Northern Jewels Part 1: Iceland and the Norse Archaeological Sites

Iceland sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which steadily pushes new volcanic rock to the earth’s surface, creating some of the freshest bones on earth: dark, almost black basalt.

Hot springs and geysers commonly send out steamy tendrils into the cooler air. In fact, the word “geyser” comes from Geysir, a famous geothermal feature in southeastern Iceland. Iceland’s electricity comes largely from this underground powerhouse of heat.

If you get a chance, stop by the Blue Lagoon and immerse your travel-weary muscles in the huge, steamy hot spring.

Dramatic landscapes are everywhere with magnificent waterfalls (like Seljalandsfoss pictured here), black sand beaches, glacier-fed rivers, stark mountains, and pastoral valleys.

Iceland’s human history is as fascinating as its landscape. An independent commonwealth, it has the world’s oldest parliament, the Althing, dating from 930. Ruled in years past by Norway and then by Denmark, Iceland gained its hard-fought independence in 1918 while still maintaining a strong alliance with Denmark.

Now with a population a little more than 360,000 spread thinly over 130,000 square kilometres, it is Europe’s most sparsely populated country.

Reykjavík, the world’s northernmost capital and Iceland’s centre of commerce and government, has a population of a little more than 230,000 in the capital region. The word Reykjavík loosely translates to Smokey Cove because of the mists that rise from the geothermal action near the surface.

Energized by this geothermal power, Reykjavík may be the greenest city on earth. The city’s commercial roots were in the cod fishery, but as fisheries have declined globally, commerce has broadened to include finance, IT, art, culture, music, and more.

After crossing the Denmark Strait, you see the coast of east Greenland. At first it is just a hazy ribbon, but as you sail closer, it rises darkly above the horizon and touches the clouds.

Almost every valley has a glacial tongue anchored at the icecap and sliding down to the waterline, where icebergs constantly calve and begin their journey afloat. It’s wild and wonderful.

There’s not a person to be seen until you reach one of the tiny villages scattered along the formidable coast. The houses in primary colours are a signature of Greenlandic communities.

Not long after exiting Ikerasassuaq, you come to Uunartoq. Iceland is not the only place with hot springs, and here they are most inviting!

Stop awhile, relax, or take an invigorating hike (or both!), all while absorbing the splendid landscape.

In 984, Erik Thorvaldsson (Erik the Red) founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland after being banished from Iceland for committing a few murders. Naming it “Greenland” in the hope of attracting more settlers, he established a community of farmers, known as the Eastern Settlement, that lasted about 500 years.

As you travel from east to west, you find the first evidence of the Eastern Settlement tucked deep inside Hvalsey Fjord. Here are Greenland's largest, best-preserved Norse ruins.

Archaeologists have found two great halls, all built from mortarless stone, as well as evidence of fourteen houses. Qaqortukulooq (Hvalsey) was the site of the last Norse wedding in Greenland in 1408.

Continuing west you come to Gardar and Brattahlíd where Erik established his own farm in what is now the community of Qassiarsuk. Erik’s judgement about the land’s productivity was sound because the area contains some of the best farmland in all of Greenland.

The son of Erik and Thjódhild, Leif was the intrepid Viking that explored further west, eventually establishing the only known Norse settlement in North America: L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.