Blogs from Iceland, Europe - page 136

Bienvenidos a mi blog! En éste intentaré narrar los acontecimientos más notables que me vayan sucediendo en mi aventura en el Norte. Intentaré colgar algún post y/o alguna foto de vez en cuando para que estéis al corriente de si se me comió un oso polar o en cambio lo maté yo. Primero de todo, perdón por escribir tan tarde pero ya os podéis imaginar el trasiego de los primeros días en país ajeno... La primera impresión es que esto es Siberia... No por el frío que hace, ya que se puede soportar, sino porque la ciudad es un témpano de hielo. Están todas las calles (menos la calle principal...) con una capa de 10 centímetros de hielo. Así que la city es lo más parecido a un skating... Las resbaladas son épicas. Hay apuestas en ... read more

Day 2 in Iceland was a trip to the Blue Lagoon outdoor geothermal spa. The first time I heard an outdoor pool in the near-Arctic conditions of Iceland I thought the idea was completely insane and was just for those crazy Nordic types - you know, the types who go naked into communal saunas and then flog themselves silly with branches of trees. The setting of the Blue Lagoon in incredible - the frozen, barren tundra near Grindavik on the way to Keflavik Airport. You can see the hot steam rising from a few miles away as you approach it. The water is heated by the nearby geothermal energy plant, which harnesses the naturally produced underground heat to create electricity for the surrounding area. Iceland is predominantly geothermally heated and has no nuclear power. As it ... read more

Jo and I took a trip to Iceland for 4 days/3nights at the start of February 2008. I have been before, the previous March, and found the place unlike anywhere I have been before, so decided Jo had to see it as well. OIn the way out we were delayed by 5 hours at Glasgow airport due to appalling weather conditions facing the preceding flight which was leaving from Reykjavik to collect us. That boded well. While we should have arrived at 1pm and had the large part of the Thursday ahead of us, we finally got into the hotel at about 7pm and just had time to change and get out for dinner and a couple of drinks. That said, the sceneryt was incredible on that first day. It has snowed heavily for a couple ... read more

Fantastic weekend in the South West area of Iceland. Normal two wheel drive car £90 from Budget car hire. Stayed in centre of Rykjavik in Hotel fron. Cheap, clean and a good breakfast. Went round the Waterfalls, Blue Lagoon and the Geysers all in one day. It's easy to navigate the area and you can find cheap places to eat and drink. We made our own sarnies from the food available at breakfast time in the hotel including drinks! Take the coast road via Grindavik for the best views of the North Atlantic. The locals are great. Not much to do in Rykjavik apart from wondering around the flea market so get out to the National Park area towards Pingvalla to see the two continental plate ridges. Well worth visiting the area. Hope this helps - ... read more

After missing the Northern Lights in Alaska, I traveled to Iceland, December 4-9, 2007, hoping to see them. Iceland is a Scandinavian country lying between Norway and Greenland. It is an island nation the size of Kentucky with a peninsula extending from its northwestern corner that looks like a crab with pinchers. Iceland was a Danish colony until 1944. It became independent when the Nazis occupied Denmark. Iceland's flag has the Scandinavian cross, a red cross outlined in white against a blue field. Greenland was granted self-rule by Denmark in 1979. People like to say that "Iceland is green, and Greenland is covered with ice." Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream. It was not nearly as cold in Reykjavik as it was in Boston. I flew U.S. Airways to Boston and took Icelandair. I landed ... read more