althom1122

My husband and I (late 50s) just returned from a few days in Iceland. I'd been to Reykjavik before on a free Icelandic Air stop-over to Stockholm but did not get out of the city, and Tom had never been.

It was kind of a spur of the moment trip (booked only a month ahead, which for us is spur of the moment) thanks to super cheap flights on Wow Air, direct from BWI to Reykjavik for about $250 round trip! Unbelievable. Of course, there's an extra charge for everything but the bathrooms. Still we ended up paying just over $800 round trip for TWO of us to fly to Iceland. Heck, Tom had always wanted to see the Northern Lights, and while there's never a guarantee you won't have steady rain/clouds or lack of Aurora activity, for that price we decided to go for it.

Here's how it went...

Day 1

Wow turned out to be just fine. We'd paid extra to be able to carry on 12 kg (about 26 pounds) each. We wore our heaviest clothing and put the iPads and a few other miscellaneous items in our pockets to "make weight." Although they said they were going to dim the cabin lights, they never really did. Lights above the overhead bins stayed on and kept the cabin quite light through the trip. At least it was a smooth flight (I hate turbulence!) and less than 6 hours later were there.

Sixt car rental met us in the arrival hall for the short hop over to the rental location. We'd opted for a small SUV, which they upgraded to a large SUV. Although it sounded good at the time, an hour later as we were navigating the narrow Reykjavik streets, it didn't seem quite as good. Still, thanks to the GPS we arrived at our hotel, Arcturus Guesthouse, without a hitch by about 7:30. Fortunately our room was ready for an early check-in. After a rejuvenating nap and shower, we set off to explore.

November days in Iceland are short, and I mean short. Sunrise at 9 or later; sunset around 4. With only a few hours of daylight, we decided to just roam and soak up the ambience. Stopped for coffee and a bagel at Kaffitar, a very cute and cozy spot overlooking a charming street. We hit a few shops, then walked up to the big concrete church for the elevator ride up to the best view of the city. Love the colorful roofs and view of the harbor.

For lunch we had one of the famous Baejarins Beztu Pylsur hot dogs then headed back to Arcturus to get our swim suits and check out one of the many city pools. Vesturbæjarlaug was only a five minute walk from the guesthouse. I know the naked shower required before pool entry makes some uncomfortable, but I didn't mind it so much. No one seemed to care and I figured I'd never see any of those women again. The "hot pots" - or hot tubs as we call them - were great. Different ones had different temperature signs - 38 to 40 was fantastic. One was labeled 8 (omg - are you kidding me?) and we didn't dare try it. Many did, though - but not for long!

For dinner we walked back into the city center (about 10 minutes). Glo, a healthy, semi-vegetarian cafeteria style restaurant was just the ticket. I had "raw pizza" which consisted of a granola cracker-like crust piled high with arugula, avocado, strawberries, and a cashew dressing. It was delicious. Tom had a chicken wrap. Those were our entries, and we picked three salads to go with each entrée. I had fruit salad, pasta salad, and a Cole slaw type thing. (I forget what Tom had.) Really yummy.

Afterwards we stumbled across a gelato shop and each got a scoop - Daim for me (toffee flavored) and cappuccino for Tom. We made a mental note to stop there on our last night when we returned to Reykjavik. I don remember the name of the place but it was around the corner from Glo (left out of Glo and left again) and a block or two (or three) down on the main drag. You had to go down a few steps from the sidewalk. Worth seeking out.

It had been drizzling off and on throughout the day and was so overcast we didn't even consider trying to find the Northern Lights - plus the comfortable bed with cozy down comforters and down pillows beckoned. The temperatures weren't bad, though, (around 40F) and we'd had a great first day so we happily walked back to Arcturus where we got a great night's sleep.

Day 2 - Golden Circle

It was another rainy, overcast day, but our spirits were not yet dampened as we hit the road for the Golden Circle. Wow, although Reykjavik is a nice little city, the countryside is the real headliner. Even with dreary skies, the stark landscape is beautiful. As we neared Thingeviller, the sun peeked through, creating a giant rainbow that went straight down to the ground. Part of what makes Iceland so beautiful is the light. That low sun in the sky, even at "high" noon, bathes the countryside in a brilliant glow beloved by photographers.

Unfortunately, it did not last long. At Thingeviller we enjoyed the waterfalls, the walk up the geologic fault, and the pretty church. Although the clouds had returned, the rain mostly held off - just a few sprinkles. After about a zillion pictures, we headed for Geysir, which is right on the ring road. This was just a 20 minute stop - long enough to see Stokkur erupt 3-4 times, enjoy the atmosphere (although not literally - as the sulphur smell was quite strong), and get a few more dozen pictures.

Next up was Gullfoss - wow, wow, wow. We thought it was spectacular. Love the way it cascades down in one direction and then makes a left turn for another, much longer drop. Unfortunately, the weather was miserable and the daylight already waning when we arrived around 3. We were so glad we'd invested in waterproof, windproof pants. We wore them every day with long underwear and they were just perfect. Despite the weather, we were in awe of Gullfoss and took it in from every vantage point. Even on sunny days, you'd get soaked from the spray.

Our room for the night was at the South Central Motel, about 10 miles south of Flúðir, a location I'd chosen because of its proximity to the Secret Lagoon. We wanted to relax and soak in the thermal water before settling in for the night. Ah, so glad we did. This was nothing like the pool in Reykjavik! It was a natural pool, surrounded by grass and mossy hillsides and was rock and sand on the bottom. It's not so much a "secret" anymore, but we found it to be untouristy and relaxing. We stayed a couple of hours. Be careful here - I rushed to get back in the water after getting my cellphone for a photo and slipped and fell on my foot. Nothing major, but it was bruised for a couple of days.

The South Central Motel was a real find. Right by the road on the way south. There was no reception desk (in November, anyway), but we'd received an email with our room number and a pin to unlock our room. It worked exactly right, easy as can be. Although the outside was very plain, the rooms were terrific. Very clean, small but nice bathroom, comfy beds, and a kitchen and TV. Very spacious. Oh, and there were bunk beds in addition to the king (two twins pushed together) so it would be suitable for four.

The only downside was there was no onsite restaurant.. It was completely dark by this time but we needed food. Earlier we had driven right past the motel and stopped at another inn a km or tow down the road to ask for directions. They told us to go back, but suggested we may want to come back for dinner. It was great - excellent homemade bread. Tom had a chicken dish and I had mushroom soup. Very nice. Then off to bed and looking forward to the South Coast.

More later

colduphere

A pair of deceased hiking boots lies in a hostel garbage can somewhere in Reykjavik. They drowned while on my feet. I have never seen rain like that. Here's hoping your weather got a little better.

althom1122

Hi, cold! Great to hear from you. We did have one really nice day - and the timing couldn't have been better...

althom1122

And yes, I know what you're saying about the rain. We wore hiking boots, too. Fortunately, they survived the trip.

colduphere

Althom - some of the posters "over here" may not know that you and your husband emit your own romantic version of the northern lights. One of the great posting stories ...

Nice to see mention of WOW. We are thinking of them for next year.

topeater

Following along. Can't wait to read more!

StCirq

I am loving this. We spent our last two flights over to Paris spending time in Reykjavik and thought it was the collest place on earth. If we ever go back to the USA, we'll do Wow or Icelandair again and spend a week there. Last time we landed on April 22 and our first day there was April 23, the "first day of summer" in Iceland. Dear effing God, it was cold! Summer??????

What a lovely city/country, though, and what fascinating history and nature! And despite everything everyone had warned us about it being SO expensive, we didn't find that to be true at all.

We might even hop over there from France for a bit of midsummer madness in 2016.

Fodorite018

althom--We just went to Iceland last month and absolutely loved it!!! Our first day there we saw every possible bit of weather. We are used to that here in the PNW, but not how extreme the changes were, both in ow fast and how dramatic. We are already planning a return trip! Looking forward to reading more about your trip

althom1122

Day 3

We left the South Central Hotel before sunrise (remember, that’s not exactly early!) in search of breakfast, and although we were heading east to Vik, we took a detour to Selfoss for some food. What we hadn’t counted on was that pretty much everything is closed on Sunday mornings except gas stations. So a gas station it was - for coffee and hot chocolate. Tom had a Cliff bar, which we’d brought from home, for breakfast (was not a happy camper).

Our plans for the day included waterfalls, black beaches, and pretty countryside - and we were not disappointed! First up was Seljalandsfoss. Because there are basically no trees in Iceland, you can see for miles on a clear day. Sadly, it was not a clear day, but even in the rain and fog, we could easily see the ribbon-like waterfall from the Ring Road. In fact, we could see several waterfalls.

The turn-off is obvious (and well-marked) and the parking lot about 1/2 mile on the right. The view from the car park is great, but it gets better as you approach. You can walk completely behind the falls for a look from the inside out. The footing is a little dicey in places, but the view is very cool.

Be prepared with rain gear because there’s no way to avoid getting soaked. When we were there it wasn’t just the spray from the falls but rain as well. I had my camera inside my Gortex parka to keep it (reasonably) dry as we walked behind the falls. When we got back down to the base we got out the tripod to take a few shots of us together since the rain had slowed to a sprinkle.

Be sure to walk (or drive) to the next waterfall, about 500 meters beyond Seljalandsfoss called Gljúfrafoss Because of the rain, we drove, parked by some houses, and walked across the very mushy grass. Definitely worth seeing, it’s kind of hidden in a slot. Very different.

Before leaving we stopped back at Seljalandsfoss for a bathroom break and a stop at the snack bar. I got a muffin with warm caramel inside. It was really yummy.

From there it’s a short drive to the next major sight - Skogafoss - wider and more powerful than Seljalandsfoss and also visible from the road. There’s a stairway on the right side all the way to the top, but it was quite rainy at this point and we decided to pass (wimps that we are).

I regret missing Skogasafn, a small museum in Skogar. Given the rain, I’d have enjoyed a break there (although for Tom, even the word “museum” brings on a yawn), but mindful of the limited daylight, I agreed to press on for Vik and the black beaches.

Enroute we passed right by the Myrdalsjokull Glacier off to our left and decided to check it out. We’d considered booking a glacier hike here but had decided on Skaftafell instead (and were so glad we did - but more on that later). Still, the rain had briefly stopped and we couldn’t pass up our first opportunity to get up close and personal with a glacier. From the parking lot, we set off on the black dirt trail up over a hill until the glacier came into view. It ended up being a bit farther than we’d thought, so we didn’t go all the way there. We walked a ways with a retired couple from upstate New York and took a few pictures, but as the wind whipped up and the skies darkened, we decided to turn back. The rain came (again) and we hurried back to the car (wimps - are you sensing a theme?).

By the time we turned off at Dyrholaely, the sky had brightened again. Rather than going up the dirt track to the lighthouse, we stayed on the paved road and ended up below the lighthouse in an area with a natural arch of stones that almost look manmade, a huge basalt formation on a black beach, and a great view of the sea and Reynisdrangar (basalt spires which, according to legend, were once trolls that were turned to stone by the sun) way off in the distance.

Clumsy as I am, I was careful not to get too close to the edge. In the US, there would have been guard rails and warning signs everywhere, but not so here. You wanna step off the edge, there’s literally nothing stopping you.

Next stop was Reynisfjara Beach. I loved the crashing gray waves, the black sand and stones, and the rock formations toward Dyrholaely, oh yes, and the organ-pipe basalt rock formations and cave. The gray sky and fog added an eerie feel. So atmospheric. We loved it.

There’s a pretty little church on the way to the beach and a sheep farm - got some good "sheep shots” on the way. Funny, those sheep. They were grazing at the very top of the mountain above the beach. Yikes! Tom said we needed to watch out - it would really hurt to get hit in the head with a falling sheep.

We arrived in Vik and checked into the Icelandair Hotel. It was fine,nothing special - kind of like a Holiday Inn. We had a view from our room of the ocean and the Reynisdrangar, which was really nice.

For dinner, we elected to try the top-rated restaurant on Trip Advisor - Halldorskaffi. Glad we got there early. We seated ourselves, but within 10 minutes all the tables were full, people were arriving in droves, and they started giving out numbers for tables. The pizza was decent. Tom also had some mushroom soup, which was also decent. The place is cozy and I’d recommend it, but the food wasn’t stand-out.

With the weather forecast calling for clearing skies that evening and the Aurora forecast at a 4 on a scale of 10 (meaning “active”), we asked our waiter about good viewpoints for the Northern Lights and he suggested about 15 minutes east of town because Vik is kind of hemmed in by mountains.

We set off about 9 p.m., found a turn-off, and pulled over to wait. The sky was black and with the car lights off it was unbelievably dark. After about 10 minutes, we spotted a slender ribbon of green. Then a wider, curved shape. Then another in a different direction. It took me awhile to figure out how to set up my camera (I’d gotten a new mirrorless Olympus a couple of months earlier and wasn’t familiar with everything), but finally I got it and kept my fingers crossed that I’d capture some of what we were seeing.

After an hour or so , we were satisfied (not to mention cold) and we headed back to our room. It was a trip highlight and a special time together (as colduphere hinted at, we are kind of newlyweds - married a year ago). I still cannot believe we were lucky enough to see them!

More later.

xyz99

Great TR, even with the rain it still sound like an amazing trip. We'll be in Iceland next summer

colduphere

Darn - you've got the northern lights on us. Time for a trip.

That stairway on the right in Skogafoss was the end of our two day hike. We were so, so wet.

althom1122

Anyone know of a way to go back and mark a post as a trip report? I neglected to do so when I started this thread.

More coming tomorrow.

althom1122

Day 4

The next morning we got an early start because the temperature had dropped below freezing overnight and the wet road from the rain meant potentially slick conditions. Indeed.

We had a pre-booked a glacier hike with Extreme Iceland at 10 a.m. at Skaftafell National Park, a distance of about 140 km and normally an hour and 40 minute drive. We left Vik shortly after 7 to make sure we'd be on time. As it turned out, we cut it close. Although the road is good and pretty much straight and flat, the icy conditions slowed us down. The road is kind of perched up on a berm and most of the time there's very little shoulder, so if you slip off the road, it could be tough to get back on it. There are also frequent one-lane bridges. Fortunately, there was very little traffic - we'd maybe see one car every 5-10 minutes or so.

As dawn approached (9 a.m.) it became obvious that we were in for a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky.

At Skaftafell, we met up with our group and were fortunate to have just six plus the guide on our 2-3 hour hike. We got outfitted with our waist belts, crampons, and ice picks, and off we went on a short bus ride to the Svínafellsjökull glacier.

It was a fabulous experience. With our small group, we had plenty of time for taking pictures and lots of personal attention from our guide. The scenery was fantastic. The hike was rated a level 2 - not a walk in the park, but not particularly strenuous.

It was a 10-15 minute walk on black rock/sand to get the glacier where we put on the crampons. I was a little nervous about falling (clumsy!), but with the crampons, you really have good traction. At one point we stopped for a photo trick - there was a spot that was slightly slanted. Each of us in turn knelt face forward and stretched out on the ice. The guide turned the camera such that it LOOKED like we were climbing a completely vertical ice wall. Tom is so proud of that picture.

After a couple of hours on the ice, we headed back, completely satisfied with the journey. We were so lucky to have a blue-sky day with no wind, and temperatures in the mid-30s (F).

Wow - what a day. But wait, there's more...

Later.

MileHighHC

Loving this report so far - keep it coming!

Elizabeth_S

Because there are basically no trees in Iceland,
__________________________________________________ ____

"What do you do if you get lost in a forest in Iceland?"

"Stand up"

We heard that joke from every one of our 4,000 Icelandic relatives when we were there.

Great trip report!

althom1122

Elizabeth - we never heard that joke once! But it's very true.

Day 4 continued

When we finished the glacier hike around 1:00 or so, we got back in the car and continued east. From Skaftafell to the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is less than an hour - even at the slow pace we were going (given the lingering ice on the road).

You get glimpses of it before you reach the bridge, then it opens up to your left as you cross the river. Another wow moment among so many - a huge lagoon filled with ice chunks of every size - some as big as a house. With the sunshine and blue sky, the water was blue and many of the icebergs bluer still.

We pulled into the parking lot, and I couldn't wait to start taking photos! First, though, we headed for the little hut selling boat tickets. Usually by November there are no more boat tours because the lagoon begins to freeze, but it had been unseasonably warm, and the amphibian boat was still running every hour. There were five of us on the boat, along with the boat driver and a guide, plus there was a guy in a "chase boat" - a Zodiac - accompanying us.

This is a don't-miss sight! Absolutely gorgeous. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, many of the icebergs turned from blue to pink with the light shining through. The guide told us that the ones that are blue (some are white) are the newer ones that have just recently calved from the glacier. Once they've been in the water and exposed to the air, the oxygen that's causing the blue tint is released and they turn white. I THINK I'm explaining right. The guy in the Zodiac scooped a small chunk of ice out of the lagoon and the guide broke off chunks for us to taste: thousand year old ice.

A film crew was on the shore next to the parking lot while we were visiting and we were excited! They'd coated the shore with fake snow. We wondered what they were filming... Game of Thrones? A sic-fi movie? As it turned out, it was a Japanese yogurt commercial. Quite a letdown.

After hiking to the top of a hill overlooking the lagoon, we were ready to go. Just across the road was the North Atlantic, and the icebergs flowed under the bridge and out to sea. There was a wide black sand beach littered with ice chunks that the waves tossed onto shore. Yet another beautiful sight. I got out my tripod and took tons of pictures. We stayed till the sun set behind the clouds (around 4).

Then we headed to our hotel for the night - Hali Country Hotel - only about 15 minutes or so past the lagoon. We loved it there. Really out in the country - with the ocean 100 yards in front of the building and huge mountain cliffs shooting straight up about a half mile behind. The rooms were clean, and dinner in the restaurant was quite nice (and there weren't really any other options for dinner nearby).

No Northern Lights because, although the day had been beautiful, the clouds came in by nightfall.

We'd had a fantastic day!

More later.

Mathieu

Really enjoying this, Althom. Perfect balance of information and detail, and so useful for anyone planning a visit to wonderful Iceland. I hope to knock it off my bucket list soon, and am glad to learn how much you managed in just 5 days, which is probably the amount of time I'd have available to do the trip.
I'd love to see your pics if you'd be willing to somehow share them safely. Tom's reports are equally well done too.

Looking forward to more.

althom1122

Thanks, Mathieu. I haven't posted individual photos yet, but here's a link to the photo book I made. It shows all the highlights:

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/i...?vk=mK4wXkUjgU


Once it comes up on the page, you can choose the size to display it (below the album) and click on a page corner to go forward and back. Enjoy!

(I'm quite proud of it.)

Mathieu

Karen, my goodness... your photos are stunning ! I know that you had incredible subject matter to focus on, but huge kudos to your photographic skills too. You have every reason to be proud of your work.

Yes, Iceland is beyond beautiful; Some of those reflection shots, and the glacier and iceberg colours are stunning. I cannot wait to go if I can find the time, and your great pictures do the fantastic landscapes and geographical features of this amazing country every justice.

Thank you for sharing. Much appreciated.

M.

colduphere

Well I never thought I would comment on a picture of a road but that picture of the road labelled "The Golden Circle" is beautiful. Time to play some Gordon Lightfoot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewhM7I9gD4U