Reykjavik

We spent our last couple days in Iceland in Reykjavik.  Highlights included:  hot dogs at Baejarins Beztu, the Harpa Concert Hall (where we saw a short comedy skit on How to Become Icelandic--can you say Ejafjallajokull?), hanging out until the wee hours at cozy cafes, the Puffin Express, many many desserts, lobster soup, and wandering around the tiny shops.  Reykjavik is nothing short of darling.  

The distinctly worst part of the trip for me was snorkeling on the Silfra fissure.  While swimming over the tectonic plates should have been awesome, turns out, snorkeling is not for me (a fact I told the guide several times).  Chad and Betsy liked it, and at least now I know how I feel about snorkeling for reals.  Turns out, if you don't like snorkeling in pleasant climes, you won't like it in freezing water either. Nevertheless, the walk around the Pingvellir site was quite beautiful.

The moment I thought I was going to be stuck in my awful drysuit prison forever.  Also the moment I decided that my version of hell is snorkeling in Iceland.

We stayed in the Hotel Reykjavik Centrum.  Fantastic location, way over-priced.  I liked the Hilton better overall, but the Centrum is so convenient.  Goodbye, lovely Iceland. 

On my flight home, I had an overnight layover in Denver.  It was so great to see my Grandma Marsden!  (Not so great to miss my flight to Salt Lake--oh well.)

Jokulsarlon & The Blue Lagoon

It might be a long drive to get there, but Jokulsarlon in the southeast corner of Iceland is worth the drive.  Turning the corner to the bay was one of the few jaw-dropping sights I've experienced in my travels.  Just bring an audiobook to listen to on the drive (we listened to the Steve Jobs biography).  It's a gorgeous drive but it's long!

On our drive to the Blue Lagoon, we stopped off at Vik.  The basalt columns are pretty awesome, in sun or storm.  

We raced across the Ring Road to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a one-of-a-kind experience, and we wanted a couple hours to take it all in. Also, bring a bucket of conditioner . . .

Icelandic Volcano Hiking

Our major activity on the southern coast of Iceland was a volcano climb in the Porsmork area. We loaded into Johann's super jeep, cruised over massive boulders and fjorded streams and rivers to arrive at the trailhead. It was sprinkling at the beginning of the hike, but the light rain turned into sleet carried sideways by strong winds. We did not see a single other hiker on the trail, which should have been an indication that hiking through the storm was ill-advised. Things were getting pretty dicey about an hour from the summit, and Chad and I were freezing (we learned the hard way that rain pants are a necessity).  After trudging through snow with steep drop-offs, we evaluated turning around.  Our decision was final when Johann remarked "you know, people die here."  I don't think anyone regretted that we would miss the opportunity to toast our ham and cheese on a rock.  Despite the scary moments and the cold, the hike was absolutely beautiful and quite different from anywhere I've ever been.

The Super Jeep

Gorgeous moss-covered mountains on the hike. Marmot rain jacket got compliments from our guide--the lack of rain pants was significantly more problematic.

We are smiling on the outside, but are actually freezing and miserable.

Unfortunately, my mint milanos fared substantially better than my iPhone.

Johann drove us up to the foot of the glacier.  The sign at the entrance said "beware toxic gases, quicksand, and falling ice."  We walk on the wild side.

We finished off the adventure with a trip to a waterfall up a moss-covered canyon.  This is the benefit of having a guide--we would have never known about this place without Johann, much less actually been able to get there.  We had to criss-cross the stream all the way up the canyon.  Everyone else tried to jump across the rocks without getting wet, but at that point, I was soaked, so I just sloshed through the stream.  

That night, we had dinner at the Penguin restaurant in Vik.  Icelandic lamb is not to be missed.

Iceland Southern Coast

On our second day in Iceland, we commenced our road trip across the southern coast (from Reykjavik to Vik).  I loved pulling over to the side of the road at every waterfall possible--the best thing about Iceland is exploring untamed nature.  

Seljlandfoss.  Hallmarks:  trail behind waterfall; first amazing waterfall along the southern coast.

Skogarfoss.  Gigantic.  Hiking path to the top of the falls. 

Hiking on a glacier with Icelandic Mountain Guides.  Because this was a one-hour tour, we didn't get up into much blue ice.  It was cool to see the mini waterfalls though, and our guide was quite informative.  Glaciers are fascinating, and tragically, the Icelandic glaciers are receding by 300+ feet a year.  Save the planet!

On the southern coast, we stayed at the Volcano Hotel, just outside of Vik. The Volcano Hotel was one of the highlights of our trip--it is a small boutique hotel with cool decor, and the owners Johann and Margret are absolutely wonderful.  We stayed two nights.  The first night, we ate a delicious home-cooked meal (the first real meal we ate in Iceland) and stayed up late, watching the ocean and drinking tea.  The Volcano Hotel serves complimentary full breakfasts, and complimentary advice on all things Iceland.  

Iceland

The Golden Circle

May 21-27, 2012:  Iceland with Betsy and Chad

We picked Iceland because of the killer airfare on a new flight path and the easy flights to and from that maximized days off.  Overall impression:  Iceland is beautiful, intriguing, and full of adventure.  Food is outrageously expensive, and remaining expenses are pretty comparable to U.S. prices.  The end of May is a great time to go because the weather isn't bad, most roads are open, and it isn't crowded.  It would have been fun to see the northern lights in the off-season though . . .

Betsy Haws and I flew on the fantastic non-stop flight from Denver to Reykjavik (redeye, arriving in Iceland at 6:30 a.m.).  After the world's easiest trip through customs, we met up with the rental agent and checked out our vehicle, a gigantic Nissan Pathfinder we nicknamed Thor.  While 4WD is a must in Iceland, I don't think we needed to go with the full size SUV--a small SUV would have been adequate.  We met up with Chad at his itty bitty hotel in Keflavik (do not stay in Keflavik--go to Reykjavik), then hit the road.

Breakfast at C is for Cookie--all Iceland cafes are darling.

After fueling up, we started our trek around the Golden Circle.  Driving a rental in Iceland is the way to go--there are so many beautiful things to see on the road, and going at our own pace was ideal.  Driving is easy--very few quirky road rules, and very safe (as long as we stuck to the road).  Our first official stop was Geysir--home to Strokkur, the most unexpected geyser.

We then drove up to Myrdalsjokull for dog sledding.  The instructions from dogsledding.is were awful, and we ended up trying to get up a very steep snow-packed road . . . and got stuck.  In the middle of nowhere.  Betsy and Chad pushed us out, and we eventually located the pink van with all the dogs (don't know how we missed it--we blame it on the intense conversation we were having on the meaning of life as we bumped along on the road to nowhere).  Dogsledding across the ice fields was a riot.  The snow was a little bit soft, but when the dogs picked up speed--wow.  We went on the hour ride--no need for more than that.

Next stop was Gulfoss.  Holy cow--one of the most incredible natural wonders I didn't know I was missing out on.  Can't believe they let people get so close to the edge.

Memorable treat:  Lindin cafe in Laugarvatn, chocolate mousse with warm cream sauce and watermelon pieces.  Sure, it was $18, but so is every other bit of food in Iceland.  Eat granola bars for lunch and save room for this.

We slept in Reykjavik at the Hilton Nordica.  It's a little bit far away from city center, but I loved the hotel.  Great design, big windows overlooking the harbor and bay, not insanely priced, free parking.  We ended our night at the geothermal pool, Laugardslag.  Visiting the geothermal pools is a must do in Iceland, and it's cheap (just make sure to follow the washing protocol--the Icelandic people were extremely friendly to us, but they will yell if they think Americans are disrupting the hot pot system).  The sun didn't go down until almost midnight--this photo was taken from our hotel room at about 11 p.m.  Not a lot of sleep going on in Iceland, but a great start to our adventure.