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Journey to the Centre of the Earth 2005: The Final Reckoning

From: Harry Hayfield <welshliberaldemocrat~at~yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 11:12:21 +0100
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

July 1st 2005

The Snaefells Volcano (as seen from near it's summit) makes an imposing
place to start this overland journey. Having spent last night on the summit
it up with the larks to see the sun rise. Shame there's not a tunnel to the
centre of the earth as that sort of thing really gets you going in the
morning, but the first priority is to get to civilisation and that's easily
done as there is a bus service around Snaefells that arrives in Olafsvik at
4.45pm thus enabling a good night's (well night in the conventional sense of
the word) rest before setting off to Reykjavik the following day
July 2nd 2005

Olafsvik is a rather small town (by Icelandic standards) and much as I would
like to take the culture of the town in, I'm afraid I have a schedule to
keep. Namely catching the 7.15am bus service to Reykjavik, and a mere 2
hours and 40 minutes later, I arrive in the bustling capital of Iceland.

Not only is it the capital but is also the largest town of Iceland. Located
on the northern side of the Seltjarnar Peninsula, at the southeastern corner
of Faxa Bay, in southwestern Iceland, tradition states that Reykjavík (which
means Bay of Smokes in English) was founded in 874 by the Norseman Ingólfur
Arnarson.

Until the 20th century it was a small fishing village, ruled and largely
inhabited by Danes and was granted municipal powers and was designated the
administrative centre of the Danish-ruled island in 1786. The seat of the
Althing (the name given to the Icelandic parliament) since 1843, it became
the capital of a self-governing Iceland under the Danish king in 1918 and of
the independent Republic of Iceland in 1944.

Reykjavík is also the commercial, industrial, and cultural centre of the
island. It is a major fishing port and the site of nearly half of the
nation's industries. An international airport is at Keflavík, 20 miles (32
km) west-southwest. Reykjavík's manufactures include processed fish and food
products, ships, and textiles. Strikingly modern and clean in appearance,
the town is largely built of concrete and is heated by hot water piped from
nearby springs.

Noteworthy buildings include the Parliament Building, the Lutheran Cathedral
(1975), the National Library of Iceland (founded 1818), the University of
Iceland (founded 1911), the National Museum, the National Theatre, a state
hospital, and a navigation school. Bessastadhir, the residence of the
president of Iceland, is outside the town.

Right, time to check on how old Lidenbrock and co are doing. Mmm, still in
the main chamber of Snaefells, eh? Well, I may be stuck for the time being
figuring how to get off Iceland and towards either Scandanvia, Britain or
the Faroe Islands, but at least I've a good several hundred mile lead on
them!

July 6th 2005

Goodness me, what a day, eh? There I was just boarding the good ship
Gooafoss in Reykjavik harbour (after several day scouring the internet) and
thinking I was in for a calm and relaxing two day trip to the Faeroe Islands
and what happens just a few hours out of Iceland?

"The host of the Games of the 30th Olympiad is the city of London!"

And there was I expecting him to say Paris! Of course the sad thing is that
I won't arrive in Britain until at least the beginning of next week (and by
the time I reach Waterloo, all the excitement will have died down). Still at
least I know one thing. It won't be long before the London Olympic Committee
will publish on their website that they are looking for ideas for the
opening and closing ceremony for the Games and when they do I am certainly
going to suggest a passing reference to a certain Mr. Phileas Fogg!

July 9th 2005

I arrived in Lerwick yesterday evening to find a very different Britain to
one I left back in June. As you know on Thursday (as I was travelling from
the Faeroe Islands to the Shetland Islands), several bombs exploded in and
around the London tub network causing the deaths of 49 people (so far
confirmed) and injuring many more. So even though I am beating Professor
Lidenbrock and associates by several hundred miles, I am not exactly in the
mood to celebrate this fact. The next stage in the journey is to catch a
ferry to Aberdeen this evening and then tomorrow travel to Plymouth (the
only port with a train connection that avoids London entirely)

July 10th 2005

Travelling from Aberdeen to Plymouth today is the first time that I've been
able to get back up to speed re international events and what I am reading
online really is disappointing. It appears that Britain has been attacked on
it's home soil by home grown suicide bombers. Is this really what Jules
Verne thought the world would be like in the early years of the 21st
century. Somehow I think not. I see that Mayor Ken Livingstone (Lab, London)
has started a fund for those affected by the bombings, perhaps if this
journey works, it can be done in real life next July as a fund raising
expedition.

July 11th 2005

(yawns) Gosh, travelling non stop really takes it out of you doesn't it!
Still, so far things are working exactly to plan. At the moment I am just
docking at Roscoff Harbour and about to get a good night's rest before
launching on a three day trip from Roscoff to Napoli (that's Naples in Italy
for those unable to understand Italian).

July 15th 2005

Ah, Napoli! Home of the famous ice cream and there in the distance I can
just make out my target. The island of Stromboli. Hey, that reminds me. It's
a fortnight since I left Iceland, I wonder where Lidenbrock and company are?
Thank goodness for the old PDA eh? My word, 1900 miles ahead of them with
just one last jaunt to go. I think I'm going to win this bet hands down

July 18th 2005

Tada! Yes, I've done it. Here I am near the summit of Stromboli having
caught a ferry from Naples to the island yesterday (after having a well
deserved rest) and spending the whole of today climbing what is in effect an
active volcano! Right, back into Fogg mode

(adopts best Phileas Fogg attitude)

"Sirs, on June 30th 2005 I said "I wish to put forward the suggestion that
using only surface transport I can travel (according to the data on the
internet regarding trains, buses and ferries) from the Snaefells Volcano in
Iceland to Mount Etna in Italy FASTER than Professor Lidenbrock. Axel and
Hans. This means arriving at Mount Etna prior to August 29th 2005. I will
willingly wager a video recording I have made of Around the World in Eighty
Days (1956), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959) as well as a picture
of myself dressed in my best Phileas Fogg outfit!" I can now report that I
have completed my journey having beaten Lidenbrock, Axel and Hans by no less
than 42 days!"

                
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Received on Fri 29 Jul 2005 - 13:12:35 IDT

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