I have never seen two human beings sleep as much as my wife and son. They’ve never really gotten over the time difference, but I’m not sure that it being dark most of the day is helping either. There is something in their biology that tells them that they should be sleeping when it’s dark. So, they’re tired all of the time. They sleep 7-8 hours at night, wake up, eat, and then take a nap. We get in the car for a two-hour drive, and they sleep. It’s unnerving sometimes. We came to another country to experience the sights and culture, and we end up spending most of the day in the hotel room. Not to mention that we’re working with only four hours of daylight here, and we’re very limited in what we see in a given day. I know I should just be relaxing and going with the flow, but it’s stressful to me to sit idle. I want adventure. Otherwise, I feel like I’m wasting my time. And that’s how I feel every day, like I’m wasting my time here in Iceland. We only have today and tomorrow left to see things, and most things are a two or more hour drive away. I get tired too, but I’m disciplined enough to wait until the end of the day.
Needless to say that that rant was directly related to what was going on this morning. I have to pry them out of bed every morning to get ready and go down to have breakfast before they close the bar at 10:00 a.m. All in an attempt to be on the road and at or near our destination by the time the sun rises at 11:30 a.m. to maximize what we can see in each area. For example, the intent today was to see the Lava Tunnel at Raufarhólshellir and Reyniysfjara Beach, but we only made it to the Lava Tunnel.
We barely made it down for breakfast at the hotel, and scarcely had time to scarf down food before we were encouraged to leave the dining area so that they could prepare it for lunch. We headed back to the hotel room where I gave Troy a Christmas gift. Only one, small thing that I’d packed away in my suitcase and kept hidden all of this time. I’d carried it all the way to Iceland, because I wanted him to have something to open on Christmas Day. He was so worried that Santa Claus wouldn’t be able to find us since we were traveling. I had to assure him that I had sent Santa a letter, directing him to deliver our gifts to the house, so we wouldn’t have to heft them home in our suitcases.
After breakfast, we went to the Lava Tunnel at Raufarhólshellir. Raufarhólshellir was formed over five thousand years ago years ago in a volcanic eruption that created the surrounding lava field. As the lava from the eruption flowed through the area, its outer layer solidified, while the lava beneath the crust remained molten and continued to flow. Over time, the solidified crust thickened and formed an insulated channel or conduit for the still-flowing, molten lava beneath, which is called a lava tube. When the eruption stopped, the molten lava inside the tube continued to flow downhill until it was drained out. This left behind the lava tunnel of Raufarhólshellir.
Inside the cave we found colorful rock formations in reds, golds, grays, and black. You could also see interesting textures created by the cooling and solidification of lava over time, as well as by the molten lava moving through and draining out of the tunnel. At several points, parts of the cave's roof have collapsed, forming natural skylights or “holes” as the Icelanders call them. Our journey through the tunnel took us over rough but mostly even paths and gangplanks of steps when the elevation changed dramatically. The company running the tour took great pains not to bring in materials not naturally found in the cave already, so the floor was actual lava rocks that had been shifted or moved to create the flattened floor. Even the gangplanks, which were a necessary evil, were carried in and assembled by hand inside the cave.
My wife struggled on the steps and slick surfaces, but the guide went slow enough so that she could keep up. We stopped at several points to get information about the tunnel, such as the different minerals that the lava picked up along the way that dictated the color of the rocks being formed. Or how the dripping lava would cool dramatically, forming mini stalactites of volcanic glass along the walls. Or how a usual bacteria grows in the darkest, driest part of the cave and is the only living thing down there, which is why our guide felt compelled to tell us not to lick the rocks. (I mean someone had to have actually licked a rock for them to come up with this rule. Why else would they feel like they needed to tell us something so obvious?!) Or how there are no bats in the tunnel, because the innumerable cracks and fissures running along it displace sound and prevent it from echoing, which ruins the echolocation of bats. (Funny tidbit, there are no bats anywhere in Iceland. Those that make it to the island die from lack of food, especially in the winter.) Or how there are over five hundred known lava tunnels in Iceland and possibly many more that haven’t been discovered yet. Apparently, they only discover a lava tunnel when the roof of the crust collapses. And usually it’s sheep that find them as they roam freely around the land during the summer. Our guide joked that we shouldn’t worry about the sheep, because they are so stupid that after one falls into a tunnel, inevitably others will blindly follow too. So, they aren’t alone down there as they wait for the farmers to come find them. That is unless the farmer stupidly falls in too and has to wait for his wife to come find him!
At the very end of our tour of the tunnel, our guide turned on a dramatic light effect; flashing reds, oranges, and yellows; to simulate lava flowing through the tunnel. Then, she turned the lights out completely, plunging us into complete darkness. It was disorienting and eerie to completely lose your sense of sight. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of the sounds around me. The dripping of the cave walls onto the rock, onto the gangplank, or onto the coat of the person next to me. The exhalation of breath from other tourists. Someone’s shoe scraping on metal as they shifted their weight. The papery sound of a winter coat as someone moved their hand in front of their face in a vain attempt to see it. It was crazy how the darkness was so absolute. After that, we ambled back to the cave entrance, taking photos and chatting with our guide. It was a very cool experience, although I’m not sure how much Troy actually took in or acknowledged.
After our soirée into the earth, we started to head for Reyniysfjara Beach, but we stopped in Selfoss for some food first. Being that it was Christmas Day, most things were closed. But we found a little place called Erbil Kebab open that served pizza, shawarma, and hamburgers. We opted for the burgers, which were surprisingly tasty. By the time we were done, it was too late to go farther. We would never have made it to the beach before it was dark, so we turned around and headed back to the hotel instead.
We unloaded our gear and decided to walk up to Hallgrímskirkja church, since my wife and son didn’t get to see it with me. The church was lit up in red, green, and yellow lights for Christmas that gradually shifted colors. It gave the church a warm, happy feeling, like it was truly celebrating the birth of its Savior. And since we were in the area, we headed over to the Viking Food Truck, not to eat, but to take our picture in the wooden cutout next to the truck. We ended the night by scavenging for food. My wife and son went to buy supplies at the grocery store, and I headed to the Pósthús Food Hall and Bar for a second go at the fish and chips. After dinner, my family surprised me with a tiny birthday cake and serenaded me with a rendition of Happy Birthday.
I have to say that it’s weird being away from home for Christmas. Last year, we didn’t start our trip until after Christmas, and given the choice, I think we all preferred that. Even though it’s Christmassy everywhere, it still doesn’t really feel like Christmas without my whole family around. We pretty much treated it like any other day, except that most things were closed. I don’t think we’ll travel for Christmas next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment