South-West Iceland....'Land of Fire and Ice' was the subject of last week's lecture given by Gordon Barclay from the Preston Area. This was a visit of complex and improbable logistics somehow involving a group of Icelandic ballroom dancers, the Tower ballroom, an empty Icelandair 757 at Blackpool airport and with of course our well-prepared and eloquent lecturer.
The first part of the presentation focused on the small Capital City of Reykjavik and using traditional slides we were given a guided tour of the limited but curious architecture found there. Concrete and colourfully painted corrugated iron were the selected building materials of many of the structures, a choice no doubt forced upon the builders by the distinct lack of anything else to hand. The usual end product was not unattractive and we saw a number of quite impressive public buildings unique amongst which was the Parliament building constructed of basalt, a rock notoriously difficult to cut into workable chunks. The city and indeed all the inhabited areas were plentifully supplied with numbers of rather austere Lutheran churches, which nevertheless retained elegant lines; re-enforcing their position as the spiritual home of this senior branch of Protestantism.
The geothermally supplied self-sufficiency of Iceland's energy infrastructure was demonstrated by images of vast holding tanks, complicated pipework and steaming springs.
Early April was the time of Gordon's visit and his images suggested an almost total absence of local people... one was left with a feeling that they had not yet emerged from hibernation, or had not thrown off ennui generated by a long dark winter. This was an interesting perspective enhanced with an economic photographic style.
Excursions to areas across the bleak hinterterlands of this corner of Iceland revealed almost Tolkienesque vistas of rounded snow-covered mountains and low scudding clouds. Gordon visited some active geysers and photographed turbulent rivers swallowed by dark ravines, often obscured by bright but elusive rainbows and sheets of drifting spray. At the foot of a dirty grey and rock strewn glacier, all-terrain vehicles with enormous tyres crouched like armoured dinosaurs from some remote geological age. Descending to the barren coast, we saw grey seas breaking onto beaches of black sand and racing amongst twisted spires of recent lava flow; sporadic shafts of distant sunlight only hinted at an approaching summer. Amongst this almost monochrome palette of volcanic detritus and winter sterility, small villages of gaily painted houses and elegant churches added an almost incongruous touch of colour and style.
Finally after a most interesting lecture it was time to fire up the faithful Boeing, leave the shores of this empty island and return to the more plebeian charms of Blackpool and a rendezvous with the now sated ballroom dancers.
The next meeting will be held on November 4th. When Jeremy Hunt of Cockermouth Astronomical Society will present 'An evening in the Heavens'.
Dave Nicol 01768 890372
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