Tag Archives: Akureyri

ICELAND #11:  WATCHING WONDERFUL WHALES!

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This was the “activity note” in our itinerary for July 25th: “Whale watching is weather dependent and relies upon the cooperation of migratory patterns, which can be difficult to accurately predict…If necessary, an alternate activity will be provided.”  As a result, I fully expected NOT to be able to go whale watching.  Better to not expect it and be pleasantly surprised than be disappointed if it doesn’t happen.  That’s my attitude, at least…

We woke up, looked out the window, and saw a beautiful day awaiting us.  Great!  But, would the seas be rough?  I had visions of Bruce and I being completely miserable, if the motion sickness meds I brought along didn’t do the trick.  Been there, done that; not fun.  If the seas looked rough, we were planning on backing out.

As we hoofed it down the pier to the boat to get a good (mid-ship = less motion) seat, I gazed out to the water and saw… NOTHING.  Nothing, as in no white caps and no swells.  AWESOME!  We enthusiastically climbed aboard and were on our way.

Thankfully, we were provided waterproof (and buoyant, in case of a man-overboard nightmare) suit that covered us head to toes, including a hood.  Between my long sleeve shirt, down vest, down jacket, rain jacket (with hood), ski gloves, COVID mask (to keep my nose warm) and hooded suit; I was well-prepared to battle the cold.  I had also brought along a pair of HotHands, a product recommended by my sister and the Raynaud’s Association newsletter, an excellent resource for Raynaud’s sufferers like me.

It was cold out there, but the Hot Hands worked great!  I slipped one into each glove, and my hands actually got too hot!  I decided to stick them in my pockets instead, keeping my hands there in between shooting photos.

This is how I kept my nose warm, when my hands needed a break from the heat:

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

(Note to self for next winter:  Take the advice of Raynaud’s Association Chairman, Lynn, and place a HotHand in between two masks rather than right on my nose.)

(Correction: In a message from the HotHands “Consumer Relations Specialist, he stated, “Even over a layer, these warmers are not intended to be used on other body parts other than the hands. That could still result in a burn.”)

The waters off of Dalvik (near Akureyri in North Iceland) were peaceful, and the views spectacular.  We even saw some puffins out on the water, but it was whales we were hoping to see.

As the Arctic Sea Tours captain and his first mate searched the waters for whales, Haflidi, our bus driver, assisted.  As a former commercial fisherman, he has had a lot of experience on the waters and had an eagle eye for the whales.

Humpback whales and Minke whales were specifically what we were hoping to see, and they made their presence known – right next to the boat!  Here is one that came within ten feet of the port side as we idled.  No need to zoom in for this shot!  As a matter of fact, Humpbacks range in size from 46-56 feet long, so it looked huge next to our boat!

Two of the whales we saw just floated next to the boat and rested as we idled and watched.  They seemed to be as curious about us as we were about them.  Either that, or they were so used to whale watching boats that they just ignore them.

So graceful, so beautiful!

The scenery served as a gorgeous backdrop, and I took in the beauty as I enjoyed our snacks of hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls that were offered to all on board.

Thorunn, our wonderful tour leader
Our awesome bus driver, Haflidi, with Bruce and Drew
On our way back to town, we passed by the tiniest church in Iceland.

When we returned to Akureyri, I made a beeline to the pool across the street from our hotel.  This was the day I wrote about in my first Iceland post; my most memorable swim in Iceland.

The view from the pool across the bird pond, park, and harbor

Invigorated and refreshed, I dumped my swim gear off at the room, joined Bruce, and headed back out for a two-mile roundtrip walk to the grocery store for dinner.  Along the way, I snapped this photo just to show you what a modern Icelandic apartment building looks like:

Here are some typical Icelandic foods:

Icelandic skyr is even better than Greek yogurt!
Pickled and frozen fish
Notice the “Kropp” on the top shelf and “Bland” on the bottom shelf. It got a chuckle out of me!

See those bags and boxes of chocolate-covered treats?  Our tour leader, Thorunn, often surprised us on the bus or at the end of a group lunch by offering these to us to sample.  At the end of lunch one day, a bowl of Hraun magically appeared on our table, just as I was thinking to myself, “I sure would like some chocolate right about now…”

It was fun tasting the various Icelandic treats.  The only one that didn’t appeal to me was the chocolate covered black licorice ball.  Not a fan of black licorice!  It is very popular in Iceland, though, and quite abundant on the candy aisle.  I learned the Icelandic word for licorice, so I could avoid it at all costs as I did my chocolate shopping:  “Lakkris.”  If you love black licorice like a couple on our tour did, you would LOVE the candy aisle in an Icelandic grocery store!  Cheers, Brenda and Peter!

Coming up next: Rambling Around Reykjavik

Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off future travel– a win-win!

ICELAND #10:  MORE OF NORTH ICELAND’S NATURAL WONDERS & A HOME-HOSTED DINNER

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If I could have swapped one of our sunny days in Selfoss for this day instead, it would have been perfect.  Godafoss Waterfall would have been beautiful on a sunny day, but it was raining; not the best conditions for photography.  Still, what an amazing sight!  We hiked the path up one side, and then doubled back, crossed the bridge, and hiked up the other side.  The volume of rushing water was so powerful that the sound was mesmerizing.  I shot a short video, just so I could hear the sound of that water again when I returned home.

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

At one point during the days’ travels, we passed through a five-mile-long tunnel through a geothermal area.  The temperature was 51degrees outside of the tunnel, but 66 degrees inside the tunnel!

Our next stop was interesting.  We observed the process of harnessing geothermal energy to bake Hverabraud (Icelandic rye bread) in the ground.  The best part (of course!) was getting to taste it.  Quite dense, the bread was piping hot, sweet and tasted great with butter. 

Historically, the bread was baked in a wooden vessel, but now, buckets with lids are used.  Sites for baking bread can be found around hot springs close to villages in the Icelandic countryside.  Each family has their own hole in the ground in which they bake their bread. 

Namafjall, the next place we visited, fascinated me.  Watching the bubbling hot mud pools in this geothermal area and seeing the variations in the earth made it feel like we were on another planet.  Three thousand feet below the surface, the temperature is about 400 degrees!  Due to the hydrogen sulfide in the steam, it smelled like eggs – not the most pleasant odor; but, it was worth enduring to see this fascinating area.

We continued on to Dimmuborgir, and I experienced the same feeling I had at the mud pools and several other places we had visited in Iceland: I was on another planet!  But, isn’t that what travel is all about?  I love experiencing the unfamiliar!

Dimmuborgir is full of whimsical “black castle” lava formations created when the crater row erupted around 2,300 years ago.  Our group had fun spotting faces in the lava.  Can you see the curvy lips and full cheeks in this one?  (Hint:  They appear just above the grassy area.) 

Our final other-worldly visit was to Skutustadir.  Click on the link to see an awesome aerial shot taken on a sunny day. These pseudo craters are in the Lake Myvatn area near the Krafla volcano system.  During eruptions, lava ran across the area, which at the time was swampy wetlands.  The heat caused steam eruptions, which resulted in their crater-like shape.

Bruce and I enjoyed hiking around the area and taking in the views from the tops of the craters.

We also enjoyed stopping here after our hike for some homemade Icelandic ice cream…
…and visiting their pets.

In the evening, our group was split in half for home-hosted dinners at two homes.  Our group was hosted by Esther, Gunnar, and their two adorable daughters, Berglind (9) and Elizabeth (4).  They were such a sweet family, and they lived in a lovely apartment.

Throughout the evening, their TV was tuned into the video cam of the erupting volcano – such an amazing sight that had us enthralled in between conversation and petting their cute dogs.

Esther is studying computer science to become a programmer, and Gunnar is a commercial fisherman.  He caught a huge cod for our delicious dinner that was prepared by Esther.  Berglind kept busy as our server and did a great job!  Bruce gave Esther and Berglind each a pair of his fused glass stud earrings as a gift, and I gave Gunnar some of my photo cards to share with Elizabeth. 

It was such a fun evening, and a highlight of the trip (as always!).  Looking back, my favorite travel memories have been of the home-hosted visits I have done with Overseas Adventure Travel, and previously, Vantage Travel, when we traveled with them (before their bankruptcy).

Esther, Gunnar, Berglind, and Elizabeth: Thank you for such a special evening I will always remember! 

Next up: Watching Wonderful Whales!

Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off future travel– a win-win!

ICELAND #9: APPEALING AKUREYRI

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Our afternoon arrival to Akureyri was a rainy one, just as it had been much of the day, on and off.  Fortunately, it never rained hard, so we donned our waterproof gear and carried on.

I found Akureyri appealing, regardless of the weather.  As we drove into town along the waterfront, I gazed out the bus window and did a double-take as we stopped at this red light. (I photographed another one the next day by the pool, since it was a bright, sunny day!)

Awww; it was love at first sight!  What a clever idea and a warm welcome to Iceland’s fifth-largest city, and the largest city in North Iceland.  Still, it only has just a bit over 19,000 residents.

Nicknamed the “Capital of North Iceland,” Akureyri is an important port and fishing center.  Surprisingly, given how far north it is, the climate is relatively mild.  They don’t get much sun, but the temperatures are not extreme. The harbor is even ice-free in the winter, which is a huge advantage for the fishing industry.

Although the waterfront is flat, the topography becomes quite steep and hilly just a short distance from the main part of town.  This added visual interest and character; I quite liked it.  (Besides, it was a great workout for the legs while walking back up to our hotel up on the hill!)

Akureyri has an active cultural scene—especially folk culture. I liked the artsy vibe of the town, especially these quirky knitted trash receptacle covers around town:

I also loved this splash of rainbow colors to brighten up an otherwise boring concrete sidewalk:

The same for the rainbow stairs.  Good on Iceland for being inclusive!

After we settled in at the hotel, Thorunn took us on an orientation walking tour of the town.  Just across the street from the hotel was this awesome swimming facility I wrote about in my first Iceland blog post:

Nearby, we took a brief walk through the Akureyri Botanical Garden, established in 1912 by a group of local women who had founded the Park Association, two years earlier, to beautify their city.

I fell in love with these Himalayan blue poppies!

Rather than returning to the hotel with the group, we headed back down to town to do some exploration on our own before joining our group at the hotel for dinner.

A window display in a folk art gallery

Coming up next: More of North Iceland’s Natural Wonders & A Home-Hosted Dinner

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off fut

ICELAND #1: SWIMMING IN ICELAND’S COMMUNITY POOLS

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During the last half of July, Bruce and I traveled to Iceland on a small group tour with Overseas Adventure Travel. To begin my blog series on this wonderful country, I am copying in an article I wrote for the upcoming Georgia Masters Swimming Newsletter, as part of my “Elaine’s Tip of the Month” series:

ELAINE’S TIP OF THE MONTH: SWIMMING IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Is foreign travel in your plans? If so, don’t forget to pack your swim gear and caps! “Caps?” you ask? Wouldn’t I only need to bring one? Well, yes, but I’m not referring to the cap you will be wearing. I’m talking about all those swim caps you have accumulated from swim meets, fitness events, and charity swims. How many of those caps will you actually use?

I had tried to give mine away to coaches to give their age group swimmers, but nobody wanted them. They had plenty of their own to give away. Pleas on the USMS Community (Discussion Forums) and on the Georgia Masters Facebook page were dead-ends. This time, I had 21caps, so I took them with me to Iceland.

Iceland? There are public swimming pools in Iceland? Yes! There are 121(!) public swimming pools in a country roughly the size of Kentucky with less than 10% of Kentucky’s population. Even the smallest towns have a public pool with spas, which serves as the daily meeting place for the community—especially in the geothermal-heated spas where spirited conversations take place. Pools are a vital part of the typical Icelandic small-town community, and children are required to learn how to swim in early childhood.

That brings me to my first tip about swimming in foreign countries. (We’ll get back to those caps later.) First, check out http://swimmersguide.com to locate pools anywhere in the world.

Next (and this is an important one), research the swimming culture in your designated country, so as not to offend the locals.  In Iceland, shoes are not permitted to be worn in the locker rooms for sanitary reasons. There are shoe racks located in the lobby outside of the locker rooms where you leave your shoes before entering. (Two of the pools I swam at had shoe trays, so you could place your shoes in your locker.) Secure lockers were also provided for free, so there was no need to bring a lock with me.

The shoe rack at the pool in Selfoss, Iceland.
They even supplied long shoe horns (on the chain) to make putting your shoes back on a little easier!
The children’s pool and spas had water temperatures posted.  The pool in Selfoss had several spas, each kept at a different temperature.  They even had a cold-water dunk tank.  I passed on that one!  After taking this photo, I learned that cameras and cell phones are strictly prohibited in the locker rooms and pool area.

Most importantly, it is required to shower WITHOUT your suit before you swim in Iceland, and the showers are not private. Naked women and children showered in the shower room without a care, donned their suits, and off they went, leaving their towels behind in the designated towel cubes rather than taking them out to the pool.

I was able to get in four late-afternoon swim workouts in three Icelandic towns during our two-week small group tour, in July.  Although I left my towel in the locker room each time, I did bring my caps out with me to give away.  It was a great conversation starter and a fun way to meet the locals—one of the most enjoyable aspects of international travel for me.  I approached every swimmer I saw wearing a cap and asked if they would like to have a free cap from the U.S.A.  A few were skeptical, but once they understood there wasn’t a catch, they were excited. Many of the swimmers took their own caps off and put on their new one. 

As it turned out, one of the swimmers I met in Akureyri, Gudrun, was elected to the board of the Icelandic Swimming Association—the very organization I contacted about Masters Swimming in Iceland! We exchanged e-mails and are keeping in touch. (By the way, they are looking for coaches, so if you would like to coach in Iceland, let me know!)

Since cameras and cell phones are prohibited inside the pool area, I shot this photo in Akureyri from behind the glass at the street. And, yes, I tried out both water slides. Terrifying!
The pool in Stykkisholmur, photographed from outside the fence after the pool had closed.  This slide wasn’t quite as terrifying.

Swimming in Iceland—and giving away my 21 caps—made my trip to Iceland so much more enjoyable than if I had left my swim gear at home. Give it a try next time you travel internationally and create some memories of your own!

Next up: I finally made it to Iceland!

Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off future travel– a win-win!