Iceland Trip
August 3-8, 1998
In early August I attended a conference on National and Regional Atlases
in Reykjavik, Iceland, hosted by the University of Iceland. I arrived in
Reykjavik on Tuesday, August 4th after an all-night flight from Baltimore/Washington
Airport.
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The airport is located about 40 kilometers west of Reykjavik. This photo
was taken of a 3-Dimensional model of Iceland built by government cartographers.
This view is from the West. The lake East of Reykjavik is where I biked
on the last day of the trip. |
There were meetings for the first 3 days, and a free day on Friday during
which I took a long bike trip into the interior to visit the site of the
original capital on Lake pingvallavatn. It is also where the North American
and European plates come together, a spectacular place of high cliffs and
waterfalls.
Reykjavik is a beautiful town located on the coast. The old part of town
surrounds a manmade lake referred to as the 'pond':
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The tall spire at center right is the cathedral Hallgrimskirkja started
in 1940 and completed in 1974. Our host Agust took us on a walking tour
of the city that included a stop at the church so that we could take the
elevator to the top where I took the photos below (East, North,West, South). |
Views of Reykjavik from atop Hallgrimskirkja, the lava inspired cathedral
in the upper right of the photo above: North,
West, South,
East
In August, the vegetation is very lush due to the mild weather and
the persistent rain. This is a view of a backyard in the center of town.
The rounded lava boulders are often used as landscaping rocks. |
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The "pond" is located near the center of the old part of
Reykjavik, surrounded by a meadow on the south end, with paved trails throughout
the area. The cathedral is in the background. |
Another view of the pond. Just south is a dome building in which there
is an exhibit about geysers along with an artificial one that spews periodically. |
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Another view across the pond; the building with the 3 arches near
the roof line is the national museum. It was formerly an ice house, used
to store the ice that formed on the pond. |
Photos of a bike trip to Lake pingvallavatn