Blogs from Reykjavík, Southwest, Iceland, Europe - page 2

Most people don't need air conditioning in Iceland, and normally we wouldn't either, but our room is hot even with the windows open and the 50 degree air blowing in. And yes, we checked to make sure the heat was not on. Anyway, it made for a hot night's sleep. We headed out in the morning to the spectacular Blue Lagoon. There we donned our swimsuits and joined in the fun. The water is hot water from the ground and is full of minerals and sicilia. It is very milky looking. We made our way to the bar in the lagoon where we were able to get a free sparkling wine. It was relaxing and beautiful. We came back for lunch and then toured a museum of some of the oldest houses in Iceland. They were ... read more

After getting no sleep on the overnight direct flight from Raleigh, we finally landed in Reykjavík. The five minute border patrol took one hour, they needed to make a new sign. We boarded a bus for the hour-long ride to the hotel where we met four or five other buses from other cruise lines arriving at the same time. What a mess! After a quick breakfast we checked in and took a short rest. However, we don't like wasting even a minute of a vacation, so we headed out to see Reykjavík on foot. We walked the harbor and then headed to the shopping district which had some quaint, Icelandic architecture. In the midst of all of the nice shops was a "Phallus Museum". Needless to say, you don't have to think very hard to realize ... read more

It is so good to be back out in the world..! I'm going to get all feels about that at some point on this trip, but right now I'm too tired. Covid got me at the start of July and I was very nervous about how I'd feel and of course that I'd test negative before leaving (which I did, right down to the wire!) Pearson lived up to the current horror stories - it was indeed a gong show, particularly the security line and then just about every Air Canada flight seemed to be delayed - thankfully Icelandair did well, we only left about 15-20min delayed. I also did surprisingly well with the lights and pressure change - that was the last big thing to try post-concussion, success..!! Flight was uneventful. I paid for extra ... read more

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

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