June 21st. Iceland and Home. The 90th Day.

Posted on June 22, 2018November 20, 2018 by Pete Schloss

This was our last touring day in Iceland. Heavy rain kept us and my camera in the car much of the time as we made our way back to Reykjavík. However we did take the time to visit Iceland’s Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir) National Park and get soaked in the process.

The Park was founded in 1930 on the millennial anniversary of the first Althing, an annual gathering to review and declare law for the coming year. These gatherings occurred at the Löberg (Law Rock) from 930 until 1271 when Iceland voluntarily placed itself under the rule of Norway’s king. The Löberg is still venerated today as the birthplace of Iceland.

The Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It straddles the only place where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rises above sea level. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the longest mountain range in the world at over 25,000 miles (the second place Andes are less than 5,000 miles long). It is formed from the boundary of two huge tectonic plates that separate the Americas and Europe/Africa. These plates continue to diverge at the rate of approximately one inch each year.

We stood atop and within the fissures, and viewed a waterfall created by one of the ridges. One nearby ridge once serving as a place for meting out ultimate justice.

June 22nd is our 91st and final day of this journey. This will be my final post until we are home. There will be at least one concluding post to this sequence that I have been composing in my thoughts. Until I share those thoughts with you…

Peace Everyone. Pete

June 20th. Iceland and “Stendhal Syndrome”.

Posted on June 21, 2018November 20, 2018 by Pete Schloss

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During his 1817 visit to Florence Italy Marie-Henri Beyle, using the pseudonym “Stendhal”, described the sense of being overwhelmed by the magnitude and beauty of what he beheld. His experience was not unique. We learned while touring Florence many years ago that there are a handful of susceptible individuals each year who actually require hospitalization to overcome the effects of seeing too much good art. The condition has come to be known as “Stendhal Syndrome”.

I wonder if the same holds true in Iceland where there is so much incredible scenery? Apparently we are not susceptible individuals as the only treatment that we require is the 8 hours of airplane therapy that will return us to Kansas City. That treatment is scheduled for Friday.

I am hard pressed to think of a time or place where I have seen such an endless exhibition of natural beauty. Today it was presented to us in the form of black sand beaches, basalt rock formations, and receding glaciers that are being strangled by climate change. Here are selected images of the day. Enjoy!

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. 8 years ago the glacier filled this valley up to the location of this sign.

June 19th. 41 years, Iceland Waterfalls, and Seeking Bobby Fischer.

Posted on June 19, 2018November 20, 2018 by Pete Schloss

41 years ago today we were married. The extent of pre-nuptial counseling that I received was the minister’s pragmatic advice, “If it doesn’t work out then get a divorce.” It has worked out, but then we continue to work at it.

In the context of the last 87 days this has been a good day, but not exceptionally so. In any other context today would have been spectacular beginning with lambs bleating beneath our window.

We visited a museum dedicated to Iceland’s pre-modern turf homes. Unfortunately the museum was closed, but we were able to enjoy views of the exterior and gain a sense of those pioneer times.

There were waterfalls…

Tall waterfalls…

hidden waterfalls…

distant waterfalls…

and really big waterfalls.

We left the interior in favor of the south coast and the community of Vik. We will be here two nights and then return to Reykjavík on Thursday in anticipation of our Friday flight back to Kansas City. Our lodging in Vik is a well appointed satellite cottage adjoining an ultramodern hotel with a top notch bar and restaurant. There is even a half price “happy hour” where beers are discounted to $7.00 from the usual $14.00. One does eventually get over the “sticker shock”.

Those of my generation may recall a time in 1972 when the eyes of the world were focused upon two men and the chess board that separated them. The stage was Reykjavík Iceland and the players were Soviet Russia’s Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer of the United States. The chess they played was at a level beyond the comprehension of all but a very few. The Cold War tensions seething in the workup to the match were palpable. It was not just white pieces vs black pieces but West vs East, Democracy vs Communism, Good vs Evil… National Pride on the world stage was at stake in a time that the United States still took pride in its reputation on the world stage. Bobby Fischer was our hero and he was victorious.

In 1975 Fischer forfeited his title and went into seclusion until 1992 when he and Boris Spassky played a rematch tournament in Belgrade Yugoslavia. The once heroic Fischer was declared a criminal by the United States, citing his participation in the match as a violation of an economic embargo that it had imposed upon Yugoslavia. The US issued a warrant for Fischer’s arrest and thereafter he remained a fugitive from the country that once adored him. He was eventually granted asylum and citizenship by Iceland where he lived until his death on January 17 2008 at the age of 64. He was buried in an obscure church cemetery surrounded by farmland just outside of the small town of Selfoss. It was there today that I found Bobby Fischer… “en passant”.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. We have gifted each other an upgrade to our flight on Friday from coach to first class. We have earned it.

Here are some additional pictures from the day:

June 18th. Iceland Wandering the Less Traveled.

Posted on June 19, 2018November 20, 2018 by Pete Schloss

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After breakfast we asked a hotel staff person for some sightseeing suggestions. He gave us an itinerary of places less often visited by tourists.

Just down the road we visited the oldest hydroelectric plant on the River Sog. It was installed in 1937 and upgraded in 1944.

Next was the 6500 year old Kerio volcano cone and walked the circuit of its immense rim. It you look carefully at the top of the far side of the rim you can see some “specks” that are people. It will give some sense of the scale of the crater.

30 minutes down the road we visited a unique hydroponic tomato farm. A brief presentation and tour preceded a $23.00 bowl of tomato soup. It was worth it! This one farm harvests over 2,000 pounds a day, 365 days a year. They supply 20% of the islands tomato consumption. Their unique restaurant is situated within one of the working greenhouses. They do “everything tomato”, including cheesecake, and two different varieties of tomato infused beer!

Lunch concluded, we drove to the Fludir hot springs pool. The Blue Lagoon attracts throngs of tourists, so many that reservations are required. We were the beneficiaries of “local knowledge” that directed us instead to the oldest public bathing spring in Iceland. Hot water is hot water, and relaxation is much easier to achieve when one is not elbow to elbow with other bathers.

We visited another set of spectacular waterfalls that join at their base. Again, a careful examination of the images will give you an idea of the size of the falls.

Eye popping scenery continues to be commonplace. As beautiful as the pictures of the last two days have been, it is a tribute to the hand of Nature and not the photographer.

Tomorrow, June 19th, is special. In 1977 41 years seemed an unimaginably long time to me.. nearly twice as long as I had then lived. Today I look back on those 41 years with wonder at just how fast they have passed. We were married 41 years ago tomorrow. Much has changed, and much remains the same. We are a bit slower and a lot grayer. However, 41 years ago we embarked upon our life together with a 30 day honeymoon camping trip that covered 9 northwest States. It was Christine’s first camping trip and it was an epic journey for a young couple… Epic like the journey we are now concluding and epic like the marriage that we share.

Peace Everyone. Pete

June 17th. Iceland’s Golden Circle.

Posted on June 18, 2018November 20, 2018 by Pete Schloss

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We departed Reykjavik this morning choosing to embrace the countryside over the urban celebrations of Iceland’s National Day. For us the party actually began a little after midnight when volley after volley of fireworks explosions “split the light”. Remember, we haven’t seen darkness since we arrived in Iceland.

Þjóðhátíðardagurinn, celebrates Iceland’s June 17th plebiscite which severed its centuries long ties to Denmark and established the Iceland Republic. Shortly thereafter Iceland joined NATO and is not only the member with the smallest population (350,000) but the only one without a standing army. It is considered the “greenest” nation in the world with almost 100% of its energy needs being met through renewable non-polluting sources, geo-thermal being the primary one.

Iceland is Europe’s second largest island, second only to Great Britain. It is geologically active and is the only place where the tectonic plates of the mid-Atlantic Ridge are found above sea level. Although Iceland is situated just below the Arctic Circle, it enjoys a relatively temperate climate due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. Winters are said to be more moderate than those of New York City.

Iceland is geologically young and rapidly changing. These factors contribute to its remarkable beauty. The “Golden Circle” is an arbitrary route outside of Reykjavik that links some of the most popular and accessible tourist sites. It is under 180 miles in length and can be driven in under 4 hours. 6-8 hours are needed to include visits to the major attractions.

Today we mostly enjoyed the remarkable vistas.

However our drive included stops at the Geysir (actual spelling) geothermal area and the stunning Gullfoss waterfall. The Great Geysir has been mostly silent in recent years, but we were treated to multiple eruptions of the Strokkur Geysir which are only slightly smaller than those of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful.

The Gullfoss Waterfall descends over 100 feet in two huge cascades, discharging over 35,000 gallons of water a second into an ancient river gorge. It is breathtaking!