At the end of the day, Iceland is nothing but a volcanic rock, situated just below the arctic circle. That far north in the Atlantic, Iceland is closer to Europe than to the continent of the Americas. First boots on the ground came out of Norway in 874 AD. Migration, westward over the next 200 - 300 years, came mostly from Norway and Scandinavia and advanced the population, which today sits at approximately 371,000 - the least populated region on the European footprint. Active volcanoes are everywhere; fortunately they are not gushers and they usually don't explode, preferring instead to bubble up and flow over the side of the craters. Most people think that Iceland is cold - reasonable assumption; but is isn't. Warmed by the constant flow of the golf stream, mean temperatures in the winter average mid 30's F and an absolutely delightful mid 60's range in the summer. This provides a snap shot of our platform for the next10 days.
Our Icelandic adventure began on Friday, November 19, 2021. Covid-19 was a concern and there were protocols - USA and Icelandic, that had to be followed; but we did OK and boarded the Icelandic Air flight out of JFK, uneventfully. We landed at Keflavik Int'l Airport on Saturday morning and limo'd into the city - courtesy of the company who made the arrangements. After breakfast we spent the remainder of the day touring Reykjavik. An interesting city with a mixture of old and relatively modern architecture; churches (on the left - looked like a rocket ship) warehouses, etc. all supporting a farming and fishing economy. And places to eat - no shortage of those.
Dinner was our first exposure to Icelandic cuisine. We had a special 7 course extravaganza at the Kopar - a mixture of local and European dishes and we were not disappointed. The photograph on the right (above) is collage of refractive images, taken in the restaurant, looking thru a huge plate glass window at a shipping port. The day was chilly and damp - raining on and off but enjoyable, none the less.
Dinner was our first exposure to Icelandic cuisine. We had a special 7 course extravaganza at the Kopar - a mixture of local and European dishes and we were not disappointed. The photograph on the right (above) is collage of refractive images, taken in the restaurant, looking thru a huge plate glass window at a shipping port. The day was chilly and damp - raining on and off but enjoyable, none the less.
 The map on the left outlines our adventure for the next eight (8) days. Departing Reykjavik at 9:AM on Sunday morning, in the dark - sunrise isn't until 10:AM, we headed north on the eastern shore. We selected November for this event, because all the web sites indicated that November thru March was the best time to see the Northern Lights. Well, we didn't but that's later. Right now - day 1, in the dark, we were focused on navigating that green line encircling the map on the left, stopping to sight see along the way - as guided by the tour manager and arriving each evening at the predetermined accommodations, nestled within the few towns that dotted our pathway. |  Our tour of the city had one unique point of interest - a penis museum. Curiosity enticed us to enter the foyer - unique, to say the least, but we did not go into the museum itself; didn't think it was worth the admission charge. Interestingly, enough - and I supposed the Icelanders don't really care, however there was a running commentary - mostly, if not all from women, written on White Boards, provided expressly for this purpose, comparing and contrasting husbands and boyfriends to exhibits. Narrative, at times was very prolific - oh, what a sheltered life we live in the United States. |
First observation, as we headed north out of Reykjavik was that the roads, more accurately, road - Rt 1 was the road that encircled the island, were narrow - one lane each way. Added to that, the fall off on either side was immediate - no more than a foot of shoulder; and finally, no guardrails (double click on all blue words for video) - well, let me say 90 % of the roadway - Rt.1, was without guardrails. The fall off on either side varied - 5 to 10 feet, an inconvenience, or up to 100 - 200ft plus; clearly catastrophic, if not fatal. Very quickly I realized that sightseeing and driving was a non-starter, if I had plans to make it back to New Jersey. That said, the scenery was exquisite. Iceland is without trees - volcanic rock, get it? Tree growth, as observed, was the result of plantings and were mostly evergreens. However, the majesty of the hills and rock formations were breathtaking - having stopped to observe.
Icelandic is home to a breed of small horses, similar to the Shetland ponies and, thinking it thru, the latter is but a hop away, on the other side. These Icelandic horses (IH) served two purposes - for riding and for eating. Most of the consumption occurs in Japan, a major buyer of Icelandic horses - we saw no offerings on any local menu, however, throughout our journey, we encountered several pastures with lots of horses running around; from a distance, at first , they looked like cows - but they were IH's. We did see some cows and a flocks of sheep.
Icelandic is home to a breed of small horses, similar to the Shetland ponies and, thinking it thru, the latter is but a hop away, on the other side. These Icelandic horses (IH) served two purposes - for riding and for eating. Most of the consumption occurs in Japan, a major buyer of Icelandic horses - we saw no offerings on any local menu, however, throughout our journey, we encountered several pastures with lots of horses running around; from a distance, at first , they looked like cows - but they were IH's. We did see some cows and a flocks of sheep.
We arrived at our first destination stop late Sunday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised to find a small boutique hotel nestled in a quaint Icelandic town. Little did we know what lay beyond this point. The staff was extremely friendly and suggested that theirs was the best restaurant in town; we elected to give it a try. The hotel had a spa but is was closed on Sundays, however, with a little cajoling and a few bucks on the side, we had the spa all to ourselves, complete with bottle of champagne - not a bad first night. No pictures of the spa; was too dark.
We started looking for the northern lights but came up short; the cloud cover was too heavy, so no lights tonight; but no problem, we had 10 days to go, Right?
We started looking for the northern lights but came up short; the cloud cover was too heavy, so no lights tonight; but no problem, we had 10 days to go, Right?
Lava flows, thermal pools and waterfalls - Iceland's filled with them. We saw craters, no lava flows, but we sure saw a lot of waterfalls. Majestic in all their glory - trickling or roaring, they got your attention. As the video will show, the falls were particularly spectacular as they struggled against the freezing temperatures. The waterfall in the background had steps leading to the top - center shot; we started the trek but wind and the temperature made the hike unpleasant ; so we went up and back down very quickly.
We visited two thermal pools - the water is pulled from the inner volcanic core at between 300 - 500 degrees Fahrenheit; and arrives in the pool at an average 105 degrees F. It is actually quite pleasant but the high sulfur content limits the time in, to approximately 20 minutes; and you are advised NOT to submerge your head. No photographs, the logistics of the pool and the phone presented a challenge. The lower right below is a volcanic crater, known to rev up, ever so often and GLOW; has never overflowed - at least not recently. The last major volcanic eruption in Iceland was March 21 2021. We actually visited this site but there was no activity; just solid lava rock
We visited two thermal pools - the water is pulled from the inner volcanic core at between 300 - 500 degrees Fahrenheit; and arrives in the pool at an average 105 degrees F. It is actually quite pleasant but the high sulfur content limits the time in, to approximately 20 minutes; and you are advised NOT to submerge your head. No photographs, the logistics of the pool and the phone presented a challenge. The lower right below is a volcanic crater, known to rev up, ever so often and GLOW; has never overflowed - at least not recently. The last major volcanic eruption in Iceland was March 21 2021. We actually visited this site but there was no activity; just solid lava rock
As we traveled north, the weather became more severe, a barren expanse, covered in a blanket of white but captivating in its starkness. This made the narrow roads more slippery, requiring more attention. We started thinking North Pole; maybe even bumping into Santa. Then the weather cleared and a little farm community came into view, complete with a small red house and - yes, Reindeer! These animals are in the wild, even though they appear to be quietly grazing - much like deer found in North East US. We looked around for Santa but he was out running errands in preparation for Christmas, only 4 weeks away.
Leaving Santa's house and his reindeer behind, the weather again turned sour. Gail force winds getting up to 40 MPH and swirling snow; made it difficult to get out of the car - for gas or bathroom breaks, but we forged ahead on our way to the top - reference the map above; see where the green trail turns inland and a little left of center reaches the upper most point of our trip. Here,we would be parallel to the lower section of Greenland and but a few miles south of entering the Arctic Circle.
Leaving Santa's house and his reindeer behind, the weather again turned sour. Gail force winds getting up to 40 MPH and swirling snow; made it difficult to get out of the car - for gas or bathroom breaks, but we forged ahead on our way to the top - reference the map above; see where the green trail turns inland and a little left of center reaches the upper most point of our trip. Here,we would be parallel to the lower section of Greenland and but a few miles south of entering the Arctic Circle.
As we moved inland, the glaciers began to appear. We had experienced glaciers in Alaska, so we elected not to go walking on them. Later we found out that several people had close encounters on the glaciers - mainly because the slow, melting process was underway. Further along, we came to this bay, loaded with what looked like Icebergs; they we in essence, pieces of a nearby glaciers that had separated from the main structure and floated free. But rest easy my friends, there's no such thing as global warming.
The foreground of the picture on the left is actually a glacier field, which extends to the left and right of the captured frame for quite some distance in either direction. Glaciers cover approximately 11% of Iceland's foot print but is shrinking, daily as the temperature continues to rise. As you can see, access is relatively easy and people go trekking onto it, only to get stuck when their foot sinks into a soft spot. Below is the Bay with the bergs floating around. Large chunks of ice that have broken free from the main glacier. Note the varied shades of blue - The deeper the blue the older is the glacier. No estimate on age is available other than to suggest they go back into the period of the last ice age - just a tad before my time. The history of glaciers and the impact they've had on our world makes for very interesting reading. Wikipedia is a great place to start then move into the volumes written on the subject.
The foreground of the picture on the left is actually a glacier field, which extends to the left and right of the captured frame for quite some distance in either direction. Glaciers cover approximately 11% of Iceland's foot print but is shrinking, daily as the temperature continues to rise. As you can see, access is relatively easy and people go trekking onto it, only to get stuck when their foot sinks into a soft spot. Below is the Bay with the bergs floating around. Large chunks of ice that have broken free from the main glacier. Note the varied shades of blue - The deeper the blue the older is the glacier. No estimate on age is available other than to suggest they go back into the period of the last ice age - just a tad before my time. The history of glaciers and the impact they've had on our world makes for very interesting reading. Wikipedia is a great place to start then move into the volumes written on the subject.
We arrived at the northern most point of our adventure on day 6. A quaint and quiet little town - Siglufjorour, nestled between a mountain range on the northern side - complete with a thriving ski area, and a seaport - a bay into the north Atlantic. This harbor was once home to Iceland's largest herring fleet.
The hotel Siglo - center below was relatively new, owned by an Icelander native who lived 30 years in Phoenix, AZ; but decided to return "home" to take advantage of the exploding tourism extravaganza. He built the hotel 2016 and, so far, with no regrets. In conversation, he told us about a Christmas Buffet the town was sponsoring that evening and invited us to participate. We agreed to attend; took a stroll thru the town just to get a feel for the place then headed over to town hall for our Christmas buffet.
The hotel Siglo - center below was relatively new, owned by an Icelander native who lived 30 years in Phoenix, AZ; but decided to return "home" to take advantage of the exploding tourism extravaganza. He built the hotel 2016 and, so far, with no regrets. In conversation, he told us about a Christmas Buffet the town was sponsoring that evening and invited us to participate. We agreed to attend; took a stroll thru the town just to get a feel for the place then headed over to town hall for our Christmas buffet.
Christmas Buffet was delightful. the hotel owner had called ahead and asked the organizer to give us the VIP treatment - we, one of only two "non-locals". The food layout was lavish, to say the least; and the Maitre de spent a few minutes to explain the local cuisine and walked us thru the serving area. For me, I didn't really care too much - I just ate away until I peaked; Susan was a little more selective, but made it thru, nonetheless. Entertainment (click word to see video) was provided by a duo - an East Indian guy and a Icelandic girl - he was totally fluent in native and never switched to English at any time - no matter, the music was good in any language.
Throughout the trip, all "locals" we met were pleasant, if not friendly, albeit they never went out of their way to engage. We had a wonderful evening - totally unexpected; single greatest exposure to the local people, we'd had over the past 9 days. We bade farewell the following morning and headed south for the last two days of our adventure.
Throughout the trip, all "locals" we met were pleasant, if not friendly, albeit they never went out of their way to engage. We had a wonderful evening - totally unexpected; single greatest exposure to the local people, we'd had over the past 9 days. We bade farewell the following morning and headed south for the last two days of our adventure.
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Two nights remained before departure and to our great disappointment, we still had not seen the Northern Lights The entire week was blanketed in heavy cloud cover with intermittent snow showers, rain and wind - very little or no sun, moon or northern lights. So we had to resort to photographs - a poor substitute; c'est le vi.
The ride south was a lot gentler than the northern trek. More farms dotted the path forward and the roadway was less challenging. We discovered another thermal pool in the town and elected to take a second plunge. this one was more like a hot tub, as opposed to the first, which was like a very large swimming pool.
The ride south was a lot gentler than the northern trek. More farms dotted the path forward and the roadway was less challenging. We discovered another thermal pool in the town and elected to take a second plunge. this one was more like a hot tub, as opposed to the first, which was like a very large swimming pool.
 We departed for home on Monday afternoon, amidst a brewing snow storm - they had to de-ice the aircraft twice and it was a little touch and go, rolling back from the gate to the runway; but we made it. We were airborne 30 minutes late but made up the time in flight and landed on schedule. Car service was patiently waiting, curbside and we settled back for the 2 hour ride home. Totally enjoyable adventure - a little hair raising at times but well worth it. For anyone thinking of visiting Iceland, driving the island is really the only way to go - but, DO IT IN THE SUMMER. |  |
We took a fair number of photographs, some presentable, others not so much. But to construct a narrative around every picture would have been absurd. Below is a slide show of the photographs not included above. They present an extended view of the island's topography and highlights why as barren as is Iceland, the scenery is captivating. Thanks for reading.
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