Iceland Adventure

February 2015
We went on our own to Iceland, primarily to photograph the ice caves at Jokullsarlon. But we encountered a whole new world.
  • 20footprints
  • 3countries
  • 10days
  • 147photos
  • 0videos
  • 3.6kmiles
  • 2.5kmiles
  • Day 1

    Arriving in Iceland

    February 9, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 37 °F

    Glenda arrived in Reykjavik and was greeted by temperatures in the twenties, high winds, and lost luggage. Glenda was doing the best she could with a sweater until we could get to the mall to buy clothing to tide us over until the airline located our luggage, and Glenda had packed her coat, gloves, and hats in checked baggage. Air Canada lost our luggage in Toronto. Arriving in Reykjavik we went shopping at Kringle Shopping Center. We ate 3 slices of pizza for an early lunch at Sbarro while waiting for the shops to open. A store called 66 Degrees North was too expensive, so I got a knit cap and gloves at a cheaper store called Haikaup. To kill time we visited Hallsgrimskirkje, then went to the Pearl, a visitors' center and restaurant, where we warmed up with coffee and delicious chocolate cake.

    Air Canada lost our luggage in Toronto. The cafeteria manager told me that the Saga Museum had moved, so we went to its new location near the old harbor. That site also happened to be near our hotel. Glenda saw a Bonus Store across the street. We loaded up on water and emergency food supplies. Coming back to the hotel, she checked in, and I parked our Toyota RAV 4 Diesel in a parking lot about a ten-minute walk from the Center Plaza Hotel. We unloaded our luggage, then as we were going to the car to bring in more water, Glenda saw a clothing store with Icelandic sweaters. We each bought one to cover us until our luggage was located. In the late afternoon we walked in the snow about half an hour to find the Red Cross Consignment Store, where she shopped for waterproof pants. Finding none, we went to get supper at the Fish House. I photographed it and the building next to it, just a few doors down from our hotel. It is the oldest building still standing in Reykjavik, built in the late eighteenth century. The Fish House was a bit more expensive than we had expected, so we then went to have a meal of traditional Icelandic hot dogs from the hot dog stand in the plaza. They were delicious. We came back to the room to organize our packs for tomorrow. I do hope our luggage arrives soon.
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  • Day 1

    Getting Settled in Reykjavik

    February 9, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 34 °F

    We got clothing at Haikaupt, we got chocolate cake and hot coffee at the Pearl. We convinced ourselves that we would not freeze to death. Not today, anyway. The manager there told us that the Saga Museum had moved from the airport to a spot near the boat dock. The new location was near our hotel, so we went to see a dramatic representation of the story of young Skallagrim, a boy who distinguished himself by killing his playmates, then becoming a feared Viking leader around the year 1100 A.D. We learned that some of the oldest and purest versions of the Norse sagas were Icelandic. They were less subject to change than those of Norway, whose people settled in Iceland. Across the street from the museum was the Bonus Food Store. We would be setting out on our own in a rented car, so we stocked up on emergency food. The car rental company also gave us a satellite phone to use in case of emergency. The wind in Iceland is constant. The rental car folk said that the most common damage they see is the wind ripping the doors off automobiles that are not headed upwind when the passenger opens the door. Coming back to the hotel, she checked in, and I parked our Toyota RAV 4 Diesel in a parking lot about a ten-minute walk from the Center Plaza Hotel. We unloaded our luggage, then as we were going to the car to bring in more water, Glenda saw a clothing store with Icelandic sweaters. We each bought one to cover us until our luggage was located. In the late afternoon we walked in the snow about half an hour to find the Red Cross Consignment Store, where she shopped for waterproof pants. Finding none, we went to get supper at the Fish House. I photographed it and the building next to it, just a few doors down from our hotel. It is the oldest building still standing in Reykjavik, built in the late eighteenth century. The Fish House was a bit more expensive than we had expected, so we then went to have a meal of traditional Icelandic hot dogs from the hot dog stand in the plaza. They were delicious. We came back to the room to organize our packs for tomorrow. I do hope our luggage arrives soon.Read more

  • Day 2

    White-Out to Selfoss

    February 10, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 27 °F

    We received a text message at about 8:00 am saying that our luggage had been located. There was not actually a restaurant at the hotel. It was more like a mess hall with a breakfast buffet in the basement. Iceland is above all practical and utilitarian. That is one of the things we love about it. After breakfast in the basement of the Center Plaza Hotel in Reykjavik, we called the airport around 10 am and were told that our luggage was being sent to the Hotel Laki in Kirkjubaejarklauster. We told them that we were still in Reykjavik awaiting our luggage. The airline representative said that the van sent out to deliver luggage was still in Reykjavik, and that they might be able to contact him before he left for Kirkjubaejarklauster. They were able to reach the driver, and he brought both suitcases around 10:45 am. We immediately hit the road. Even though we had checked weather and road reports, just southeast of Reykjavik we hit a blinding snowstorm with 40 mph gusts. We were totally in white-out conditions on two occasions, lasting about ten minutes each. Otherwise we could barely see and had to keep on the road either by looking at the truck ahead of us or at the “priests,” marker posts on the side of the road. Visibility improved considerably as we approached Selfoss.Read more

  • Day 2

    Refuge in Selfoss

    February 10, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 28 °F

    We stopped for lunch at the Kaktus Restaurant. The cook greeted us by saying, “I’m the best cook in Selfoss; she is the cutest waitress; and you ought to eat here.” All three of these statements were true. Glenda said her hamburger was the best she had ever eaten; it was seasoned with coriander. My fish and chips were also delicious. The scenery was beautiful, stark and dreadful as we went through the lava field, black deserts and black beaches. We often stopped to take photos. We filled up with Diesel fuel at Vik, where I had to be instructed in how to use an Icelandic self-serve gas pump. There was a clothing store there featuring “ice wear.” The shop had beautiful clothing, but Glenda decided she didn’t need any more clothing at this point. Shortly after 5:00 pm the snow started again, but not nearly as hard as before. The temperature dropped below freezing, the roads iced up again, and we were losing daylight. We were the only car on the road, so I decided to go straight to the Hotel LakiRead more

  • Day 2

    Kirkjubaejarklaustur and Hotel Laki

    February 10, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    We were the only car on the road, and it was getting dark and cold, so I decided to go straight to the Hotel Laki rather than going to see a portion of Skaftafell National Park. Primitive on the outside, the Hotel Laki's interior is all modern Scandinavian decor. We had a lovely dinner of vegetable lasagna, and Italian wine, finished with strawberry ice cream and coffee. We chatted with an Icelandic family on vacation seated at the next table then photographed each other. Finally we returned to our room to prepare for tomorrow’s adventure in the ice caves at Jokullsarlon.Read more

  • Day 3

    Jokullsarlon Ice Caves

    February 11, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F

    The staff at Hotel Laki woke us about midnight because the aurora borealis was active, We bundled up, went outside, and found a small group with cameras. It seems that the aurora was not visible, but it could be photographed with an exposure of 30 seconds, f4, ISO 400 or better. I took a few shots that at least show the aurora, though without much detail, then returned to bed. We rose at 6:45 am. The hotel staff graciously prepared breakfast half an hour early for us because they knew we needed an early start. We were on the road to Jokullsarlon by 8:30 am. Ice covered the roads, but they improved as we traveled farther east. We arrived at Jokullsarlon at 10:45 am, one hour before we were to meet our guide for the photographic excursion into the ice caves. There were a dozen members of our group from all over the world, all under forty except Glenda and me. We chatted in the store with new friends from China, Greece, Germany and England before Oskar our guide loaded us all into a huge Toyota swamp buggy. We went maybe 3 km east then turned off the road and went another 4 km off road. Donning helmets, we walked another half hour over volcanic terrain that looked like the surface of the moon. Glenda held her camera in her hand and took many shots documenting our excursion. I chose to set up my tripod, take great care with my camera settings, and try for fewer shots of especially appealing ice formations. After an hour and a quarter we reversed course, walked back to the van, and returned to Jokullsarlon. Glenda and I lunched on bread, cheese and nuts we had brought with us, as we removed layers of clothing for the return trip to Hotel Laki. Throughout our visit to the ice caves the temperature remained at about 27 degrees F with light winds and bright sunlight. The weather was perfect. On the trip back to the hotel, in spite of a few quick stops to photograph villages, we returned in less than two hours. The trip out this morning took over three hours. Obviously, road conditions had improved greatly. We straightened up our room, and put away our ice cave gear before enjoying another delicious supper. Glenda had arctic char, and I had lamb with another glass of the same Italian wine as last night. We felt a great sense of accomplishment in that we had completed successfully the excursion that was our main objective in visiting Iceland.Read more

  • Day 4

    Vik and Reynisfjara

    February 12, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F

    Vik has a small clothing store featuring "ice wear." Glenda went inside and found some beautiful and functional clothing, all of which was very expensive. I filled up the tank, but found that because of the requirement to buy a pre-paid gas card, I will not used nearly all of the gasoline I have purchased. We saw white snow on a black basalt beach where I photographed the rocks at Reynisfjara, a three-masted ship turned into stone by trolls, according to legend.Read more

  • Day 4

    Forty-dollar Hamburger in Hvolsvellur

    February 12, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 27 °F

    This morning we left Kirkjubaejarklauster on moderately slick roads that got worse as we left town. We did go into the town to find a basalt formation, a large, flat area called “the church floor.” However, since the town was covered with snow we could not find it. We took a photo of the lovely Lutheran church then left town. I held a speed of about 70 kph all the way to Hvolsvollur, where we stopped to eat lunch at an N1 gas station. Our only stop before that was to photograph the black beach and rock formations at Reynisfjara. According to legend, a three-masted ship ventured too close to some trolls on the beach. The trolls turned the ships and their sails into rock. As we left highway 1 we turned north on highway 30 just east of Selfoss. The roads became dangerously slick. An added problem was outside the one well traveled track in the middle of he road, there were piles of snow deep enough to impede the forward progress of the car. There were no other cars around. I could not decide whether the absence of other drivers was a blessing or a curse. On one hand, if I had an accident, I would injure no one else. On the other hand, if I had a mishap or a breakdown, there would be no one to come to our aid. This situation continued until we reached highway 35 west of Gullfoss.Read more

  • Day 4

    Gullfoss

    February 12, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °F

    The waterfalls were magnificent, though partly frozen. Gullfoss was the coldest place we had seen. The temperature was -10 degrees F with a 20 mph wind. There were crowds of people trekking down the long, steep stairway to photograph the falls. I took my photos as quickly as I could because in the five minutes I had removed my gloves, my hands and fingers became numb. I was as cold as I have ever been. My eyes watered and the tears froze on my face. Glenda said I had a small icicle on my nose. She did not go all the way down to the observation area, but returned to the cafe because of the cold. When I returned to meet her there we shared a cup of hot chocolate.Read more

  • Day 4

    Hot Water from the Earth--Geysir

    February 12, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °F

    We drove west to Geysir without incident and checked into the hotel. After putting our luggage in our bungalow, we walked up to the Stroker geyser and took photos. Then we had dinner at the restaurant. There were only one or two other people dining there. Glenda had a steak sandwich and I had fried cod with Icelandic lobster with a white wine from Chile. We returned to the bungalow for an early bedtime after a wonderful, yet challenging day. This place gave its name to all of the geothermal fountains in the world "geysers." However, Icelanders give the first syllable a long "a" sound, not the long "i" sound it has attained in America. This morning we awoke in Geyser at 8:00 am after twelve hours of sleep to a mystically beautiful sunrise that I photographed. Our room had been a bit cool overnight, and Glenda discovered that we had slept through a -10 degree C night with a window partially opened! After breakfast she checked out while I got one more video of the Strokker geyser without a bunch of giggling Japanese teen agers in the shot. In Iceland many homes and building are heated geothermally. I was quite surprised that the interiors of all of the buildings are heated to the mid-70's F. Their rooms are warmer than those in the United States. Another factor to consider is that native Icelanders rarely go outside their homes in the winter unless it is an absolute necessity.Read more