got water in my breathing tube. It was very good tasting, I just wouldn't recommend that method.

 

The water is so clean because it is coming from the glacier via an underground spring, after being naturally filtered through old lava rocks.  The water stays at 25°-30° year around.  With the wetsuit, it was very comfortable, although the wind picked up horribly while we were in the lake, which made it very chilly while we were changing back into our street clothes.  It also made the water very wavy. At one point we had to go against the currents to get back to where we parked. The waves made it very difficult.  If it hadn't been for my guide, I might still be in a lake somewhere where I would have drifted.

Interestingly enough, while the Silfra fissure doesn't have any fish (just some algae), the lake it feeds, Thingvellir Lake, is a major fishing lake.

Continental Divide on land. Will see more of this later.

I was supposed to go on a northern lights for tonight. The report this morning was wonderful - they rated it a 4 for likelihood in seeing the lights. Everyone was excited all day long. Then the rain brought clouds that didn't go away and all the tours were cancelled. Luckily I still have some more nights to go out. A couple I went snorkeling with was counting on tonight because this was their last night and they had yet to see the lights.

Tomorrow I'm off to go exploring some lava caves.

Oh, by the way, Kathy B, I meet your sister from another mother today (sister doesn't follow quite as well as brother, but it fits).  My guide was slight like you, athletic, your bubbly personality, etc. We talked non-stop on the 1 hour car ride there and back (the 3 others joined us at the site). She is going to be my guide tomorrow too.

Until tomorrow...

By the way, I've seen at least one rainbow each of the days I've been here. One of them today was right over the church from yesterday

Here I Am Iceland - 10/28

I arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland at 6:30 am (that's 2:30 Cleveland time). My flight was uneventful, if long on layovers, and included the now typical going backwards in order to go forward (ie. Boston via Chicago).

During the layover in Boston, several of us started talking. One guy was a widower whose flight was free. He was supposed to be flying with his bride who works for the airline, this giving him privileges.  I think one of my nieces or nephews should get a job working for an airline so their favorite aunt can have free trips.

I checked into the room at 6:30 am, 4:30 am EST.  Although I slept most of the flight, I was exhausted, and decided a nap was needed before visiting the town.  Seven hours later I start out. The hotel has a nice service - free city bus card. Although I walked downtown, I took the bus back. Which was nice given it gets dark at 5:30.

The city was much smaller than I expected for the capital. You could definitely are the European, especially Scandinavian influence.  Thus the Facebook picture of me with the giant troll. 

My first visit was to the Hallgrimskirka, the 2nd largest building in Iceland. It is a Lutheran Church. You can see it from almost everywhere. In 2014, it was voted as one of the strangest buildings in the world. I went to the top of the tower and was able to see the whole city.  In front of the church was a statute of Leif Erikson, given by the U.S (since Leif discovered America long before Christopher Columbus) in 1930 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the establishment of Iceland's parliament.

Stopped in a grocery the hotel recommended. As is typical in European cities, most groceries in town are small, pricey markets.  This one was more reasonably priced. It reminded me of the Mentor Aldi's.  Although, instead of coolers along the walls for dairy, etc, like we are used to, they had a giant cooler room with a door.

I had heard the cost of living was ridiculously high here. I found out when I ate dinner. A ”salad” (and I use the term loosely), which is grilled chicken with a few leaves of lettuce was $18. 

My trip to walk on a glacier had to be postponed due to weather.  I'll go Tuesday instead.

P.S.  found a place called the Chuck Norris Grill. Sayings on the window:

• Chuck Norris once kicked a house in the chin. Its descendants are known today as giraffes.
• Chuck Norris once took a lie detector test. The machine confessed everything.