Two travelers, two ukuleles, bound for the Greek Islands...via Iceland! We are on our way!!
Did you know that if you fly to Europe on Iceland Air, you can have a free stop over? Meaning, no extra airfare charge to get off and reboard days later. Why not experience a little bit of ICELAND? This place was never on our bucket list, but has suddenly appeared in bold letters! Yep, it's on the list, so it seems like the perfect time.
Iceland Air treats us well. Even the head rests are embroidered with cool little bits of Icelandic trivia:
The sleep while flying thing didn't really happen, and we arrived in Reykjavick at 06:45 local time...which is actually about 01:00 to a body from Friday Harbor, WA. USA.
We collect a cute mini car from Route One Car Rental at a cost of $186.00 for three days, compared to the Avis rate of $700.00!? Our Hosts, Francis and Ian, at the Priviledged B&B, were so gracious! Knocking on the door at 07:30 we totally surprise them, as there was a slight miscommunication with the booking company, but they welcome us with a cup of coffee and offer to let us put our bags and ukuleles in our room! Bless them...we are SO tired, but so many have advised us..."Do NOT go to sleep upon arrival...stick it out until evening and your body will reset faster." We believe them.
Making strange decisions all day, we visit Reykjavick City and find ourselves drawn to the old boat harbor. No surprise there. We check out the docks, the Maritime Museum, the boat tours...but food suddenly trumps the list of what's next. The afternoon takes care of itself with a little exploring by car, and then a long hike back by the B&B.
Our first Icelandic Horse greets us.
The city falls away fast and suddenly it's rural. Feels better.
Yep, rain...maybe a little hail....perfect for a walk about!
We need one of these at home!
Saturday we are up for touring. Armed with a map that Ian has marked, and a few little wee side notes...we are off for the Golden Circle driving tour. We make four of the six destinations...the National Park, Geysers, lunch, a surprise sheep drive (as in along and on the road), a soak in the Secret Lagoon geothermal pool...and back to the B&B for an arranged dinner!
My notes turn out to be really REALLY helpful!
The difficulty is...well...none of the names make any sense...and the roads aren't all numbered on my map, and this roadside map? No help! Seriously! The Islandic language is not intuitive to us. The words seem unpronounceable and if you are looking for a named location...sometimes all locations seem to either be the same or note cognizable at all.
This makes navigating around challenging and beyond.
But, this sign I think I get.
Steamy Iceland landscape....hot water is piped from geothermal sites to residences everywhere!
Pipe systems for hot water run beside the roads and over hill, over dale.
A fellow traveller on the road in the National Park.
Vista at National Park Visitor Center
We stand "in" the riff...between the two tectonic plates forming Iceland. Gulp.
Amazingly dynamic look to the land.
Here it comes....
And then it's over....for 7 more minutes.
Signs everywhere saying...um...don't touch!
Just to be clear..he DID want to touch...but remarkably, held back the impulse!
Fish is what I would call "the national dish" and yes, we have fish soup for lunch. In case you wonder...1,790 kroner is about $10 USD.
Time gets away from us and we must miss the waterfalls at Gullfoss if we are not to give up the thermal pool. Not even close in the decision making. Off we go, only to find we must make an unplanned stop on the road! The annual sheep drive is...today! There are about 20 riders on those flashy looking Iceland horses (NOT ponies) managing hundreds of sheep. Even the youngsters go for this special round up ride, their horses on lead ropes beside an older rider.
Here come the sheep! But where is Shaun??
Maybe this one is named "Shaun"?
All the sheep safely down the road, we are off for the Not totally secret, Secret Lagoon. We find it! About $18 each gives us a key to the locker room and it's an amazing soak in this geothermal pool fed by underground springs flowing through it. The bottom is all volcanic gravel with a few giant boulders thrown in for good measure. The temperature varies depending n where the springs enter...from lovely warm, to warmer, to HOT!
Did I mention the rainbows?
Hard to leave...but we're not sure exactly how far away from home base we are, or how well marked the roads will be...and we have a 7:30 dinner arranged at the B&B. Another service our hosts provide is a shared meal. Dinner at "home" is well worth the extra cost! Sadly we must miss the hot chocolate stop Ian has circled for us...a reason to return to Iceland?
Sunday is our day to begin the next leg of our journey toward the Greek Islands. Ian has another touring idea for us as our flight does not depart until late afternoon. Today we will explore the small peninsula between Reykjavick and the airport at Keflevick, taking us over the hills, down to the sea and back again. We mention we want to see the statue of the Great Auk by the bird cliffs...and a two page route with photos, notes and maps appear at the breakfast table, even though he has left early to do another tour job.
Saying good bye to Francis, but not before she helps me figure out how to accomplish getting from Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport tonight to our hotel which is at Terminal 5, using the Heathrow Express train...we pack up and head out.
Over the hills...
Steve has to stop and search for brae berries...
Which he finds!
At home he s Mr. Blueberry, so when he finds out about brae berries he has to pick some himself. Amazingly he picks out a hillside and decides he'll just try that place.
The route takes us to more thermal hot mud pots..oh, the aroma! Sulfur!!
Now to find the Auk statue...just a turn off the main road, the second turn off NOT the first...then dogleg through the thermal plant, then over the pot holes and bumps on the black gravel road...toward the sea...keep aiming for the lighthouse....and...
The Great Auk appears! (No, I did not know he was planning to serenade the statue, on the edge of a wild coast, where the sea meets the earth and the sky...on the tip of Iceland!)
What is this huge sculpture about and why is it here? It seems n the 1800's there was only one remaining pair of Great Auks in the world. (Yes). Some sailors figured they would make a good meal, and since there were only two left, why not dispatch them? Sadly, so they did. That's how "extinct" happened...and years later, someone thought..the world needs a marker...a big awesome sculpture, on the spot where this terrible thing happened..so it may happen no more. Good idea.
Giving the Auk a big hug...it really IS time to be off for the airport..or...maybe past time.
I laugh as I think about trying to see Iceland in two and 1/2 days, after an overnight flight. There is so much we left unexperienced. The more we heard the more we wanted to do and see. If you have a week, you might have a shot at it!
Several last thoughts....
With a mix of geothermal and hydro sources...Iceland produces green energy for electricity.
Most of the country uses geothermal hot water.
We saw NO trash on the roadsides.
All Icelanders are bi-lingual, English being the second language...but they retain and use their native language first.
All Icelanders swim by age 9. There are public swimming pools with water slides and hot pools in each community!
The population is 350,000 people and 85,000 Islandic horses. There are horse and walking trails beside most roads. People ride horses or hike everywhere.
Fish is a major food group.
The people appeared very physically fit.
It's an amazing place to visit. 👍
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