So sad, it’s ending soon Alas, our last two days are here and it’s time to go have a good hot soak at the Blue Lagoon and a Michelin dinner at Moss. Before getting there though, we stop at one last museum. Viking World Museum The Viking World museum in Njarðvík, where a replica Viking […]
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Thingvellir and Skalholt When planning our Icelandic adventure, Barrett said he didn’t want to do the ‘traditional’ Golden Circle tour as he didn’t care about Geysirs and hydro plants with hot water bubbling out. He was interested in our Viking heritage. So when I asked my tour guide (and friend) Jon, to make arrangements, I […]
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After a relaxing time in Reykjavik where we visited multiple museums, we head out for the day with our guide Sola to see Iceland’s South Coast waterfalls, glacier, and puffins. Tourists can book with Sola via toursbylocals.com; one of our favorite private guide sources. We also like to use Get Your Guide at https://getyourguide.com The […]
Read MoreBack in Reykjavik We got off the gawd awful Norwegian Cruise ship a day early in Reykjavík, and didn’t waste any time getting ourselves back to having fun. After a quick ‘get ourselves together’ drink at Apotek, we wandered up Rainbow Street to go shopping and find some fish and chips! It’s time for more […]
Read MoreSearching for our Viking Heritage It’s a busy afternoon visiting Hjálparfoss, Commonwealth Farm, & Hella Caves! After our visit with Bishop Christian at Skalholt, we took a long scenic drive and stopped at Hjálparfoss, which means ‘Help’ in Icelandic. Hjalparfoss Iceland is chock full of waterfalls, big and small, thin and wide, powerful and trickling. […]
Read MoreI’ve been curious about what was across the Denmark Strait and how similar, or not, it might be to Iceland. Travel is not done by car but rather by boat when weather permits or by small planes. I picked Norwegian Cruise to Greenland specifically due to only having a few sea days and that it […]
Read MoreOur third and final stop on this side of Iceland is Isafjordur. Again, I felt fortunate to find a private guide and be able to avoid the mass bus tours offered by the cruise line. Our goal today is to drive to the Dynjandi waterfalls. Okay, obviously, I have a thing about Iceland since I’ve […]
Read MoreThis stop is one that I had looked forward to for several years. Nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, Akureryi was settled in the 9th century by Helgi Eyvindarson and is still an important fishing center. It also was one of three bases where the allies were based during World War II. Amazingly, even though […]
Read MoreThe next day was as busy as the first day, there’s so much to see on the Peninsula. Down on the coast, there were a few seals out and while they weren’t terribly cooperative, I did manage to get some pictures as they sunned on the rocks. Dritvik used to be a fishing area where […]
Read MoreOur tour guide Sola is someone I met last year when a guide bailed on us and it turned out that Sola was a perfect match for seeing Iceland. We decided to do an overnight tour, spending two days in and around Borgarnes and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula with some Viking heritage sprinkled in. I’ve been […]
Read MoreI just love the sense of humor and creativity of Icelanders. The first time I was here, Cathy and I fell in love with the graffiti – which is more art than graffiti that we see in the US. Here’s some of my favorites from my 2023 trip. I don’t know if it’s because Iceland […]
Read MoreIt was another busy day for this 83 year old first time traveler and she didn’t miss a step as we took a private Golden Circle tour with Jon (pronounced Yon). While it can be very touristy, and some will say not very good – I actually love some parts of the tour and Jon […]
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Our private guide picked us up bright and early to head to the Borgarfjordur valley. Our guide was off on his timing so when we arrived at Borgarnes village, nothing was open, including the Saga museum that I hoped Edna would see. The museum offers a re-creation of the Icelandic saga Egill. Time was an […]
Read MoreThere are some places, even touristy ones, that I never get tired of visiting. Areas along the South Coast of Iceland, time and time again make me smile. This time, we stopped at new places with Sola as well as returned to ones like ‘Diamond Beach’, Jokulsarlon Glacier, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. Taking Edna to […]
Read MoreThe next day was a day of leisure – shopping, the national museum, wandering through downtown Reykjavik and just having a wonderful day as our trip started to wind down. Because of Edna’s age, 83 1/2, I built in extra ‘relaxation days’ which Cathy and I seldom take but it was important to give Edna […]
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