The Great Geysir in Iceland

 

The title “The Great Geysir in Iceland” is correct and at the same time a little incorrect [1], because on the one hand it is about the Great Geysir (Isl. Stóri Geysir), which gave its name to all geysers, and on the other hand the area of hot springs near Haukadalur in the area of the Icelandic municipality of Bláskógabyggð [2]. Other geysers are also active there, for example the Strokkur Geyser. But first things first.

In between the ferntree and the pandanustree
you may detect the geyser's fountain above the the roof [6]

I didn't see my first geysers in Iceland, but in New Zealand, and that's why I'm also posting two pictures from 1988. I arrived in Rotirua late in the afternoon and checked into the Geyserland Hotel. It was a bit of a climb up the hill and you couldn't see anything if you were busy searching and arriving. Then I got to my room and opened the door ... and left the door open. I rushed to the balcony because just as I had opened the door, a high fountain of a geyser shot up. Of course, I closed the door because it was already too dark to take photos, but I first gave myself over to the wonder of this natural spectacle. The next day I visited the geyser area of Roturua down below the hotel. Later, when I was back in Germany, a newspaper advertised the Geyserland Hotel for 3 million DM. I don't dare calculate how much that would be in today's money; in euros it's about 1.4 million. Well, that would have been far beyond my means, but I still found the offer surprising because Roturua had a lot of tourism. I assume that most guests found the sudden fountains and the smell of the fumaroles unpleasant. Enough of this digression!

I had been in Iceland a little over a year ago and visited the hot spring area of Haukadalur. I know that I admired the Great Geysir at that place, but I can no longer identify from my pictures which eruption, which fountain, which steam is associated with this great geyser. Geysir is derived from the Icelandic geysa "to spurt out, to pour out" and is in turn the frequentative of the verb gjósa "to bubble, to erupt". The Great Geysir was first mentioned in 1294. The sinter deposits around the geyser basin have been analyzed and it is estimated that its activity has been going on for about 10,000 years [3]. Earthquakes, which are more common in geothermally active areas, can lead to a cessation of activity or to renewed activity. The Great Geysir was temporarily inactive or only very sporadically active during the last century, but this has changed since an earthquake in the year 2000. Before the eruption and the water fountain shoots up with the steam and clouds, the water bubbles up and forms something like a bubbling bell; unfortunately I don't have a photo of this because I was too busy looking for fountains.

Now a few notes on what happens in a geyser and why; this is explained in more detail and more precisely on Wikipedia [4]. In principle, it is similar to making an espresso on the stove: water vapor pushes hot water through the coffee [5]. Seepage water reaches the depths, is heated by magma, while the pressure of the water column heats the water in the eruption channel to well over 100 °C without boiling. But then the pressure of the water vapor increases so much that it suddenly pushes the heated water upwards. We then enjoy the fountain.

I really enjoyed my stay there and you can watch geysers and other geothermal phenomena, such as mud pots or hot springs, fumaroles, deposits, algae growth, etc. I will come back to fumaroles separately later, as soon as I report on the north of Iceland.

Links and Annotations:
[1] I hate incorrectness, but I want to talk more about what I saw and thozght rather than write a treatsise on geysirs.
[2] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fer_Geysir and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir and https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir
[3] It's an estimate and I should be happy with that. However, I wonder how they could incorporate periods of inactivity into this estimate.
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geyser and https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir
[5] In Roturua for instance the hot springs were used to cook.
[6] I forgot, where I found the add in 1988, but the hotel had been operational afterwards.
PS. Use the links, it's complicated, but each is an article of the own.

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Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík

 

The Hallgrímskirkja is a landmark with an almost 75 m high tower; in addition, the building stands on a hill. It is an Evangelical Lutheran parish church. The Byzantine-like depictions of the archangels Gabriel and Michael by Kirstin Gunnlaugsdottir and a stained glass window in which Mary and child are worshipped provide a Roman Catholic counterpoint that is to be welcomed in times of ecumenism. Looking back, it somehow reminded me of the Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection Basilica (Lithuanian: Kauno mūsų Viešpaties Jėzaus Kristaus Prisikėlimo bazilika) [2] in Kaunas, Lithuania. This church initially seemed Protestant to me due to its architecture and interior. Its architecture belongs to the Kaunas architecture of the interwar period [3], which reminds me of the expressionist style of the Hallgrímskirkja. In both churches you can climb the tower or take an elevator up, and in both cases you get a magnificent view.

The planning for Hallgrímskirkja dates back to 1929, but construction only began after World War II and was not finished until 1986. Guðjón Samúelsson (1887–1950) [4] designed the church. The name of the church goes back to Hallgrímur Pétursson [5] and the church was consecrated on the 312th anniversary of his death; it was also the 200th anniversary of the city of Reykjavik. Hallgrímur lived in the 17th century and is today one of the most famous Icelandic poets. Although he dropped out of theology, he became an Evangelical Lutheran pastor. He is known for his psalm poetry and his songs are still sung today. He is often compared to Paul Gerhardt, about whose song “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” I wrote somethig just yesterday [6].

Hallgrímskirkja is a hall church with a dominant nave and two side aisles. It has hardly any stained glass and is perhaps therefore very bright, which can be an advantage in the winter months, but could be the opposite in the summer months. I visited the church during November and it was pleasantly bright. The church is not east-facing; the entrance to the church faces southwest.

Since December 1992, the church has had a concert organ made by the Johannes Klais Orgelbau company in Bonn - I have already admired several of their organs. The company operates worldwide. The organ has four manuals and pedals as well as 5275 pipes and 72 registers. The organ is about 15 meters high and weighs 25 tons. It is by far the largest organ in Iceland. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about the sound, because work was being done in the church and the shrill sounds of the drill still echo in my ears.

The three bells are called Hallgrímur, Guðríður and Steinunn. Guðríður was the name of Hallgrímur's wife. Steinunn was the name of the couple's daughter, who died at the age of four. The bells also include a 29-bell carillon.

The church is worth a visit, but that's why there are so many tourists there.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja  also https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmskirkja but the text in Icelandic is very short.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ%27s_Resurrection_Church,_Kaunas and https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi_Auferstehung_(Kaunas) I still haven't written about this basilica.
[3] https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauno_modernizmo_architekt%C5%ABra
[4] Guðjón Samúelsson (16 April 1887 – 25 April 1950) was a State Architect of Iceland, who also planned the Akureyrarkirkja in the north Icelandic town of Akureyri. His work is said to be influenced by Icelandic geology, like the Svartifoss basalt columns. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3n_Sam%C3%BAelsson and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3n_Sam%C3%BAelsson 
[5] Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614-1674): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallgr%C3%ADmur_P%C3%A9tursson
[6] LYRIK-Taschenkalender 2014 04./05. KW 08.01.2024
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2025/01/lyrik-taschenkalender-2014-0405-kw.html  
More About Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gerhardt  

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Puffins – Sightings out of Season?

 

No trip to Iceland without puffins. But what if you only travel in November? Then the season is over. It is known that the puffins arrive at the breeding sites by the end of April and have flown out to sea at the latest by mid-August [1]. Otherwise you cannot – as a matter of fact – watch them ashore. And are all breeding sites aren't accessible. Before we get back to November and how you can still see them, let's talk a little bit about the puffins. Puffin in Icelandic is lunda (in German Lund, in Swedish lunnefågel, in Norwegian lundefugl).

Puffins are seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water [2, where you may get more information than a non-ornithologist can ask for]. They breed on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Actually much like penguins in the southern hemisphere. Probably the popularity of penguins and puffins can be explained by the funny appearance of these little fellows. Only one of the three extant species is foound in the North Atlantic Ocean, you might have guessed it: the Atlantic puffin. They have small wings, enabling swimming with a flying technique underwater, but have beat their wings rapidly when flying low over the ocean's surface.

The first puffins I saw were plush toys. In the souvenir shops framed pictures, aquarelles, T-shirts (at 26 €, which is a bargain in Iceland) and others are sold. It is used for logos or advertisements. One was so stylized that it rather looked like the tufted than the Atlantic puffin. If you seek to watch puffins in their natural habitat, May or June would be better choices.

Links an Annotations:
[1] https://travelstories-reiseblog.com/papageientaucher-beobachten-island/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffin

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Christ the King Cathedral in Reykjavík

 

You might feel strange that I begin to talk about my travels through Iceland with this Roman Catholic church. Shortly before I've left Germany to go to Iceland, I visited a church in the Eifel mountains and saw a copy of the “bonifatiusblatt“, in which there have been two articles on Iceland [1]. One has been on Christ the King Cathedral (Basilíka Krists konungs) in Reykjavík, so this primed me to visit this church and the other has been about church pews being donated to the parish of Keflavík, which I could not visit.

Seeing Christ the King Cathedral in Reykjavík, my first association has been Bates Motel of the 1960 movie Psycho [2]. Coming closer this association vanished. I wasn't surprised seeing the “bonifatiusblatt“ in the church as the first article had a description of a multiethnic mass with namely Icelandic, German, Polish, Philippine people attending as well as other nationalities not mentioned. Catholics represent about 4% of the Icelandic population, but ”they are growing in number rapidly“ [3].

There had been a small chapel after 1864, but the neo-gothic church had been constructed in the late 1920ies and sanctified in 1929 [4]. There isn't much information on this church in Reykjavík on Wikipedia, but there are other sources as well. The decision to build this church after a sketch by the Icelandic architect Guðjón Samúelsson has already been made in 1918. The homepage of the Catholic Church in Iceland has more on the Cathedral's history, architecture, and church objects as well as some very old photographs [5].

Outside the church there are the Protection of Life Bell and a statue by the name of The calling (Köllun), I wanted to check out and found a catholic nun on Google Maps [6]. The monument commemorates the work of the Order of Saint Joseph’s Sisters of Chambéry for the Sick and Children in Iceland and was unveiled on September the 17th 2000. The Order ran schools and hospitals in Iceland for over a hundred years, but they finally left the country in 2001; see [5] for the complete text, which I have abbreviated.

Christ the King Cathedral is located near the center of Reykjavík (less than 500 m west of the Tjörnin), so you could walk by exploring the city.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://shop.bonifatiuswerk.de/Zeitschriften/Zeitschrift-Bonifatiusblatt.html
[2] Psycho is a1960 horror / thriller movie by Alfred Hitchcock.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_(1960_film)
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Iceland  
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_King_Cathedral_(Reykjav%C3%ADk) and  https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil%C3%ADka_Krists_konungs  
[5] https://catholica.is/en/domkirkja-krists-konungs-i-landakoti/
[6] https://www.google.de/maps/@64.1479753,-21.9483033,3a,73y,210.01h,72.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swc6cLWbdiENFcvEheloZcw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 July 2013

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