The Reykjanes Peninsula

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Trysta

Finally…Iceland!! The beauty and diversity of this country was astounding. There is no denying that the island is alive and bubbling right under your feet.

My opinion might be skewed, but I think the best way to see the hidden corners of a country is on the back of a horse. Joe and I spent the morning riding two unique Icelandic horses through the Reykjanes peninsula.

View from the horses.

My unwilling model.

Joe’s horse had the best hairdo I have ever seen!

Where can I get a mop like that?

After 11 trains, 8 busses, 7 airplanes, 5 ferries, 1 horse ride, and uncountable hours in the car, we were ready for some R&R and the Blue Lagoon! The water is 102^oF and is recycled every 40 hours. The unique color comes from a mix of mineral salts and silica.

This shot of the Lagoon is from the "creeper's balcony"

Volcanic rock, silica, and milky-blue water.

We totally got photo bombed while snapping this one. Nice work kid. I bet your parents are proud.

Photo Bombed!!

The best thing about being in Iceland in June is that is it light 24 hours a day! It is so easy to lose track of what time it is, but we didn’t care. As long as the sun lit the road, we were on it. We actually took the long way to the Blue Lagoon, drove to the southwestern tip of the peninsula, and stumbled upon Gunnuhver Hot Spring. Located at the boundary between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate, the area is a bubbling, boiling, steaming, seething model of the Earth at work.

The colors were amazing!

We get it...it's hot.

Whilst driving to our next stop, Joe spotted horses running on the top of a hill…without riders. They ended up coming right down the road we were on. We are not sure where they were coming from, or where they were going, but there must have been over 100-head being herded to somewhere. It was really cool to see!

Arriving at Gullfoss after 10pm, we had the entire place to ourselves! The grass is really that green, due to the continual mist coming off the falls.

Our last stop for the day (mind you this is approaching 11pm), was Geysir. This is the original geyser, after which all other geysers are named. Sadly, it only erupts 2-3 times a day so we didn’t get to see it. Strokkur, however, blasts every 3-6 minutes, so we watched it over and over and over!

Strokkur geyser

So, does that mean lira, rupees, and a few others are allowed?!

When we arrived back at our hotel around 1am, it was still bright as could be. Quite a day, filled with unbelievable sights.

Bergen’s Fjords

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Trysta

After our time in Oslo, we took the train across Norway to the west coast for a few days in Bergen and the Fjords. The train ride was beautiful, passing through tiny towns tucked into the Hardangervidda mountain range of Norway. Watching the landscape change as the train climbed and descended was breathtaking.

View from the train.

Another, completely different, view from the same train.

We spent the day on Hardangerfjord. The weather was absolutely perfect for a boat trip: unending sun and a bit ton of wind.

Hardanger is known as the “Garden Fjord” because of the numerous fruit orchards that line its lovely banks. Nice work glaciers. You’ve done well for yourself!

We spent our lunch break in the town of Eidfjord. Supposedly there is a Viking burial ground, the largest Iron Ace burial ground in West Norway with almost 400 graves, in the hills surrounding this town. After several hours of hiking, we were never quite sure if we had found the site. There were several signs, but I guess we needed a Las Vegas-style indicator to make it clear! Perhaps the burial ground was under these rocks.

Or somewhere in this field.

Or maybe, after several thousand years, it had been washed away by the Fjord tributary.

Regardless, it was a great hike – buried Vikings or not!

Olso, Norway

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Trysta

Viking Ship Museum – More great Scandinavian ships! This time…from the Vikings. In the Viking age it was customary to bury the dead in boats, so that they could pass into the next life and have everything they needed. Oslo is home to three Viking burial ships, all of which were discovered and excavated between 1867 and 1904 in rural Norway. The ships were built between 800 and 900 AD and were, at some time, active ships before they were used for burial.

The Oseberg is the best preserved of the ships, because it was buried in blue clay, and then covered in stones and turf. The ship was 66 feet long and held a crew of 30 men. The wealthy woman buried inside the Oseberg was sent to the next life with a wagon, horses, leather and textiles, beds, fine clothing, and even her slave girl. Quite a haul!

Nobel Peace Center & City Hall – Oslo’s beautiful City Hall hosts the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony every December 10th.

One small corner of the City Hall foyer

What I found to be most interesting about City Hall were the portraits of the current royal family, which are painted in a very modern and edgy style. When the King first saw his portrait he said, “Well, I guess I do look like that.” Both the King and the Queen are fans of their facsimiles.

The King's portrait

The Queen's portrait

Munch – Norway is the home country of Edvard Munch, creator of The Scream series. There are actually four pieces in the series, two lithographs and two paintings, all of which hold The Scream moniker.

'The Scream', 'Anxiety', and 'Despair'

Munch led a tortured artist’s life: his mother and sister both died from TB during his childhood, he lost a finger during a heated argument while trying to break up with his girlfriend, and became a recluse for the final years of his life while suffering from an eye disease. He used his paintings, as opposed to people, for company. Munch left numerous journals, filled with details regarding the motivation behind each of his pieces and the processes/methods he used create them.

Vigeland Park – Edvard Munch was often in the company of Gustav Vigeland, Oslo’s favorite sculptor. Two hundred and twelve of Vigeland’s sculptures are displayed in a huge park, which is open 24 hours a day, free for any visitor to enjoy, despite all of the sculpture’s R-ratings.