June 6 - Day of activities in town. Reykjavik has a lot to offer for visitors, tourism being one of the most important earners for the country. We drop off Mike and Debbie at the National Museum and head to the main port area. Here, we buy a 24 Hour City Card, which will get us into a number of places for free, and into others at a reduced rate. Then visit the Maritime Museum, which, given the critical importance of the Icelandic fishing industry, is a treasure trove of history and information of all sorts.
One piece of information I took from here are the importance of the ocean currents around the island. The north side is dominated by cold, less saline water from the Arctic Ocean, but the southern side is touched by warmer currents originating from further south (specifically the North Atlantic Current). This slightly warmer, more saline water has produced a great bounty of sea life, and is the best area for the fishing industry. So much so that historically, other countries, such as Great Britain and France, have infringed on these rich Icelandic waters.
As a result of this, and how heavily Iceland relies on fishing compared to other countries in the region, Iceland has been able to designate a large economic exclusivity zone (EEZ) around the island to guarantee returns for its fishing industry. A marine EEZ does not inhibit other countries from transiting the zone with vessels, but does retain exclusive exploitation rights for everything within the water column.
Dried fish has always been a staple in the Icelandic diet, and for centuries was the prime export. Salted dried fish export began in the 18th century, and Iceland was a major source of such fish through the beginning of the 20th century. While adult men were the ones fishing at sea, it was the women and children who dried and prepared the fish on shore.
Next, we go to a place we know Odette will like, the Whales of Iceland museum. No live whales of course, but the best place I’ve been dedicated to the study and display of whales. Life-sized examples of every species are shown, hung from the ceiling, along with plenty of information.
From here find a place selling fish and chips for $17 a plate. Cheap! (for Iceland). And then walking around downtown and a visit to the surprisingly comprehensive Reykjavik City Museum.
No one knows the exact location of the first human settlements in Iceland, but they may well have been in the Reykjavik area. Interestingly, the first known settlements can be roughly dated by the appearance of an easily distinguished volcanic ash bed, called the Landnám (‘land-taking’) tephra layer, which formed in about 877 CE. Many of the first settlements are located just above this layer. This manner of determining dates is called tephrochronology.
One imagines that the volcanic activity of Iceland was startling for early settlers, who were coming from places like Norway where vulcanism is unknown in historical times. This, and the harsh arctic climate, means that those people were very tenacious, desperate for a new life in place with plenty of unoccupied land, or both.
Go to the zoo in the eastern part of the city. It is the smallest zoo we’ve visited in a while, composed almost entirely of farm animals, some of which wander around freely. Afterwards, we stop briefly in the adjoining botanical gardens.
Meet up with Mike and Debbie, but they decide to stay downtown for several more hours. The three of us return to Kópavogur with the car, eat at a Vietnamese restaurant, and spend a few hours at a local swimming pool complex. After enjoying the one in Olafsvik so much, we wanted a repeat.
I don’t have any photos of Breiðholt swimming pool but it was a good one, with an indoor pool, several outdoor pools, hot tubs, saunas, and water slides. By this time it was 8 pm and still light, but the weather was turning gusty and rainy, with temperatures at about 5 degrees C (41 F), though the wind and driving rain made it seem much colder. Fortunately all the outside pools were warm, and the cold rain felt good while sitting in them. Of course, Odette was out of the water half the time, going up the long metal stairways to the water slides. I joined her for a bit but was relieved when the staff came out and closed them off due to the deteriorating weather.