Crossing Continents

During our last couple of days, we went out on a mini-road trip of our own, renting a car and heading out of town. 


The hotel recommended a rental company called Atak, which had a variety of vehicles available for rent; everything from Suzuki Altos (very similar to a Toyota Yaris) up to large 4x4s.  Many of the vehicles had manual transmission and, as I'd never driven a "stick", we went with an automatic. Off we went in a Suzuki Swift, GPS at the ready and looking for adventure.

The first trip was to the south-west area of the island, passing through a number of small villages before heading deep into the lava fields south of the Kevlavik airport. 

Dry dock

Lighthouse? 

Heading South

Although it was sunny, the temperature was only a degree or two above zero. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a cool day. At the same time, we were greeted by some of the strongest winds I'd ever experienced. 

Opening the door of our rental car was an effort if we tried to open it against the wind. As we soon discovered, trying to open the door when the window was coming from behind the vehicle was dangerous. Without a firm grip on the handle, the door would fly open as far as the hinge would allow.

The territory south of Kevlavik is quite unreal, resembling photos from the surface of the moon or Mars. Black ash covers a lot of the ground and the wind can create thick ash storms. 

In the middle of this territory is the "Bridge Between Two Continents", a metal bridge spanning the rift between the American and European tectonic plates. In addition, the rift is slowly pulling apart and Iceland is growing at a rate of about 2.5 cm per year.

The Bridge Between Continents 

Midpoint of the bridge

Rock Formation near the Bridge

Walking on the Moon (Icelandic version)

Rock Formation (detail) 

Area around the Bridge

Close to this area is a massive geothermal plant, making this even more of a science-fiction landscape. In addition, there are markers around the area which show the distance to each of the planets in the solar system. Not sure why they were put there (perhaps another example of the Icelandic sense of humour) and I have yet to come up with anything through Google.

The Mars Marker (one of a series)

We ended up at the southern port town of Grindavik before heading back in the rapidly advancing twilight. Grindavik is sheltered by a pair of mountains to the north. The valley in which it is situated is fertile compared to the area around the bridge. In the twilight, we passed a set of greenhouses, glowing with a warm yellow light in the approaching darkness.