Iceland in Winter

I’ve ended up in Iceland, the land of ice and fire during one of the coldest and darkest months of the year. This is not really such a bad thing since Iceland tends to get the warming effect of the Gulf Stream, so it is actually warmer on average than most of Canada. The wind can be chilly, but Iceland is renowned for its hot water, so it isn’t difficult to warm up after a long day exploring geysers and glaciers.

Arrival was a little bit hard to take, leaving at night from Toronto and landing in Iceland first thing in the morning the “next day.” A little nap got me through the rest of the day then a 12 hour power sleep seems to have completely adjusted my sleep schedule.

With a full day to spare, my friend and I booked one of the many “circle tours” available. We liked the idea of this one since it involved a couple of extra stops. As it turns out, we made a good choice going with Sterna tours since we had a great guide named Harpa, a comical bus driver, Oskar, and warm seats to thaw out on between stops.

Stop 1: Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant

Over 90% of Iceland is powered and heated using green geothermal energy. The Hellisheiði plant creates more power than is needed to power Reykjavik and also so much excess hot water that they even pump it under the sidewalks and roads to avoid shoveling and plowing in winter.

 Stop 2: Kerið Crater Lake

This crater was definitely not created by a meteorite but by a volcano. The exact mechanism that created it isn’t positively known, but it is assumed that it is the collapsed cone of an old volcano rather than being formed by the eruption of a volcano. The water in the crater is at the same level as the water table, so despite being known as a bucket, it does not fill up with rain.

Stop 3: Faxi Waterfall

This was a brief stop at the small but friendly Faxi Waterfall. Faxi is the Icelandic word for the mane of a horse.

Stop 4: Icelandic Horses

Speaking of horses, there are plenty of them around. Apparently, no one is allowed to bring any other species of horse into the country thereby keeping the Icelandic breed unfettered. According to the guide, they are much fonder of bread than of apples and carrots.

Stop 5: Strokkur Geysir

The Strokkur Geysir erupts every 8 to 10 minutes, so there is ample opportunity to watch it. Since it was so windy and cold and I thought it much more interesting to witness the geyser, I took a picture of the cauldron from which the geyser shot rather than trying to get a picture of it erupting. If you would like to see it erupting, I’m sure a quick search will help you find a video.

Stop 6: Gullfoss

Gullfoss or the Golden Falls was quite impressive. A large falls area with several viewing areas including one path that was chained off, a chain that everyone seemed to ignore. Gullfoss is a set of two waterfalls that fall a sum of 32 m. The volume of water and the beauty of the gorge made this the highlight of the day.

Stop 7: Ãžingvellir

In this National park, one can find a continental rift in which was established the first parliament of Iceland (the Alþingi). Although there are no visible ruins or structures except those of a natural disposition, many interesting things are known about this site since it was in use for such a long time (many centuries). The image shows the rock wall of one side of the rift in the area of Ãžingvellir National Park where the Alþingi met for two weeks of each year up until the end of the 1700’s.

That was the last stop of the tour. After getting back to Reykjavik, we met up with our tour group and had dinner at a local restaurant. After a brief jaunt down to the harbour to see if the Aurora Borealis was visible (it wasn’t), we headed back to the hotel for the night.