Í Öskjuhlíð (In Öskjuhlíð)

Daginn,


Iceland as a country is largely naked in regard to trees. The reasons are complex, but in a nutshell, when settlers first came to Iceland in the 9th century, the landscape looked much like their native homes in (what are now) Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain. However, the soil here is not the same and vegetation takes a lot longer to recover than in the aforementioned countries. The end result is that forests were harvested with too much pressure, causing deforestation. Despite this unfortunate occurrence, we know from historical and archaeological evidence that many farmers wisely managed woodlands; but apparently this was not enough.

I digress.

Öskjuhlíð is a wooded area just outside the Reykjavík city centre that is sort of like a parkway in Milwaukee. It's a place to do some light hiking, enjoy a lunch, walk your dog, et cetera. It surrounds the famous Perla restaraunt and museum complex, which is apparently one of the best revolving restaraunts in the world. As much as I enjoy Iceland's sometimes alien landscape, I was born and raised in a land of trees. The barren Icelandic countryside is probably something I will never get used to entirely--I simply love the canopy over my head too much.

I took some time off on Monday to hike around Öskjuhlíð and take photographs and relax. The Perla has its own bus stop, and it is easy enough to catch the 18 out of Hlemmur, so getting there was easy. The weather, was also extremely cooperative. Fifteen degrees celsius, blue skies, and plenty of sunshine.

But the best part about Öskjuhlíð is some unintentional guests...

That's the Perla. A fine restaurant that also hosts the... unique... Saga museum.

A geyser that I often see erupt from my room. Apparently it's a fake! They constructed this geyser to teach the public how they work.

Autumn colours in Öskjuhlíð.

That's me!

A lovely dilapidated wooded bridge to nowhere.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Rabbits! This is what I mean by uninvited guests. Apparently Icelanders have been releasing their unwanted pet rabbits on Öskjuhlíð for ages, and now they breed like... well, rabbits. And they are quite tame, I was able to approach most of them without too much trouble. Next time I'm bringing carrots. I know rabbits can be a terrible pest, but these pet ones are just too damn cute.

View of Reykjavík from Öskjuhlíð. That is Hallgrímskirkja to the right.

Is this how Icelanders see themselves?

Ah, a canopy of birch trees!

I think I will return to Öskjuhlíð on a regular basis whenever I need a boost. The woods actually remind me a lot of J&M's home in Denmark. You can always hear the drone of cars if you listen and there are the occasional biplanes that land in the nearby airport, but for a few seconds you can sit down and feel truly isolated, which is truly refreshing when you are in a city.

bless,

-Nick