Intro
We traveled to Iceland after 1 ½ years of no cruising due to COVID. Until our flight left the US to go to Iceland, we really weren’t sure if we would make it. With the COVID resurgence due to the Delta Variant it looked like everything might get shut down again. While several European countries closed their borders again to Americans, Iceland continued to allow tourists to visit – if you were vaccinated and provided a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of your trip. We were thrilled to head off on a cruise again, but you must remain flexible in today’s COVID world and not be too surprised when things get cancelled or new requirements are given to you. We made this trip with 8 other brave travelers, who also were ready to get out again and discover the world. The group had all booked a 7-night ocean cruise on the Viking Jupiter which was doing a round trip out of Reykjavik around Iceland, making 6 different port stops. Prior to the cruise all 10 of us came 2 days early to further explore more of Iceland from Reykjavik. After the cruise, 4 of us were staying for 3 more days to try and catch the Northern Lights in an exclusive hotel 1 ½ hours out of the city.
Day 1 – The Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik
When our plane arrived, we were picked up by Stefan our guide we had found from Tours by Locals. We had looked at several guides in the area and liked the information about him from his bio on this site. He turned out to be a great guide and a great choice to help us further explore Iceland. If you ever go to Iceland, please let us know and we will give you his contact information. We arrived at the Keflavik airport before 8 AM on September 5th. It was a relatively short flight (6 hours) considering normal US to Europe flights.
Prior to Stefan taking us to our hotel we had arranged a stop at the Blue Lagoon. Reykjavik is about 45 minutes from the airport and the Blue Lagoon is only about 15 minutes from the airport. None of our group had been to the Blue Lagoon previously – Sharon and Greg were the only ones to have been to Iceland before, spending 3 days at 3 different ports on a transatlantic cruise about 4 years ago. The Blue Lagoon is the premier hot springs in Iceland. It was originally created back in 1970 as a byproduct of a power plant who was dumping out the excess hot mineral water it used to heat fresh water for the homes in the area. They were dumping this excess mineral water into a lava field but due to the high silica clay content, this water did not just drain away into the lave rock. The minerals clogged these porous rocks, causing the water to fill a large lagoon like area. Local Icelanders began to come to this “hot water spring” as a bathing area and enjoyed this heavy mineral based water without the sulfur smell that is present in many hot springs. Over the years the Power Authority fenced off the lagoon, built a changing shed and began charging a fee for admittance. It was called the Blue Lagoon because of the milky blue appearance when sunlight shown on it. As time went on it became a tourist attraction as it was included in many guidebooks. The Power Authority eventually sold the rights to a private group who built the current buildings back in the 1990’s and created a world renown spa. The admittance price rose to the point that no Icelanders go there now, and it is considered a tourist trap by locals, but all the tourists seem to really enjoy the water and do not feel the price is too bad.
Our group had a great time there. We had purchased the “premium tickets” prior to arrival that entitled us to admittance, towel, robe, slippers, one free drink and 3 free mud treatments. We had a great time wading around in the very warm water while the temperature outside was around 50 degrees. You got your drinks from the lagoon bar by wading up and ordering whatever you wanted. The mud treatments were 3 different mineral applications (white, black and green silica) that you put on your face to rejuvenate it. We all felt really rejuvenated when we left 2 hours later after having a very memorable experience!
Stefan then took us off to our hotel – the Holt Hotel – in downtown Reykjavik near the center of town where there were many of the restaurants, bars, and local attractions. We arrived at the hotel around 1 PM and were trying to stay up if possible to avoid the jet lag you feel if your sleep cycle gets out of whack. After checking in several of us did a little tour of the city spending a lot of time at the Hallgrimskirkja Church. This is the iconic Lutheran Church designed back in the 1930’s and stands over 250 feet tall. It took almost 40 years to complete the construction of this church. You can go to the top of this church which has an observation area and see 50 miles in each direction. In front of the church is a statue of Lief Erickson who is certainly believed by all Icelanders to be the founding father of North America having sailed there 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Lief’s grandfather and father were some of the early Viking founders of Iceland having been exiled there from Norway over a thousand years ago.
Day 2 – Snaefellsnes Peninsula
While Stefan took the rest of our group to the Golden Circle for a day tour, Sharon and Greg decided to take a tour to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which is just north of Reykjavik. We had taken the Golden Circle tour on our previous trip to Iceland. This turned out to be a great decision as the rain came down in buckets around the Golden Circle and only a few sprinkles were found on the peninsula tour. We found this small group tour by Troll Expeditions on Viator.
After stopping for a coffee and snack in Borgarnes, our group headed out to Kirkjufell which is small crater looking mountain. By the mountain is a very picturesque waterfall called Kirkjufellsfoss. Icelandic names are long and a very descriptive. Foss in Icelandic means waterfall and this name basically means the waterfall of Kirkjufell. Most waterfalls, glaciers, volcanos, lagoons, and rivers are named in the same fashion. The waterfall was really very nice, and we took many pictures with the mountain in the background.
We also passed by an area where they collect the sheep each fall. It is a series of gated areas built in a circle where the sheep are herded and separated. The sheep are allowed to freely graze (without fences or barriers) in the mountains and surrounding areas in the summer and then they have an annual roundup where the farmers gather all sheep in their area and herd them to this gated area. Once there the sheep are identified by markers in their ears to know which sheep belong to which farmer. Each farmer then takes all their sheep back to their farms to collect the wool and butcher some of their stock. This roundup on the Peninsula was set to begin in 2 days from when we visited.
One of our favorite stops was at Djupalonssandur Black Sand Beach. It seems almost all Iceland beaches have black sand which is comprised of crumbled lava rock and ash from the many volcanic eruptions that Iceland has had over the centuries. This beach was the jumping off point of fisherman in the area. As you walk down to the beach, there is an area with 4 different sized rocks. The fisherman would lift these rocks to determine their strength and what type of job they could get on the boats. The weights ranged from a 335 pound “full strength” rock to a 50 pound “weakling” rock. Walking a little further to the water you came across many pieces of wreckage from an English fishing boat that wrecked there 75 years ago. As you got close to the water it was amazing to see all the smooth rounded black stones that made up most of the beach area. These stones are called black lava “pearls” (djupalonsperlur) and you cannot take any, as they are protected by the Icelandic government. All around the beach are high sea stacks and a row jagged peaks which makes this an extremely photogenic place.
We also visited other places on this tour such as a lava crater, church, and lava fields before making the long drive back to Reykjavik. It was certainly an interesting tour as it allowed us to see another part of Iceland.
Back at the hotel we shared stories with the other members of our group and went out to have a dinner at one of the many restaurants.
Day 3 – The South Coast
Stefan picked us up early on Day 3 along with all our luggage to take us on a long 10-hour tour to Iceland’s famous South Coast. After the tour he dropped us off at the ship to check in for our 7-night cruise. As we drove a few hours out of town Stefan educated us on geothermal plants and entertained us with Icelandic sagas. He was quite informative, and we enjoyed his tour immensely. If you are coming to Iceland in the future, let us know and we will give you his contact information.
Our first stop was Skogafoss, which was another impressive waterfall in Iceland. It is not as large as some of the other falls we have seen but had its own unique beauty. It also had a very colorful rainbow around it that made it very fun to take many pictures trying to get it with the best angle.
After visiting the waterfall, we headed to Eyjafjallajokul. This is the glacier on Eyjafjoll mountain which was made famous when this volcano erupted in 2010 halting European air traffic for several months. This volcano put Iceland on the world map for a lot of people. As we parked in the lot for the glacier, we were told that originally the parking lot was built right next to the glacier. Now you must hike 10-15 minutes to see the glacier because global warming has caused the glacier to recede by 1000 feet every year! It was interesting to see our first glacier in Iceland and watch people hike the glacier with the special spikes placed on their shoes and the small picks they hold to move along the glacier surface. We are scheduled to do a glacier walk tour after the cruise – weather permitting.
On our way to Vik, the largest city in the area, we stopped at Dyrholaey Promontory. This is a unique nature reserve with a lighthouse on it that has an amazing view a large natural arch in the water. This is an iconic picture seen from the beach below. The view high up in this reserve is really quite amazing and the wind was very gusty.
We then drove to Vik for a quick bite to eat and a little shopping. We also viewed a local church in the area before we headed out to the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. This a beautiful beach with both fine black sand and rocks. From there was a great view in the distance of the arch we had seen from the promontory an hour or so before. Surrounding the beach was also a large cave and basalt columns. These hexagonal columns were naturally formed and appear very similar to what can be on Ireland’s famous Giant’s Causeway. Care must be taken when walking on Iceland’s beaches as the currents are extremely strong and the water is very deceptive on how far inland it can come. Several tourists have been sucked out to sea over the years and once out there it is extremely difficult to get back while in the frigid waters.
On our way to our last stop we found a herd of Icelandic horses on the side of the road. We had requested that Stefan stop if he found a place, so our group could take some pictures of these very interesting animals. Although they were imported in from Norway over a 1000 years ago, they have maintained their unique heritage. No other horses are allowed to be imported and even an Icelandic horse that leaves the country cannot come back in later in order to ensure the breed remains pure. It is a great riding horse and work horse. We took many pictures of these beautiful animals.
Our last stop was Seljalandsfoss which was a waterfall we initially passed in hopes of getting better pictures once the sun was higher up in the sky than the early morning when we first passed it. It turned out to be a great decision even though a rain cloud threatened to ruin some of our pictures. This waterfall was even more interesting because you could walk behind it without getting too wet. Our group had a great time taking the little hike through the waterfalls and taking more pictures.
Sadly, this was the end of our tour and we headed to the cruise port to board our ship. We were blessed with some great weather throughout the day. For the most part it was sunny with just an occasional sprinkle. When you travel to Iceland you have to be prepared for good days and bad days. The day before most of our group had a wet and windy day in the Golden Circle. This day was beautiful with mostly sun and little wind. Who knows what the other days will yield for weather although the forecast continues to look bad? (delete)
Day 4 – Reykjavik from the Cruise Ship
Originally our group had planned this as a Blue Lagoon spa day but because of recent COVID restrictions no independent excursions are allowed once you are checked into the ship. Instead, we decided to take an excursion around the area guided by a photographer who could provide good picture taking opportunities and some insight on how to take the best pictures while in Iceland. While the excursion was very good it certainly fell short in providing good photographic insight. We saw a very nice natural hot springs area where the steaming water rose through small cracks into the earth and flowed with cooler fresh water from the mountains. The colors in this hot spring were vivid and the bubbling water made this a very interesting place to stop and take pictures. We passed by the active volcano that just began erupting in March this year. Our guide pointed out the parking lots filled with cars of people who hike up the volcano to get a close shot of the flowing lava. We hope to do that in 7 days from now when we depart the ship and have a rental car to go exploring.
After stopping for a little lunch at a local café, we made a couple of stops along the beach where you could see old lave flows that had gone in the ocean. Once again you could see the black sand beaches and black rocks, we were becoming accustomed to. There also were some unique rock formations formed by this flowing lava. At one of the stops we saw the oldest Iceland lighthouse still standing (built in 1908) on top of a hill and you could also see the remnants of the original lighthouse located a little ways away that was the first lighthouse built in Iceland back in 1878.
We stopped to look at the geothermal power plant in the area that provides hot water to the home on the peninsula. This hot fresh water is used to heat the homes in Reykjavik. It was impressive to see the steady stream of steam coming out of the large stacks at the plant. Around the plant you could see many vent holes where steam was rising from the hot water that seems to rise out of the earth in so many places around Iceland. There is a local Aluminum manufacturing plant very near this power plant. Iceland has been trying to entice energy intensive industries to build plants in Iceland to take advantage of their cheap energy.
We made a final stop on our way back to the ship to see the bridge between continents. The Euroasia and North American plates come in contact in Iceland. There are a few places in Iceland that you can walk between these two continents. They say that the gap between these plates widens by 2 mm (0.1”) each year. Where we stopped, they have a bridge that crosses over these “plates”. You can take some fun pictures holding up the bridge between continents.
Once back on the ship we watched our sail away out of Reykjavik heading to our first stop in Isafjordur.
Day 5 – Isafjordur
We arrived at our first port in Isafjordur which is the largest city in the West Fjords, a region of Iceland in the northwest corner of the country. In the morning we went on an included Viking bus tour which first took us by the stone walls which guard the city from avalanches. We then visited a mountain stream and series of waterfalls coming down the mountainside. This is something you see everywhere in Iceland. The ice melt from on top of the mountains creates thousands of waterfalls and streams all over Iceland. Some of these waterfalls are huge and others are small but may still drop several hundred feet. Around the stream we were shown all the wild blueberries that seem to grow everywhere.
We then drove through a tunnel to a small city on the other side of the mountain where there was a small fishing town of less than 900 people. We were told how this town prospered by catching cod out in the Atlantic, almost halfway between Iceland and Greenland. These fish are huge (some can be as big as a man) and are caught on hooks that are inches long. A large fish processing plant is in the town and almost everyone in the town is involved in the fishing industry in some way or another. We were amazed to see a small 9-hole golf course in this town and were told that golf is played all over Iceland. It is strange that this sport would be so popular in a country were the weather is typically very cold during most of the year.
After finishing this tour, we went off to our second planned tour which was an ATV excursion up into the surrounding mountains. We picked up the ATV’s just a few blocks from the ship pier and rode the vehicles down the small streets to the outside of town. The paths we were on outside of town were made of lava rock gravel. Lava rock is seen throughout Iceland and at times it is in the form of gravel or larger rocks or large slabs. We drove up the mountainside to get some great views of the town and our ship below. Fortunately, it was not too windy and we were told the previous week they couldn’t even get off the vehicles on top of the mountain because the wind would blow the people down. This was a great excursion to see the surrounding countryside and get a great view from above.
Day 6 – Akureyri
Our next stop in Akureyri was on the northern coast of Iceland and is located down a long fjord. In the morning we took an excursion to go out and see Godafoss waterfall which is a huge waterfall in northern Iceland. We had seen it once before, but the weather had been terrible with a cold bitter rain. This time we were able to see it with some great weather and get some really good pictures of the falls. The falls are very accessible, and you can get some magnificent photos from different places along the banks.
After viewing the falls, we went to see a turf house which was where many Icelanders lived 100 years ago. These houses have dirt walls and grass roofs. Although they look relatively small from the outside, they are quite large inside. The house we went into seemed to be many interconnecting houses. There were probably 12 different rooms inside this large house, and it was furnished very nicely. It would have been a pretty comfortable place to live. These were primarily farmhouses that were scattered around the country.
Day 7 – Seydisafjordur
The night before arriving at our next port we were informed about an approaching hurricane – Larry. We were told this hurricane was going to create some bad weather and large waves out on the ocean. Because of this our next port stop was going to be reduced in length of time staying there and the last two port stops were being cancelled. Who knew hurricanes get to Iceland – Caribbean certainly – but Iceland??? This was obviously disappointing news, but we had come to Iceland a few days early and some of us planned to stay a few days later.
When we arrived in Seydisafjordur the next morning we went off on an included walking tour. We were told how this was one of the closest ports to Norway and many items were imported in from there. They even purchased homes from Norway that came as material kits which were assembled in this city. The cost of these homes today is around $400,000 for a relatively small house. We were shown the downtown area that consisted of a few shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. The townspeople wanted to paint the downtown area to brighten things up, but the mayor didn’t think it was a good idea. The people went out one night and painted the downtown cobblestone road in rainbow stripes. It really provides a quite a unique appearance along with the some of the houses that also were painted very artfully.
We were then told about the massive avalanche/landslide they had just last year. It destroyed about 20% of the town and people were in their homes when the avalanche occurred. Some of these homes with people in them were pushed out towards the water. It is a miracle that there were no deaths during this event. It is also amazing how quickly the town has recovered, and you can hardly see too much left of this landslide just 9 months later. If it wasn’t for the pictures showing the damage and the huge scars seen on the mountain sides, you wouldn’t even know it had happened.
Day 8 – Cruising to beat the hurricane
We spent the next day cruising instead of visiting a port. It was great to have a day of rest after doing so many excursions over the previous week. Our group got together and had dinner together. Many of our group booked future Viking cruises while on board. Viking has a pretty good deal if you book cruises on the ship – you get both a discount for the future cruise and an immediate Shipboard Credit on the current cruise. Certainly, something to consider if you are on a Viking cruise.
Day 9 - Reykjavik Again!
Well with our arrival again in Reykjavik a day early, the Viking team scrambled to put together a few excursions. We took one that provided a transportation and a ticket to see the Fly Over Iceland show. This was like a Universal/MGM ride where they buckled you into a car and physically flew over much of Iceland. There were breathtaking views of waterfalls as you flew over the top. You saw the lava spewing down the mountain’s sides. We had great sights of the Icelandic horses running through the fields and the many farms spread out through the countryside. It was a very fun way to see areas of Iceland we hadn’t yet see and remember a few of the sights we had already seen. A certainly worthwhile experience.
Day 10 – Hotel Ranga
We all disembarked from the cruise in the morning and took a private shuttle to the airport. Six of our group checked into their flights back to the US while four of us stayed on to see a few more things and try to catch the Northern Lights. The Richarts and Conrads rented a car at the airport to take us around the southern side of Iceland for the next 3 days. Before leaving the airport area we stopped by a nearby health facility to get a COVID test. Even though we had been taking daily COVID tests on board the Viking Jupiter and the ship had provided test results for all passengers to show when reentering the US, our departure time and date were too far out for these to be allowed for US reentry. We had to take a COVID test sometime after 9:30 AM to have valid test results which meant we had to wait about 30 minutes to have our test before going out and continuing our trip in Iceland. Welcome to travel during COVID times!
After getting our negative COVID test results we headed out to hike the active volcano. Around 3 months prior to our trip Fagradalsfjall volcano near the airport became active and started spewing out lava in some relatively isolated areas of Iceland. We wanted to see this fresh lave flow if possible since there were some good observation areas near this active crater. Fortunately, during one of our previous excursions we had driven by the parking lot we needed to stop at and the guide provided some good information on where to hike. We arrived at the parking lot in about 20 minutes from the COVID test facility and really couldn’t see any activity from the volcano on our drive there. It took us just about 30 minutes of hiking to get to the fresh lava flow. It was really fascinating, and you could walk out on this lava and seem steam coming up through some of the crevices. We learned later that there was certainly fresh hot lava flowing through tunnels under our feet. If the crust on top had fallen, which can happen, we would be toasty little critters. Another lesson learned! From the fresh lava fields, we continued to hike up to the observation areas a few miles up the mountain. It was not an easy hike and quite frankly a little disappointing once you got to the top although the pictures were certainly better from this vantage point. Although you could see the crater much better, with the smoke billowing out, you couldn’t really see any flowing lava except for a little pink shade in the smoke. It was still interesting to see an active volcano by just hiking up the mountainside. We later learned that on the following day they closed the trails because the lava was flowing so much there were safety concerns regarding any nearby hikers. We were at least able to get an up-close view of the volcano even if it wasn’t overly active. (I guess you really don’t want it TOO active!).
From there we went to Raufarhólshellir to see the largest lava tunnel in the area. We put on hard hats to go underground and learn all about lava tubes. This is where we learned that we were most likely walking on top of flowing lava at the Fagradalsfjall volcano. You could see various colors in the tunnel walls which indicated whether there was iron, copper or some other metal composing the wall material. These tunnels were very wet with water dripping from the roofs. In some places the roofs had caved in and you could see outside. We were told the tunnels ran for miles although they had only created a walkway to go in about a ½ mile. The walkways were very impressive throughout the tunnel to allow people to get a good view of a real lava tube.
From the lava tunnel we headed to Hotel Ranga to check in for our stay to see the Northern Lights. This was recommended by our guide Stefan prior to our trip and as we did further research, we saw that it was the premier hotel in Iceland to try and view the Northern Lights. They even provide you a wakeup call late at night if the Northern Lights are seen while you are sleeping. The hotel has hot tubs outside so you can view the lights while you soak in the nice warm water. Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Larry the weather was very overcast, and we would never see the Aurora Borealis on this trip. Because of this weather forecast we canceled our 3rd night at the Hotel Ranga and booked our last night before our flight out at a hotel near the airport. The restaurant in the hotel is extremely nice and people even outside the hotel try to get reservations there for their excellent food. We had dinner there the first night and really enjoyed the meal although it was VERY expensive. It is certainly a very nice hotel to stay at if you are searching for the Northern Lights!
Day 11 – Glacier and Glacier Lagoons
The next morning, we got up early and headed out to see Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon which was almost a 4-hour drive from our hotel. This glacier lagoon was created by melting of the Vatnajokull glacier. This is the largest glacier in Iceland and the largest in Europe. We had a 1pm tour scheduled to do a Glacier Walk and since we arrived a little early, we took a quick visit to Diamond Beach. This is a black sand beach with chunks of ice on the beach. Ice that falls off the glacier floats through lagoon and goes out into the ocean where the tide will bring these large pieces of ice on to the black sand. This is a unique sight to see around one hundred “ice sculptures” slowing melting on the beach. The black sand provides such a great contrast, and it is called Diamond Beach because ice can look like diamonds glistening in the black sand.
After our visit to Diamond Beach, we went to meet our group for our Glacier Walk. We had booked this excursion through Ice Explorers who used Super Jeeps to drive you close to the glacier to begin your hike. Super jeeps have extremely large tires and have exhausts that periscope high over the cars roof to allow these vehicles to go through deep water and rough terrain. When we got off the cheap, we still had a 20-minute walk to get to the glacier. Before stepping on to the ice we were outfitted with crampons on our shoes, helmets on our heads and belt harness around our waist in case we fell into a crevice and needed to be hauled out! The crampons had many 2-inch spikes which dug into the ice as you walked along the glacier. We hiked the glacier for about 3 hours and learned much about the glaciers. You can see the glacier melting everywhere and creating small mini streams that flow along the surface. These small streams cause crevices in the glacier that might run hundreds of feet deep. The depth of the glacier can be up to one thousand feet in some areas. Due to global warming the glacier continues to recede, and the glacier lagoon continues to get bigger. Before our hike was over we were taken to an ice cave. The glacier walk and the ice cave were highlight of the tour. The cave was eerie with the blue glow of the ice on the roof of the cave. A heavily flowing river ran down the middle of the cave with ice cold water. The cave offered so many unique views and the ice was so crystal clear along the walls. If you ever get to Iceland, make sure you visit the ice cave on the eastern side of this glacier.
We had a zodiac trip planned to go over the glacier lagoon, but we were so wet and tired after the glacier walk, we decided to cancel it. We took a few more glacier lagoon pictures and headed back to the Hotel Ranga. We needed to some gas for our long drive back but many of the gas pumps are self-serve only. At the first self-serve pump we stopped at we were unable to get it to accept any of our US credit cards. We were told there was a station at a café about 45 minutes down the road and we weren’t sure the café would be open when we got there – and we really needed gas to make it back to the hotel. We made it to the gas pump before the café closed and as it turned out we didn’t even need any help as this pump took our credit card with no problem. Before arriving at the hotel, we made a stop in Vik for a late dinner. By the time we got back to the hotel it was late and we were tired. (Thanks, Mac, for driving all that way!)
Day 12 – Thorsmork
Our last day in Iceland! We took an 8-hour tour, booked through Mid Gard, to what is called Thormork (in Icelandic it is Þórsmörk). This was another super jeep tour, and we were going into a valley that is surrounded by glaciers and volcanos. Unfortunately, it was another overcast day with some occasional drizzle. We drove through some fast-flowing shallow rivers, and it was amazing to see how these jeeps were able to get through. On our way back, later in the day, we were able to view another vehicle who didn’t make it and they had emergency vehicles rescuing the tourists off the bus! Because of how much water was flowing in the rivers we were not able to go as deep as what the tour normally does but we were able to see some nice sights. At one stop we saw the Myrdalsjokull glacier which rests at Katla Volcano. If the weather had been better, we would have been able to see the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano whose eruption back in 2010 stopped European air traffic for a few months! There are so many glaciers and volcanos in Iceland with very difficult to pronounce Icelandic names. After seeing the glacier, we stopped at another location that was used in the filming of Game of Thrones. There were many areas of Iceland used in the filming of this hit show. In another area we took a short hike to some of the other valleys and rivers. One stop took us to a spot where we needed to walk gingerly on top of rocks through a river to see a beautiful waterfall. Everyone in our group of 4 gave up except for Sharon who eventually got some great shots of this waterfall. Unfortunately, she also stepped into the cold river a few times and suffered from the wetness and cold on our way to our next hotel. Out last stop in the tour was another waterfall where you didn’t get AS WET in walking around some cliffs through a river to see it. But we did get wet when we posed on a rock below the waterfall with spray from the falls washing over us. It was certainly a worthwhile trip but would have been better if we had better weather and the water level wasn’t so high.
We drove to our new hotel after this tour. After washing up a bit we went out to the Costco in Reykjavik to see if they had any nice Icelandic souvenirs, we could bring back with us. Although we didn’t find any souvenirs to buy, we were able to have a very inexpensive pizza dinner there and filled up with very inexpensive gas. We got a real treat on our way home where in the darkness we were able to view Fagradalsfjall volcano erupting from the road. We took some pictures showing the red-hot lava shooting up in the air. We were even able to see this active volcano from our hotel room when we got back.
Day 13 – Back to the US
The trip back was uneventful which was good, and we were happy to finally get back in good old Peachtree City!
Next year we have more group cruises planned to Alaska (cruise and land tour in June) and the Mediterranean (late September). We also have an African Safari planned for July. In 2023 we have group cruises set up for Antarctica, Norwegian Fjords (& Northern Lights), and Tahiti/Hawaii. If anyone wants to join us, please let us know! We love traveling with our cruising friends!
We traveled to Iceland after 1 ½ years of no cruising due to COVID. Until our flight left the US to go to Iceland, we really weren’t sure if we would make it. With the COVID resurgence due to the Delta Variant it looked like everything might get shut down again. While several European countries closed their borders again to Americans, Iceland continued to allow tourists to visit – if you were vaccinated and provided a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of your trip. We were thrilled to head off on a cruise again, but you must remain flexible in today’s COVID world and not be too surprised when things get cancelled or new requirements are given to you. We made this trip with 8 other brave travelers, who also were ready to get out again and discover the world. The group had all booked a 7-night ocean cruise on the Viking Jupiter which was doing a round trip out of Reykjavik around Iceland, making 6 different port stops. Prior to the cruise all 10 of us came 2 days early to further explore more of Iceland from Reykjavik. After the cruise, 4 of us were staying for 3 more days to try and catch the Northern Lights in an exclusive hotel 1 ½ hours out of the city.
Day 1 – The Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik
When our plane arrived, we were picked up by Stefan our guide we had found from Tours by Locals. We had looked at several guides in the area and liked the information about him from his bio on this site. He turned out to be a great guide and a great choice to help us further explore Iceland. If you ever go to Iceland, please let us know and we will give you his contact information. We arrived at the Keflavik airport before 8 AM on September 5th. It was a relatively short flight (6 hours) considering normal US to Europe flights.
Prior to Stefan taking us to our hotel we had arranged a stop at the Blue Lagoon. Reykjavik is about 45 minutes from the airport and the Blue Lagoon is only about 15 minutes from the airport. None of our group had been to the Blue Lagoon previously – Sharon and Greg were the only ones to have been to Iceland before, spending 3 days at 3 different ports on a transatlantic cruise about 4 years ago. The Blue Lagoon is the premier hot springs in Iceland. It was originally created back in 1970 as a byproduct of a power plant who was dumping out the excess hot mineral water it used to heat fresh water for the homes in the area. They were dumping this excess mineral water into a lava field but due to the high silica clay content, this water did not just drain away into the lave rock. The minerals clogged these porous rocks, causing the water to fill a large lagoon like area. Local Icelanders began to come to this “hot water spring” as a bathing area and enjoyed this heavy mineral based water without the sulfur smell that is present in many hot springs. Over the years the Power Authority fenced off the lagoon, built a changing shed and began charging a fee for admittance. It was called the Blue Lagoon because of the milky blue appearance when sunlight shown on it. As time went on it became a tourist attraction as it was included in many guidebooks. The Power Authority eventually sold the rights to a private group who built the current buildings back in the 1990’s and created a world renown spa. The admittance price rose to the point that no Icelanders go there now, and it is considered a tourist trap by locals, but all the tourists seem to really enjoy the water and do not feel the price is too bad.
Our group had a great time there. We had purchased the “premium tickets” prior to arrival that entitled us to admittance, towel, robe, slippers, one free drink and 3 free mud treatments. We had a great time wading around in the very warm water while the temperature outside was around 50 degrees. You got your drinks from the lagoon bar by wading up and ordering whatever you wanted. The mud treatments were 3 different mineral applications (white, black and green silica) that you put on your face to rejuvenate it. We all felt really rejuvenated when we left 2 hours later after having a very memorable experience!
Stefan then took us off to our hotel – the Holt Hotel – in downtown Reykjavik near the center of town where there were many of the restaurants, bars, and local attractions. We arrived at the hotel around 1 PM and were trying to stay up if possible to avoid the jet lag you feel if your sleep cycle gets out of whack. After checking in several of us did a little tour of the city spending a lot of time at the Hallgrimskirkja Church. This is the iconic Lutheran Church designed back in the 1930’s and stands over 250 feet tall. It took almost 40 years to complete the construction of this church. You can go to the top of this church which has an observation area and see 50 miles in each direction. In front of the church is a statue of Lief Erickson who is certainly believed by all Icelanders to be the founding father of North America having sailed there 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Lief’s grandfather and father were some of the early Viking founders of Iceland having been exiled there from Norway over a thousand years ago.
Day 2 – Snaefellsnes Peninsula
While Stefan took the rest of our group to the Golden Circle for a day tour, Sharon and Greg decided to take a tour to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which is just north of Reykjavik. We had taken the Golden Circle tour on our previous trip to Iceland. This turned out to be a great decision as the rain came down in buckets around the Golden Circle and only a few sprinkles were found on the peninsula tour. We found this small group tour by Troll Expeditions on Viator.
After stopping for a coffee and snack in Borgarnes, our group headed out to Kirkjufell which is small crater looking mountain. By the mountain is a very picturesque waterfall called Kirkjufellsfoss. Icelandic names are long and a very descriptive. Foss in Icelandic means waterfall and this name basically means the waterfall of Kirkjufell. Most waterfalls, glaciers, volcanos, lagoons, and rivers are named in the same fashion. The waterfall was really very nice, and we took many pictures with the mountain in the background.
We also passed by an area where they collect the sheep each fall. It is a series of gated areas built in a circle where the sheep are herded and separated. The sheep are allowed to freely graze (without fences or barriers) in the mountains and surrounding areas in the summer and then they have an annual roundup where the farmers gather all sheep in their area and herd them to this gated area. Once there the sheep are identified by markers in their ears to know which sheep belong to which farmer. Each farmer then takes all their sheep back to their farms to collect the wool and butcher some of their stock. This roundup on the Peninsula was set to begin in 2 days from when we visited.
One of our favorite stops was at Djupalonssandur Black Sand Beach. It seems almost all Iceland beaches have black sand which is comprised of crumbled lava rock and ash from the many volcanic eruptions that Iceland has had over the centuries. This beach was the jumping off point of fisherman in the area. As you walk down to the beach, there is an area with 4 different sized rocks. The fisherman would lift these rocks to determine their strength and what type of job they could get on the boats. The weights ranged from a 335 pound “full strength” rock to a 50 pound “weakling” rock. Walking a little further to the water you came across many pieces of wreckage from an English fishing boat that wrecked there 75 years ago. As you got close to the water it was amazing to see all the smooth rounded black stones that made up most of the beach area. These stones are called black lava “pearls” (djupalonsperlur) and you cannot take any, as they are protected by the Icelandic government. All around the beach are high sea stacks and a row jagged peaks which makes this an extremely photogenic place.
We also visited other places on this tour such as a lava crater, church, and lava fields before making the long drive back to Reykjavik. It was certainly an interesting tour as it allowed us to see another part of Iceland.
Back at the hotel we shared stories with the other members of our group and went out to have a dinner at one of the many restaurants.
Day 3 – The South Coast
Stefan picked us up early on Day 3 along with all our luggage to take us on a long 10-hour tour to Iceland’s famous South Coast. After the tour he dropped us off at the ship to check in for our 7-night cruise. As we drove a few hours out of town Stefan educated us on geothermal plants and entertained us with Icelandic sagas. He was quite informative, and we enjoyed his tour immensely. If you are coming to Iceland in the future, let us know and we will give you his contact information.
Our first stop was Skogafoss, which was another impressive waterfall in Iceland. It is not as large as some of the other falls we have seen but had its own unique beauty. It also had a very colorful rainbow around it that made it very fun to take many pictures trying to get it with the best angle.
After visiting the waterfall, we headed to Eyjafjallajokul. This is the glacier on Eyjafjoll mountain which was made famous when this volcano erupted in 2010 halting European air traffic for several months. This volcano put Iceland on the world map for a lot of people. As we parked in the lot for the glacier, we were told that originally the parking lot was built right next to the glacier. Now you must hike 10-15 minutes to see the glacier because global warming has caused the glacier to recede by 1000 feet every year! It was interesting to see our first glacier in Iceland and watch people hike the glacier with the special spikes placed on their shoes and the small picks they hold to move along the glacier surface. We are scheduled to do a glacier walk tour after the cruise – weather permitting.
On our way to Vik, the largest city in the area, we stopped at Dyrholaey Promontory. This is a unique nature reserve with a lighthouse on it that has an amazing view a large natural arch in the water. This is an iconic picture seen from the beach below. The view high up in this reserve is really quite amazing and the wind was very gusty.
We then drove to Vik for a quick bite to eat and a little shopping. We also viewed a local church in the area before we headed out to the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. This a beautiful beach with both fine black sand and rocks. From there was a great view in the distance of the arch we had seen from the promontory an hour or so before. Surrounding the beach was also a large cave and basalt columns. These hexagonal columns were naturally formed and appear very similar to what can be on Ireland’s famous Giant’s Causeway. Care must be taken when walking on Iceland’s beaches as the currents are extremely strong and the water is very deceptive on how far inland it can come. Several tourists have been sucked out to sea over the years and once out there it is extremely difficult to get back while in the frigid waters.
On our way to our last stop we found a herd of Icelandic horses on the side of the road. We had requested that Stefan stop if he found a place, so our group could take some pictures of these very interesting animals. Although they were imported in from Norway over a 1000 years ago, they have maintained their unique heritage. No other horses are allowed to be imported and even an Icelandic horse that leaves the country cannot come back in later in order to ensure the breed remains pure. It is a great riding horse and work horse. We took many pictures of these beautiful animals.
Our last stop was Seljalandsfoss which was a waterfall we initially passed in hopes of getting better pictures once the sun was higher up in the sky than the early morning when we first passed it. It turned out to be a great decision even though a rain cloud threatened to ruin some of our pictures. This waterfall was even more interesting because you could walk behind it without getting too wet. Our group had a great time taking the little hike through the waterfalls and taking more pictures.
Sadly, this was the end of our tour and we headed to the cruise port to board our ship. We were blessed with some great weather throughout the day. For the most part it was sunny with just an occasional sprinkle. When you travel to Iceland you have to be prepared for good days and bad days. The day before most of our group had a wet and windy day in the Golden Circle. This day was beautiful with mostly sun and little wind. Who knows what the other days will yield for weather although the forecast continues to look bad? (delete)
Day 4 – Reykjavik from the Cruise Ship
Originally our group had planned this as a Blue Lagoon spa day but because of recent COVID restrictions no independent excursions are allowed once you are checked into the ship. Instead, we decided to take an excursion around the area guided by a photographer who could provide good picture taking opportunities and some insight on how to take the best pictures while in Iceland. While the excursion was very good it certainly fell short in providing good photographic insight. We saw a very nice natural hot springs area where the steaming water rose through small cracks into the earth and flowed with cooler fresh water from the mountains. The colors in this hot spring were vivid and the bubbling water made this a very interesting place to stop and take pictures. We passed by the active volcano that just began erupting in March this year. Our guide pointed out the parking lots filled with cars of people who hike up the volcano to get a close shot of the flowing lava. We hope to do that in 7 days from now when we depart the ship and have a rental car to go exploring.
After stopping for a little lunch at a local café, we made a couple of stops along the beach where you could see old lave flows that had gone in the ocean. Once again you could see the black sand beaches and black rocks, we were becoming accustomed to. There also were some unique rock formations formed by this flowing lava. At one of the stops we saw the oldest Iceland lighthouse still standing (built in 1908) on top of a hill and you could also see the remnants of the original lighthouse located a little ways away that was the first lighthouse built in Iceland back in 1878.
We stopped to look at the geothermal power plant in the area that provides hot water to the home on the peninsula. This hot fresh water is used to heat the homes in Reykjavik. It was impressive to see the steady stream of steam coming out of the large stacks at the plant. Around the plant you could see many vent holes where steam was rising from the hot water that seems to rise out of the earth in so many places around Iceland. There is a local Aluminum manufacturing plant very near this power plant. Iceland has been trying to entice energy intensive industries to build plants in Iceland to take advantage of their cheap energy.
We made a final stop on our way back to the ship to see the bridge between continents. The Euroasia and North American plates come in contact in Iceland. There are a few places in Iceland that you can walk between these two continents. They say that the gap between these plates widens by 2 mm (0.1”) each year. Where we stopped, they have a bridge that crosses over these “plates”. You can take some fun pictures holding up the bridge between continents.
Once back on the ship we watched our sail away out of Reykjavik heading to our first stop in Isafjordur.
Day 5 – Isafjordur
We arrived at our first port in Isafjordur which is the largest city in the West Fjords, a region of Iceland in the northwest corner of the country. In the morning we went on an included Viking bus tour which first took us by the stone walls which guard the city from avalanches. We then visited a mountain stream and series of waterfalls coming down the mountainside. This is something you see everywhere in Iceland. The ice melt from on top of the mountains creates thousands of waterfalls and streams all over Iceland. Some of these waterfalls are huge and others are small but may still drop several hundred feet. Around the stream we were shown all the wild blueberries that seem to grow everywhere.
We then drove through a tunnel to a small city on the other side of the mountain where there was a small fishing town of less than 900 people. We were told how this town prospered by catching cod out in the Atlantic, almost halfway between Iceland and Greenland. These fish are huge (some can be as big as a man) and are caught on hooks that are inches long. A large fish processing plant is in the town and almost everyone in the town is involved in the fishing industry in some way or another. We were amazed to see a small 9-hole golf course in this town and were told that golf is played all over Iceland. It is strange that this sport would be so popular in a country were the weather is typically very cold during most of the year.
After finishing this tour, we went off to our second planned tour which was an ATV excursion up into the surrounding mountains. We picked up the ATV’s just a few blocks from the ship pier and rode the vehicles down the small streets to the outside of town. The paths we were on outside of town were made of lava rock gravel. Lava rock is seen throughout Iceland and at times it is in the form of gravel or larger rocks or large slabs. We drove up the mountainside to get some great views of the town and our ship below. Fortunately, it was not too windy and we were told the previous week they couldn’t even get off the vehicles on top of the mountain because the wind would blow the people down. This was a great excursion to see the surrounding countryside and get a great view from above.
Day 6 – Akureyri
Our next stop in Akureyri was on the northern coast of Iceland and is located down a long fjord. In the morning we took an excursion to go out and see Godafoss waterfall which is a huge waterfall in northern Iceland. We had seen it once before, but the weather had been terrible with a cold bitter rain. This time we were able to see it with some great weather and get some really good pictures of the falls. The falls are very accessible, and you can get some magnificent photos from different places along the banks.
After viewing the falls, we went to see a turf house which was where many Icelanders lived 100 years ago. These houses have dirt walls and grass roofs. Although they look relatively small from the outside, they are quite large inside. The house we went into seemed to be many interconnecting houses. There were probably 12 different rooms inside this large house, and it was furnished very nicely. It would have been a pretty comfortable place to live. These were primarily farmhouses that were scattered around the country.
Day 7 – Seydisafjordur
The night before arriving at our next port we were informed about an approaching hurricane – Larry. We were told this hurricane was going to create some bad weather and large waves out on the ocean. Because of this our next port stop was going to be reduced in length of time staying there and the last two port stops were being cancelled. Who knew hurricanes get to Iceland – Caribbean certainly – but Iceland??? This was obviously disappointing news, but we had come to Iceland a few days early and some of us planned to stay a few days later.
When we arrived in Seydisafjordur the next morning we went off on an included walking tour. We were told how this was one of the closest ports to Norway and many items were imported in from there. They even purchased homes from Norway that came as material kits which were assembled in this city. The cost of these homes today is around $400,000 for a relatively small house. We were shown the downtown area that consisted of a few shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. The townspeople wanted to paint the downtown area to brighten things up, but the mayor didn’t think it was a good idea. The people went out one night and painted the downtown cobblestone road in rainbow stripes. It really provides a quite a unique appearance along with the some of the houses that also were painted very artfully.
We were then told about the massive avalanche/landslide they had just last year. It destroyed about 20% of the town and people were in their homes when the avalanche occurred. Some of these homes with people in them were pushed out towards the water. It is a miracle that there were no deaths during this event. It is also amazing how quickly the town has recovered, and you can hardly see too much left of this landslide just 9 months later. If it wasn’t for the pictures showing the damage and the huge scars seen on the mountain sides, you wouldn’t even know it had happened.
Day 8 – Cruising to beat the hurricane
We spent the next day cruising instead of visiting a port. It was great to have a day of rest after doing so many excursions over the previous week. Our group got together and had dinner together. Many of our group booked future Viking cruises while on board. Viking has a pretty good deal if you book cruises on the ship – you get both a discount for the future cruise and an immediate Shipboard Credit on the current cruise. Certainly, something to consider if you are on a Viking cruise.
Day 9 - Reykjavik Again!
Well with our arrival again in Reykjavik a day early, the Viking team scrambled to put together a few excursions. We took one that provided a transportation and a ticket to see the Fly Over Iceland show. This was like a Universal/MGM ride where they buckled you into a car and physically flew over much of Iceland. There were breathtaking views of waterfalls as you flew over the top. You saw the lava spewing down the mountain’s sides. We had great sights of the Icelandic horses running through the fields and the many farms spread out through the countryside. It was a very fun way to see areas of Iceland we hadn’t yet see and remember a few of the sights we had already seen. A certainly worthwhile experience.
Day 10 – Hotel Ranga
We all disembarked from the cruise in the morning and took a private shuttle to the airport. Six of our group checked into their flights back to the US while four of us stayed on to see a few more things and try to catch the Northern Lights. The Richarts and Conrads rented a car at the airport to take us around the southern side of Iceland for the next 3 days. Before leaving the airport area we stopped by a nearby health facility to get a COVID test. Even though we had been taking daily COVID tests on board the Viking Jupiter and the ship had provided test results for all passengers to show when reentering the US, our departure time and date were too far out for these to be allowed for US reentry. We had to take a COVID test sometime after 9:30 AM to have valid test results which meant we had to wait about 30 minutes to have our test before going out and continuing our trip in Iceland. Welcome to travel during COVID times!
After getting our negative COVID test results we headed out to hike the active volcano. Around 3 months prior to our trip Fagradalsfjall volcano near the airport became active and started spewing out lava in some relatively isolated areas of Iceland. We wanted to see this fresh lave flow if possible since there were some good observation areas near this active crater. Fortunately, during one of our previous excursions we had driven by the parking lot we needed to stop at and the guide provided some good information on where to hike. We arrived at the parking lot in about 20 minutes from the COVID test facility and really couldn’t see any activity from the volcano on our drive there. It took us just about 30 minutes of hiking to get to the fresh lava flow. It was really fascinating, and you could walk out on this lava and seem steam coming up through some of the crevices. We learned later that there was certainly fresh hot lava flowing through tunnels under our feet. If the crust on top had fallen, which can happen, we would be toasty little critters. Another lesson learned! From the fresh lava fields, we continued to hike up to the observation areas a few miles up the mountain. It was not an easy hike and quite frankly a little disappointing once you got to the top although the pictures were certainly better from this vantage point. Although you could see the crater much better, with the smoke billowing out, you couldn’t really see any flowing lava except for a little pink shade in the smoke. It was still interesting to see an active volcano by just hiking up the mountainside. We later learned that on the following day they closed the trails because the lava was flowing so much there were safety concerns regarding any nearby hikers. We were at least able to get an up-close view of the volcano even if it wasn’t overly active. (I guess you really don’t want it TOO active!).
From there we went to Raufarhólshellir to see the largest lava tunnel in the area. We put on hard hats to go underground and learn all about lava tubes. This is where we learned that we were most likely walking on top of flowing lava at the Fagradalsfjall volcano. You could see various colors in the tunnel walls which indicated whether there was iron, copper or some other metal composing the wall material. These tunnels were very wet with water dripping from the roofs. In some places the roofs had caved in and you could see outside. We were told the tunnels ran for miles although they had only created a walkway to go in about a ½ mile. The walkways were very impressive throughout the tunnel to allow people to get a good view of a real lava tube.
From the lava tunnel we headed to Hotel Ranga to check in for our stay to see the Northern Lights. This was recommended by our guide Stefan prior to our trip and as we did further research, we saw that it was the premier hotel in Iceland to try and view the Northern Lights. They even provide you a wakeup call late at night if the Northern Lights are seen while you are sleeping. The hotel has hot tubs outside so you can view the lights while you soak in the nice warm water. Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Larry the weather was very overcast, and we would never see the Aurora Borealis on this trip. Because of this weather forecast we canceled our 3rd night at the Hotel Ranga and booked our last night before our flight out at a hotel near the airport. The restaurant in the hotel is extremely nice and people even outside the hotel try to get reservations there for their excellent food. We had dinner there the first night and really enjoyed the meal although it was VERY expensive. It is certainly a very nice hotel to stay at if you are searching for the Northern Lights!
Day 11 – Glacier and Glacier Lagoons
The next morning, we got up early and headed out to see Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon which was almost a 4-hour drive from our hotel. This glacier lagoon was created by melting of the Vatnajokull glacier. This is the largest glacier in Iceland and the largest in Europe. We had a 1pm tour scheduled to do a Glacier Walk and since we arrived a little early, we took a quick visit to Diamond Beach. This is a black sand beach with chunks of ice on the beach. Ice that falls off the glacier floats through lagoon and goes out into the ocean where the tide will bring these large pieces of ice on to the black sand. This is a unique sight to see around one hundred “ice sculptures” slowing melting on the beach. The black sand provides such a great contrast, and it is called Diamond Beach because ice can look like diamonds glistening in the black sand.
After our visit to Diamond Beach, we went to meet our group for our Glacier Walk. We had booked this excursion through Ice Explorers who used Super Jeeps to drive you close to the glacier to begin your hike. Super jeeps have extremely large tires and have exhausts that periscope high over the cars roof to allow these vehicles to go through deep water and rough terrain. When we got off the cheap, we still had a 20-minute walk to get to the glacier. Before stepping on to the ice we were outfitted with crampons on our shoes, helmets on our heads and belt harness around our waist in case we fell into a crevice and needed to be hauled out! The crampons had many 2-inch spikes which dug into the ice as you walked along the glacier. We hiked the glacier for about 3 hours and learned much about the glaciers. You can see the glacier melting everywhere and creating small mini streams that flow along the surface. These small streams cause crevices in the glacier that might run hundreds of feet deep. The depth of the glacier can be up to one thousand feet in some areas. Due to global warming the glacier continues to recede, and the glacier lagoon continues to get bigger. Before our hike was over we were taken to an ice cave. The glacier walk and the ice cave were highlight of the tour. The cave was eerie with the blue glow of the ice on the roof of the cave. A heavily flowing river ran down the middle of the cave with ice cold water. The cave offered so many unique views and the ice was so crystal clear along the walls. If you ever get to Iceland, make sure you visit the ice cave on the eastern side of this glacier.
We had a zodiac trip planned to go over the glacier lagoon, but we were so wet and tired after the glacier walk, we decided to cancel it. We took a few more glacier lagoon pictures and headed back to the Hotel Ranga. We needed to some gas for our long drive back but many of the gas pumps are self-serve only. At the first self-serve pump we stopped at we were unable to get it to accept any of our US credit cards. We were told there was a station at a café about 45 minutes down the road and we weren’t sure the café would be open when we got there – and we really needed gas to make it back to the hotel. We made it to the gas pump before the café closed and as it turned out we didn’t even need any help as this pump took our credit card with no problem. Before arriving at the hotel, we made a stop in Vik for a late dinner. By the time we got back to the hotel it was late and we were tired. (Thanks, Mac, for driving all that way!)
Day 12 – Thorsmork
Our last day in Iceland! We took an 8-hour tour, booked through Mid Gard, to what is called Thormork (in Icelandic it is Þórsmörk). This was another super jeep tour, and we were going into a valley that is surrounded by glaciers and volcanos. Unfortunately, it was another overcast day with some occasional drizzle. We drove through some fast-flowing shallow rivers, and it was amazing to see how these jeeps were able to get through. On our way back, later in the day, we were able to view another vehicle who didn’t make it and they had emergency vehicles rescuing the tourists off the bus! Because of how much water was flowing in the rivers we were not able to go as deep as what the tour normally does but we were able to see some nice sights. At one stop we saw the Myrdalsjokull glacier which rests at Katla Volcano. If the weather had been better, we would have been able to see the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano whose eruption back in 2010 stopped European air traffic for a few months! There are so many glaciers and volcanos in Iceland with very difficult to pronounce Icelandic names. After seeing the glacier, we stopped at another location that was used in the filming of Game of Thrones. There were many areas of Iceland used in the filming of this hit show. In another area we took a short hike to some of the other valleys and rivers. One stop took us to a spot where we needed to walk gingerly on top of rocks through a river to see a beautiful waterfall. Everyone in our group of 4 gave up except for Sharon who eventually got some great shots of this waterfall. Unfortunately, she also stepped into the cold river a few times and suffered from the wetness and cold on our way to our next hotel. Out last stop in the tour was another waterfall where you didn’t get AS WET in walking around some cliffs through a river to see it. But we did get wet when we posed on a rock below the waterfall with spray from the falls washing over us. It was certainly a worthwhile trip but would have been better if we had better weather and the water level wasn’t so high.
We drove to our new hotel after this tour. After washing up a bit we went out to the Costco in Reykjavik to see if they had any nice Icelandic souvenirs, we could bring back with us. Although we didn’t find any souvenirs to buy, we were able to have a very inexpensive pizza dinner there and filled up with very inexpensive gas. We got a real treat on our way home where in the darkness we were able to view Fagradalsfjall volcano erupting from the road. We took some pictures showing the red-hot lava shooting up in the air. We were even able to see this active volcano from our hotel room when we got back.
Day 13 – Back to the US
The trip back was uneventful which was good, and we were happy to finally get back in good old Peachtree City!
Next year we have more group cruises planned to Alaska (cruise and land tour in June) and the Mediterranean (late September). We also have an African Safari planned for July. In 2023 we have group cruises set up for Antarctica, Norwegian Fjords (& Northern Lights), and Tahiti/Hawaii. If anyone wants to join us, please let us know! We love traveling with our cruising friends!
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