Have List, Will Travel

Our Iceland Adventure

February 2018

"In Iceland you can see the contours of the mountains wherever you go, and the swell of the hills, and always beyond the horizon.  And there's this strange thing: you're never sort of hidden: you always feel exposed in that landscape.  But it makes it very beautiful as well."
Hannah Kent

"We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment."

Hilaire Belloc

Iceland in February

What would make two supposedly sane individuals leave sunny San Diego and fly to Iceland in the middle of winter?  The answer to that is simple.  To see the Northern Lights and to cross off another country from the list of countries that we have yet to visit.  So with that motivation, we headed out on another adventure.  Thank you for allowing us to share it with you.

We left sunny San Diego at 10 AM on Wednesday morning taking us to the Seattle-Tacoma airport.  It was a 3 ½ hour trip which was highlighted by flying over the Space Needle in Seattle before landing at Sea-Tac.  It had been a long time since we had flown into Seattle.  We had several hours to wait for our connecting flight on Icelandic Airlines to Reykjavik but by the time we had lunch, it was time to board. 

The flight to Reykjavik, Iceland was uneventful but a long 7 ½ hour flight.  We landed at the airport Thursday at 6:30 AM local time which is 8 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.  We had not been able to sleep on the plane because our bodies were telling us that it was too early to sleep.  We were collected by a driver from the travel company and when he had everyone, we drove the 25 miles or so to the hotel which is on the outskirts of the city center.  It was dark and cold.  The sun would not rise until around 10 AM and set that day at a little after 5 PM. 

Statue in downtown Reykjavik.  Taken at 11AM

We had come to Iceland a day prior to the start of the tour because we wanted to make sure that we were rested.  Of course, arriving at the hotel at 7:30 in the morning results in having to leave your luggage and waiting until after 3 PM to get into your room.

We caught the 9 o’clock free shuttle to the city center which was provided by the hotel, and started out to see what we could see and to find some breakfast. 

It was a crisp 20 degrees and fortunately there was not a wind blowing.  Iceland is known for being very windy which makes it seem a lot colder because of the wind chill factor.

We wandered up and down, across and back and forth through part of the city center.  Most of the shops were still closed so we did some window shopping.  We could not find a restaurant that was open for breakfast.  All of them seemed to open at 11 AM for lunch. 

  

Town Hall with frozen lake and birds

We found the town hall, watched the swans and ducks skate on the ice covering a lake there and found the statue of the unknown bureaucrat

Statue of the Unknown Beureacrat

Finally we found a tourist information office and got directions to several places that they recommended for breakfast.  We also found a small grocery store so Laura wanted to see what they had to offer.  She was most interested in the variety of sea salts that she found. 

We finally got to the restaurant and ordered breakfast.  I had 2 small waffles with berries and Laura had Eggs Florentine, we had coffee and orange juice respectively.  We were a bit surprised and amazed when the bill came to almost $55 US.  This was going to be a little more expensive of a trip than we had planned.  Fortunately starting tomorrow most meals are included.

After breakfast, we decided to go back to the hotel and see if there was a room ready so we could take a nap.  We were getting really tired by that time.  The hotel provides a free shuttle to town but you have to either take a taxi or a bus to return.  So we caught a taxi and $22 later we were back at the hotel. 

We were fortunate and they had a room for us and we crashed for a 3 hour nap.  Then when we went down for dinner in the hotel, we were hit with sticker shock once again.  Laura had a bowl of soup and a Caesar salad while I had Islandic Cod.  The dinner bill was $171.00.  On that note, we retired to our room.  Out intent was to try to get back to our normal bedtimes but by 8:30 PM we were both drooping. 

Friday, 2 February

Luthern church in REykjavik

We arose to a blustery, rainy day.  The tour started today after breakfast with a walking tour of the downtown.  They took us to the main Lutheran church and then walked us down the hill into town.  The cold weather clothing that we had purchased was well worth the money as we were able to stay warm and dry.  The down side was that we looked like the Staypuff Marshmello man from the Ghostbuster movies, only dressed in black.
The church was rather plain inside but the outside was unique by the architect’s use of the columns to reflect the basaltic columns found all over the island as a result of volcanic action.  Also out front was a statue of Leif Erickson which was presented to the people of Iceland from the people of the United States.

Laura eating a hotdog for lunch/

One of the places that the tour guide suggested that we should try was this outdoor hotdog stand.  Bill Clinton had a hotdog there and declared it was the best hotdog that he had eaten.  We thought they were alright but could not form an opinion because there are plenty of other hot dog places in the world.  The best part of the hot dog was the crunchy onions which were deep fried and it was our cheapest meal so far.  Only $21 for two hot dogs and a small Coke.

We wandered around a little more and then caught our tour bus back to the hotel.  We had about 3 hours to rest there before boarding the bus to go to dinner and a boat cruise on the bay in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.  Dinner was good and since it was included in the cost of the tour we did not have to be concerned about the expense.  We boarded the boat at 9 PM for a 3 hour tour.  The funniest thing was watching us try to get into the immersion/floatation suits that they provided.  We are already bulked up with three layers of clothing and now this bulky suit.  Even with the suit, you could still feel the cold.

Our cruise to search for the Northern Lights

 We cruised around for our allotted time and the weather just did not cooperate so we returned to shore and back to the hotel.  We got back to our rooms a bit after midnight, we had to pack and be ready to have our bags outside our rooms by 8 AM. 

Saturday, 3 February

Mid Atlantic Rift

Europe to the left, Americas to the right

We awoke at 7 AM to see that there was a light covering of snow over the streets below our room’s windows.  We had breakfast then prepared to board the bus for the start of the day’s tour.

The first place we stopped was the site of the first Icelandic congress which was on a plain about an hour outside of Reykjavik.  It was also where the Mid Atlantic rift comes ashore so that you can actually walk between the two tectonic plates on one side the American and the other the Eurasian.

Trying to make a snow angel

Laura was so excited about being in snow that she tried to make a snow angel but the snow was not deep enough for a good impression.

So as I said the groups would gather here to set forth the laws and the chieftains would stand on a large flat rock aptly named “The Law Rock” and they would declare what new laws or rules for the society were established during that session.

Steam from Pingfellir NP

Next we went to Pingfellir National Park which is an area of geothermal activity, there were several geysers, some mud pots and steam vents.  The area had the usual strong sulfur smell.  There was the mandatory gift shop visit and then it was back on the bus for the next stop.

That turned out to be an unscheduled stop to pet and feed some Icelandic horses.  These are full grown horses.  The brown one is 20 years old and the other horse only 8 years old but was retired because she was too dumb to be trained.  Or maybe she was really smart, now she gets to just stand around and be petted and fed treats by tourists.  Regardless, she was very sweet.

Icelandic Horses -the gray horse is Princess - who retired early 

From there, we drove on to several waterfalls to view the melt water from the glaciers running towards the ocean.

After the falls, it was getting dark so we headed to the hotel we were staying in near the village of Vik.

We unpacked what we wished as we will be staying here for several nights and then joined the group for dinner.  The food was good and the company entertaining.  Soon it was time for bed.  We did not have a Northern Lights search scheduled because the weather was so bad.

Sunday, 4 February

Our day started with the telephone ringing, I was thrashing around in the dark trying to find it or a light.  It stopped, I found a light and found the clock which said 8:35 AM, so we jumped up and started pulling on clothes because we were supposed to be on the bus at 8:30.  The tour guide came down and knocked on our door and we said we would be right there.  We did get dressed and dashed to the bus but we were 15 minutes late.  Our seats today were in the front of the bus so at least we did not have to do the Walk of Shame to get to our seats.  We apologized and everyone was good natured about it.  We had about an hour drive in the dark until we reached the LAVA Center which had an introduction and interactive displays to all the volcanic activities under Iceland.  It was very well done.  They even had one part of the hallway between exhibits that shook like you were in an earthquake.  It was cool.

simulated lava flow and a picture of an actual eruption

simulated magna plume

er Iceland

The photos here show an actual eruption on the island, a simulated lava flow and a magna plume from the core up to Iceland.  It was all very dramatic.  The nicest thing was that we were all indoors as it was raining fairly heavily.  The upside of the rain was that the temperature was about 36 degrees so we were not troubled by the cold.  

We had about an hour at the center before we headed back out on the bus to the Skogar Folk Museum.  It was started by a man in the 1930’s who saw that people were throwing away all the old things as they replaced them with newer more modern things.  He thought that these items should be saved so people could see what the past was like.  It was very interesting.  They had a little bit of everything including a collection of various flip-phones.  He collected everything. Outside they even had replicas of the old sod homes that the original residents built and lived in prior to the middle 1900’s.  There are few trees here so building wood houses was not an option.       

Skogar Folk Museum and a replica of a sod house

From there we rode the bus to the Iceware Factory Outlet to see what they had to offer.  They have windows where you can watch down onto the factory floor to see them make many of the products but since it was Sunday there were no workers there except those running the gift shops.  I became a Viking for the day.  We even found a few trolls.  The troll picture is what I think Santa looks like the day after he delivers all the presents to good little boys and girls.  Everything in the shop was very expensive. 

We also visited the grocery store that was attached to the building.  Laura bought several treats to eat on the bus and purchased a bottle of rhubarb jam which was 3 times the size of the one she had  purchased in the gift shop and was 1/3 the price.  Oh well, live and learn.  We had time for lunch there, a beer, a burger, a plate of fish and chips, and a soda came to $54.  Food is expensive when you eat out but we noticed that many of the items in the grocery were close to the price we pay in the states.

After lunch, we headed out for Black Sand Beach.  It was not far from our hotel.  The rain had mostly stopped so we walked down to the beach.  There were basalt columns like those that we saw in Ireland and the sand was very soft and very dark.  The waves were pounding the beach so we were warned not to get close because every year several tourists get swept off the beach and are never recovered.  Off the coast were two large pillars that the our guide said legend says were two trolls that tried to pull a boat ashore to pillage it and were caught by sunrise and turned to stone.  The information placard at the beach said it was two giants so we don’t know who to believe.  We returned to the hotel and had about 90 minutes before dinner.  We ate another good meal and then headed off to our rooms to prepare for tomorrow’s adventures.  Again, no chance of seeing the Northern Lights because the skies were covered in clouds.

Monday, 5 February

Svinafellsjokull Glacier in Skaftafell NP

We were up, breakfasted and on the road by 8 AM.  We had a 2 hour drive to our first destination so it was not very exciting because it was still dark.  Remember sunrise is around 10 AM.  There were some light snow flurries and a little rain but it did not dampen our spirits.  Today’s adventure was all about glaciers and icebergs.  We stopped at a Glacier Centre to view a short video, use the restrooms, and visit the mandatory gift shop.
Our next stop was Skaftafell National Park to see the Svinafellsjokull glcier. We passed the foot of the glacier, then pulled into a parking lot and hiked up the hill to see more of the glacier.  We were not able to get really close to the glacier but we had a great view.

Svinafellsjokull Glacier

When we first got off the bus, we were struck by a pretty strong wind blowing BB-sized pellets of frozen snow into our faces.  It was not pleasant but like the Icelanders say, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes.”  Because 5 minutes later, it was calm and the sun had come out for a brief appearance. 

We left here after about 30 minutes and drove a short distance to where there was a lagoon formed by the meltwater from another glacier.  The glacier was calving icebergs into it and they were flowing out to sea.

The sun came out again and the sky turned blue and we had a wonderful shot of the mountains across the lagoon from where we were standing.

Our next stop was just across the road.  It was another black sand beach but what gave it the name “Diamond Beach” were the chunks of ice which had been broken off the icebergs and swept ashore.  When the sun hit them, it looked like diamonds on a black velvet cloth, if you used your imagination.

After our visit there, it was back on the bus and we headed back towards the hotel.  We made another pit stop at the Glacier Center and passed the Gas Station where we had lunch.  The trip back got a little exciting as it started snowing.  Cars really slowed down on the road until we were passed by a snow plow.  Our hotel is on a hill with a “U” shaped turn halfway up.  There was some concern that the bus would not make it up the hill particularly since there was a car halfway up the hill that was backing down because he could not make it.  But our driver did a great job and delivered us to the doorstep of the hotel in style.   The forecast is for 3 – 4 inches of snow tonight so there is no chance tonight to see the Northern Lights.  Tomorrow night will be our last chance and it looks like we might have some clear skies then.  We have had a leisurely dinner and visited with our fellow travelers.  Now we have to pack up to be ready to leave for the swim in the Blue Lagoon and our return to Reykjavik.

Tuesday, 6 February

We woke up to it continuing to snow.  Because of the continued snowfall the road which we were going to take to get to the Blue Lagoon was closed so we had to take an alternate route.  We had a 2 ½ hour drive from the hotel to get to the Blue Lagoon but even with the snow and the detour our driver got us there on time.  We had 3 hours at the lagoon to eat lunch and then enter the heated waters. 

After our soak, we were back on the bus to go to our last night in Iceland.  We had a farewell dinner in a restaurant with a large seafood buffet.  Laura even ate some whale.  The weather did not cooperate so we were unable to go out on the bay again to try to see the Northern Lights.  Laura says next year we will go to Norway and sleep in glass igloos to see the lights.  So we went back to the hotel bar and had a drink with some of the tour group.  It was an enjoyable evening. 

Wednesday, 7 February

We are up, breakfasted and now waiting for our departure time to the airport.  We leave at 1 PM for the airport and our plane leaves for Seattle at 5 PM.  We are on our way home and will reach Chula Vista late tonight.

So there will be nothing exciting happening today, I think I will close this report.  We hope you enjoyed sharing our trip with us. 

Love to all, George and Laura