Blogs from Southwest, Iceland, Europe - page 4

Susan and I were fortunate to find ourselves with a third day in Reykjavik. Our flight home was not until 8:10 p.m. and our airport transfer not until 4:40 p.m. We planned to use the time by visiting the National Museum of Iceland. Breakfast in the Vox restaurant of the hotel was unhurried, There did not appear to be the large incoming and conference crowds of the previous Sunday. Four other members of our tour were also still here and we breakfasted with them. Two individuals were going to remain in Reykjavik another two days. We took a taxi to the museum and arrived shortly after opening. The museum is adjacent to the campus of the University of Iceland and across the street from the National Library. Principally the museum tells the story of inhabited Iceland. ... read more

The "Golden Circle" is the popular name for a tour of Iceland's most popular tourist destinations: Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir hot springs and Thingvellir National Park. (Baedeker in 1910 didn't call them that, but did list them as the top places to visit in Iceland!) They can all be visited in a day tour out of Reykjavik. Our Globus circle tour of Iceland began with these destinations. Driving out of Reykjavik, the lava and moss landscape was similar to the drive in from Keflavik Airport. The landscape of Iceland proved to be a great contrast with that of Greenland, despite similar latitudes. There are trees and open fields in Iceland with farms, villages and wildlife, albeit punctuated with the every present lava fields covered in moss. (Visitors are reminded not to step on the moss. Trails and ... read more

Huoneesta lähtö klo 11 mennessä. Ajettiin keskustan halki ja käytiin katsomassa satamaa. Siellä oli tanskalainen opetuslaiva. Ajettiin Aallon piirtämälle Pohjola-talolle ja käytiin siellä kahvilla. Sitten Keflavikiin lentokentän lähelle. Syötiin seisova pöytä thaimaalaisessa ravintolassa ja käytiin kävelyllä rannassa. Tankattiin auto ja palautettiin se hyvissä ajoin. Viimeiset kruunut käytettiin juomiin lentokentällä. Lennolla viereeni tuli eläkeläisnaisia. He olivat olleet viikon ohjatulla matkalla, majoitus Reykjavikissä, joka päivä retkiä. Oltiin perillä Vantaalla puolenyön jälkeen. Satoi vettä ja vaikka ajettiin moottoritietä pitkin, se oli rankin ajo-osuus tällä matkalla.... read more

Oli sateinen päivä. Keridin kraaterille pääsy maksoi 400 kruunua eli noin 3 €. Silloin ei satanut onneksi paljon. Kiersimme kraaterin. Minuakaan ei houkuttanut mennä kraaterin pohjalle lammen rannalle. Seuraavaksi ajettiin Thingvelliriin. Navigoin meidät pysäköintialueelle P5, koska siellä oli lähellä turistikeskus ja vessat. Matkakumppaneille riitti lyhyt kävely. Ehdotuksestani ajettiin vielä takaisin laaksoon toiselle parkkipaikalle, jotta nähtiin aluetta laajemmalti. Ajettiin sitten Reykjavikiin. Olin takapenkillä ja valitsin kohteeksi ostoskeskuksen Kringlan. Siellä oli valittavana lukuisia ravintoloita. Syötiin arabiruokaa, otin lammasta ja ostettiin majapaikkaan evästä. Majapaikkana oli Stay Apartments Bolholt. Käytössä oli 35 neliön studio. Tila oli jotenkin järjestetty epäkäytännöllisesti - ei ollut minkäänlaista väliseinää makuutilojen välillä, mutta kylläkin 'keittiön' ja pa... read more

The day of lava. Not that we hadn’t had some experience before, given that we’re walking on it and the whole place is created by it, but today’s activities were specially focused (entirely unintentionally) on lava. We had to reschedule our semi-sleep in of today for a geology lesson and a quest to find those bloody elusive basalt columns that the good people of Vik had apparently relocated in an attempt to force us into puffin observation. We were not to be foiled and found them just around the point at Reynisfjara (have memorised that one!). Even from the most sleep-hungry among us, it was voted a worthwhile diversion. The columns, having formed when the flowing lava was forced to cool quickly upon meeting the sea, were fascinating to see. Lots of other interesting formations and ... read more

22nd June 2021 – 29thJune 2021 Well it was certainly a rollercoaster to get here!! First of all we booked a trip to IceIand 22nd – 29th June , but then the hospital phoned up and I was going to have a replacement knee on 23rd June, so the trip was cancelled. After being in the hospital on the 16th June as a standby patient, having various tests etc I was eventually declined because of a graze on my knee! The surgeon wasn’t keen to do it on the 23rd June due to the fact I was going to a wedding on the 2nd July so it was decided he would see me in 4 weeks time for a pre-assessment!! So the first thing we did was re-book Iceland!! Iceland is a ‘green’ country so no ... read more