Arctic Iceland provides a stark contrast to ‘Fortress London’

Big sky country – in Iceland at this time of year the sun never sets. Photos/Malcolm Barr Jr.

Tourism has boomed during the past few years in Iceland, but this land within the Arctic Circle has not yet become a regular destination for most American travelers – but Europeans, yes.

Mostly, its airport (Keflavik) has been used by U.S. citizens as a cheaper way to get to Europe than direct flights to London and Paris from Washington (Dulles), Baltimore, New York or Atlanta.  Since the early 1970s, I’ve been among those who chose a brief stopover at Iceland’s now booming airport before changing planes and traveling onward.  To me, and others I’ve talked with agreed, Iceland from the air was a forbidding, barren land – everything, in fact, it was not.

More than meets the eye from 20,000 feet – above, Malcolm Barr Jr. at a Viking ship memorial; below, with Junior’s assistance, Barr Sr. and Royal Examiner ferret out who REALLY discovered America, and when.

see related story

In my previous article of June 19 that may still be found on the Royal Examiner site, I described our father/son trip to London, the city of my birth; my search for my birthplace; and our experiences in a capital on terrorist alert 24/7.  It was my son’s idea to stopover in Iceland en route home.  I was not keen, but he let me do my thing, so I went along while he did his.  In an e-mail from his home near Langley AFB, Malcolm Jr. said this:

“On your many stopovers through Iceland to England you said you never had the desire to visit Iceland because it looked like a barren rock from the air.  When we were driving from the airport to Reykjavik, I was nervous because Iceland did indeed look like a wasteland and I wanted to show you different”

He said he was relieved “when we reached the outskirts of the Icelandic capital to find it is a green and beautiful place.”

So was I.

Royal Examiner’s international transportation infrastructure correspondent Malcolm Barr Sr. at road sign on Iceland’s only major (circular) highway – have they, perhaps, expanded on the roundabout idea?

In fact, traveling outside Reykjavik proved to be even more beautiful with tall mountains and vast lakes.  There was virtually no traffic, an overwhelming silence whenever we stopped the car to enjoy a view, and a disappointment for me when we reached our first destination – for the sudden switch from “fortress London” to the quietude of the Arctic was so stark.

Sitting atop the mid-Atlantic ridge, a fissure between the North American and European tectonic plates, my 32-year-old son invited me to accompany him, as a Father’s Day gift, on a snorkeling adventure in 40-degree water, to see up close and personal the rift between the continents.  Fortunately for me, the age limit for adventurers was 65 (with medical certificate).  I’m almost 20 years on from that prohibition, so I settled for an offer of later bathing outdoors in warm geothermal waters and dining from an Icelandic buffet.

Malcolm Barr Jr., tallest of his fellow swimmers, stands in back of this suited up group, ready for one of life’s great adventures.

Malcolm Jr.’s report back on his adventure suddenly made me wish I was 50 years younger: “Snorkeling between the North American and Eurasian continental plates was a surreal experience. The crystal clear blue water devoid of any life, other than the neon green algae swaying on the rocks, made it feel like an alien world.”

Later, we visited a volcanic crater lake hundreds of feet deep.  It was a breath-taking sight during a walk around the rim.  We marveled at the backdrop of high, snow-capped mountains, lush, sheep-covered meadows, and Iceland’s treasure, herds of wild ponies; also the ability to walk on glaciers, climb beneath them, and see geysers spurting steam from miles underground.

Barr Sr. investigates the geography of volcanic Lake Kerid; and befriends a wild Icelandic pony with a tasty bribe – typically devious Anglo-American media …

There’s always the chance of a volcanic eruption, of course, like the big one several years ago which trapped my neighbor, Regina Meador, in Paris when most northern hemisphere flights were canceled due to clouds of ash in the atmosphere.  And there’s always cost to consider.  Iceland has to be one of the world’s most expensive tourist destinations.  But money spent on a visit, even a brief one, is money well spent.

An advisory for potential travelers: there’s a recent airline competitor with the country’s sole airline, IcelandAir, named “WOW”.  We understand lower fares, at least for the moment, will help accommodate those without deep pockets – Wow!

(Editor’s note: This is the second of two travel articles by our contributing writer, retired journalist Malcolm Barr Sr. of Rockland, who this month flew with his U.S. Air Force son to the United Kingdom, returning via a trip to the Arctic Circle where the pair found Iceland a welcome respite from “fortress London”.)