A new member of the "I Love Iceland" club! Trip Report
Jul 12th, 2004, 08:31 AM
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A new member of the "I Love Iceland" club! Trip Report
Just back from a six day trip to Iceland, July 2-July 6. Please feel free to ask for details about anything.
Stayed at Room With A View hotel in Reykjavik, $145.00 per night for a studio apartment. We could have found a cheaper hotel room somewhere but we really wanted to have a kitchen so we could have breakfast in and pack lunches to take on our day trips. (We ate dinners out.) Really nice place, right on Laugavegur Street. We had our kitchenette, living room/bedroom area (divided by a screen), full bathroom, balcony which looked over the rooftops to the harbor, access to deck/hot tub. Very modern, scandanavian design.
Aside #1: The very long days. The sun goes down but it NEVER gets dark, just stays dusky. It was easy to lose track of time in the evening. We'd be out on the street wandering around, and I'd look at my watch and it would be 11PM. Very weird. I cannot imagine what it must be like in the winter.
We arrived early Friday morning, got into town on the FlyBus (about $15.00 one way), and since our room wasn't ready, jumped right into sightseeing. Went to the Culture House to see the Saga manuscripts, very interesting. The Icelandic language is pretty much unchanged since these were written around 1000-1200. Had a very tasty soup and bread lunch in the cafeteria there, then wandered the streets. Weather-wise it wasn't a very nice day, cloudy, cool and drizzly, so we just bided out time til we could get into our room. Picked up some groceries (I love skyr!) unpacked and took a little rest. Late in the afternoon we took a bus to the Blue Lagoon and soaked in the pool for a couple hours. I enjoyed it very much--the water is comfortably hot (not too), there are big tubs of silica mud around to smear on your face and all in all it's very relaxing. Got back into town, made ourselves a little dinner in our kitchen and called it an early night.
Aside #2: I love skyr! I brought three containers of the stuff back with me. Does anyone know of a source in the US? Amy?
Got up bright and early on Saturday, picked up our rental car and did the Golden Circle. Started at Thingveller, wandered around a bit, hiked between the two tectonic plates and tried to picture the area as it was when parliament was held there. It was another gray and drizzly day so we didn't explore as much as we might have if the sun was shining. My BF is into alternative energy sources so we detoured down to the nearby power plant for a tour. They make electricity and hot water there, the majority goes to Reykjavik. It was interesting and off the beaten path--we were the only visitors. Next we stopped at a neat crater lake (I'd list its name, but I don't have all the proper letters-Icelandic has a few additional ones!) with otherworldly blue water, then on to the biggies--Gullfoss and Geysir. Gullfoss (Golden Falls) is a huge, spectacular waterfall. I've never been to Niagara, but I'm guessing this rivals it. There are paths down quite close to it so you can really get a good look (and get soaked with the spray.) Geysir, the geyser has been dormant for a while, but the nearby geyser, Strokkur erupted every five minutes or so. It was funny to see everyone poised with their cameras, waiting for the thing to erupt to snap a picture. On our way back to Reykjavik, we stopped in the tiny lakeside town of Laugavatn and had an excellent meal at their only restaurant. I was surprised by the elegance of this little restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I think it's because so many of the buildings are clad in corrugated metal and look like garages. Found our way back to Reykjavik, had no trouble driving in and finding a place to park and called it a night.
To be continued...
Stayed at Room With A View hotel in Reykjavik, $145.00 per night for a studio apartment. We could have found a cheaper hotel room somewhere but we really wanted to have a kitchen so we could have breakfast in and pack lunches to take on our day trips. (We ate dinners out.) Really nice place, right on Laugavegur Street. We had our kitchenette, living room/bedroom area (divided by a screen), full bathroom, balcony which looked over the rooftops to the harbor, access to deck/hot tub. Very modern, scandanavian design.
Aside #1: The very long days. The sun goes down but it NEVER gets dark, just stays dusky. It was easy to lose track of time in the evening. We'd be out on the street wandering around, and I'd look at my watch and it would be 11PM. Very weird. I cannot imagine what it must be like in the winter.
We arrived early Friday morning, got into town on the FlyBus (about $15.00 one way), and since our room wasn't ready, jumped right into sightseeing. Went to the Culture House to see the Saga manuscripts, very interesting. The Icelandic language is pretty much unchanged since these were written around 1000-1200. Had a very tasty soup and bread lunch in the cafeteria there, then wandered the streets. Weather-wise it wasn't a very nice day, cloudy, cool and drizzly, so we just bided out time til we could get into our room. Picked up some groceries (I love skyr!) unpacked and took a little rest. Late in the afternoon we took a bus to the Blue Lagoon and soaked in the pool for a couple hours. I enjoyed it very much--the water is comfortably hot (not too), there are big tubs of silica mud around to smear on your face and all in all it's very relaxing. Got back into town, made ourselves a little dinner in our kitchen and called it an early night.
Aside #2: I love skyr! I brought three containers of the stuff back with me. Does anyone know of a source in the US? Amy?
Got up bright and early on Saturday, picked up our rental car and did the Golden Circle. Started at Thingveller, wandered around a bit, hiked between the two tectonic plates and tried to picture the area as it was when parliament was held there. It was another gray and drizzly day so we didn't explore as much as we might have if the sun was shining. My BF is into alternative energy sources so we detoured down to the nearby power plant for a tour. They make electricity and hot water there, the majority goes to Reykjavik. It was interesting and off the beaten path--we were the only visitors. Next we stopped at a neat crater lake (I'd list its name, but I don't have all the proper letters-Icelandic has a few additional ones!) with otherworldly blue water, then on to the biggies--Gullfoss and Geysir. Gullfoss (Golden Falls) is a huge, spectacular waterfall. I've never been to Niagara, but I'm guessing this rivals it. There are paths down quite close to it so you can really get a good look (and get soaked with the spray.) Geysir, the geyser has been dormant for a while, but the nearby geyser, Strokkur erupted every five minutes or so. It was funny to see everyone poised with their cameras, waiting for the thing to erupt to snap a picture. On our way back to Reykjavik, we stopped in the tiny lakeside town of Laugavatn and had an excellent meal at their only restaurant. I was surprised by the elegance of this little restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I think it's because so many of the buildings are clad in corrugated metal and look like garages. Found our way back to Reykjavik, had no trouble driving in and finding a place to park and called it a night.
To be continued...
Jul 12th, 2004, 08:31 AM
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Part two:
Sunday we took an mid morning boat tour to see puffins (so cute!), then in the afternoon took a drive up the Snaefellnes peninsula to see if we could book a snowmobile tour of the glacier. The weather improved as we went and the area is beautiful and spare with green plains and mountains, much wilder than the Golden Circle area. We finally arrived in the coastal town of Arnastapi late in the afternoon. The town's only restaurant was also the tourist office (and hotel front desk). Our instructions were to get in our car at 5pm and drive up a particular road for about 15 minutes. At that time we would see the snowmobiles parked and our guide would be there to meet us.
So...at 5 we got in our car, found the road and began to drive. The road was gravel and pot-holey, and there was nothing in any direction but rocks and dirt and a few hardy and scrubby plants. The road went on and on and up and up, and then, finally, just as we were thinking we must have made a wrong turn we saw the snowmobiles and the trailer that served as the tour office. I looked up at the mountain to where the snow began. I could see what looked like a track but it was almost vertical. I said to my BF, "We can't be going up there, can we??" Our guide handed us a couple of snowmobile suits, helmets and gloves and pointed us toward a snowmobile. After a quick lesson on how to drive the thing ("Turn this handle for go, turn this handle for stop. If snowmobile leans to the left, you lean to the right, if snowmobile leans to the right, you lean to the left. You don't lean, you fall off,"
he told us to follow him and we were off. We had to really gun it to make it up the steep mountain (and not lose our guide) but eventually it tapered off to a more gradual incline. It felt like we were absolutely flying and every time we hit a bump and I was lifted off the seat I either screamed, swore or giggled hysterically. Every so often I'd look out and get a glimpse of the ground and the coastline below that would take my breath away. I'd point out something for my BF to look at (but he was too busy driving.) At one point we rounded a turn, leaned the wrong way and rolled the snowmobile over. Fortunately it didn't land on any body parts and immediately stalled. Our guide came back, righted it, started it up and we were off again.
Finally after what seemed like a REALLY long time we came up over a rise to find our guide stopped between two small peaks, one maybe 100 feet tall, and the second maybe 75 feet tall. He motioned us over and said, "OK, this is the top, that peak (gesturing toward the taller one) is the summit. We'll just stay up here for ten or fifteen minutes, so feel free to look around. Don't fall off." The view was unbelievable-we were looking down at the coastline and the green mountains below in one direction and along the top of a cloudbank in the other direction. My BF took a couple of pictures (in my panic I'd forgotten my camera in the car), then we started to climb up the higher peak. We were just about 15 feet or so up the side when all of a sudden a big cloud wafted over us and stopped. Suddenly we couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of us. We came back down the summit toward where our guide was. He said this sometimes happened, that the weather changed really quickly. We mulled around for a couple more minutes but since we couldn't see anything we suggested that we just go down. So off we went, and now we couldn't see anything. Every so often our guide would disappear into the fog, I'd panic, then he'd slow down and appear again. I think I chanted, "oh my God oh my God oh my God" the entire way. Finally I could see the parked snowmobiles coming into view. We'd made it! We parked and got off the snowmobile. The adrenaline had made me shaky but I managed to get the snowmobile suit off without. After handshakes all around we got into our car and headed back down the mountain. We were exhilarated! I think if I had known what was in store for us I never would have done it (I'm not much of a risk taker) but I'm so glad I did!
We had dinner at the restaurant in Arnastapi and headed back to Reykjavik.
To be continued...
Sunday we took an mid morning boat tour to see puffins (so cute!), then in the afternoon took a drive up the Snaefellnes peninsula to see if we could book a snowmobile tour of the glacier. The weather improved as we went and the area is beautiful and spare with green plains and mountains, much wilder than the Golden Circle area. We finally arrived in the coastal town of Arnastapi late in the afternoon. The town's only restaurant was also the tourist office (and hotel front desk). Our instructions were to get in our car at 5pm and drive up a particular road for about 15 minutes. At that time we would see the snowmobiles parked and our guide would be there to meet us.
So...at 5 we got in our car, found the road and began to drive. The road was gravel and pot-holey, and there was nothing in any direction but rocks and dirt and a few hardy and scrubby plants. The road went on and on and up and up, and then, finally, just as we were thinking we must have made a wrong turn we saw the snowmobiles and the trailer that served as the tour office. I looked up at the mountain to where the snow began. I could see what looked like a track but it was almost vertical. I said to my BF, "We can't be going up there, can we??" Our guide handed us a couple of snowmobile suits, helmets and gloves and pointed us toward a snowmobile. After a quick lesson on how to drive the thing ("Turn this handle for go, turn this handle for stop. If snowmobile leans to the left, you lean to the right, if snowmobile leans to the right, you lean to the left. You don't lean, you fall off,"
he told us to follow him and we were off. We had to really gun it to make it up the steep mountain (and not lose our guide) but eventually it tapered off to a more gradual incline. It felt like we were absolutely flying and every time we hit a bump and I was lifted off the seat I either screamed, swore or giggled hysterically. Every so often I'd look out and get a glimpse of the ground and the coastline below that would take my breath away. I'd point out something for my BF to look at (but he was too busy driving.) At one point we rounded a turn, leaned the wrong way and rolled the snowmobile over. Fortunately it didn't land on any body parts and immediately stalled. Our guide came back, righted it, started it up and we were off again. Finally after what seemed like a REALLY long time we came up over a rise to find our guide stopped between two small peaks, one maybe 100 feet tall, and the second maybe 75 feet tall. He motioned us over and said, "OK, this is the top, that peak (gesturing toward the taller one) is the summit. We'll just stay up here for ten or fifteen minutes, so feel free to look around. Don't fall off." The view was unbelievable-we were looking down at the coastline and the green mountains below in one direction and along the top of a cloudbank in the other direction. My BF took a couple of pictures (in my panic I'd forgotten my camera in the car), then we started to climb up the higher peak. We were just about 15 feet or so up the side when all of a sudden a big cloud wafted over us and stopped. Suddenly we couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of us. We came back down the summit toward where our guide was. He said this sometimes happened, that the weather changed really quickly. We mulled around for a couple more minutes but since we couldn't see anything we suggested that we just go down. So off we went, and now we couldn't see anything. Every so often our guide would disappear into the fog, I'd panic, then he'd slow down and appear again. I think I chanted, "oh my God oh my God oh my God" the entire way. Finally I could see the parked snowmobiles coming into view. We'd made it! We parked and got off the snowmobile. The adrenaline had made me shaky but I managed to get the snowmobile suit off without. After handshakes all around we got into our car and headed back down the mountain. We were exhilarated! I think if I had known what was in store for us I never would have done it (I'm not much of a risk taker) but I'm so glad I did!
We had dinner at the restaurant in Arnastapi and headed back to Reykjavik.
To be continued...
Jul 12th, 2004, 08:32 AM
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Monday we decided we'd head down Route 1 towards Vik on the southern coast. About an hour out of Reykjavik the sky began to clear and by noontime was completely blue and cloud-free. We first stopped at Seljalandsfoss waterfall. We knew we were in the right place by the number of tour buses parked in the lot. You can climb a narrow path behind the waterfall so of course we did and I got some nifty pictures. After a quick lunch break we headed off to our next stop, Skogafoss waterfall. There's a loooong staircase next to the falls that takes you to the top of a hill where you can look down on the waterfall, and there were nice trails and views of the nearby glacier. I loved this place! I'm sure it helped that it was such a perfect day weather-wise, but we spent way more time here than I would have expected. Finally we tore ourselves away and were off to our next stop, Dyrholaey, the southernmost point in Iceland, a rocky promontory that's now a bird sanctuary. Another beautiful place with views of black sand beaches on either side. Despite quite a lot of people (for Iceland) there was a real feeling of tranquility and peacefulness.
Aside #3: one of the things that struck me was the quiet in the country. There were times when we were away from the road that we'd stop and listen and hear...nothing. Complete silence. Not even birds singing.
Back in the car and finally we arrived at our destination, the coastal town of Vik. This was quite a picturesque place with a black sand beach and the Reynisdrager (Troll's Rocks) in the distance. (The story is that two trolls waded out into the ocean to retrieve a drifting boat, dawn broke and they were turned to stone.) We walked on the beach, watched puffins fishing in the ocean and soaked up the atmosphere. Found a cute café in town for a yummy dinner, then reluctantly started back toward Reykjavik.
On the drive we decided that if we got back in time we'd check out one of the nine public swimming pools in Reykjavik. When we got back the weather had cleared there as well and it was a beautiful, brilliantly sunny evening. We grabbed our suits and headed over to Laugardalslaug, the largest pool complex. There was a large free form pool with a kiddie area and waterslide, a cold water lap pool, and six "hot pots" of varying degrees of hotness. I had read that the pools in Reykjavik were like coffee shops in other cities-places where people come to socialize and that was the feeling I got. This was the only place we'd been to that was strictly just locals. We left at around 10 pm to avoid the mad rush out when the pool closed at 10:30. The sun was still in the sky, inching its way towards the horizon. I took a picture from our balcony and noted the time, 10:20 PM. Finally around 11:30 the sun dipped below the horizon. Because this had been our one and only clear day in Reykjavik I was curious what the middle of the night looked like so I got up at 3AM and looked outside. There was a HUGE 3/4 orange moon just above the horizon and the sky was a pale blue. Beautiful!
Tuesday, our last day, we returned our rental car then hiked up to the Perlan restaurant for the view and yet another photo op. Did some last minute gift shopping and headed off to the airport on the FlyBus for the flight home.
Aside #4: Yes, it's true, Iceland is expensive. I stopped doing the conversions on the second day. I just didn't want to know how much money I was spending (actually it wasn't so bad.)
So, there you have it. We had a great time, saw so many beautiful and interesting and strange things, and there were so many things we didn't get around to seeing (volcano, glacial desert, Northern Lights.) Guess I'll just have to go back sometime!
Patti
Aside #3: one of the things that struck me was the quiet in the country. There were times when we were away from the road that we'd stop and listen and hear...nothing. Complete silence. Not even birds singing.
Back in the car and finally we arrived at our destination, the coastal town of Vik. This was quite a picturesque place with a black sand beach and the Reynisdrager (Troll's Rocks) in the distance. (The story is that two trolls waded out into the ocean to retrieve a drifting boat, dawn broke and they were turned to stone.) We walked on the beach, watched puffins fishing in the ocean and soaked up the atmosphere. Found a cute café in town for a yummy dinner, then reluctantly started back toward Reykjavik.
On the drive we decided that if we got back in time we'd check out one of the nine public swimming pools in Reykjavik. When we got back the weather had cleared there as well and it was a beautiful, brilliantly sunny evening. We grabbed our suits and headed over to Laugardalslaug, the largest pool complex. There was a large free form pool with a kiddie area and waterslide, a cold water lap pool, and six "hot pots" of varying degrees of hotness. I had read that the pools in Reykjavik were like coffee shops in other cities-places where people come to socialize and that was the feeling I got. This was the only place we'd been to that was strictly just locals. We left at around 10 pm to avoid the mad rush out when the pool closed at 10:30. The sun was still in the sky, inching its way towards the horizon. I took a picture from our balcony and noted the time, 10:20 PM. Finally around 11:30 the sun dipped below the horizon. Because this had been our one and only clear day in Reykjavik I was curious what the middle of the night looked like so I got up at 3AM and looked outside. There was a HUGE 3/4 orange moon just above the horizon and the sky was a pale blue. Beautiful!
Tuesday, our last day, we returned our rental car then hiked up to the Perlan restaurant for the view and yet another photo op. Did some last minute gift shopping and headed off to the airport on the FlyBus for the flight home.
Aside #4: Yes, it's true, Iceland is expensive. I stopped doing the conversions on the second day. I just didn't want to know how much money I was spending (actually it wasn't so bad.)
So, there you have it. We had a great time, saw so many beautiful and interesting and strange things, and there were so many things we didn't get around to seeing (volcano, glacial desert, Northern Lights.) Guess I'll just have to go back sometime!
Patti
Jul 12th, 2004, 09:50 AM
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Patti - great report! I was in Iceland last May for four days and had a tremendous time. It has to be one of my favourite places on earth. A truly unique experience.
We also stayed in Room With A View and thought the location was excellent and the apartment was very well looked after.
Your comparison of Gulfoss and Niagara is interesting. I saw Niagara Falls for the first time this May and although they were incredible, it did not have the same "magic" as the moment I first saw Gulfoss which to me was an unexpected treasure. The wildness and isolation of Gulfoss creates a much better atmosphere than the tacky surrounds of Niagara Falls.
I totally agree with your obdervation of the geothermal swimming pool being like an Icelandic social meeting place.
You've made me want to start planning my return visit to Iceland. I'd like to spend a couple of weeks driving round the island to see all the contrasting areas and sites I missed the first time.
We also stayed in Room With A View and thought the location was excellent and the apartment was very well looked after.
Your comparison of Gulfoss and Niagara is interesting. I saw Niagara Falls for the first time this May and although they were incredible, it did not have the same "magic" as the moment I first saw Gulfoss which to me was an unexpected treasure. The wildness and isolation of Gulfoss creates a much better atmosphere than the tacky surrounds of Niagara Falls.
I totally agree with your obdervation of the geothermal swimming pool being like an Icelandic social meeting place.
You've made me want to start planning my return visit to Iceland. I'd like to spend a couple of weeks driving round the island to see all the contrasting areas and sites I missed the first time.
Jul 12th, 2004, 11:05 AM
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HI missiepie,
In the city there was every kind of restaurant--Italian, Chinese, Thai, but out in the country the menus were of simple meat dishes--lots of fish and lamb, some exotic things like reindeer and puffin (!), delicious soups, some vegetables. At one place for example, I had a mixed grill with lamb and a seabird called a guillemot, a very yummy potato ball-thing, pureed celery root (sounds weird but it was delicious) and a little salad. There were some Viking restaurants that had those wacky delicacies--rotten shark and ram's testicles, but we didn't try them. And as I raved about, skyr is the most wonderful thing--kind of like a cross between yougurt and sour cream, thick and fruit flavored. I asked someone about it and she said it gave good energy and was low in fat. Good thing, because I was eating two a day!
Dave--I loved the fact that although most of the big natural wonders had facilities--bathrooms and visitors centers, they were unobtrusive and didn't detract from the beauty of the place. No tacky souvenir stands to be found!
Patti
In the city there was every kind of restaurant--Italian, Chinese, Thai, but out in the country the menus were of simple meat dishes--lots of fish and lamb, some exotic things like reindeer and puffin (!), delicious soups, some vegetables. At one place for example, I had a mixed grill with lamb and a seabird called a guillemot, a very yummy potato ball-thing, pureed celery root (sounds weird but it was delicious) and a little salad. There were some Viking restaurants that had those wacky delicacies--rotten shark and ram's testicles, but we didn't try them. And as I raved about, skyr is the most wonderful thing--kind of like a cross between yougurt and sour cream, thick and fruit flavored. I asked someone about it and she said it gave good energy and was low in fat. Good thing, because I was eating two a day!
Dave--I loved the fact that although most of the big natural wonders had facilities--bathrooms and visitors centers, they were unobtrusive and didn't detract from the beauty of the place. No tacky souvenir stands to be found!
Patti
Jul 12th, 2004, 12:42 PM
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Patti! Welcome to the club!!
I'm so glad you had such a good time; I love your trip report. Oddly enough, I just went to Niagara and had the "That's it?!?" reaction, I think from being at Gullfoss (and Iguacu, in Brazil.) Niagara's pretty, but...
I haven't found any skyr here yet, but I certainly eat it very happily there. Boy, am I getting homesick for Iceland! (But I leave for Peru in just a few weeks, so I don't think I'll be getting there this summer.) The snowmobiling certainly brings back memories...I about killed myself snowmobiling the glacier, as I'm terribly uncoordinated and don't handle machines at all well...
Welcome back, and thanks again for the great report!
I'm so glad you had such a good time; I love your trip report. Oddly enough, I just went to Niagara and had the "That's it?!?" reaction, I think from being at Gullfoss (and Iguacu, in Brazil.) Niagara's pretty, but...
I haven't found any skyr here yet, but I certainly eat it very happily there. Boy, am I getting homesick for Iceland! (But I leave for Peru in just a few weeks, so I don't think I'll be getting there this summer.) The snowmobiling certainly brings back memories...I about killed myself snowmobiling the glacier, as I'm terribly uncoordinated and don't handle machines at all well...
Welcome back, and thanks again for the great report!
for your report. It brings back memories of our 6 day visit there 16 years ago.
Jul 16th, 2004, 05:18 AM
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Patti
Great report - I also stayed at Room with a View the week before you!! You really brought back memories of the place and I loved your description of the endless light. I found it just as distorting as you.
My enduring memories of the place apart from the tap water that smells of rotten eggs and the sheer cost of everything (you can't buy anything in a supermarket for less than a dollar) are
1. The view you get when you fly into Keflavik airport. You really feel like you have arrived in the most amazing place - almost like another world
2. The trustworthiness and warm welcome by the Icelandic people. They really care that you love their country
3. The cafe society in Reykjavik - apart from the fact that it is only 40 degrees outside in June you could almost believe you were in Paris
4. The thermal baths - what a way to relax!
Thanks for sharing
Great report - I also stayed at Room with a View the week before you!! You really brought back memories of the place and I loved your description of the endless light. I found it just as distorting as you.
My enduring memories of the place apart from the tap water that smells of rotten eggs and the sheer cost of everything (you can't buy anything in a supermarket for less than a dollar) are
1. The view you get when you fly into Keflavik airport. You really feel like you have arrived in the most amazing place - almost like another world
2. The trustworthiness and warm welcome by the Icelandic people. They really care that you love their country
3. The cafe society in Reykjavik - apart from the fact that it is only 40 degrees outside in June you could almost believe you were in Paris
4. The thermal baths - what a way to relax!
Thanks for sharing
Jul 16th, 2004, 06:23 AM
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HI Everybody,
I've been back a week and I miss Iceland already! I miss the quiet! I miss the skyr! (I'm really obsessed--I've been searching for a source here in the US.) I miss the long LONG days!
I'm glad you've enjoyed the trip report--I enjoyed writing it. As much as I LOVE to read those trip reports about Paris and London and Rome (hell, I've even written a couple,) it was nice to post about a place that's a bit off the beaten path.
I wasn't planning to post any pix, flygirl, I don't belong to any of those post-your-photos sites, but I did get some nice shots (everyone's a great photographer when the sun is shining) so maybe I will. I'll let you know.
Thanks again for your kind words everybody!
Patti
I've been back a week and I miss Iceland already! I miss the quiet! I miss the skyr! (I'm really obsessed--I've been searching for a source here in the US.) I miss the long LONG days!
I'm glad you've enjoyed the trip report--I enjoyed writing it. As much as I LOVE to read those trip reports about Paris and London and Rome (hell, I've even written a couple,) it was nice to post about a place that's a bit off the beaten path.
I wasn't planning to post any pix, flygirl, I don't belong to any of those post-your-photos sites, but I did get some nice shots (everyone's a great photographer when the sun is shining) so maybe I will. I'll let you know.
Thanks again for your kind words everybody!
Patti
Jul 16th, 2004, 07:17 AM
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Great trip report. I visited those same places 3 years ago. I remember Vik because my hair dryer blew a fuse in the hotel there and knocked out power in the whole wing of the hotel.
I now do not travel to Europe with a hair dryer.
Welcome to the club.
I now do not travel to Europe with a hair dryer.
Welcome to the club.
Aug 26th, 2004, 03:10 PM
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We are thinking about going to Iceland. How far does the dollar go there? What side of the road do the car travel? We drove in New Zealand and still remember having white knuckles in the mountain passes!
Aug 27th, 2004, 04:23 AM
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HI MariMari,
Iceland is expensive--after a point I just stopped doing the conversions. There's a lot of free stuff to do nad see, though. All the famous natural sights--the geysers, the waterfalls, Thingvellir, don't have admission fees. We also had a hotel room with a kitchenette so we could eat breakfast in and pack lunches for the road--saved some money that way.
They drive on the right side of the road, and the roads are very well marked. If you're thinking of going into the wilder interior regions of the country, you'll need to rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle, because lots of the roads in the remote areas are unpaved. We toured mostly in the Golden Circle area, so we just rented a regular car, which was fine for us and more economical on gas.
Icelandair has lots of packages that are great deals, especially if you're going off-season.
I say go! It's a fascinating place and I'm looking forward to going back there someday!
Patti
Iceland is expensive--after a point I just stopped doing the conversions. There's a lot of free stuff to do nad see, though. All the famous natural sights--the geysers, the waterfalls, Thingvellir, don't have admission fees. We also had a hotel room with a kitchenette so we could eat breakfast in and pack lunches for the road--saved some money that way.
They drive on the right side of the road, and the roads are very well marked. If you're thinking of going into the wilder interior regions of the country, you'll need to rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle, because lots of the roads in the remote areas are unpaved. We toured mostly in the Golden Circle area, so we just rented a regular car, which was fine for us and more economical on gas.
Icelandair has lots of packages that are great deals, especially if you're going off-season.
I say go! It's a fascinating place and I'm looking forward to going back there someday!
Patti
Aug 27th, 2004, 01:49 PM
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Patti, If you want to make Skyr, here's the recipe....http://www.ms.is/article.aspx?ArtId=96&catID=183
Looks complicated, good luck !!
Looks complicated, good luck !!
Aug 30th, 2004, 05:20 AM
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Hi Patti!
Thanks for posting your report. I'm going to Iceland for the first time next month. I've been dreaming about this trip for 16 years & can't wait!
My son & I will be traveling very light...with hiking clothes & gear. Do you feel that we'd be uncomfortable in the restaurants with hiking boots on? I read somewhere that Icelanders dress up to eat out, it made me feel like we shouldn't attempt to enter a restaurant with our casual attire & wild, wind-blown hair! What do you think?
Thanks for posting your report. I'm going to Iceland for the first time next month. I've been dreaming about this trip for 16 years & can't wait!
My son & I will be traveling very light...with hiking clothes & gear. Do you feel that we'd be uncomfortable in the restaurants with hiking boots on? I read somewhere that Icelanders dress up to eat out, it made me feel like we shouldn't attempt to enter a restaurant with our casual attire & wild, wind-blown hair! What do you think?
Sep 6th, 2004, 11:59 AM
#19
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HI Kay,
I think it depends on where you are. In the small towns, we went to restaurants in our hiking clothes and didn't feel particularly out of place. Maybe in Reykjavik you'll want to dress up.
Have a great time!
Patti
I think it depends on where you are. In the small towns, we went to restaurants in our hiking clothes and didn't feel particularly out of place. Maybe in Reykjavik you'll want to dress up.
Have a great time!
Patti
Oct 4th, 2004, 12:07 PM
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Patti, we just returned from our first trip to Iceland. Fanstastic! I found a source for Skyr in the US: http://www.nordicstore.net/shopdispl...ood+of+Vikings.
kay
kay
