Dyrhólaey, Skógafoss and Back to Reykjavík

On the last day of our Iceland trip, we continued on the Ring Road along the southern flank of Vatnajökull, with a breathtaking view of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier tongue. 

Vatnajökull reached its greatest extent in the late 19th century, but its tongues have since retreated due to climate change. The glacier covers seven active volcanoes, so geothermal heat keeps lakes beneath it. Glacial rivers originating from Vatnajökull created large outwash plains.

Our first stop was the Skeiðará Bridge Monument, a monument made of twisted iron girders. In October 1996, the dormant Gjálp volcano erupted beneath the Vatnajökull. The heat melted massive amounts of ice, which collected beneath the glacier to form a lake. In late November, this subglacial lake burst, resulting in a jökulhlaup (glacial flood) that carried up to 45,000 m³ of water per second, along with meter-high floating ice floes.

The flood wave destroyed a large section of Iceland's Ring Road as well as its longest bridge, the 900-meter Skeiðará Bridge. The bent steel girders, twisted like wire, bear witness to the impact of the plummeting masses of ice.

An artist's idealized view of the south side of the Vatnajökull

And here is the map. On the left is the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue and Jökulsárlón; in the middle is the mighty Skeiðarárjökull tongue.

Further west, we visited the Vatnajökull National Park visitor center in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, where lava samples were on display. 

On the left is Apalhraun (A'a) lava filled with gas that makes it porous and its surface rugged. On the right is Stuðuli (basalt) lava, which forms hexagonal columns as it cools.

This is a good introduction to Eldhraun, the world's largest lava field, covering about 565 km² and located south of the Ring Road between Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Vík.

On June 8, 1783, preceded by several earthquakes, the Laki crater fissure opened, and approximately 12–14 km³ of basaltic lava poured over part of southern Iceland. The eruptions lasted until February 7, 1784, and are considered one of the largest documented in recorded history.

The eruption devastated much of southern Iceland. Approximately 10,000 people (about 20% of the population) died from famine and fluorine poisoning, as toxic gases destroyed livestock and crops. In Iceland, this is called Móðuharðindin (the fog disaster), as aerosols spread across the Northern Hemisphere, causing crop failures and a cooler summer. Some historians think that the poor harvests in France and the resulting famines were one trigger of the  Revolution.

The vegetation is hraungambri (fringed moss) that thrives on nutrient-poor, porous lava rock because it absorbs water and nutrients not through roots but through a fine network of leaves. Over about 250 years, a thick, cottony-soft layer of moss has formed, up to 40-60 cm thick in places. When dry, it appears grayish-white (little rain in Iceland, too), but when wet it glows a rich green. The moss is extremely delicate, which is why it is only allowed to walk along marked trails. Once trampled, the moss takes decades to recover.

Low-hanging clouds and a little church

Vík, Iceland's southernmost town, is not far from Dyrhólaey, the southernmost point of the Icelandic mainland.

Tourists were everywhere, and a cheeky fly had settled on the sign.

  

Dyrhólaey (door hill island) is thought to have formed 80,000 years ago in a submarine volcanic eruption. 

Atlantic waves have since eroded the black lava columns, forming the sand and leaving vertical cliffs.

Looking south, you notice a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea, eroded by the waves. The rock protrusion extending from the mainland, with the hole, gave the peninsula its name, Dyrhólaey (door hill island).

As promised by the tour operator, we not only enjoyed a spectacular view of the coastline, but since it was summer, we had the chance to spot numerous adorable puffins.

In German, these cute birds are called Papageientaucher (parrot divers).

We continued toward Reykjavík and passed the Skógafoss waterfall.

The Eyjafjallajökull and Myrdaljökull glaciers. To the left is Iceland's capital, Reykjavík

The river Skóga is fed by meltwater from the Eyjafjallajökull and Myrdaljökull glaciers. When the water reaches the cliffs, it rushes down as a beautifully shaped waterfall: Skógafoss, 15 m wide and 62 m high.

These cliffs formed from marine erosion at the end of the last Ice Age, when the sea level was much higher than it is now. As the glacier melted and its weight lifted, the land rose out of the sea.

Our ever-concerned tour guide, Andrí, is looking for his flock.

©Steinninn/Wikipedia

After we arrived in Reykjavík, we visited a national shrine. In front of the church stands the statue of Leif Eiríksson, the Iceland-born early explorer of the Americas.

Hallgrímskirkja* is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík built in Icelandic modernism and natural aesthetics. The form is inspired by basalt columns. It is Iceland's largest church and, at 74 meters, the country's second-tallest building.

*The church is named after the Church hymn writer and cleric Hallgrímur Pétursson

Since its completion in 1986, it has been regarded not only as Reykjavík's architectural landmark but also as an important symbol of Iceland's national identity.

I focused on the statue of Christ on the left.

The statue is a replica of the original located in Copenhagen Cathedral (Vor Frue Kirke). Kristus is considered one of the most significant works of Scandinavian classicism by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

But this artwork in the church's northern aisle intrigued me.

Known as Madonna And Child, Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik

A stained-glass window depicts Mary and the Baby Jesus. A Marian chapel in a Lutheran church? Red Baron asked ChatGPT.

Hallgrímskirkja received the stained-glass window of the Virgin Mary as a gift, and indeed parishioners initially found its acceptance controversial. However, the church is not simply decorated in a Catholic style; rather, Mary is understood here in a Christological sense: the focus is not on Mary, but on the Christ Child.

In an ancient Christian iconographic tradition, Mary sits with the Christ Child in a cosmic, star-filled heavenly setting. She appears here not as a realistic mother, but as the Theotokos (God-bearer).

The Christ Child spreads his arms wide, which can be understood as a reference to his later crucifixion. In this way, the depiction links Christ's birth and Passion.

Were these also the reasons why Luther, despite his aversion to all saints, venerated the Mother of God throughout his life — and why there is a St. Mary's Church in Wittenberg and the Church of "Our Lady" in Dresden?

This ends the heptalogy of my Iceland blogs, as there are:

My Icelandic Diary

On Yule Lads, Alðingi and BCPPs

Of Craters, Rural Postmen, and Cruise Ships

Grenjaðarstaður and Myvátn

Dimmuborgir, Dettifoss and Hverarönd

Rjúkandafoss, Reyðarfjörður, Djúpivogur and Jökulsárlón

and this blog.

Goodbye, Iceland.

Dimmuborgir, Dettifoss and Hverarönd

The next highlight of the Iceland trip was our entry into the surreal world of Dimmuborgir, known as the lava rock labyrinth.

We explored the impressive surroundings on a walk.

The bizarre columns and ridges at Dimmuborgir are the remains of steam vents that formed when lava pooled over marshland. As it flowed over the wet ground, the water within it began to boil, and steam rose to the surface through vents up to several meters in diameter. After the crust of the lava sheet solidified, molten lava continued to flow beneath. Eventually, the crust collapsed, but the vents and parts of the cooled-down lava sheet remained.

Watch out, but we already knew about the faults.

Then we stopped at Dettifoss (Icelandic detta "fall"; foss "waterfall"). The "double fall" underlines that it is the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls.

Here, the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River plunges into the Jökulsárgljúfur Gorge.

Spanning about 100 meters wide, the waters plunge 44 meters into the depths, generating about 85 megawatts of electrical power.

The gray-brown waters continue to flow about 30 kilometers into the Arctic Ocean.

 

Many bridges on Ring Road 1, Iceland's main highway, are single-lane. The old bridge is now used by pedestrians to cross the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River, while downstream - in the background - a new two-lane bridge carries vehicular traffic. Note: Iceland has no railroads.

On our way to Hverarönd, a field of volcanic activity with hot springs, we had to cross the Námaskarð Pass (Icelandic náma, "mine"; skarð, "pass") and saw water vapor from a geothermal power plant in the distance.

Hverarönd is characterized by a variety of hot springs, boiling mud pools and mud pots, and solfataras. Sulfur used to be mined here ( náma),

Solfataras are fumaroles with temperatures ranging from 100 °C to 250 °C. These post-volcanic exhalations consist of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and water vapor. The hydrogen sulfide produces the distinctive smell of rotten eggs. 

 
Upon contact with atmospheric oxygen, hydrogen sulfide oxidizes to form elemental sulfur and sulfur dioxide, which dissolves in water to form sulfurous acid (H₂SO₃)

This acid corrodes the rock and soil and, together with the hot water vapor, causes the mineral components to decompose. This often results in the formation of mud pots, from which gases escape as bubbles.

The sulfur-laden soil stifles all plant life.

**

Grenjaðarstaður and Myvátn

On the fourth day of our trip to Iceland, we first visited the open-air museum of the Grenjaðarstaður peat farm.

The Grenjaðarstaður parish had been based at the peat farm since 1865.

A layer of peat on the rocks

Volcanic rock, peat from the surrounding area, and driftwood were used to build the farmstead. Most of the driftwood came from Siberia and took up to five years to reach this location.

Immediately to the left of the entrance to this housing complex is the so-called "Golden Room," which is furnished entirely in the style of the 19th-century bourgeoisie. The middle photo shows Pastor Benedikt Kristjánsson, who served here as pastor from 1876 to 1907. His wife, Regina Sívertssen, is pictured on the left. She died in 1884, and Benedikt married Ólöf Ásta, his second wife, pictured on the right.

Initially, cooking was done over an open fire. In the old peat-farmhouses, there was very little ventilation.

The women, who worked at the hearth from dawn to dusk, suffered from lung and eye diseases.

You will find a coffee pot just about anywhere in Iceland

So the modern stove came at just the right time. The women working here could occasionally look out the window and watch what was going on at the neighboring farm.

On the left: By moving the end panel, the bed width could be adjusted to suit individual needs.

Adjacent to the "kitchen" is the Pilthúsið, a room that served as both a sleeping and working area for the workers at Grenjaðarstaður.

On the other side of the corridor is Elísabet Jónsdóttir's room. She was the wife of Pastor Kristjansson's successor, Pastor Pétur Hjálmarsson. Elísabet was exceptionally musical. She was not only the parish organist and choir director, but also one of the first women to publish her compositions in Iceland. In her room, she taught not only music but also needlework.

In the farm's pantry, you admire a barrel used to store salted fish, as well as a butter churn.

The Grenjaðarstaðarkirkja stands in the churchyard. It was built of wood in 1865. The bells date from 1663 and 1740 and hang above the gateway.

The church's interior is kept simple.

Our next stop was the picturesque area around Lake Myvátn, which ranks among Iceland's most remarkable sights, particularly due to its volcanic features.

A basaltic eruption of the volcano Krafla 2300 years ago formed a natural dam, preventing accumulated water from draining away. It pooled into Myvátn, the Lake of Midges.

The midgets were many, annoying, and some of them biting. We bought mosquito nets to cover our heads.

©Wikipedia

The rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which we already met at Đingvellir, also runs through this region. The Myvátn area remains volcanically active.

 

The rift is widening. The midges rejoice: Iceland's land area is steadily growing.

**