Silversea Reykjavik Cruise Port Guide | Silversea Cruises

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Reykjavik, Iceland

Awaiting Your Return FROM Shore

manifested in this northern land. The country is located so far north that

parts of it touch the Arctic Circle where ice and snow defy penetration by

modern civilization. Volcanoes on occasion spew forth rivers of glowing

lava. Yet Iceland's name is something of a misnomer; thick tundra and

mountain flowers cover the country in the summer, when warm ocean currents

produce a climate similar to that of the northern United States.

As living evidence of the expanding Atlantic Rift, 20-million-year-old

Iceland widens almost an inch a year. Great rifts, boiling water and new

earth are the results of this creative process. The island was inhabited

briefly during the 8th century by Irish hermits; permanent settlement began

in 874 when a Norwegian named Ingolf Arnarson arrived at present-day

Reykjavik. In 930, the settlers formed a legislature, the Althing, creating

the Commonwealth of Iceland.

FROM the 10th to the 14th centuries, Iceland developed a literary form, the

Icelandic Saga, which spread throughout the Nordic culture and into the

English and German languages. It was used to spin stories of the gods,

record historic events and glorify heroes.

Reykjavik, or Smoky Bay, was so named in 874 A.D. by Ingolf Arnarson when he

sighted the numerous hot springs on the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula. He built a

cabin here 900 years before Reykjavik was incorporated. Today this

remarkably pollution-free city on Faxa Bay is a major seaport, the capital

of Iceland and home to about half of the country's 270,000 people. Wrapped

around a sweeping bay, Reykjavik has managed to retain its charming

Old-World atmosphere. A pastiche of red-blue-and green-roofed houses

together with the tall gray tower of Hallgrim's Church dominate the skyline.

In the Old Town, many of the wooden buildings have been lovingly restored

and stand side by side with modern timber and concrete structures. Few

chimneys are seen as heat is almost exclusively supplied by steam piped FROM

the nearby hot springs.

There are fine museums and art galleries; historic pubs present a hub of

activity in late afternoon. The unusual, beautiful countryside outside of

Reykjavik includes such natural wonders as volcanoes, geysers, glaciers,

mountains and spectacular waterfalls.

Awaiting Your Return

Suite and Sail Away to The Next Adventure

and Dancing Await You

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