Blogs from Southwest, Iceland, Europe

The day of the volcano. No not the one erupting ATM. This one has been dormant for over 4500 years. Got coffees and some rolls/pastries for breakfast. Picked up at the allocated time and off we go. Delivered to the central bus hub where we got onto our volcano bus. Got to eat our goodies before we boarded the bus. Excitement was brewing. Got to the main area which was at the foot of a ski village. Went through the safety and information briefings then were given bandanas/buffs to wear from the company. Looked a little like those in survivor for a while. Off we go into the wild blue yonder. And yes we did have blue skies and not much wind. Our guide, Arnie - his real name was much longer and harder to even ... read more

And away we go. Picked up from our hotel by the Motorhome people after a surprisingly good breakfast, and we thought our hotel was basic….. Signed our life (and second daughter) away to get the Motorhome. Then we get the rundown on how everything works. Including how to empty the toilet. Eeeww. Maybe only for emergencies we all thought. Finally out of the Motorhome place. Almost stalled it but recovered and also stayed on the right (wrong side for us) side. To the supermarket where we spent the kids inheritance on food etc. And yes, everything in Iceland is expensive. Off we go towards Reykjavík (capital city of iceland) where I wanted to look at an Icelandic jumper. Found our way to the Red Cross op shop but no bargains. A few places had them but ... read more

Planning this trip, I only had a couple days before I needed to return to work, so I planned a couple roadtrips around the Reykjanes Peninsula. This is an area near Reykjavik, but much of it is not as well known to tourists as the Ring Road, Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon. The first day, J and A joined me. A, who is Icelandic, had never visited some of these places himself, so he also enjoyed it. Day 1 Our first stop was the Bridge Between Two Continents. Iceland straddles the boundary between the North American and Eurasian Plates, which is spreading. Over this part of Iceland, the boundary is in a roughly NE-SW direction, as you'll see later with some of the geothermal locations. You can actually see it from the plane - dark lines ... read more

Our intrepid band of 6 set off for Iceland in January to see the Aurora Borealis. We accomplished our mission and had a fun, but cold, three days in the frozen north. The five hours of daylight each day, forced us to pack in as much as possible, before the sun set at 4:15 pm. So, we were off to see the city of Reykjavik, do the thermal baths, and explore the countryside. The first two nights were spent chasing the Northern Lights. The first night was a disappointment, but we did see some lights on the second night. They were not as spectacular as the night before we arrived, but what we saw was still impressive. It made standing out in the wind and bitter cold worth the effort. After two frigid nights standing outside ... read more

SUN, 02 OCT 2022 – Day 7: Snaefellsnes Peninsula/Reykjavik - Continue exploring the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, beginning with the white beach at Budir, then go on to Arnarstapi, where a short stroll along the coastal cliffs exposes you to rich bird life and other wonders of nature. Continue on to the basaltic pebble beach Djupalonssandur. In the afternoon head back to Reykjavik to complete your circuit of Iceland. The rest of the evening is yours for the taking. Perhaps head out for dinner with your fellow travellers and toast with a glass of Brennivin, a savoury schnapps. Total driving distance - approximately 300 kilometres (186 miles), or 4 hours. UNCLE LARRY'S NOTE: On Sunday evening we all participated in an optional farewell dinner organized by our tour leader, Stefano. Hats off to him for a job well ... read more