|
|
|
|
 |
Of fire and ice and a 1000 falls
Although
Iceland is only about a three and a half hour’s flight north of
Europe (twice daily on Icelandair from Frankfurt), it is
a remote island on the edge of the Arctic Circle (66 degrees
north), originating through volcanic activities and consisting
of almost 15% glaciers, of which Vatnajökull is
the largest single icecap in the northern hemisphere. These
facts influence daily temperatures and let you experience all
four seasons in one day!
It is
almost impossible to describe the beautiful and varied
landscapes of Iceland without filling several pages. If you are
looking for some of the world’s most extraordinary natural
wonders, this newly discovered tourist paradise will offer you
everything and even more. You can expect to see: contrasts of
natural beauty, never boring, stark and strong, and always
alluring; vast cliffs, glorious beaches, curing hotpots, immense
lava fields, ice-blue ancient glaciers, endless desert plains,
thousands of cascading waterfalls and stretches of land covered
by moors and tundra. |
|
|
|
|
Quite
jovial Icelandic people and rapidly changing weather conditions
contribute to a very exciting experience; but, unfortunately
prices in Iceland will make you wince! Everything is expensive:
a 10 Islandic Krone still equals R1.00 at the time we
travelled. You can expect to pay 600 ISK for a local Viking
beer, 3500 ISK for a traditional main course of hanikjöt
(tender lamb) or Lundi (puffin/local sea-bird), 20 000
ISK for standard double accommodation/night and car rental @
11000 ISK/day and fuel @ 140 ISK/litre.
The fierce
self-determination and independence of Icelanders come through
most clearly in their attitude to politics. The Alþing,
the world’s first democratic government system was already
founded in AD 930, where at an annual meeting, problems were
discussed and resolved and rules decided by mutual consent.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Being
strategically positioned in the North Sea, Iceland finally
became the independent Republic of Iceland on 17th
June 1944, a day which is celebrated annually with folk songs
and parades. Since 2001 Iceland was accepted into the Schengen
Agreement and South Africans can apply for their Schengen Visas
through the Embassy of Denmark. in
Pretoria.
When
travelling through Iceland, one is amazed by the number of
public sculptures present in every small village. Both Einar
Jónsson and Ásmundur Sveinsson are international
renowned artists who’s works are well represented throughout the
country and abroad, of which Sólfar (sun voyager) is a
landmark in
Reykjavik. |
We started our
week long visit to Iceland in the capital, Reyyjavik,
(with a population of some 120 000 people/40% of the island) and
drove with a 4x4 some 1600 km along the rugged and ever-changing
eastern coastal area to Akureyri, where the panoramic
spectacle is enhanced by the play of light and shadow that chases
across the mountain ridges, moors and glaciers and highlighted by
pristine clear tumbling waterfalls.
The only
accessible road to vehicles is Ring Route 1, running around the
periphery of the island on mostly surfaced roads. However, with the
4x4 we could turn off onto less travelled tracks to visit remote
glaciers, waterfalls and sea cliffs where bird life flourishes. The
desolate central area, where desert meets glaciers, is only
accessible between July and August; but then, still only with
organised eco-tourism groups.
|
During our
five-day route on the island, we were astounded by the changing
scenes which reminded of the Torres Del Paine in Chile, the
desolate central Uluru/Olgas of Australia, the Franz Josef
glaciers and
Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand and the many vertical
falls of Yosemite National Park in California.
- Johann Beukes
|
 |
|
