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.

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':

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.

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.

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