Iceland Recollections

 Our trip to Iceland was absolutely wonderful.  If we had it to do all over again, knowing what we know and what we don’t know, we might have done a few things different.

If you are going to visit Iceland, staying in Reykjavik will not give much of a feel for the country.  Taking a day tour of the Golden Circle (a small circle of attractions including a seismic fault, a geyser, and a waterfall) is pretty much like having just the sorbet at a fancy dinner.  We did the ring road around the island which took about seven days which was a pretty good length of time to see most of the attractions in Iceland without doing any of the longer excursions such as snowmobiling or hiking on a glacier or taking a boat ride on a glacier lake.  We only spent one night at each place on the road.  We would have liked to spend another night in Akureyri because it was so charming.

We spent quite a bit of time trying to plan for the trip.  We have waterproof hiking boots, rain jackets and rain pants.  We also wore a merino wool base layer under our hiking pants pretty much every day.  The first three days we were here, it rained most of the day, but by the time we were leaving it was sunny most of the time with highs in the 60’s.  The Icelanders say the most useless thing in Iceland is a weather forecast! The hotels provide wool throws if you want to sit outside. Oh, hotels have no clocks.

We rented a small Kia car in downtown Reykjavik which met our needs well.  The price of gasoline is about $9 a gallon, so getting 40 miles to tha gallon was helpful.  The downtown car rental location is pretty far from most of the hotels.  They do have a shuttle, but it doesn’t run very often.  We called a taxi (there is no Uber or Lyft) and it took about 45 minutes to arrive at the hotel.  Renting a larger car or a 4x4 might offer some comfort on some of the gravel roads (we encountered several).  Renting at the airport is another possibility.  There are lots of unattended gas stations, they require Debit Cards (although you can specify the maximum amount to charge).

The common way to get from the airport to the hotels in Reykjavik is by taking FlyBus.  They have a website where you can make reservations.  They say they meet every flight, so no reservation is need but you do need to have a ticket.  We called to confirm the trip back, they were completely punctual.

Foss Hotel - Reykjavik, Iceland

 

One of the smaller craters in Iceland 

Today we had nothing planned except to return to Reykjavik, drop off the rental car, confirm the bus to the airport and have a farewell dinner at the Thai restaurant in Hlemmur.  Using Trip Advisor, I found three things to do that were “nice places to stretch your legs.”  The whole trip was only about 60 miles anyway.  All three things were in Bifröst: a crater to walk around, a small cafe and yet one more waterfall.  We have officially done all of the exciting things to do in Bifröst, although a round of golf on a course carved out of a lava field sounds pretty interesting, with balls careening off large boulders.  

The lake above the waterfall 

The car rental drop off is a mile or two away from the hotel, so after dropping the car off, we could wait 45 minutes for a shuttle or walk back which would take 45 minutes.  It turned out that most of the walk was through the park, so it was quite enjoyable.

Another piece of Iceland trivia,  the ICE-SAR (search and rescue squad) maintains a map with the location of Rescue Teams, Police, EMT’s and other units with different colored Lego mini-figs, also beer wasn’t legal until 1985 (they have a lot of catching up to do!)

Hotel Laugarbakki - Hvammstangi, Iceland

 It turned out that the crater we wanted to see was a backtrack of 40 miles, so we’ll see it next time!  Went for a walk around Akukeyri this morning to stretch our legs. Hit the road about 10:00.  Off to see Reykjahliðfoss Waterfalls.  It was a nice little hike, saw people riding Icelandic horses (the horses are actually fairly small).  In Blönduos, we ate lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant.  They had a buffet for 2,750 ISK (about $20) but all the local construction workers eat there and there was nothing left.  We ordered off the menu and had real Ethopian food with  Injehra (Ethopian bread). 

It turns out that the Hvitserkur Rock formation is actually not very big and is 25km down a pothole filled dirt road.  The receptionist told us that if you drive fast enough, you won’t feel it!  Maybe we’ll try that if we go back.

By the way an interesting Iceland trivia item.  Iceland is completely metric, except pizzas which come 12” or 18” for example.

This is our last stop before returning to Reykjavik where we will return the car, get some rest and catch the shuttle to the airport first thing In the morning.

Hotel Kea - Akureyri, Iceland

 We drove to Stuðlagil Canyon.  I started to leave the car at the parking lot, but Deb said we could drive further.  I tried but the road was bad and I gave up after awhile and turned back to the parking lot.  As we were hiking, several cars passed us on the way to the upper lot which would have saved us two miles of hiking.  I’m sure she was thinking that I was a coward, but she was nice and said nothing.  The canyon was all basalt columns.  You can drive to the canyon on the other side but you really can’t see the beauty of the canyon.

This side of Iceland is completely barren.  There are no houses, not even any sheep.  The road is, for the most part level.  Around lunch time we stopped at the only cafe within 100 miles.  It was small and charming, built with a thatch roof and layers of sod going halfway up the outside walls.  Though it was fairly predictable; lamb stew, crème of asparagus soup, vegetable soup, and a surprise - hot dogs!

Lunch stop

From there we were off to Dettifoss  Waterfall.  A massive wall of nearly black glacier water falling a 100 ft.  A 3 mile tunnel finished the day.

Dettifoss 

Akureyri is the largest town that we have seen since Reykjavik.  It has an old world kind of charm, so we intend to explore it tomorrow.  Deb was trying to navigate using the GPS and I was trying to drive using the streets.  The two were not aligning well, so decided to park and walk around till we found the hotel.  It turns out that we were parked right next to it.  The receptionist explained that our room was fairly complicated to get to.  We had to take the elevator to the third floor, walk down the hall, climb a half set of stairs and down the hall to another elevator which would take us back to the first floor and then follow the signs to our room.  Because the walk is complicated we have a special key so we come in the back door, which just so happens to be exactly where we parked the car.  

The restaurant in the hotel served small plates, which was what we were looking for.  We had seafood soup, tiny potatoes, Brie cheese, and salmon.   A interesting thing about Akureyri: the red lights on traffic signals are hearts. (How cute!)

Tomorrow we hope to climb a dormant volcanoes on our way to 10:30 on the virtual Iceland clock.

Hotel Valaskjalf - Egilsstaðir, Iceland

 

Happy birthday to me!

We have a good amount of driving to do today.  If Iceland were a clock we are driving the ring road from 6:00 to 3:00, (traveling “against” the clock as they say here).  It’s my birthday, so I get my pick.  Our first stop is a small waterfall, followed by a short climb to an interpretive sign that explains that the outflow from the glacier kept changing directions flooding out the local farms until they invented the bulldozer. Now the push the outflow wherever they want!

Our GPS suggests that we take a short cut over the mountains, but it was my birthday so I picked the shore route.  We had lunch at a little cafe in Fáskrúðsfjörður, which used to have a French hospital for the French fisherman, so all the street names are in French.  Because it was my birthday, and because it was pretty much all they had on the menu, we had pizzu og bjor (pizza and beer).  

Onward to our strenuous hike, 3 miles with an 800 ft elevation.  We climbed to the base of a waterfall.  There is iron in the soil, so there are striations of bright red between the layers of basalt created by volcanic eruptions.  Deb typically worries about large boulders in precarious position, fearing that they will break loose at any moment. I assure that they have been in that same position for the last thousand years.  So Deb asks, “if that’s the case, how come these rocks are on top of the boardwalk?

The bar at the hotel has a pool table.  We shot a game of 8 ball, where Deb ran the table.  We’re not doing that again for awhile!

We are staying is a small town with a few dining options.  There is the American restaurant which serves fried food and ice cream,  the fancy hotel on the lake that could seat us after all their hotel guests have eaten, or we could go to the local microbrewery which serves pizzu og bjor.  We had a Hawaiian pizza!

Tomorrow is the long awaited basalt canyon.

Fosshotel Vatnajokull - Höfn, Iceland

 

Today is a pretty short day.  We started the day with an unscheduled visit to a glacier, at this point, they are all starting to become a single blur of melting ice.  From the glacier we went to Diamond Beach which incidentally the most photographed location in Iceland.  Let’s work through the process.  There is a large glacier (which is the foot of the largest ice cap in Europe).  The glacier calves into a fairly large lake, the ice drifts down the lake until it hits a sandbar which holds it till it breaks into small enough pieces to float over the sand bar into the sea, but there is another sandbar near the beach which hold the ice pieces until they wash up on shore where wave action reduces them to small pieces of polished ice, which are fascinating to look at.  

That held our attention until lunch which we ate at Museum Restaurant. All lunch stops so far have offered lamb stew or asparagus soup.  Today I switched to the soup and Deb went with a salad.  Not wanting to arrive at the hotel too early, we robbed our next adventure from tomorrow and drive a beach with a view of a mountain, there was also a whale swimming off shore.

Of interest, all signs are in Icelandic and English.  Most interpretive signs also have German.  However the really important signs such as “Detour” or “Warning” or “Danger” are only written in Icelandic.  The Icelandic for “detour” is “hjáleið” Which you need to know because the big sign across the road says “lokað.” Tomorrow is a long driving day with a strenuous hike at the end.

Foss Hotel Glacier Lagoon - Óræfi, Ireland

Solheimajökull Glacier

Today was going to be a busy day.  Fortunately we had stolen one of today’s adventures, yesterday.  The day started with a short hike to a fairly unknown hidden waterfall; however, they were making a movie there, and we were not allowed in.  Next we hiked to the foot of a fairly larger glacier (you could get some crampons, ice picks, harnesses, helmets, and ropes to walk on the glacier…we passed on that). Next we were down at the black sands beach with basalt cliffs and natural arches, all incredibly stunning.  

By lunch, we were in Vik.  One of the receptionists had recommended the Soup Company. We had Hot Lava Goulash, served in a bread bowl made with gray bread.  

Hot lava soup

Delicious, if not just a tad weird!  Deb volunteered to drive, and proved her prowess with a manual transmission.  No sooner had she gotten started, and we got a low tire pressure indicator.  So we went back to Vik, and with the help of the visitor’s  center, found an air pump.  Back on the road again with about an hour delay.

We hiked a gorgeous canyon to finish the day.  From there it was about another 100 km to the hotel.  As we drove by several glaciers, the area became more and more desolate.  The hotel was right where it was suppose to be, all by itself, but a hub of activity.  By the time we arrived at 6:00, the bar was full, and we couldn’t get a dinner reservation till 8:00.  YES!  We are so cosmopolitan!  And we got a window seat!

Basalt columns 

Umi Hotel - Hvolsvöllur, Iceland

 

During the night the skies cleared, but while we were eating breakfast, the clouds rushed in and it started to rain.  Fortunately, the rain cleared while we were trying to figure out our next stop.  We went for a short hike in the hills behind the hotel (it turns out there are miles of interconnecting trails).  We are on the southern coast of Iceland which has spectacular waterfalls.  Our first stop was Seljalandsfoss.  I walked behind the falls and got a little wet, while Deb stayed dry.  There were several other falls in the same area.  By 1:00, we stopped for lunch, waiting an extra hour in the hopes that we would not be the first ones there.  We were not disappointed, our little lunch stop was half full.  I had the Volcano Soup which is their “signature” dish with a Viking Bjor (beer).  Deb had Creme of Asparagus.

 Back in the car, our next stop is the hotel, but unfortunately, it is about half a mile away.  We had to do something, not to be the first ones checking into the hotel.  So we decide to steal one of tomorrow’s adventures.   It was only about five miles away.  Skógafoss ís one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland (62 meters tall, 25 meters wide). Not only can you walk to the base, you can also climb 527 steps to see it from the top, which for all the effort, is not particularly interesting; however the trail extends up the river with some lovely little falls and some spectacular views.  All in all, the steps were well worth it.

Our hotel, note the glacier in the background.

By the time we were done, we could check into the hotel…we were the first ones to check in, of course!  We carefully chose our dinner reservation, a lingered in the room an extra half hour before going to the bar. Yeah, we were not the first.  We didn’t even get to sit by the window!  I feel so cosmopolitan!

Ion Adventure Hotel. - Nesjavellir, Iceland

 

Gullfoss 

There appears to be no Icelandic word for “hurry”. We asked for a taxi to get to the car rental center (apparently Uber & Lyft didn’t see the value in paying taxes). After quite awhile, our taxi arrived.  Got the car with a standard shift, Deb had said it was like riding a bicycle.  She wasn’t so sure as I bucked her into the windshield a few times (it got better as the day went on).  The weather was much nicer, although it rained harder and there was a little sleet, the wind had died down to a steady 20 mph.  Even with all our rain gear, we got pretty wet.  My boots may never be dry again!  We saw waterfalls and geysers, finishing the day at Gulfoss, a huge waterfall, massively impressive.

Our room

We found the Ion Adventure Hotel which is located precisely at the center of nowhere.  Once we got to the room, we stripped off our wet clothes (we were actually pretty dry, all things considered).  Naturely, we were the first to the bar, the first to the restaurant, the first back to the bar, and first to our rooms.  Maybe tomorrow night, we can be more European.

The bar

Foss Hotel - Reykjavik, Iceland

 The flight was delayed a few hours, so we didn’t get to the hotel until 1:00 in the morning (only 9:00 PM in New Hampshire).  The weather was a bit brisk!  We walked to Perlan, a natural history museum.  They had a planetarium that explained the northern lights, and the folklore associated with it.  They had an ice cave that you could walk through along with exhibits about Icelanders through the ages have managed to nearly destroy everything on and around the island.  Icelanders believe that if they ignore their history, they are destined to repeat it.  From there, we walked to the National Museum of Iceland.  Of course, the most memorable part of the day was walking in 50 degree weather, in the rain, with 30 mph gusts.  Welcome to Iceland! 

I decided to have a cocktail before dinner, so I had an Icelandic cocktail called Biòrk Espresso (I have no idea what was in it). Dinner was small plates at Skál. It was in an enclosed market area with a dozen or so other food vendors.  Deb asked for a glass of white wine, after a short interrogation of her likes and dislikes, the bartender brought out a particular Riesling that he felt she would like especially considering that it was made naturally (naturally?  Yes, minimally processed).  The food was beyond incredible.  Deb had Lightly Cooked Cod (that was in some sort of mayonnaise based ambrosia).  I had Smoked Arctic Char, similar to salmon, but somewhat more delicate.  We finished off with a beet salad.  

Tomorrow we rent a car and head off to see the Golden Circle.