Iceland, the short version

I haven't had much time to write anything so it is already our last night here in Iceland. It has been an amazing week. So here's the quick and dirty version. One piece of advice for anyone thinking of going to Iceland (even in July!): pack a hat, gloves and warm layers! It is cold and damp!

Day 1:

Arrival in Reykjavik. Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon, where we lazed around in the hot springs for a bit. Then we headed into town, wandered around and settled in at our guesthouse. Reykjavik is a small city and not super interesting, but easy to walk around. There are lot's of felted handicrafts available for sale everywhere.

Day 2:

We caught the early morning bus to Landmannalaugar. Despite the rain, wind and low temperatures (so glad I packed my hat), we did a little hike to see the rhyolite mountains and lava formations in the area. It was pretty cool, although not as colourful as in the postcards because of the weather.

From Landmannalaugar, we headed to Skaftafell via Eldgja, a volcanic canyon. It was quite the bus ride... really, it was more like a rickety, old carnival rollercoaster. We crossed dozens of rivers, hung off the edges of cliffs and wished we hadn't chosen the only seats without seatbelts. (We passed a Jeep or SUV of some type stuck in a river, which we crossed.)

Day 3:

View from the breakfast table in Skaftafell.

In Skaftafell, part of Vatnajökull National Park, we did a short walk from our guesthouse to Svartifoss, a waterfall frequently featured on postcards. From there, we headed across a plateau to Sjónarnípa, a veiwpoint that looks out over Skaftafellsjökull, which is part of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. From our guesthouse, we had a view of the sand flats in front of another part of the glacier which flooded in the 90's after a volcanic eruption under the glacier.


In the afternoon, we caught a bus to Vik, a town on the south coast known for black sand beaches and birds. We took it easy and got some groceries (it was 3 times as expensive in Reykjavik!!).



Day 4:
After a night in a guesthouse that smelled like horses, we headed along the coast to Seljalandsfoss, another waterfall, where we had to switch buses. After a much calmer AWD ride than our last one (but with just as many river crossings), we reached Þórsmörk. The area is known for hiking, so that's what we did. After buying the worst (i.e., least accurate) hiking map I've ever seen, we went for a walk that took us to the top of a small mountain. We had great views of the surrounding valleys and glaciers, specifically Eyjafjallajökull (yes, the location of the 2010 eruption) and Mýrdalsjökull. Apparently, Husadalur, where we stayed, is home to a small herd(?) of Icelandic horses. (There was a riding tour of some sort going on while we were there.)

At the top of the mountain we accidentally climbed.

New friends.

Day 5:
We did a little more exploring of the Þórsmörk area before heading back to Reykjavik for the evening. Good thing  we bought some food at a small grocery store at a pit stop because the grocery store was closed by the time we got back to the city. It really wasn't that late!


Day 6:
Another early morning bus trip and we found ourselves on our way to the Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss). Þingvellir, the original home of Icelandic parliament (established in 930), is on the edge of the Eurasian and American plates. Geysir is a geothermic area, home to Geysir, the geyser that all other geysers are named after. Geysir no longer erupts regularly, but Strokkur, only a few steps away, erupts about every 7 minutes. This area reminded me a lot of the geothermal areas in New Zealand. Gullfoss, a waterfall, was cool, but not mind blowing. There were no fences along many of the edges, so you could have touched the water in some places, if you really felt the need...

Surprise! It's a geyser!

At Gullfoss.

Day 7:
We started off our last day in Iceland by visiting the National Museum in Reykjavik. A tour bus arrived shortly after we did, which we both found intrusive since the museum is quite small. A lot of the information in the museum focused on the influence of Christianity in Iceland, which was interesting, but we both agreed we would have liked to have known more about the vikings! We also kept hearing about how Icelanders generally have many superstitious beliefs and many believe in "hidden people" (sort of like elves), trolls and the like. I would have liked to have seen more in the museum about how those beliefs fit in with Christianity, which was widely adopted in the year 1000.


We spent the afternoon wandering around the city and finished off the day with Icelandic salmon for a second night in a row. It was that good. And one of the only things we could buy in small quantities.

In the morning, we're off to Sweden to check out Stockholm, Uppsala and Norrköping, to see the sights and visit some of our friends. All in all, Iceland was amazing and I can't wait to visit again. There is so much to see and the landscapes are just magnificent. My recommendation is that you go, too!

** Note: I didn't actually post this in a timely manner, but it was all written on our last night in Iceland. I just never got around to adding photos and posting it until now...**