Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
1) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 25, 2021 - Our flight arrived in the morning on a typically rainy day in Reykjavik. After getting checked-in at the hotel and doing a short (and soggy) reconnoiter walk to check out the area around the hotel we found a coffee shop where we could have some hot chocolate and make a plan. Brenda and Harvey's enthusiasm for getting rained on was waning so they headed for the warmth of the hotel room. Jonna and Alan decided to join a "free" (always tip!) walking tour with CityWalk. We enjoyed a very informative two hour walk around downtown Reykjavik with a history student from the local university. Enjoyed even more because the rain stopped and the sun tried (briefly) to break through the clouds before the wind kicked up and dropped the temperature a few degrees... all supposedly typical Icelandic weather. We learned about the history of both the country of Iceland and the city of Reykjavik which turned out to be a valuable orientation for the upcoming three weeks. Well worth the money we gave as a tip to the guide and highly recommended for anyone visiting Reykjavik.
2) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 25, 2021 - We arrived in Reykjavik on
July 25th which was Alan's birthday so for dinner we had reservations
at Old Iceland Restaurant. The
rain had returned but the restaurant was only a few blocks aways so
we sloshed our way over and found a warm, cozy space with a
friendly staff that served exceptional food. How do you say vegetarian
in Icelandic? "sveltandi" (which translates as "starving".
3) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 25, 2021 - Being so far north meant the
sun set late so it was still light out when we left the restaurant.
Thankfully, that sunshine meant we had a nice rainbow to enjoy as
we walked back down Laugavegur to the hotel.
4) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 26, 2021 - Our first full day in Iceland
was a whirlwind tour of some of the museums in Reykjavik. Our first
stop was the excellent
National Museum Of Iceland
where we could get an overview of the history of the country. Starting
with the early vikings arrival in the 9th century, through the rule of
first Norway and then Denmark, and finally with the modern history
as an independent nation. The exhibits were engaging, and in the case
of the viking displays interactive which allowed for Shield Maiden
Jonna to try on her fierce pillager persona. Very well done.
We continued the dive into history with a visit to the downtown
Settlement Exhibition.
Which is an archeological dig turned into a museum. It is a quick stop
but seeing the actual foundations of an early viking longhouse was
very cool.
5) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 26, 2021 - From an exploration of history to
a dive into Icelandic culture we next visited the
National Gallery Of Iceland,
Listasafn Island,
one of a dozen art museums in the city, to experience some Icelandic
modern art. It was a small space but with some very interesting pieces
on display including two large scale video installations, one of which
wasi "Of The North" by Steina Vasulka, that had us discussing them for
the rest of the afternoon.
6) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 27, 2021 - For our second day in Reykjavik
we finally made the walk up the hill to see the Hallgrimskirkja and
the Leifur Eiriksson statue. Because the highlight of the church is
the observation deck on top, and because it is such a popular tourist
stop, we decided to get to the church when it first opened in the morning
so we could enjoy a relatively empty (and more COVID safe) observation
deck. We were successful and were first in line which means we got to
enjoy about 30 minutes inside with only a few other masked visitors
while the gift shop processed the long line of people behind us.
7) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 27, 2021 - The church interior is relatively
sparse so the highlight is really the panoramic views over the city
from the observation deck at the top of the tower. Looking south we
could see the ash plume from the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the southern
coast. All around were the colorful houses of Reykjavik and on the
horizon where the mountains of the interior. Best of all, the rain
that greeted us when we arrived was nowhere to be seen so the blue
skies made for great views (and warm temperatures!).
8) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 27, 2021 - For the afternoon we split up.
Brenda and Jonna took a walking food tour in downtown Reykjavik while
Harvey and Alan took a city bus to the southern suburbs to visit
a museum. The 3 1/2 hour walking food tour started at the Harpa
concert hall and visited a half-dozen restaurants to try local
specialities like fish, lamb and the famous lamb hot dog from
Reykjavik's busiest hot dog stand. ...and yes, Jonna did try the
dreaded fermented shark.
9) Reykjavik, Iceland, July 27, 2021 - Harvey and Alan had high hopes
for the Natural History Museum of Kopavogur as we wanted to learn
about the unique geology and zoology of Iceland but unfortunately
all of the displays were in Icelandic and due to COVID restrictions
there weren't any guides for the museum space. We did our best to
deduce what was written (and used Google translate to interpret
some key terms) but left with more questions than answers.
10) Thingvellir, Iceland, July 28, 2021 - Early the next morning we
got picked up by a bus where we were delivered at the rental car
center to pick up our brand new 2021 Kia Sorento. The road out of
Reykjavik heading east is part of the very popular "Golden Circle"
route and the first stop is
Þingvellir National Park
which has a combination of unique geology and history importance.
Geologically, this is where the European and North American
tectonic plates are pulling apart which has resulted in a
spectacular rift valley. Historically, this valley is where the
early viking tribes of Iceland met and created the first general
assembly which imposed universal laws for the land. We did a
hike along the fault that contains the Öxará river.
11) Friðheimar farms, Iceland, July 28, 2021 - Lunch was a stop at
Friðheimar farms
where we got to see the massive complex of hydroponic greenhouses
with an average yield of one ton of tomatoes and cucumbers per
day and enjoyed a tasty tomato themed meal. This was definitely
a key stop on the "Golden Circle" tourist circuit as the parking
with cars and buses. Worth a visit but definitely not a secret
spot.
12) Geysir Center, Haukadalur Valley, Iceland, July 28, 2021 - Our
first stop after lunch was at the
Geysir Center
which is a geothermal area with geysers, hot springs and mud pots.
The highlight is the Strokkur geyser which regularly errupts. Nearby
is the now dormant Great Geysir from which the term geyser was
originally derived. We did the main walking loop through the park and
watched Strokkur erupt two different times.
13) Gullfoss, Iceland, July 28, 2021 - The pinnacle sight of the day
was the spectacular Gullfoss (or "Golden Waterfall"). This wide canyon
on the Hvitá river has stepped layers of hard rock resulting in a
stunning waterfall. Additionally, the deep canyon captures the misty
from the cascading water which results in rainbows as the sunlight prisms
through the misty. Wow! We ended the day with a visit to a local dairy
farm for some yummy ice cream and then made a quick stop at the Kerið
crater before spending the night at a small guesthouse just outside
Laugarás.
14) Lava Centre, Hvolsvöllur, Iceland, July 29, 2021 - Our first stop,
on our first full day after leaving the classic "Golden Circle" route,
was just outside the small town of Hvolsvöllur where the new
Lava Centre museum has been
built. Brenda and Jonna decided to get tea instead of diving into the
details of Iceland's volcanic underpinings so Harvey and Alan spent an
hour watching the introductory film and walking through all the rooms
detailing the country's geology and volcanic history. It was exactly
the information we'd hoped to find back at the Natural History museum
in Reykjavik. We left with a much better understanding of the island.
15) Seljalandsfoss, Iceland, July 29, 2021 - Our next stop was at the
stunning Seljalandsfoss and nearby “hidden” waterfall of Gljúfrabúi.
Seljalandsfoss's distinctive feature is that it drops off an overhanging
cliff so you hike a loop that goes behind the waterfall.
16) Gljúfrabúi, Iceland, July 29, 2021 - Gljúfrabúi, "Dweller in the
Gorge", is tucked up inside a very tight canyon so it can't be seen
from outside. Inside the canyon it is a giant terrarium with green
moss coating the walls and mist swirling around like a full size snow
globe. We drove past the massive Skógafoss but just enjoyed the view
from the road rather than making a stop. This was only day two and
we were already getting the idea that trying to see every waterfall
in Iceland was a fool's errand.
17) Dyrhólaey peninsula, Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland, July 29, 2021 -
For lunch we drove to the village of Vík for a delicious meal at the
Suður-Vík. In the afternoon we backtracked to the Dyrhólaey peninsula
to walk on the Reynisfjara black beach, see the Dyrhólaey sea arch,
walk into the Hálsanefshellir sea cave and watch the puffins on the
Gardar sea cliff. The basalt columns made for some fun photos.
18) Reynisdrangar rock formations, Iceland, July 29, 2021 - We opted
not to walk all the way down the beach (basically, back to the town
of Vik where we'd had lunch) to see them but we did admire the
Reynisdrangar rock formations from Reynisfjara beach. After a short
drive we are settled down for the night in Kirkjubæjarklaustur making
this our southern-most section of the trip.
19) Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland, July 29, 2021 - Jonna and I went for a
walk in the evening and just down the road from our hotel we found a
fenced in area with a herd of beautiful Icelandic horses. The grass in
this area was growing on a spongey, muddy layer of top soil which was
built up over the volcanic lava plain we'd been driving through for
the afternoon. These horses were eating well and we spent some time
feeding them handfuls of grass we plucked from our side of their fence.
20) Dverghamrar canyon, Iceland, July 30, 2021 - Today’s activities were
dominated by the Vatnajökull, a massive glacier in southeastern corner
of Iceland. Most of our day was spent with this mammoth crown of ice
above our heads. We started with a quick walk through the Dverghamrar
(Dwarf Cliffs). We didn’t hear the dwarves singing today so maybe they
were asleep in the morning.
21) Svartifoss, Vatnajökull National park, Iceland, July 30, 2021 -
Next up was a stop in the Skaftafell entrance to Vatnajökull National
Park where we hiked up to the Svartifoss, a waterfall in a bowl canyon
made of basalt columns. From the highest point in the hike we could
see the massive Vatnajökull glacier, as well as the long glaciated
valley winding to the coast in the south. .
22) Jökulsárlón, Iceland, July 30, 2021 - After our half day exploring
Skaftafell we continued northward to the Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon)
where we took a boat ride out among the icebergs coming off the outlet
glacier. In addition to the ice we also saw seals and sea birds in the
lagoon.
23) Breidamerkursandur, Iceland, July 30, 2021 - At the outlet of the
Jökulsárlón lagoon is Breidamerkursandur (Diamond Beach) where waves and
wind push chunks of ice up onto the black sand beach. We strolled there
to enjoy the beautiful crystalline shapes. We finished the day with a
terrific meal in the village of Hofn.
24) Djúpivogur, Iceland, July 31, 2021 - Past the glacier lagoon we left
the crowds of tourists behind and ventured up the remote east coast of
Iceland. Villages were few and very far between. Even the grazing sheep
looked a bit forlorn and lonely! We made two stops in the morning, the
first at the carved granite eggs of Merry Bay. This was cute but quick.
The eggs are just that - 34 large (3'-ish) chunks of granite that have
been carved into the unique shapes of the actual eggs of the native
nesting birds in this area. They are arranged along the edge of a small,
industrial fishing port in the village of Djúpivogur. Not particularly
scenic but interesting and a decent excuse to get out of the car to
stretch our legs.
25) Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland, July 31, 2021 - The second stop was at Petra’s
Stone Collection. This was surprisingly interesting... thousands of
beautiful minerals all on display in a lovely garden. Other than these
two tourist attractions we spent the morning in a vast landscape of
long fjords, volcanic cliffs and the unending North Atlantic.
26) Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, July 31, 2021 - In the afternoon we turned
into the coastal mountains and were back in waterfall country. Literally
hundreds of them streaming down lush green mountainsides from ice fields
and lakes up above. The highlight was crossing a pass and dropping down
into the small village of Seyðisfjörður (now a cruise ship dock but still
a tiny fishing village in appearance.) We had an excellent lunch and
then walked a loop around the town. Almost idyllic, if it weren’t for
the big cruise ship just down the pier.
27) Vök Baths, Iceland, July 31, 2021 - We ended our day in Egilsstaðir
were we soaked in the Vök hot baths which float *in* Lake Urriðavatn.
Just chillin’ (or should I say hottin’?) with the locals on a holiday
weekend Saturday night.
28) Odadahraun Desert, Iceland, August 1, 2021 - We felt very small this
day because it was one of grand scale and powerful natural forces. We
started the day with a two hour drive across the edge of the Icelandic
Highlands - a vast high altitude plain of lava flows. The first part of
the drive was lush green and filled with waterfalls but as we gained
elevation it turned to a stark moonscape (Close enough that NASA and
Hollywood (separately! In case you are a "they faked the moon landing"
conspiracy nut!) used this landscape as a lunar landscape. This area
is known as the Odadahraun Desert and is stretches for miles.
29) Dettifoss, Iceland, August 1, 2021 - In the middle of this dry
volcanic desert is the mighty Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall
in Iceland where the mud and glacial silt filled Jökulsá á Fjöllum river
drops nearly 150 feet into a narrow canyon. The ground literally
shakes and mist shoots 50 feet over the lip of the canyon. Wow!
30) Stora-Viti Crater, Krafla Volcano, Lake Myvatn, August 1, 2021 -
From the power of water to the power of geology we next drove to near
the top of the Krafla volcano to see the bright blue Viti crater lake.
31) Krafla Geothermal Power Station, Iceland, August 1, 2021 -
On the slopes was the Krafla geothermal power station, the largest
power station in Iceland, where the heat of the volcano currently
produces 60 MW of electricity per year (of a 500 MW capacity!)
32) Hverir Geothermal Area, Iceland, August 1, 2021 - Below the crater
is the Námafjall (mountain) on which is the Hverir geothermal area with
bubbling grey mudpots and stinky steaming sulfurous fumaroles. Krafla’s
massive underground lava chamber’s influence is found high and low, far
and wide.
Go forward to the second
'21 Iceland Trip Photo Page.
Return to Alan and Jonna's Travel Page
Alan Fleming
