Aug 16 Reykjavik Iceland

A benefit of missing the second day in Greenland was an earlier arrival in Reykjavik.  Originally we were scheduled for only about 24 hours with an overnight after a 3pm arrival.  Now we have nearly 3 full days with an 8am arrival, a day earlier.  Since most excursions take 6+ hours, that means we won't be returning to the ship at 10pm.

On Day 1 we took a tour of the southwestern peninsula of Iceland, with a bunch of photo stops.

First stop at a area close to Reykjavik.  Interesting church and a Viking themed restaurant.

 A lake overlook

 A geothermal area, one of many that dot Iceland.  It's both a blessing and a curse for Iceland living on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  Frequent earthquakes (although seldom BIG) occur, but heat is readily available just by digging down.  Virtually all homes in Iceland are heated by geothermal hot water, which after heating homes is piped underneath roads so ice and snow are immediately melted.  Electricity comes from both geothermal steam and hydroelectric plants. 

We were pummeled with high winds on all three days in Iceland, yet they have no wind turbines.  Why?  They don't need more energy.  They attract companies like aluminum smelters, not because they have bauxite, but because they have cheap electricity required in great quantities for aluminum manufacture.

 This stop illustrated the development of lava into soil suitable for growing things.  For the first thousand years, moss grows over the lava.  Nothing else will.  But decades of moss absorbing water, sending out tendrils and excreting waste products breaks down the lava until it will support other plant life, like grass.  Iceland is a very young land, with little land suitable for farming.

 At the very southwest end of Iceland is the newest land with magma layers below the surface.  Here's a geothermal plant exchanging the heat from sulfur laden underground water with clear glacier water...

 ...so it can be piped to homes and businesses for heating.  Pipes are bent and on rollers on the concrete pads so they can flex and move with the earthquakes.

 The southwest coast

 A memorial to the great auk, a flightless bird extinct mid-19th century.  Auks used to live in Iceland.

 Finally, the Blue Lagoon.  We didn't go in, but did walk around the area.  The Blue Lagoon started as a runoff area from a geothermal plant.  People began bathing in the warm water runoff, and "discovered" healing properties from the mineral laden water.  It quickly became a tourist attraction with hundreds of visitors daily. 

 You can see the geothermal plant in the distance on the right.