The Bridge Between Two Continents
When we visited the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2016, we found one of Iceland’s extraordinary places: The Bridge Between Two Continents
This short metal walkway stretches across a narrow, rocky raving. The ravine marks a section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly pull apart. Iceland is the only country where this rift rises above sea level, and on this peninsula, you can stand right at the edge of two diverging continents.
Iceland straddles two plates and grows outward year by year. On one side, you’re standing on the North American Plate and just a few steps away, you’re on the Eurasian Plate. The landscape surrounding the Bridge Between Two Continents stretches out in sheets of hardened black lava and streaks of black lava. The rock is sharp and fractured and a reminder of the many eruptions that built this peninsula layer by layer.
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Blue Lagoon
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Leif Erikson Statue
In the capital city of Reykjavik, standing prominently in front of Hallgrimskikja, is this statue honoring Lief Erikson. The tall bronze figure faces west toward the Atlantic Ocean, a fitting direction for the explorer believed to have sailed from Greenland and reached North America nearly five centuries before Columbus. The inscription on the base reads: […]
Jukulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
As we drove along Iceland’s Ring Road in the southeastern part of the country, we stopped at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, one of the well-known natural sites in Iceland. This lagoon is filled with floating icebergs that have broken off from an outlet glacier of Vatnajokull. Vatnajokull is the largest glacier in Europe by volume, and it […]
