Bridging Continents

Most of the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates is below the Atlantic Ocean.  On the ocean floor, new crust is being born along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  The one place that this plate boundary rises above the surface of the sea is Iceland, where amazing mountain ranges are being created, causing the country to "grow" outward a few centimeters each year.  It's also the source of large volcanic clouds that could block air travel. 

Amazing mountains in Iceland

Baby mountains

The boundary between these tectonic plates is located in Þingvellir Park in Iceland.  I knew we were going to visit the border of the tectonic plates, but I honestly didn't know what to expect.  I mean, I see "faults" all the time, but most of the time, they are either just a tiny crack, or at most, a small ridge, or so large that they just look like a large valley.  But Þingvellir, like so many other things in Iceland, pleasantly exceeded my expectations.

Firstly, the valley of Þingvellir is crisscrossed with fissures, that are deep and quite impressive.

It is said if you throw a coin into the water in the fissure, and follow it with your eyes until it comes to a rest, your wish will come true. 

We begin our hike across the valley, again, risking our lives walking across the icy trail.

More faults in Þingvellir.

The amazing sunset, around 3 PM, over the river in the middle of the valley.

Hiking across the Þingvellir valley is a true trans-continental hike.  How many people can say they hiked between continents?  My husband and I can!  Ahead of us, North America.

Looking back at Eurasia.

And the boundary between these plates did not disappoint.  The North American plate rises steeply ahead of us.

The trail follows the boundary of the North American plate, finally reaching the top, completing the trans-continental hike.

We made it to North America!  Here we stand on the North American plate, with all of Eurasia behind us!

Frostbite and Natural Selection

The Golden Circle is a route in southern Iceland encompassing some of the more impressive geological sites that can be reached within a day trip of Iceland.  The geysers were a part of it.  Most of the Golden Circle, however, are waterfalls - impressively large cascades of water.  The first was the waterfall Faxi.

There was even a ladder for salmon to travel upstream.

A little ways up the road was the even more impressive waterfall Gullfoss.  This is one case where the pictures definetly don't do it justice - Gullfoss is the same order of magnitude of Niagra Falls and is actually two seperate waterfalls - one 11 meter high and the next 21 meter high.  The second waterfall disappears into a crevice, so the full extent of the second waterfall is hidden. 

Seeing Gullfoss in the wintertime was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  The winter temperatures caused large sections of the waterfall to freeze, resulting in huge ice formations. 

It was so cold staring over the edge of Gullfoss, and I felt like I would soon turn into a frostbit tourist.  However, the beauty was hard to tear myself away from.

Icelanders believe in natural selection.  Therefore, there are no warning signs or similar measures to protect touists.  It also means that they don't put down any sand or salt anywhere, including the main tourist destination of Gullfoss.  If you fall, it's your own fault.  I suppose it explains why Icelanders are a tough, if small, populace.

Walking on ice

Interestingly enough, Gullfoss waterfall features in the music video of the popular song "Heaven" by Live, where two lovers are seperated by the mighty waterfall, and end up jumping into the river to be together.  This blog by no means endorces such a drastic action, especially near large bodies of potentially violent water.

Whale - It's What's for Dinner

The Reykjavik convention center and opera hall stands on the edge of the sea.  People either think of it as monumentally ugly (and hence, a waste of money) or really unique and beautiful. 

I'll just say that it did provide us some unique photos!  

And a unique selfie!

We walked along the shore of the city.  In the backdrop, windswept mountains enrobed in clouds testifies to the potential harshness of winter here.

Along the shore is this unique statue.  A point if you can guess what it symbolizes (no google).  (Hint: Take a look at my husband in this picture!)

The colorful buildings of the harbor, which will probably be much busier in the summertime, when whale and puffin watching tours depart from here.

One of the older boats.  Many fishing boats still depart from here. 

The lake in the center of Reykjavik was partially iced over - notice some of the birds swimming, while others stand on the ice. 

Near the center of the lake, many people ice skate.

An interesting statue...

This street is named Burgerjoint, after the Burger joint that is on it.  Talk about good publicity.

Nearby is a very famous hot dog stand.  Their menu is very simple: hot dogs and soda.  That's it.  We ordered some hotdogs.  They came with crispy french onions on the bottom and two types of sauce - one like a mayo, and one that was brown - and sort of indescribable when it comes to taste.  But the combination of the dog, the onions, and the sauces were truly yummy, and made us understand why this understated hot dog stand could stay in business, even with it's slim menu!

There are some other weird things on the menu in Iceland - namely, whale and puffin.  Most countries actually ban eating whale, and puffins, while not endangered, are not exactly thriving either.  

Bram tries some puffin....

Just kidding!!!  We love puffins!

Neither puffin or whale are a traditional Icelandic dish, and mostly tourists eat these animals just to say that they have eaten something new and weird.  Kind of sad, considering there are lots of other, environmentally conscious choices when it comes to meat.  (Puffin doesn't even taste that good, from what I hear.)  So if you go to Iceland, don't eat the puffin or the whale!  Let them live for another generation! :-)  

Way Up North Where It's Icy and Cold

Shortly after Christmas and New Years, we spent a whirlwind couple of days in Iceland, as an extended layover of one of our many trans-Atlantic flights.  To put it bluntly, Iceland is awesome.  I was a bit nervous to spend some days in the dead of winter in a land with "Ice" in the name.  But, the timing was actually quite nice.

We were in Iceland close to when the days were the shortest.  The sun rose at about 11:30 in the morning, and set at about 3:30 in the afternoon.  The neat consequence of this was that for almost 100% of the time that the sun was up, it was like sunset!  Makes for some great pictures!

So begins our story of Reykjavik - the northern-most capital city in the world, and the farthest north I've ever been....

Reykjavik is located at 66 degrees north.  That's really far north!  Their position on the Earth inspires the name of the Icelandic clothing line 66 degrees North, which specializes in winter gear.  All of their male models have big bushy beards.

And for a point (without looking at a map or a search engine) - which of these cities is farther north than Reykjavik? Anchorage, Alaska; St. Petersburg, Russia; Moscow, Russia; Oulu, Finland; Bergen, Norway; Tasiilaq, Greenland; Whitehorse, Canada; Nuuk, Greenland; Arkhangelsk, Russia; Stockholm, Sweeden; Bergen Norway

Even in the winter, tourists still make Reykjavik a base for their outdoor adventures.  We saw quite a few jeeps, and this "monster van", which I suppose is equipped for dealing with snowy and icy roads.

Our first night in Reykjavik was a bit of an adventure.  I met this guy and wrestled him to the ground, after he tried to eat my husband.  But after that, we got to talking, and it turns out he's not that bad of a chum.  He promised to send me a postcard from his next stop - and iceberg in the Arctic Circle.

Seriously, polar bears are rare in Iceland - but every once in a while, one hitches a ride on an iceberg. 

Nearby was the famous church Hallgrímskirkja.  It was built very recently - commissioned in 1937.

The shape of the church is very unique - shaped after cooling basaltic lava.  Hey - when your whole country is built on a volcano - you do what you have to do.

Inside the church is a pretty impressive organ.

But the view from the top of the church is even more impressive... with the snow-covered mountains in the distance...

... to the colorful buildings below.

In front of the church is a statue of Leif Ericson - the real first European to travel to America.

Within the city is a unique building - hosting a Caruso's  I'm not sure if it's related to the one in Arizona!

Winning the Noble Prize

After crossing on the ferry (and receiving little sleep), we arrived very early in Stockholm - just after 6 am.  After navigating the subways on very little sleep, we decide to check into our hotel... at 7:45 am.  The man at the hotel took one look at us and at our bags as we walked into the hotel, then one at the clock.  "You want to check in before the hotel breakfast time even starts?" he asks us.  Luckily, our room was ready...

Awesome room!

And we were able to go back to bed for a while.

Then we head out to the city.  Apparently, it's the nicest summer that the Nordic countries has seen in 10 years, and everyone was out and about to enjoy it.

People in the skate park.

Stockholm has lots of waterfront property, given the fact that it spans many island.  A point if you can guess how many (no google!)

The combination of sun and water gives rise to some really nice picnic places.

Of course, the weather is not always like this.  This sign serves as a reminder of the rest of the year.

And of course, no modern European city visit is complete without a cow sighting.

We visited the hall where Nobel Prizes are awarded.  Next time we visit this building, it may well be to receive this award ourselves!

In front of the tower.

Later on that day, we actually did receive Noble Prizes!  Nobel Prizes in ice cream eating.

Stockholm is also known for its interesting metro stops.  If you visit in the winter and the weather is horrible, one of the suggested itineraries is to go from metro stop to metro stop and look at the art.  Our favorite by far was the metro stop decked out in retro video game tiled walls. 

And of course, no retro video game metro station is complete without space invaders...

... in love.

Another one is decorated with "fake" ruins and neon street lights.

Even in the summer, it can get a little chilly.  But the Swedes,  after not seeing the sun all winter, still want to enjoy outdoor cafes.  The solution?  Many cafes provide blankets so you can sit outside and not be cold.