I am not a writer. I am not a travel expert. I wrote this as notes to myself and would like to share them. The following is my own personal experience from a trip to Iceland. I believe it was an atypical experience concerning the weather. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer. Enjoy.
Takeaways
The food in Iceland was better than I expected. I was correct in believing the food quality would be better than what I am used to at home in PA, but I thought it would be a little more bland.
The language is very difficult. While hearing Icelandic speakers, I could not even differentiate between words. I did not detect any drawl or inflections, so I would have difficulty in even trying to mimic it.
Although it was the most expensive country I have ever been to, do not let that discourage you from going. There are ways to save. For example, our hotel gave us the choice between a restaurant voucher or food basket. The food basket is enough for breakfast and lunch. We chose to go out to eat more often than we had to because after all, we were in Iceland!
Advice
We flew with WOW Air and payed for priority check in. We got on line as soon as the first announcement was heard. That gets you in line first when boarding, but if getting to the aircraft requires a bus ride, your chance of actually getting on the plane first are greatly diminished.
We had first row to and from Iceland and there is no place to stow a carry-on under the seat for this row. Which seemed like an advantage to me because the carry-on can be larger than normal - it goes in the overhead space. They did not measure or weigh our luggage at the gate.
The duty free shops are the best bargains to be found.
While driving to sights, you will get warm in your clothes on the bus. Even though you will not feel cold at this point, you might by the time you get out of your vehicle and walk to your site. Put your hat and gloves on while walking to the site to conserve heat.
If you are not using your hands, put them in your jacket pockets to conserve heat.
Gear (once again I overpacked, and I am now an Eddie Bauer fan, the clothes were very comfortable and matched)
Hat and scarf - neither of which I wore the entire trip
Viking hat - worn for fun photos
3 pairs of long johns - silk, merino wool and synthetic blend. I wore the silk against my skin all the time. I should have tested different combinations.
3 pairs of gloves - down, wool and silk. I wore just the silk pair about 80% of the time. Although I will not recommend doing that, it allowed me to take photographs.
3 tee shirts which I wore while in the hotel
2 heavy shirts - one fleece lined from Eddie Bauer and one wool lined from Old Navy which I had purchased many years ago but never wore until this trip.
2 pair of Eddie Bauer fleece lined pants - an excellent choice.
1 pair of Eddie Bauer snow pants which I never wore.
2 pairs of socks - silk and cotton, worn in that order every day
Uggs boots - which I call ‘Muggs’ - short for ‘manly’ ‘uggs’. Another excellent choice (after mulling over 7 different pairs while shopping online) Fur and wool lined, very comfortable and stylish.
Eddie Bauer parka - I would still consider a must have even though not worn every day
North Face wind / rain quick dry jacket - my first North Face acquisition. Useful as well as good looking, another purchase I am very happy with.
Slip on spikes - low cost that might save someone from a slip and fall. I only wore them once due to the very low presence of ice along our adventures.
Pentax K-S2 with 18-55 mm f4.0 mm lens and 16 mm F2.0 lens.
Tripod
Panasonic Lumix LX-7
GoPro Hero 3
Memories
I was a bit surprised when Dana said she wanted to go to Iceland for her 50th birthday. She is not fond of even a slight chill when at home. I did not want to disappoint her and thought if she was willing to brave the cold, I could do it also. I think she was inspired by an asian girl we spoke to in Woodstock, N.Y. who raved about her visit to the country. Also, I think the travel books obviously encourage everyone to travel, and one of the taglines I read was “if you are even thinking about going, go”. I tested this line by randomly telling Dana, “if you are thinking about going to the gym, go”, but this version did not have the same results.
I took some GoPro video footage of us packing up our jeep. It was snowing here and for the rest of the drive to Baltimore airport.
Our flight was scheduled for December 6 at 6:00 p.m. It was delayed about 20 minutes, and we did not get to board until much later than that. After getting on to the runway, we sat there until 8:30. I think the airlines has a condition that as long as the plane gets to the runway, the time there does not count towards tardiness. Luckily with a very favorable tail wind the flight was only about 4.5 hours.
I was dressed for temperatures below zero even though I knew I would not be outside for long. I had on all 3 pairs of assorted thermal pants and a pair of fleece lined pants. It was about 27 degrees which I had experienced before, but I had another fear floating around in my head - wind chill. Luckily it was absent throughout our stay.
Day 1 (which ran from Saturday to Sunday night)
Our first stop was at the duty free shop inside Keflavik airport. I had done a little research and knew this was bargain town. I purchased a six pack of Viking beer, a bottle of Brennivin, 6 assorted mini bottles, 2 different brand chocolate bars and what I thought was black licorice. I was very hot and going on 20 hours with no sleep, but powered by excitement.
 |
| $59.70 kronur |
We had bus reservations with Reykjavik Excursions to and from all our stops thanks to Dana the planner. Our bus stop inside the city of Reykjavik was number 7, which stayed our stop for every pickup / dropoff throughout the trip. The stop was 2 blocks from our hotel but I still surveyed our surroundings keenly to prevent any unnecessary walking. When we arrived at the Reykjavik Residence, or room was not ready. They offered us a free breakfast pass at Port 9 until then. Port 9 is a beautiful bar that is hidden behind the hotel. It was our first meal in Iceland and one that I enjoyed so much that I returned 3 more times and ordered the same thing. Ordering a number 4 will get you a generous portion of scrambled eggs, on top of smoked salmon, on top of a seeded whole grain bread slice. Also included is bread with jam and butter, a small serving of fruit and a cup of granola oatmeal.
 |
| Port 9 |
Going on about 25 hours with no sleep, we finally made it in our room and slept for a long 3 hours. Reason for that was the market which was only open on Sundays until 5 p.m. There is one thing I have figured out about Dana - she can shop longer than I can do anything.
 |
| Kolaportid Flea Market |
The market was about 5 blocks from our hotel. I was thrilled to see my first Icelandic scenery - a mountain visible down one of the side streets. The market was another ‘bargain town’, the last of it’s kind. Inside there were food merchants who carried all types of fish and Icelandic goodies. Private sellers who sold collections, coins, carved sperm whale teeth, records, jewelry and wool sweaters - which the country is known for. We were told that all the sweaters in the market were hand made, one of which Dana acquired. Knowing my luggage space was minimal I picked up a silver coin, an old Icelandic coin, a patch of the Iceland flag and 2 types of dried fish. I knew I would like the dried fish but did not get to enjoy any of it due to it’s strong odor. We were cautioned not to eat such foods while on the tour busses. The catfish is tasty but tricky to eat.
The sun only lasts from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. When we left the market, I walked across a busy street to take a few pictures of the ‘Icelandic Navy’. It was actually just a Coast Guard ship as Iceland has no navy. The sun was setting and we decided to walk around the city. We passed a few interesting places - The Laundromat Cafe, the American Bar, and an ice skating rink. (we would have trouble finding this location again). Along the way I tried to snap a couple of pictures with horrible results. I started to damn my new Pentax camera. A lesson was being learned here. We stopped at a place called Salka Valka on the way to the church. It was a small cafe that had delicious dishes at reasonable prices (for Iceland). It was my second meal in Iceland and dispelled my misgivings about ‘bland food’ I was surprised to see turnips as part of the vegetable mix. We have plenty of turnips grown in our home town of Akron, and I asked Dana why we never get them on our restaurant plates back home. It was one of those rare times she did not have an answer.
After dinner we continued up the street towards Hallgrimskirkja, a church which was visible from the beginning of the street. I snapped a couple of pictures and continued to damn my new camera.
Day 2
Up early for the Golden Circle Tour. 15 minutes from bus stop 7 to the Reykjavik Excursions hub. Then onboard a larger bus carrying a total of 50 passengers.
The sky was slowly getting light and our first stop was a tomato farm / horse ranch. The farm grow tons of tomatoes each year with the help of imported bees and they do not use pesticides because there are no pests! It is geothermal powered and glows yellow outside and green inside the building. It was a short visit but before we left Dana spoke to the horses and I snapped a couple of pictures with my point and shoot. By now I was totally going with my old reliable Panasonic Lumix.
 |
| Fredheimar |
The second stop of the tour was the geyser Strokkur. Upon exiting the bus, some beautiful photos of the sun rising presented themselves. 20 years ago I may have had no interest but now I was ready. And it did not disappoint. I hope most people are not like me in thinking watching a geyser may be borish. It was exciting as well as inspiring to at least learn a little bit more about them. The first very steamy spot we stopped in front of was the geyser that rarely goes off. Dana was aware of the geyser but amusingly did not know which one it was. After seeing the geyser a little further from us go off twice, I decided it was time to move on to that one. I filmed it with both my GoPro and my Lumix from opposite sides. One facing the sun and one with the sun at my back. To get into position I had to walk on some ice and braved it without my slip-on spikes. It was a short distance and well worth it. From this vantage point I could see the water actually bubble up before the release of steam high into the air. With plenty of time left, we headed to the restaurant / gift shop. I chose lamb soup over the fish and glad I tried it. The meat looked undercooked, but it was very tasty and very hot. After eating we took one more look at the geyser and witnessed another release - this time a double release!
On to the third stop which was Gullfoss - Golden Falls. About 50 steps down brings you to one of two vantage points. The falls are enormous as is the area it spills onto. There is a lot to see and I survey sights like this to try to ‘see’ everything that my eye is showing me. This is the first out of only 2 times where my silk gloves were not adequate. My fingers were cold but I had to get some photos. After walking back up the 50 steps, we arrived at the second vantage point. This point I believe was a little closer to the actual falls and allowed us to get a better idea of the size of the falls.
The fourth and last stop was Thingvellir National Park. On the way to the parking area, we were able to see the fault between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. I saw a little ice near the parking lot and decided to slip on my spikes - this was the only time I wore them. The trail is not long and there was no need to back track - the bus met us at the end of the trail. Along the trail were views of the beautiful landscapes that stretched a full 360 degrees. From snow capped mountains, placid lakes and a small building. This is also the only place I saw a drone, something I was considering to purchase while planning for the trip but did not have time to do so.
That night after the tour we shopped and ate at Cafe Loki. I had fish and we shared the dessert - rye bread ice cream, while enjoying a good view of the church. More shopping capped the night off.
Day 3
Started off with a proper breakfast at Port 9. Inside the bar some of the walls are painted green and along one side of the is a green upholstered bench seat. Music included Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra. After that bit of fine dining we boarded a bus for the Blue Lagoon. It is about a 40 minute ride to Grindavik, where the Blue Lagoon is located. While walking to the entrance, it started to lightly rain. This is the only time it rained during our entire trip. Once inside we got on a line for guests with special passes - we were the only ones, thanks Dana! Instructions were given on locker use, bracelets, and dressing rooms. Showers are mandatory and I even saw some funny cards in gift shops which read ‘you gotta take ‘em off’. I was out first waiting for Dana in my robe at the meeting place. I was actually hoping Dana would take longer or I would try to talk her into giving me some more time to build up steam. Nope. She was ready. There were 2 ways to enter the water, walk down a ramp inside the waiting room into the water or go out the main doors in the cold, and then down a ramp. Dana spotted hooks outside the main doors to hang up robes much to my dismay. We were going outside, we were going head on into the cold. It is funny how people react including myself, to a few minutes of discomfort. I put on a brave face and actually it wasn’t too bad. The floor was cold to my feet and the air outside wasn’t mean at all. It was about 37 degrees out that day and the water temperature is about 100. The whole experience was a lot of fun and I would recommend everyone take a dip. I had my GoPro and spent much time filming after I cleared up the screen lock up by pulling the battery. I intend to make a video presentation of our trip. I had Dana take the camera and spin in a circle. I filmed her going in and out - to which made me swear no one would ever get to see. We walked around the Lagoon, which is large enough that we didn’t get to explore every spot. We stayed under a little bridge for a while and made it over to the bar for our free drink. Dana chose some type of smoothie and I chose prosecco. The busses ran a quarter past every hour. The time was about 1pm and Dana decided to get out. I followed about 20 minutes later.
That night was Dana’s birthday dinner. After choosing a place called Messin we began to walk to our destination. Along the way we encountered a block that was a tiny bit slippery. Upon arriving at Messin which had just opened, we looked at the menu and both of us were not too excited about it so we decided to find another place. This was a chore. Tired, hungry and stopping to read every menu in the dark. The Nepalese Kitchen had bagan alu on the menu (one of my favorites) but was closed. We ended up at a restaurant called ‘Your Heart’s Delight’ about 2 blocks from our hotel.
Three hours later we were on our first Superjeep Tour chasing the northern lights. It had been cloudy earlier in the day, but the tour was on. I took my Pentax and tripod along, I had to. It was the reason for buying the damn thing. Ekard (or that is what it sounded like) was our driver. Our first stop was only 20 minutes later and this would be the best sighting of the lights. It appears as a soft glow. My camera is much more sensitive than the human eye though and I captured a few decent pictures. I wore my viking hat for a few of them. After a few more hours of chasing the lights, we ended up at a crossroad for some hot chocolate and vodka. It was dark and the stars were out in force.
When we got back to the hotel, it was late but I looked through my pictures from the Pentax and my confidence in using it was restored. I may have had a little snack and a drink before bed, but I was watching the clock - we had a long tour the next day.
Day 4
We walked the block to bus stop 7. Super Jeep stopped and picked us up. We were it, no other passengers. Logi was our driver today. We were each other’s captured audience. It was nice to be able to speak to an Icelander. He told us that Icelander’s are taught Icelandic, Danish and English in school I asked him about the EU and he said they are not part of the EU and didn’t feel that they had much in common with any countries in the union. Dana asked him about the church denomination and he said they are a mix of Lutheran and Christian but on paper only.
On the way to the first stop, we were able to see Eyjafjallajokull. This is the only word I learned on our trip. It is actually made up of three separate words which mean island, mountain and glacier. This is the volcano which erupted in 2010 and put Iceland on the map.
Our first stop was Seljalandsfoss. It was tucked away along the road on our left side. Our driver stopped and let us out. The falls face west and there was no sun on it at this time of day. This was one of the rare occasions I felt a chill. I took some pictures with the Pentax on a tripod. My skills and speed on the settings had to improve and they were. The only hand protection I usually wore were a pair of silk gloves. Manipulating the camera buttons was their only strong point.
The second stop was at a black sand beach. It is so scenic there, I started taking pictures before the main attraction. We were warned about sneaker waves and we did witness 3 asian girls get soaked. Lucky for them that was the worst of it. The scene at this location is otherworldly. The mountain on the black sand beach has a vertical pattern of rock columns. Jutting out of the shore are natural stone sentinels. I have some great photos from this area and found out that this area was used for a few scenes on Game of Thrones. I took a few pictures in HDR which is 4 pictures combined by the camera processor. These type of photos appear very high in contrast while maintaining color saturation. One odd effect though, is the ‘aura’ that surrounds Dana and I. Our guide walked with us on the beach as the powerful waves crashed and in the distance we saw our next destination - the southern-most point of Iceland - a raised flat topped island.
It took about 15 minutes to get onto the island. The path up there was snow covered. Once at the top, our guide walked with us and brought along his own camera. He had commented a few times on how beautiful and clear this day was. On one side is a scene that was difficult to take all in. The sea sending white crashing waves on a black sand beach. A small mountain beside the island. Trails along the shore. And majestic mountains in the distance. After crossing a small patch of ice, the next point of interest was the arch rising out of the sea, another natural wonder formed by erosion. I had difficulty taking a clear picture due to a heavy mist in the air. Once on the other side of the small mountain, our previous location was visible. It was just as engrossing seen from afar. Before we left the island, I took more pictures of the silent sentinel - a lighthouse. It was stark and vigilant.
Onto our last stop of the tour - Skogafoss. There is a restaurant with a view of the falls and we decided to have lunch first. It is part of the Hotel Skogafoss. Dana and I both ordered the arctic char and it was an excellent choice. After clearing our plates, we went for a better view of the falls. The sun was setting and lighting up the falls for some beautiful pictures. I decided this was my favorite of all the falls I have seen. As was the case with most stops, there were not many many people as this is the off-season. I took pictures to my heart’s delight and have some with no people present. It was a great way to wrap up the day and though difficult to choose, this became my favorite tour of the trip. The road back to the hotel had some pretty views, which pink skies from the setting sun. I have a nice short clip of the jeep’s shadow racing across the land.
We had a little extra time to sleep this morning. We started off at Port 9 once again and I tried to take it all in, knowing that this would be the last breakfast of the trip. I heard Louis Armstrong singing again and I was delighted. After filling up, our first stop was Hallgrimskirkja, a lutheran church. It is stark inside and the elevator ride up the few levels seemed slow. After exiting the elevator, there were windows and several flights of stairs. We walked the rest of the way to the top and once there, had excellent views of the city. The sun was out but not strong yet. After photos insdie we exited the church and took a few more photos outside of the statue of Leif Eriksson. The inscription on the back honors him for his discovering of Vinland - the northern coast of the United States of America.
 |
| view from top of the church |
It was a short walk from the church to the shore to see a sculpture called the The Sun Voyager. In the background across the water, the mountain summits appeared pink while being illuminated by the rising sun. After waiting for a few tourists to leave the site, I was once again able to take photos of Dana and I sans others.
 |
| The Sun Voyager |
Dana had some more shopping to do and we had some time before our appointment with Mink. This studio provides customers with convincing scenery and clothing from the Viking age. I wore a heavy chainmail shirt and other accoutrements including a sword, shield and shiv. The photo session lasted a little over an hour and I was glad to take the heavy garment off. I was actually getting warm even while wearing it. To take armor off, help is needed. There is no way to push through an arm if the armor has any turns in it.
Dana and I walked the city streets of Reykjavik. We saw a very interesting barber shop, local art on building walls, and a kitty on a reindeer inside a shop window. We also listened to a song by what must have been a high school chorus.
Our last hurrah was at a restaurant recommended by our driver Logi, called Grill Market. They served mink whale there which we both wanted to try. The meal was delicious and it was a very pleasant experience. They also serve reindeer (which I overheard the couple next to us raving about), horse and puffin.
Our last night at the hotel was spent packing. It is never fun, but it went well. We were both able to fit everything we brought plus our purchases into our luggage.
The next morning we stopped at Port 9 once again. The restaurant is consistently excellent. One last stop at bus stop 7 and our last bus ride back to the airport in Keflavik. We did not have to wait on any lines and did some more shopping in the duty free shop. We picked up some alcohol and I grabbed another jar of salted black licorice. I am not a salt addict, but I found this treat very addicting and try to only eat one at a time. I also grabbed a bottle of Bjork, a birch flavored liqueur.
The plane left on time but this flight took six and a half hours. It went rather quickly though. We spoke to Andre, a fellow traveller who was returning to Baltimore from Frankfurt.
After spending a beautiful week in Iceland with good weather, we returned to our car in the Baltimore Airport parking lot only to find it with a layer of snow!
No comments:
Post a Comment