Blogs from Iceland, Europe - page 10

Europe » Iceland » East » Bakkagerði June 2nd 2022

Bakkagerði is a small village on the Borgarfjörður Eystri with a population numbering around 130. It is known as the Puffin Capital of Iceland. A buffet dinner featuring local fish was served at the Álfheimar Country Hotel on the evening of our arrival. There were meatballs as well, though I did not learn if they were lamb, or possibly reindeer. During dinner the hotel proprietor, Arngrímur Viðar Ásgeirsson, treated us to a performance of Icelandic folk songs. (He noted that his brother, Magni Ásgeirsson, is an Icelandic rock musician.) The next morning was time for the much anticipated puffin watching expedition. The coach drove us along the coast to Borgarfjarðarhöfn and the rocky Hafnarhólmi jutting out into the sea. Highway 94 ends here. From the coach parking lot, the group walked down a wooden staircase to ... read more

Southeastern Iceland

Europe » Iceland » East » Reyðarfjörður June 2nd 2022

Coastal Fog Blanket at Héraðssandur

AndrewHL

After our tour of puffins and the village of Bassagerði , it was time to head south to the evening's destination of Höfn. We retraced out route along Highway 94, this time ascending up and out of the fjord valley. As we reached a scenic overlook at the summit between Njarðvík inlet and Héradsflói bay, the bay and Héraðssandur beach were obscured by a complete low cloud cover. Holm said she had never seen anything like it. The coach pulled in to the precarious scenic overlook for a photo stop. This time we followed Highway 94 until it joined Highway 1 at Egilsstaðir. Egilsstaðir was to be our lunch stop. The motorcoach puled in to a strip mall with an N1 travel plaza, a Nettó supermarket, a pharmacy and other stores. Nettó afforded Susan and I ... read more

Akureyri, Iceland

Europe » Iceland » North » Akureyri June 1st 2022

Hafnarstræti

AndrewHL

Akureyri is the fifth largest city in Iceland and the largest outside the southwest capital region. It has regular domestic air service from Reykjavik and is considered teh capital of North Iceland. Hotel Kea was located right in the center of downtown. Diner was our first formal taste of Icelandic lamb. After dinner, Susan and I took a walk along the main street. Above the hotel was the Akureyrikirkja, the Lutheran church. Built in 1940, it is in the Functionalism style popular in Iceland at that time. Across the street was the Eymundsson bookstore. Icelanders love to read. (Our guide was well versed in Icelandic poetry and the sagas.) The bookstore had a large stock of titles in Icelandic, including children's books, may of which were translations of popular English-language children's books. There was a large ... read more

Mývatn and the East of Iceland

Europe » Iceland » North » Mývatn June 1st 2022

Ascending Vaðlaheiði

AndrewHL

The drive through the Mývatn was a day of encountering one spectacular natural feature after another. Now on the other side of the Eyjafjörður from Akureyri, the coach ascended the slope of Vaðlaheiðar mountain. Rather than go around it, we took a tunnel through the mountain. At the other side of Vaðlaheiðar the road descends to traverse the valley of Fnjóskadalur. The highway generally followed the course of the Fnjóska River through farming country. Presently we arrived at Goðafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods. The falls are not that high, but they are wide and create a roading rapids in the Skjálfandafljót River. The tourist legend is that the Alþting lawspeaker threw the images of Thor and the other Nordic gods into the falls when Iceland converted to Christianity in about 1000. However, it is more ... read more

Iceland’s Northwest

Europe » Iceland » North » Varmahlíð May 31st 2022

Stephan G. Stephansson Monument

AndrewHL

From Bogarnes we struck off for the north of Iceland along Route 1, Iceland's ring road. Our guide, Holm, advised this would be a day of mostly driving, heading to Eyjafjörður for a whale watching cruise. A little after 11 a.m. we we in the vicinity of Varmahlið. The coach stopped at the Stephan J. Stephansson Monument for a photo opportunity. Stephan J. Stephansson (1853-1927) was an Icelandic poet, though he lived much of his life in Alberta, Canada. The outcropping overlooks the valley of Skagafjörður and with a view east to Vatnsskarð Pass. Rugged but beautiful country. Continuing on into Varmahlið, we stopped for a lunch break. Like numerous waypoints on Iceland's highways, the Olis in Varmahlið is a gas station along with a convenience store and food counter. (Olis and the similar N1 travel ... read more

Iceland's Golden Circle

Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Selfoss May 30th 2022

Strokkur Geyser

AndrewHL

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

Hellisheiđi Geothermal Power Station Visitor Center

Reykjavik Day 1 - The Perlan

Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Reykjavík May 29th 2022

The Perlan

AndrewHL

Our Icelandair flight arrived at Keflavik (pronounced Keplavik) at 6:20 a.m. All flights from North America appear to arrive in this time slot and the airport ramp is densely packed with more arrivals than there are gates. Keflavik has rows of ramp stairs out on the tarmac to accommodate them. A bus brought arriving passengers to the terminal A Globus representative met us and drove us and four other tour members to the Hilton Nordica, arriving at 8:30 a.m. The topography of Iceland became clear on the drive from the airport. The area around the airport is surprisingly undeveloped. Only a Marriott hotel and the buildings from the former US Naval Air Station are near it. (The airfield was built during World War II. I saw shelters for fighter jets at the end of the runway ... read more

Paluulennolle helatorstaina

Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Keflavik May 26th 2022

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arsku

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

Reykjavik: ajelua, uintia, kävelyä

Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Reykjavík May 25th 2022

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arsku

Nukuin erinomaisesti. Oli tämän matkan ainut aamu kun ei tarvinnut pakata tavaroita ja siirtyä seuraavaan paikkaan. Oli edellispäivää poutaisempaa. Aamupalan jälkeen lähdettiin ajelulle, mukaan pakattiin uintikamppeet. Ensin ajettiin Harpaa katsomaan ja jätettiin auto kaupungin kalleimpaan parkkihalliin. Sen jälkeen kierreltiin rantoja pitkin: Örfirseyn niemellä valasmuseon piha ja vilkaisu merelle, Seltjarnarnesin niemellä käynti kirkossa. Matkakumppaneilla oli jo nälkä, joten aloin etsiä google mapsista ravintolaa. Päädyttiin Hringbraut-kadun Zorbian-ravintolaan. Sitten oli uintireissun vuoro. Ehdotuksestani päädyttiin lähimpään uima-altaaseen Vesturbaerin kaupunginosassa: https://sundlaugar.is/en/sundlaugar/vesturbaejarlaug/ En ollut kuullutkaan siitä aiemmin. Paikassa oli hyvin tilaa: sisällä suihkut ja sauna, ulkona höyrysauna, iso allas jossa lämpötila 28 astetta, ja pienemmiss... read more

Reykjavikiin: Kerid ja Thingvellir

Europe » Iceland » Southwest » Reykjavík May 24th 2022

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arsku

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