Day 5 - Icelandic Saga
I don't care what people say about Iceland being green and Greenland being icy; Iceland is cold! Or at least it was when we visited on Sunday. The mountains framing the city of Reykjavik were experiencing their first snowfall of the year and there was a damp chill in the air. It's certainly green as well though, with rolling hills and volcanic valleys covered in grass and moss. Our tour guide, "Siggy," spirited us from frigid location to frigid location in a warm van, pointing out relevant sights along the way.
Iceland is geologically the youngest country in the world and Reykjavik is the northernmost capital city in the world. These are among many facts we learned from Siggy. The entire country is about the size of Kentucky (one of the southern United States) and the Icelandic language is based on Old Norse. We thought it was a very pretty sounding language, though we were grateful that everyone we encountered spoke English!
Much of what we learned and most of what we saw had to do with the unique geological makeup of Iceland. Much like Hawaii, it is a volcanic island. Ten percent of the country is covered with lava fields, which serves to create a hauntingly beautiful landscape unlike any other I've seen. There is a volcanic eruption every 5 years, on average. The last one was in 2000, so we were warned to alert Siggy if we smelled sulphur. We smelled plenty of it near Geysir, the geyser for which all others are named, but we didn't think that's what he had in mind.
We also saw the craters, waterfalls, hills and valleys that make up the mythic landscape of Iceland's famous sagas. These are the heroic stories of the country's Viking past, which also serve as oral histories of this early period of the island's settlement. This history comes to life at the Saga Museum. The museum is located in the Perlan building, which also houses several geothermal water towers, a convention centre, shops, a computerized geyser, and a world-class restaurant. There is a viewing platform where we were able to take in splendid views of the city. Before we visited the museum we stopped in the café for a quick lunch of open-faced salmon sandwiches and Viking brand beer.
The Saga Museum itself is located in one of the 6 geothermal water towers that form the structure of the Perlan building. It was drained of its contents and re-outfitted as a museum depicting key events from Iceland's early settlement. The figurines in the exhibit were created by taking casts of the faces and bodies of living models. The resulting effect is extremely realistic, with wrinkles, hair, and beads of sweat exactly where they should be.
In addition to this visual layer, the museum also has text and audio to guide you through the events of the past. Each visitor receives an MP3 player loaded with an audio tour of the museum. I don't usually care for audio guides, but I appreciated this one. I'm unfamiliar with Iceland's history and enjoyed learning more about the Icelandic sagas and a history that is as unique and unforgettable as its volcanic landscapes.
View interactive map of the voyage
Back to Travel Diaries
Days 7-12 St Johns, Halifax and Journey's End
A Peak at the Inner Workings of the Norwegian Jewel
How to Pour Champagne in a Moving Vehicle
Day 5 - Icelandic Saga (you are here)
Day 5 - Straddling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Day 5 - Steam and Snow in the Southwest
Day 5 - Golden Waterfalls and Pearls of Architecture
Day 5 - Iceland: Tour, Geology and Saga Museum
Days 0-4 Dover to the Shetlands
Added 2008/09/26 @ 17:36:35
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