It is day 2 of our trip to Iceland. The plan?
To explore Reykjanes Peninsula on which we landed yesterday morning. We already know a bit about Keflavik and Blue Lagoon.
See what we can learn today.
Only a stone-throw from Keflavik is a small place called Gardskagi. There are 2 lighthouses there, guarding the unfriendly shores of Reykjanes. Those, and a shipload of history washed away by the relentless waves, yet remembered by many await the visitors.
The following photo of a displayed poster can explain the place much better than I could ever hope to do.
This is the old lighthouse - unfortunately closed for the season.
The 12 m lighthouse serves now mostly to birdwatchers and photographers.
The black-stone beach is rough but shallow for quite a distance; how far we cannot tell. We can see tiny specs of fishing boats far away on the horizon.
It is windy and cold at 7C with rain just starting to fall. This certainly is no user friendly beach today.
Birds, mentioned by the poster above, are either hiding or gone somewhere else and save for a bunch of hungry cormorants there is not a wild soul in sight.
The old lighthouse had been built too close to the ever eroding shore. that's why in 1944 a new one was built on the land much further away. WWII had probably something to do with this as well.
Recognized as one of Iceland's favorite lighthouses it reaches 28 meters in height and it is now used also in connection with weather monitoring systems.
Just like at the old lighthouse the stairway to the top is also locked but the main entrance is open so we can peek in.
On the wall inside rests a large bronze plaque commemorating an event of fifty years ago:
The American ship named Alexander Hamilton had been torpedoed by the German forces and started to sink. Disregarding the danger, 3 small Icelandic fishing boats immediately set out to rescue the soldiers who were fighting for their lives in the frigid January waters.
Though some 20 lives were lost that day, more than 80 people had been saved by the heroic action of the Icelanders.
Next to the lighthouse and the displayed fishing boat is a small museum (closed) and a fitting statue of a fisherman's wife looking out to the sea.
It is difficult for us, the never sailing folk, to imagine what it must be like to be in a small fishing boat and out on the open unfriendly sea.
At one end of the area there is a small campground. No tents at the moment but a couple of RVs are cruising by.
We are impressed by a small utility shed - with toilets on one side and a nice washing space on the other.
We are impressed by a small utility shed - with toilets on one side and a nice washing space on the other.
Like everywhere else we have seen so far, here too, everything is tidy and clean.
And to round things up we also learn about some of the local plants:
Arctic Sea Rocket, Cakile arctica is apparently the most common flowering plat here. Being a gardener I recognize the name. Surely enough, there is a clump, quivering amongst the rocks.
Another plant, that grows wild here, surprise, surprise, is Caraway, Carum carvi. There is none now but according to the info board it covers the area in July.
Oh yes, the fragrant caraway! We use its seeds at home for cooking.
Here, along with other herbs, they also use it for something that we discovered last night: a potent Icelandic spirit called Brennivin.
It is not sweet and it is strong - jokingly the locals nicknamed it "black death". (Thus the label)
We liked the taste.
The last photo taken from our speeding car (50 km/hr) represents the body of water that probably serves all those birds who come here coming during Spring and Fall.
For now, all is calm, only the rain and wind play their music to accompany us on our journey south from here.
No comments:
Post a Comment