One of the advantages of living in Iceland is the endless and ubiquitous flow of geothermal water streaming from the earth. The Blue Lagoon is such a site; a mineral-rich swimming and bathing area carved out of the lava fields of the Reykjanes peninsula. The water is rich in silica, said to be good for the skin. The water temperature ranges from 30 to 40 degrees Celsius, making a dip both very relaxing and refreshing. The lagoon is rich in a unique combination of natural minerals, blue green algae and white silica mud, which give the lagoon its soft, milky, aquamarine color.

Natural hot water piped from hot springs is used throughout Iceland for hot tap water. It is also used to heat buildings and greenhouses where fruits, vegetables, and flowers are grown.

  

Photos by Jean Hynes

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SKAFTAFELL

Adventurous travelers from Cyberdreamwrok have been to many countries. Our objective has always been to find revered and sacred sites where there is room for the imagination to work. Iceland and our exploration of The Skaftafell was a place that deepen our souls.

An eminent glaciologist, Professor Hans Wilhelmsson Ahlmann, when asked about Skaftafell's natural beauty, described it as follows:

'The landscape is so different from anything I have seen in other countries, or even elsewhere in Iceland. I should imagine that no place on earth can show anything to correspond with it, and there is nothing that one has learnt to consider beautiful or ugly with which it could compare. It is quite unique, offering no single point of contact with any of the beauty-values that civilization has taught us'.

Photo by Jean Hynes
Skaftafell., established in 1967 (400-500 square kilometres), contains some of the most precious natural pearls of the country. The rugged landscapes, mountains and glaciers, the flora and the fauna have a magnetic influence on the visitors. There are no roads in the park, but a network of trails offers the opportunity for extended hikes.

The continuous fusion of fire and ice is dramatically performed against a backdrop of primitive beauty in this corner of south-east Iceland. Skaftafell National Park is often regarded as the most magnificent area in a country whose endless landscapes define magnificence. Nestling on sandy plains, beneath encroaching glaciers and forbidding mountains, it is an accessible green paradise in the midst of a region dominated by ice.

Endless variety, Skaftafell is a perfect example of an active glacial landscape and is filled with textbook examples of associated landforms such as hanging valleys, rolling hills, ridges of sandy moraine, tranquil lakes, tumbling rivers and jagged rocks. The glaciers themselves resemble strange ice sculptures, with shimmering arches and shadowy tunnels that are all the more beautiful for their impermanency.

Sheltered by mountains and glaciers, the national park can boast more sunshine hours, less rainfall and a milder climate than any other part of southern Iceland. However, there is no shortage of water which gushes from rocks, bubbles from crevasses, trickles in brooks and surges through rivers. On a calm summer evening, there is a special quality to the light that further heightens the effect of the scenery.

Expanded in 1984, Skaftafell National Park now covers about 1,600 sq km. Skaftafell is situated at the southern extent of the massive Vatnajökull glacier which is, excluding Greenland, the largest expanse of inland ice in Europe. The park also includes three valley glaciers that have squeezed their way southwards from the main ice sheet. These include Skaftafellsjökull(part of the larger Öræfajökull glacier); Morsárjökull, which descends by successive waterfalls into the Morsá valley; and Skeidarárjökull, which is 25km across with a sandur, or outwash plain, that extends 20km to the coast. The glaciers are still active, groaning and creaking as they advance or retreat – Skaftafellsjökull, for example, can recede up to a metre every day, dropping debris as it goes.

 

Photos by Ann Lafferty

When farms built on the sandur were destroyed by lava flows in the 14th century, the area became known as Öræfi (meaning ‘wasteland’). As recently as 1996, volcanic activity beneath a glacier resulted in the dramatic and devastating release of water and ice that is known as a jökulhlaup. The sheer power of such an eruption is breathtaking.

Svartifoss, ‘the black waterfall’, is the park’s major attraction. There are mightier waterfalls in Iceland, such as Gullfoss or Godofoss, but few are as instantly recognizable. Svartifoss obtains its name not from the colour of its waters, which foam white over the cliff edge, but from the black basalt columns that flank the waterfall. Arranged in a regular hexagonal pattern, the rocks hang off the cliff face like the pipes of an organ and were the inspiration for the architectural design of the National Theatre in Reykjavík.

                                         Glacier Lagoon

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DJUPIVOUR

We were fortunate to meet Bjorg Bjarnadottir (our Icelandic guide) at an IASD conference and again in China, 2004. That is when we learned of her work into sleep and dreams in Iceland and about her dream center in Djupivogur. The small southeast village, where the center is located, is in magnificent Berufjorour.

For Icelanders, loyal to their national heritage, dreams connect them with the land, their mother tongue and the pulse of the nation.

The village of Djúpivogur is located on Búlandsnes peninsula along the fjord called Berufjörður. Mt Bulandstindur is one of the most beautifully shaped mountains of the country and the symbol of the Djupivogur County between the two bays, Berufiord and Hamarsfiord. It is a pyramid shaped stack of basaltic strata, reaching 1069 m above sea level. The Castle of the Gods (Godaborg) is a 700 m high mountain ridge to the east of Mt Bulandstindur.

Immediately after the acceptance of Christianity in the year 1000, the chieftains, who were also pagan priests, demolished the statues of the gods in their temples. The chieftain of this area had them taken up to this ridge and thrown over the edge. This mountain is counted among the few power centers of the country.

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THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

Our travels took us to the Golden Circle, famous for the stories of the hidden people, ghosts, and psychic phenomena. The Golden Circle is a collection of natural wonders and historical sites located along the southern part of Iceland. Thingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the geysers of Geysir are the main attractions.

Thingvellir was one of the first places we explored. It is the only place in the world where you can easily see the tectonic plates move apart from each other. You can stand on the American tectonic plate and look over at the European tectonic plate. This is the only place in the world where it is easy to see it above sea level. Tingvellir, 50km (31 miles) to the east of Reykjavík, is a national shrine because of its unique historical role. It is also one of Iceland's most beautiful places to visit. The oldest existing parliament in the world called the Albing first met here in AD930. The Albing met every year to enact laws, including the law passed in AD1000 to introduce Christianity into the island. It has always been the focal point for the country, and whenever a major event is to be celebrated, thousands of people gather here. At the celebration of the 1,100th anniversary of the first settlement in 1974, more than 60,000 people packed into Thingvellir.

Gullfoss (The Golden waterfall) is Iceland’s most famous waterfall, and one of the natural wonders of the world. It is in the mighty glacial river Hvítá (White river), just a few kilometers from another natural wonder, the world-famous Geysir. The enormous white glacial cascade drops 32 meters into a narrow canyon, which is 70 meters deep, and 2.5 kilometers long. It is a spectacular two-tiered cataract which hangs in the air like fine drizzle and forms a rainbow in the sunlight. In winter it has an unusual appearance when it becomes petrified in ice.

Photo by Ann Lafferty

The word geyser comes from the name of Iceland's most famous geothermal hot spring, Geysir which spouts water about 59 metres (194 feet) into the air.

The hot springs in the Geysir area are of different types. Geysir and the hot springs to the west and south are normal hot springs, i.e. they emit hot water ascending through narrow channels from deep sources in the crust. The temperature of the hot springs is up to 100 degrees and some are constantly boiling – if the temperature at depth rises above boiling the hot springs erupt which means that they are geysers.
The word geyser is derived from the name of the famous Geysir. At about 23 m depth in the Geysir pipe the water is at 120 degrees in temperature. It is in equilibrium with the pressure of the water above in the pipe, i.e. the weight of the water above keeps the boiling water down. At a depth of around 16 m, the temperature of the water sometimes rises above boiling, seen as increased turbulence at the surface. This turbulence (boiling) can increase to the point where the water above in the pipe is lifted slightly, and a chain reaction starts – the pressure decreases making further boiling possible and the water flashes into steam, resulting in an eruption in Geysir. The boiling now extends down into the pipe, throwing more water into the air. When all the water in the pipe has been thrown out the water coming from depth changes immediately into steam and a steam eruption follows the water eruption, with accompanying noise. The water-phase lasts for a few minutes and, where the steam-phase dies out, the water has drained the channels deep into the earth and it will take 8-10 hours for Geysir to regain its water.

 

Phots by Ann Lafferty and Jean Hynes

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INTENSIVE SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:

Photo by Cynthia Hale
Friday, June 16th

The day we arrived we met our guide Birta, unpacked, relaxed at The Hotel Keflavik and had some lunch. Robbie arrived around 4:00 PM and then Birta took us to the Blue Lagoon.
After dinner we had our opening session. Both Björg Bjarnadóttir (our wonderful host) and her daughter Brita worked with us during our stay.

There was a pub at the hotel for those still awake to party!!!

Saturday, June 17th

On the 17th we met in the morning, after breakfast, for a dreamwork session. This was the National Independence Day. We went to Reykjavik with Birta, in the early afternoon, and spend 6 hours there - some of the shops were open - then back to the hotel around 8 PM for dinner and a chance to observe the festivities and nightlife in Keflavik. The hotel transported us forth and back.

Sunday, June 18th - Wednesday, June 22nd

After breakfast, the group met our bus and guide, Petur Gauti at 8:30 AM to head southeast for The Thingvellir and Skaftafell National Parks.

During this 4-5 hour drive we stopped in the village of Hvolsvöllur. Hvolsvöllur is a small town in the south of Iceland and east of Reykjavík. It is the centre of the old Viking-area. In Hvolsvöllur there is a museum about the Vikings, following Njal’s Saga.

Njál's saga (also known as "Brennu-Njáls saga" or "The Story of Burnt Njál") is the most famous of the Icelandic sagas. The saga is sometimes referred to as Njála in Icelandic.

This epic of Icelandic literature from the 13th century describes the progress of a 50-year blood feud. Its author is believed to have been an inhabitant of southeast Iceland, although little more is known. The breadth of its subject matter and the referentiality within the text indicate that the author must have been an extremely well-read and literate individual.

It details events which were supposed to have occurred between 930 and 1020, and thus covers the period of Christian conversion in 1000, as well as detailing events at the Battle of Clontarf outside Dublin in 1014. Although agreeing in broad terms with known history and referring to many minor locations which can still be found along south Iceland, scholars continue to search for clues to indicate which portions accurately reflect actual events and which reflect the art of storytelling.

At worst it is an historic novel giving a vivid picture of an unfamiliar system. It shows the destructive nature of blood-feuds, and the methods used by the Icelandic Commonwealth to try to resolve them. It also extends beyond Iceland, including a brief and not-very-historic description of the Battle of Clontarf and the death of Brian Boru.

In a story as complex and broad as this one, it is impossible to encapsulate the extent of the action. It tells a tale wherein Icelanders cross the North Sea to Scandinavia, a queen curses a marriage, men are slain on points of principle, and the men leave their native land to seek fortune elsewhere, where sorcery is commonplace and jealous women set men to killing each other. It is a story about the obligations of bloodlines and what happens when ordinary people are confronted with violence. It is, moreover, about friendship, wherein the two friends Gunnar Hamundarson and Njal Thorgeirsson remain loyal friends despite the best efforts of enemies to drive a wedge between them. In the end, however, the relentless logic of honor and jealousy result in Njal and his supporters being burned alive as they defend the family farmhouse.

As we continued our journey we saw the volcano Hekla and and the surrounding area of Rangárthing which is remarkable for dreams and psychic phenomena, many of which have been recorded over the course of the centuries.

We traveled on and saw some beautiful waterfalls; Seljalandsfoss and Skógarfoss.

At around 1:30 PM we stopped for for a light lunch at the Hotel Valholl. It was a fitting place for Bjorg to greet the group; at this great place, the old seat of parliament and Iceland's republic. From there, Bjorg was with us on the bus all the way to the Hotel Skaftafell (a family-run hotel located beneath the highest mountain pinnacles in Iceland), where we settled in and dined before our three hour dreamwork session.


Each day we had breakfast and a dreamwork session until noon. After lunch we boarded our bus and toured the sites, returning for dinner and an evening dreamwork session.

Bjorg, her daughter Brita and Petur were our guides to many memorable places. Some of these were: Europa's largest glacier, Vatnajökull, Glacier Lagoon, the village of Kirkjubær and the neighbouring volcanos of Mt. Katla and crater Laki.

Photos by Ann Lafferty

  

  

Jean Hynes provided a photo tour of some of the sites we visited on June 21st:

In addition, Bjorg told the group about: Iceland's dream heritage and her qualitative and quantitatvie research which includes examples from dreams. More specifically Bjorg and Birta:

1) Provided a poster exhibition which helped with Bjorg's short talks on dreams during the course of our stay at Skaftafell.

2) Birta showed a documentary film on dreams she made in Skaftafell. The film has landscape photos of the areas we visited as well as interviews with people in Skaftafell. Our hosts at the hotel, Anna Maria and her old uncle, are both great dreamers; Anna Maria's father, Ragnar, was also a very well known dreamer.They are all in the documentary that can be purchased from this website if requested.

3) Birta's friend and one of Iceland's best known young authors, Bjarni Bjarnason, joined in and give a talk on his work. He, himself is a dreamer. He has recorded his dreams since a young boy and written about them in his autobiographic novel as well as in others he has written.

On our return to Keflavik we again circled the area called the Golden Circle, famous for the stories of the hidden people, ghosts, and psychic phenomena.

Here's a photo display by Ann and Jean of sites we visited:

 
 
 
 

Thursday, June 22nd- Friday, June 23rd

Our bus driver took us to Keflavik on the eve of the 22nd. We had a final dinner and a dreamwork session in the AM. That left us with the morning and early afternoon of the 23rd to explore Keflavik or Reykjavik for shopping or take another trip to the Blue Lagoon before our flight back to the USA in the late afternoon.

We were flexible with our schedule, careful not to compromise our dreaming and still tour wonderful Iceland.

Until Next Time!!!! October, 2006

Sites to Visit:

Hotel Skaftafell
Destination-Iceland
Hotel Keflavik
Weather in Reykjavik

Some Interesting Information:

Icelanders do not have family names. They have a first name, such as Asgeir or Inga, and a second name that combines the father's first name and -son for a male or dottir for a female. Because there are no family names, all Icelanders are properly addressed by their first names. Also, because there are no family names, a woman does not change her name with marriage. So many Icelanders have the same name that telephone directories list each person's occupation in addition to his or her name and address.

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