Tag Archives: Iceland

ICELAND #6:  SCENIC SNAEFELLSNES PENINSULA (PART 2)

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After having four days of sunny and warm (for Iceland) weather, our luck ran out.  We knew it would.  It had to!  We had fabulous weather during our Canadian Rockies trip last summer as well as in Italy this past April.  The same good weather continued during our Utah National Parks trip in May.  For this trip to Iceland and Scotland, we knew it would be expecting way too much for more of the same, so we were prepared.

Although we haven’t checked in luggage since prior to the Canadian Rockies trip (carry-on backpacks and roll-a-boards have become our standard travel choice), we were still able to travel with warm and waterproof gear with room to spare (for chocolate!).  That gear came in handy on this cold, gloomy morning on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

We visited the entry point to Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, a 1959 science-fiction movie I never saw.  A glacier-peaked volcano, volcanic rock formations, and black-sand beaches are features of this area, and there is also a beautiful brown-sand beach that we visited.

Along the way, we stopped at what was supposed to be a panoramic viewpoint; however, the clouds and smoke from the erupting volcano obscured the view.  I opted to make a beeline to the cute sheep grazing near the road.

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

To get to Budir Beach, we walked past a lovely little church and through the Budahraun lava field.  Off in the distance, we could see the glacier and a handful of waterfalls pouring down the volcanic mountain.  It was so quiet and peaceful; nature at its best!

My favorite part of the day was the four-mile coastal walk we did to see the bird cliffs full of nesting birds, lava fields, and black sand beaches.  I felt like I was walking through a National Geographic documentary!  It was so amazing to see so many birds perched in the crevices of huge volcanic rock formations and to hear their chirping and squawking. 

The walking trail started at this little harbor.

It wasn’t until we arrived at a viewpoint at the top of the cliffs that I realized I had left my spare camera battery in my backpack on the bus, and my battery was about to die.  This is the only shot I was able to take of this cute mom and baby, which turned out a bit out of focus:

Fresh battery in camera, we stopped at the park’s visitor center and were greeted by this little guy acting like he owned the place!  He (she?) flew in one day, and has been visiting on a daily basis ever since.  As soon as they open the front door, he swoops in and takes over the reception counter.  The staff members think he may be somebody’s pet that got away, because he is so tame and will eat out of your hand.  They are hoping to find the owner soon, but if they can’t, he sure seems to be happy in his new home!

Our final stop was to hike up to Saxholl Crater via the Saxholl Stairway.  The top of the crater is 130 feet high, and the award-winning metal stairway was built to prevent further erosion of the crater from hikers.  The 525-foot stairway of 384 steps wraps around the side of the crater and was constructed in modules in such a away that it can be removed without leaving permanent traces.  The hike up was invigorating, and had it been a clear day, the view down into the valley from the top would have been spectacular!  The erupting volcano had caused the sky to fill with smoke, however, so the conditions weren’t best for photography.  Still, I can’t complain; at least it wasn’t raining!

Back in Stykkisholmur, the afternoon was free, so I took advantage of the pool, which I could see from our hotel room window, just across the small park.  Swim caps in hand to give away to the locals, I was off!  Check out the water slide in the link above.  It was beckoning me after my swim workout, and I hadn’t ridden on one since visiting a water park as a kid.  I gave it a try, and it was terrifying and fun at the same time!  It’s not the best thing to do repeatedly when you have Meniere’s, but I couldn’t resist taking a second ride.  After that, I was definitely DONE.

Dinner was on our own, so Bruce and I walked over to the hot dog stand after my swim.  As a pescatarian (for the most part), I eat meat and poultry as little as possible; however, I had to give this Icelandic thing a try.  Yes, Icelandic hot dogs, called pylsa or pulsa in Iceland,have reached cult status. 

This is what makes these dogs different:  First, the main ingredients are a combination of (mostly) locally-sourced lamb, beef, and pork spiced with a unique blend of spices.  Icelanders like to tout their lamb as being the best (just like the Kiwis do in New Zealand).  They graze freely on lush, open farmland; and, the meat is organic and high quality.

The key to properly cooking these dogs is in the timing, so they are firm to the touch and snap when biting into them.. 

As for the toppings, well, they are interesting!  Although hot dog stands offer all sorts of different topping combinations, the iconic Icelandic dog must be ordered with “everything” on it, at least the first time you try one.  This includes fresh and fried onions, ketchup (made with apples and tomatoes for a sweet and tangy flavor), Icelandic sweet brown mustard (“pylsusinnep”), and remoulade sauce.  All of this is loaded into a warm, fluffy steamed bun.

Sound gross?  I thought so.  Was it good?  Yes!  Meistarinn’s dog was so good that we went right back to the window to order another round.  (As a side note, we can’t say the same Baejarins Beztu Pylsur in Reykjavik. They may have been the first hot dog stand in Iceland, and President Bill Clinton helped make it famous by eating there, but they aren’t the best in our book.  The dogs we were served were luke warm, and the toppings were not as flavorful.  We passed on ordering seconds).

Given the high cost of eating out in Iceland, the 2720 ISK ($20) we spent on four hot dogs for the two of us was a bargain.  Besides, it was fun, and a very Icelandic thing to do!

Coming up next: A Day in the Life of an Icelandic Horse Farm

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 w

ICELAND #4:  WATERFALLS, PUFFINS, GLACIERS, AND BEACHES! OH MY!!

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Another day, another beautiful waterfall!  I love waterfalls, especially hearing the powerful sound of rushing water. It is truly mesmerizing and relaxing for me.  Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, situated along Iceland’s Ring Road, was much smaller than Gulfoss, but I thoroughly enjoyed the short hike up to it and being able to walk behind it.  Yes, I got wet from the spray, but I’m a swimmer!  I love getting wet!!  Everybody who braved the icy water to walk behind the waterfall and come out the other side came out laughing.  It was fun!  There were also a couple of other waterfalls nearby, and they were gorgeous.  It was a very enjoyable first stop of the day!

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

By now, I was getting quite wet from the spray!
was standing on a small bridge, enjoying the view of where I started my hike (on the right) to the path (on the left) where I came out wet and cold. It was worth it!
There were so many pretty wildflowers in bloom; a nice surprise!
Cottongrass
Standing guard in front of the wool shop near the waterfalls.
Views from the bus on our drive to Dyrholaey Cliffs.
Our next stop, Dyrholaey Cliffs
Bruce suggested shooting it in black and white.

What came next was a complete surprise, because it wasn’t on our itinerary:  seeing puffins at Dyrholaey Cliffs, overlooking a black sand beach.  We had chosen a tour date that didn’t offer the pre-extension that would have included seeing puffins, so we weren’t expecting to see any during this trip.  When Thorunn said we were going to visit some cliffs where we may see puffins, I thought, “Yeah, right.  We’ll see them as little specks, way off in the distance, barely visible.”  Imagine my surprise when we started our walk along the cliff path and came across a small group of people gathered around taking pictures.  Oh, it was probably some seagulls or something…  No!  It was seven nesting puffins, the closest perhaps 8-10 feet away!  All I could do was say, “Awww, they are so CUTE!”  Then, I shot photos—and, a lot of them.  I couldn’t stop shooting and staring at those adorable birds.  It was love at first sight!  These are my favorites; I couldn’t narrow it down anymore:

Ready… set…
…GO!!!
More views around the cliffs…
Sheep hanging out in the crevice you can see in the picture above.

I finally had to tear myself away to rejoin our tour.  As if what we had already seen wasn’t spectacular enough, our afternoon Super “Jeep” Tour with Ingo was amazing.  We all piled in his specially outfitted mega-“Jeep” (not really a Jeep) for a three-hour tour to see the dormant glacier of Kotlujokull, where the ice is 600 years old.

Sea Campion

Iceland is a very environmentally-conscious country, so strict laws require vehicles to stay on a well-marked road to the glacier.  Once we arrived at the end of the road, we hiked the rest of the way in to see the glacier. 

Ingo was carrying a box with him; I assumed it was a first-aid kit and water.  Once we arrived, he grabbed an ice pick he had left at the glacier and picked away at the ice which was covered in black volcanic ash.  Below the top layer was beautiful white ice.  He gathered an aluminum tray full of ice, for what, I didn’t know, until he opened his box:

CHEERS!

The scenery throughout our three-hour tour was beautiful; we were fortunate to have sunny skies!  Ingo was a delight—funny and informative.  He really made our adventure and enjoyable one!

Back in Vik, where our tour began, we had a little extra time to take a spin through their massive gift shop and stop into Kronan for some snacks.  We did both.  I’m not a shopper (unless it’s for chocolate), but I did want to see Icelandic wool products.  I took pictures of the wool and bought some chocolate to add to my chocolate label collection (Time to update my tally, although only one label per brand counts.):

In a previous post, I had mentioned Kronan and Bonus as being the cheapest grocery stores in Iceland.  If you ever go to Iceland, look for the smile (Kronan) or pink pig (Bonus).  Either one or the other (or both) will be in most towns, and you will save a lot of money shopping at either one of them.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we visited Reynisfjara Beach, which lies between the peninsula of Dyrholaey and Mount Reynisfjall.  What a trip!  I have never seen anything like it!  Halsanefshellir Cave, formed by the pounding waves against the soft volcanic rock, featured amazing hexagonal basalt formations, the result of magma cooling slowly and cracking into columns as the surface area decreases.  Fascinating!

The day proved to be another one full of gorgeous natural wonders that I am appreciating more as I look back on my photos and let it all sink in.  How fortunate I was to see it all!  For that, I am extremely grateful.

Coming up next:  Scenic Stykkisholmur & Snaefellsnes Peninsula

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 #3:  CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

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Looking back over my photos from our first full day in Iceland, it really was a full day!  Beginning near our hotel in Selfoss, our tour leader, Thorunn, and bus driver, Haflidi, took us to Hespa, a local wool studio to learn about wool dying using natural ingredients and traditional techniques.  It was fascinating to learn about which ingredients produce various colors and to see the process.  Wool clothing is a staple in every Icelander’s closet and a popular tourist souvenir, so it is an important industry for the country.

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

Next, we were off to circumnavigate the Golden Circle, a ring of natural highlights which are a huge tourist draw.  Being the high season and tourism numbers being way up in Europe, we weren’t the only bus to pull in at each spot.  The nice thing was our bus was full-sized like the others, but only 16 of us had to get off and back on.  If you are going to do a guided tour, small-group tours are the way to go!

Our first stop was at Gullfoss waterfall, just one of MANY waterfalls in Iceland.  The country is full of them!  This one was really special, though – absolutely breathtaking!

As we walked the path to the waterfall, we saw this glacier off in the distance.
Click on this one– a panorama, and my favorite.
I’m not one for selfies or a lot of photos of us at landmarks, but I was just so happy to finally be in Iceland!

Geysir was a fun and fascinating stop for us.  The main draw was the geyser that periodically spouted boiling water a couple of hundred feet up into the air.  I watched it 14 times, and Bruce witnessed 16 spouts.  (I was hiking up the hill to get a birds-eye view and missed a couple.)

That geyser put on a show for us!  The wait was no more than ten minutes each time, and the people gathered around to watch enjoyed the show.  We had packed a couple of sandwiches made from the hotel’s breakfast buffet for our lunch, so we sat on a bench and ate while watching for the spouts. (Don’t tell Hotel Selfoss!  In our defense, we both had eaten light breakfasts and skipped the hot food buffet.  That’s my rationalization, and I’m stickin’ to it!)

We were so fortunate to be in Iceland during the prime time for lupin. It was growing everywhere throughout the Golden Circle!

A note about the cost of food in Iceland:  It is EXPENSIVE, unless you pick up some groceries at Bonus or Kronen.  Take Subway, for example, the dreaded sandwich chain that has taken over the world.  A foot-long will set you back $15, and a three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant will cost about $50.  Add a domestic .5 liter draught beer to that, and you’re looking at about $9.  If you think you are going to go really cheap by eating at McDonalds (Just say NO!), your McMeal will cost you $14.

Having done my research, I already knew that we would have some talkin’ to do about the meals that wouldn’t be included on our tour.  Bruce and I both decided those included meals (The first one was Arctic Char, a fish similar in appearance and taste to salmon—delicious!) would be enough.  We were fine with shopping at Bonus or Kronan (similar to Aldi or Lidl) for some skyr (Icelandic yogurt similar to Greek yogurt, but better!), an apple, and a sandwich.

The grocery prices in those two stores were quite comparable to Publix in the U.S., and it was a fun experience.  I love shopping in markets in foreign countries to see what the locals eat, check prices, and look at all of the different products—especially chocolate! (I bought a lot of it…)

Wow, I sure digressed!  Where was I?  Oh!  Back to the Golden Circle!  Next stop:  Thingvellir National Park.  (That’s how it is spelled in English.  Check out the link to see the Icelandic character for “Th.”)  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has an interesting history.  This Wikipedia article gets into much more detail, but suffice it to say the park is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance.  It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland.  The biggest draw is that you can see the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates.  It’s not just the visible cracks (faults); there is a canyon clearly demonstrating the existence of plate tectonics.  It was an appropriate location for the world’s oldest Parliament, assembled in 930.

Red represents Iceland’s volcanic fires, white is for the snow and glaciers; and, blue represents the Atlantic Ocean.

Although it was a full day on the Golden Circle, there was still time in the afternoon for a swim at the local Sundlaug (pool).  Not only did I get in a good swim workout; but, I met five Icelanders to gift my U.S. Masters Swimming Fitness Series caps to in the process!

Next up: Waterfalls, Puffins, Glaciers, and Beaches! Oh My!!

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 #2:  I FINALLY MADE IT TO ICELAND!

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The first swing and a miss was in 2008, when it was a scheduled port on a trans-Atlantic cruise I was working on with my mom, teaching arts and crafts classes.  Somehow, we made it into Qaqortoq, Greenland – a rarity, due to the frequency of high seas and/or winds making it dangerous for operating the tenders.  Our captain said we were extremely lucky, so I was grateful.  It was a wonderful experience.

Our next port, Reykjavik, Iceland, was supposed to be a sure bet; however, a storm brewed in the North Atlantic, and we had to change course.

It wasn’t until 2020 when I took another swing, and it was a BIG miss:  COVID.  Don’t even get me started…

As you know from my last post, this swing yielded a home run!  Forget the ships; our small group land tour was the way to go.

Why Iceland?  I had been intrigued by Iceland since learning about their progressive country as a teenager; and, as time went on and I grew up, Iceland continued on that positive course.

Iceland is one of the world’s most feminist countries and ranked among the top three countries in the world for women to live in.  It is the first country to have a political party formed and led entirely by women, and nearly half of parliament members are women.  They were the first country to have a female president.

Icelandic women are more likely to get university degrees than men, up to the PhD level, and the country has the world’s highest proportion of women in the labor market.  As an extra bonus, they have the smallest overall gender gap.

More favorite facts: 

Iceland’s literacy rate is among the highest in the world, ranking #3.  Books are the traditional gift exchanged at Christmas.

Iceland ranks in the top five happiest countries in the world—and, the 2008 – 2011 financial crash did not affect that ranking.

Iceland is ranked 3rd in the world for median wealth, and it is nearly a classless society.

Iceland is ranked 1st on the Global Peace Index; and, there are no murders and very little crime.

Iceland has a stellar environmental record.

Iceland is an open, tolerant, and prosperous society with a strong safety net of social welfare programs.

What’s not to like?

Well, there are those cold, dark Iceland winters…

Traveling to Iceland during the summer was a joy, though!  The days were long; and, the high 50’s and low 60’s (Fahrenheit) temperatures during our 13 days was a welcome respite from the miserably hot and humid temperatures down here in Georgia.  We even had a couple of days that reached 64 degrees.  So much for the multiple pairs of Hot Hands I packed for the trip.  I only needed them on one cold, rainy day and during our whale watching trip.  Those suckers work!  I stuck them in my gloves, and my hands were toasty!

As an English-speaking American, Iceland is an easy country to navigate.  Thankfully, nearly all Icelanders speak English fluently, because studying the language is mandatory in Icelandic schools.  What a relief!  I tried to teach myself some Icelandic phrases, but their language is extremely difficult, and I was unable to pronounce the words correctly.

Besides Iceland’s progressive culture and (awesome!) society, there were so many other reasons to travel to this wonderful country.  Hopefully, in the coming blog posts, my photos will do the natural wonders we saw some justice.  At times I wondered what planet or moon I was on, because the landscape was so visually foreign to me; but, it was always beautiful, even if in a strange way.

Until next time, I will leave you with some photos I shot out the bus window during our drive from the airport to Selfoss (our base for three nights) as well as a few from around our hotel.  After our morning arrival and breakfast, we had the afternoon free before convening for our orientation and welcome dinner, so after a quick look around town, I headed straight to the community pool for a jet lag-combating swim.  Ahhh! 

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

According to Wikipedia: The geology of Iceland is unique and of particular interest to geologists. Iceland lies on the divergent boundary between the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. It also lies above a hotspot, the Iceland plume. The plume is believed to have caused the formation of Iceland itself, the island first appearing over the ocean surface about 16 to 18 million years ago.[1][2] The result is an island characterized by repeated volcanism and geothermal phenomena such as geysers.
The view from our room at Hotel Selfoss
Long shoe horns must be a thing in Selfoss. Both our hotel room and the pool shoe rack had them!

Coming up next:  Circumnavigating the Golden Circle

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 #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!