Spring in Iceland | FindPenguins

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Trip start
May 26, 2025
Spring in Iceland Traveler
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Reykjavik
May 27 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
First day in Iceland, spent in Reykjavik. The area surrounding the airport is old lava rocks and moss. I think we will see lots more of that! The Hotel Storm kept our luggage while we walked the main downtown shopping street and then joined a food walking tour by Wake Up Reykjavik. We saw lots of the downtown and ate “small plates” at 4 restaurants. The highlight was the famous Icelandic hotdog from the oldest hotdog stand in the city. Last stop was a beautiful, modern church which offers the highest vantage point in the city ( if you climb up the steeple). The organist was playing so we sat and listened for a bit. A bonus is the sunny day with mild temperatures. And we stayed awake all day on 2 hours sleep!Read more
TravelerEnjoy! Looking forward to your updates!
5/28/25Reply
TravelerAnd how was the food?
5/28/25Reply
Traveler Cool building!
5/28/25Reply
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
11:30 pm
May 27 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
No northern lights for us; it does not get dark enough at night!
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
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The Golden Circle
May 28 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Today we drove the iconic “Golden Circle," a must-do for tourists. The highlight was Thingvellir National Park (ancient seat of government and best place to walk through the Continental Divide). A close second was lunch at Efsti-Dalit farm for their soup and bread buffet with homemade ice cream for dessert. Yummy!
Brian is gradually getting comfortable with our brand new 4 wheel drive Skoda. It’s comfortable but very hi-tech. (We can't turn off the radio !)
We overnight in Hella at the Stracta Hotel in tiny Hella.Read more
Traveler Beautiful!
5/28/25Reply
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
Waterfalls, Waterfalls!
May 29 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
Another interesting day. Got on the road at 8:30 a.m. and stopped to check out the Lava Centre. Hardly anyone there which was great because it had lots of things to read and interactive activities. This area of Klo Lo Iceland is a world “hot spot" for volcanic activity. Learned a lot

Next 2 stops were waterfalls: Seljalandsfoss and Skogfoss. Both beautiful. One high and narrow (Seljalandsfoss) and one wide and noisy (Skogafoss). Foss is waterfall in Icelandic.

We also visited the SkogarFolk Museum with turf huts and a re-creation of an 1800 school.

Last stop was the Black Sand beach at Drholaey which reminded us of New Zealand. The drive from Hvolsvollur to Dryholaey along the edge of the glaciers and and volcanoes was beautiful.

Tonight’s hotel at the Glacial Lagoon is more up-scale and we had a lovely dinner.Read more
TravelerBeautiful scenery!
5/30/25Reply
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
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The glacier lagoon
May 30 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Yesterday was all about waterfalls, today is about icebergs. The Glacier Lagoon is at the foot of Iceland’s largest glacier.

At this point I will mention that Icelandic is a very difficult language so we have given up saying or spelling place names. The GPS gives us some very unusual directions when we try to use the microphone!

We took a Zodiac boat to the face of the glacier with a very knowledgeable guide. There had been extensive calving the night before. We were about 40 metres away, in a quiet area which she said had been full of small icebergs that morning. (Our guide mentioned she got hemmed in by them that morning and struggled to get back to the dock!). The glacial river gradually pushes them out to sea. The topography changes very quickly here.

We saw beautiful bergs; saw one “roll“; saw a small calving off the face, and 2 seals very close. We were very lucky and enjoyed the trip immensely.

Our guide mentioned the glacier was melting and scientists estimated it would be gone in 100 years! The loss of this enormous weight could cause the island to rise and some speculate might cause the island to fracture along the continental divide.Read more
Traveler Wow! 😮
5/31/25Reply
Traveler Looks chilly! 🥶
5/31/25Reply
Traveler Geared up!
5/31/25Reply
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Lake Myvatn
June 1 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
We had been dreading the drive from Eglisstaoir to Lake Mývatn. We had heard it described as a moon scape. The middle is a huge lava field which we found interesting. Just before Lake Mývatn is Dettifoss, is a waterfall with a 45 metre drop. The hike in and out was challenging for our old knees but it was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed it. Brian bought a bowl of Icelandic beef soup (beef with veg.) for lunch with our grocery store sandwiches.

We drove around the lake to our Hotel Laxa. All of the hotels have been of a minimalistic, Scandinavian vibe but very clean and very quiet. As we registered, the clerk advised us that a serious snowstorm was blowing in. The suggestions were to do the whale watching tour that afternoon and to get on the road early the next day. If we stayed, we could be snowed in. We took both suggestions.

The whale watching was in Húsavík. We enjoyed it and saw 3 whales. It was cold and rained part of the time. But it was on our bucket list.Read more
Traveler Oh my gosh you look cold!
6/3/25Reply
Traveler Das sieht ja noch viel kälter aus wie jetzt mit 1° und wind-chill wie's Böse
9/20/25ReplyTranslate
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
Well, it IS Iceland!
June 2 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 5 °C
We got up and hit the road, running from the snow. We are driving a 4x4 but with summer tires and did not want to risk the mountains in a blizzard. Our plan worked and after the first hour or so of rain, it was actually a pretty nice day. But cold and VERY windy. After a quick stop at Godafoss (a waterfall which looked like a smaller Niagara Falls), we headed for the west coast, out of the mountains. Communicating with our agent at Nordic Visitor, (thank God for the mobile hotspot provided), we drove to Stykkisholmur in the Snaefellsnes peninsula. We were driving around beautiful fiords with snow capped mountains in the background. Unfortunately about 30% of the road on the peninsula was gravel, making for a long, slow trip.
that night we stayed in another Foss Hotel. It was too cold and windy to explore the town so we ate in and binge watched Clarkson's Farm.

The next morning we took a brief car ride around the town (not much to see) and bought a delicious lunch to go at a local bakery.
Not sure about tomorrow. The “almost gale force winds” according to the Meterologist Association are predicted to continue.Read more
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
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Blown away by Iceland
June 3 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 5 °C
Today, Iceland blew us away with a steady wind and 79 km/h wind gusts. Getting in and out of the car was a struggle so often we just pulled over and leaned out the window for photos. Like a stereotype of a bad North American tourist!

The Snaefellsnes Penninsula and park are beautiful. Craigy cliffs, wild seas and snowy mountains.

The oddest stop was the Freezer Centre hostel in Hellissandur. Like a throwback to the 60’s it is a hostel where each room is painted with what looks like, a scene from a nightmare. 2 very friendly hippies run the place. The town of Hellissandur boasts as being the street art centre of Iceland with some very neat murals.

We also stopped for one last waterfall, Skodufoss

Overnight was in Stykkisholmur, another Foss Hotel. The drive out to the peninsula, along a fiord, was beautiful but half of the drive was on a gravel road. Given the windy conditions and the remoteness of the hotel, we ate in that night. As exploring the town wasn't possible we binge watched Clarkson's Farm.
The next morning we discovered a bakery and bought delicious sandwiches for lunch.Read more
TravelerI am sitting here shivering from cold as I read your daily itinerary!
6/5/25Reply
Traveler Beautiful landscapes!!
6/6/25Reply
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
Circling back to Reykjavik
June 4 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 7 °C
We battled the elements escaping to the east to our hotel in Arnastapi Thinking the hard part was over we checked in only to find our room was outside, 80 metres up a slight grade. We chose the restaurant across the street for dinner but it was still a challenge walking there.
The next day, the wind howled, the rain pelted, and we drove through more dramatic scenery. We saw very little traffic so despite the weather conditions, we made good time. We had an excellent stop at The Settlement Centre in Borgarnes. It presents early Icelandic history from the emigration of the Vikings from Norway. A second exhibit introduces one of the best known characters of the Icelandic Sagas, Egil Skala-Grimsson. The audio guide was excellent

The weather improved as we got closer to Reykjavik (well, at least it stopped raining). We treated ourselves to an hour at the Laugardalur thermal spa, (and another hotdog). We emerged clean and relaxed.
The rental car was returned without any hassle and they shuttled us back to the Storm Hotel.

For dinner we tried Borg 29 Food Hall which is like our food courts but more upscale. Good food, large portions, reasonably priced.Read more
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
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Perlan Museum
June 5 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 8 °C
Today’s event was a visit to the Perlon, an interactive museum of Iceland’s geological history. Reminiscent of the Ontario Science Centre ( but focused on geology). It was very well done. I wish we had done this before driving the Ring Road as I think we would have had a better appreciation of what we were seeing. (Side note: our bus driver forgot to call us and we missed our stop by 2 Kilometres!)

Before going to the Northern Lights presentation in the Planetarium, we had a soup and bread lunch in the cafeteria. THE BEST ICELANDIC LAMB SOUP YET!

Our bus ride home was much better. We bought a few souvenirs and returned to the hotel for a brief rest. An hour later, we caught a bus and set out for our last tourist sights. C went to the Marine Museum and B went to Fly Iceland. C enjoyed her visit; B was disappointed to learn the show was sold out.

After many examinations of our map we found our dinner destination: Post Haus, another food hall. This one is divided up into cosy rooms and we shared a great mushroom ravioli. A few glasses of wine later and all was right with the world.Read more
Traveler Big bowls!
6/6/25Reply
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Spring in Iceland Traveler
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Iceland…rain, snow, sun, sleet..
June 6 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
Before we left for the airport, Brian returned to Flyover Iceland with a reserved seat booked on line the night before. It gave a lovely, picturesque view of the island. He enjoyed it very much.
At the end of each trip we note random impressions:
We experienced sleet, rain, -0 C temps, sun and ran from a snowstorm. The Response of the locals was basically, that’s Iceland. But we saw lots of rainbows.

We loved the white houses with red roofs randomly sprinkled over the countryside. Every farm seemed to have an excavators and/lor bulldozers.
We couldn't get over the location of many of the farms at the foot of a mountain. no fear of landslides?

The speed limits changed abruptly and seemingly at random. 90, 70, 50 pr 30 km/h. We did not see a single stop sign outside of Reykjavik; every corner is a yield (or what we call a “rolling stop”). The speed cameras rewarded you with a 😀 if you weren't speeding. The roads were lined with Lupines (they grew every where like weeds). We saw lots of sheep but no sheep dogs!

The highways were narrower and as a result our rental vehicle constantly beeped a warning. The car was a brand new Skoda. It was much bigger than we expected and we never felt really comfortable in it. The GPS and “hot spot” gizmo were great but we never figured out how to turn off the radio or turn on the cruise control!

Brian checked out one of several golf courses we passed. See the picture.

The hotels were all very clean and furnished in “IKEA-style”. The TV coverage was iffy but the WIFI was consistently good.

The desserts were spectacular but unfortunately we did not taste many. The food, as expected, was expensive. COD was always the fish on the menu but it was very fresh and tasty unlike our experience with cod at home.

The people at all the hotels, restaurants and museums were helpful and friendly. As Brian stepped out the door to catch our shuttle to the airport, the sole of his boot came off!
Fortunately the desk clerk had Duct tape.

Our shuttle driver serenaded us with Metallica on the way to our flight. He informed us the Mercedes SUV we were in was his as well as 2 others and 2 motorcycles. He was planning a trip to Denver this summer to see
Metallica. He looked forward to driving a Cadillac from New York to the concert and enjoy the cheap gas. Obviously drivers get paid well in Iceland.Read more
Traveler Great scenery, but the course could use a few more trees!
6/6/25Reply
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Trip end
June 6, 2025