Iceland Adventure | FindPenguins

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February 9, 2015
Iceland Adventure
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.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
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
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Iceland Adventure
Thingvellur, Where Europe Meets America
February 13, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 30 °F
Icy roads slowed our progress to Thingvellir National Park, but we didn’t mind. The terrain was surreal, like a white moonscape. I found Thingvillir absorbingly interesting. North America and Eurasia are only twenty feet apart where the tectonic plates emerge from the Earth’s crust. At a photo stop on a broad, white, snow-covered plateau, we chatted with three young Italian tourists. The one from Bologna was overjoyed to know that we had been to visit his home town. Thingvellur is also the place where the first parliament in the world met. Laws were very few, and were recited at each gathering by the Speaker of the Thing, as their legislature was called. Even now in the churchyard of a shrine in Iceland's version of Arlington National Cemetery. The honored dead from Iceland's military service are buried here.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Borgarnes--Home of Icelandic Sagas
February 13, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F
Wanting to make sure we had enough Diesel fuel and time, we didn’t stop for lunch until we arrived in Borgarnes around 3:00 pm. As we were eating at the N1, a helicopter landed in the parking lot next door. We learned later that someone had fallen and was seriously injured. The paramedics flew the patient to Reykjavik for treatment. When we checked into the Hotel Borgarnes we were greeted by the owner, who asked us to wait a few minutes for the desk clerk. In just a few minutes he arrived. He introduced himself as Thorstin, and was one of the most congenial Icelanders we met. After originally assigning us to a room, he cheerfully moved us to room 318 where we would have better internet reception. Before supper we walked around the shoreline and learned that Borgarnes is a significant place in the Icelandic sagas, especially the Saga of Egil (pronounced Ayl). We took photographs of this lovely place and then visited the Settlement Museum, where we learned more about the Egil Saga and the history of Borgarnes. Eating a dinner of apples, pears and peanuts we had brought with us preceded our doing our laundry for the first time since arriving in Iceland, and then bedding down for the night.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Reykholt--Center of Saga Research
February 14, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F
We awoke at 6:45 am and immediately went to breakfast with a bus load of Japanese tourists. Thorstin took a liking to us and shared some fresh salmon he caught and smoked in his other job. He owns his boat and is a commercial fisherman on the north side of the Snaefellnes peninsula. The guide for the Japanese tourists came to our table. He said he grew up in the east of Iceland. Even though we did not get his name, we had a wonderful conversation about the Icelandic language. As Glenda an I headed out for Reykholt, we me sustained winds of 30 mph and varying degrees of rain. The day before we had discussed going to Reykholt to see these falls. It’s a good thing we delayed, because Thorstin informed us that there is more than one town by that name. The Reykholt we want is not the one near Gullfoss, but rather is a smaller town of the same name only 30 minutes from Borgarnes. The roads were fairly clear with only occasional patches of ice and temperatures about 5-8 degrees C. The preeminent scholar on all of the Norse sagas lives and writes from his home in Reykholt, an ancient Icelandic town.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Hraunfoss and Barnafoss
February 14, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
A quick photo stop in Reykholt led us to Hraunfossar (Lava Falls), where the water magically pours from the side of a cliff along a front about 1/8 of a mile wide. It is remarkable in that the water seems to come from nowhere. There is not a river or stream that feeds it. The falls simply comes from groundwater trickling through volcanic basalt. Walking upstream a few hundred meters led us to Barnafoss (Children’s Falls). This torrent pours into a basin about the size of a city block, and is the most turbulent pool I have ever seen. According to tradition, two children tried to cross the river and were drowned. Their mother put a magic spell on the pool so that no one else would ever try to cross the river there again. We saw a German tourist who had climbed over the barriers and walked out on the rocks right over the dangerous falls to take photos. We were astounded at his disregard for his own safety. Had he fallen into the frigid waters, there would have been no way to save him.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Hurricane in Iceland
February 14, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F
As we headed back to Borgarnes, sustained winds increased to around 40 mph with gusts that threatened to flip the car. At Barnafoss I had almost been blown down by the wind when I went to use the restroom. I had to lean against the wind as hard as I could to walk, and cover my face with my hat to keep the sleet from pelting my eyes. On the way back, twice the wind blew so hard that I had to steer to keep the car on the road. We drove to the restaurant at the Settlement Museum in Borgarnes and enjoyed their vegetarian buffet followed by traditional Icelandic rice pudding and hot coffee. When we returned to the Hotel Borgarnes, Thorstin informed us that a local law school was to have a Valentine’s dance that night in the hotel ballroom. He suggested that we allow him to relocate us to the top floor. We agreed and he moved us to room 431 up one floor and on the opposite side of the hotel from the ballroom. We enjoyed a casual afternoon in our room watching the storm blow. I suspect that we’re having sustained winds of over 60 mph, with frequent gusts of over 75 mph. No one can walk outside. We were told that highway 1 down to Reykjavik is closed.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Searching for Skallgrimur
February 15, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
Last night the sound of the rock music was the least of our concerns. We heard none of it because of the roaring of the wind that lasted until about 4:30 am. Finally the storm settled down. I went back to sleep until 7:30 am when we went down to breakfast and were greeted by the Filipino woman who works as the cook. Thorstin was still sleeping because the law school dinner-dance lasted until around 5:00 am. Even so, when we were into our breakfast Thorstin appeared, a bit bleary-eyed, but full of good information. The son of the hotel owner had not yet recovered from the party. Still thoroughly intoxicated, he insisted on coming to our table and singing every song he knows in English. Finally Thorstin reigned him in. In response to our questions he gave us some good suggestions as we left Borgarnes. He also gave us a bag of bread and said that it was common for passing motorists to stop and feed the Icelandic horses. The horses recognize the sound of the rustling of the plastic bag. On our way out of town we stopped to photograph a reconstruction of a Viking sod house. Next we photographed the Borg Farm just north of town which gave Borgarnes its name. The history of this farm goes all the way back to Scallagrim and the Egil Saga. I had hoped to photograph the interior of the church once I read the historical marker out front. Although the church building dates back to the 1880’s, the altarpiece was carved in the year 1002 AD. When we came upon a herd of Icelandic horses Glenda was in heaven. We stopped twice to feed the little Icelandic horses and to take photographs. As far as the weather was concerned this day has been much more pleasant that its predecessors. The temperature stayed around 3 degrees C today, with clouds and occasional light rain and snow. Winds remained under 10 mph. We were pleased with the weather because each provider of a forecast was offering contradictory information. The government forecast was still calling for high winds, and the other forecasts ranged from heavy snowfall in morning to nothing but partly cloudy skies all day. We saw the Eldberg Crater in the distance and turned onto a road to approach it. We had hoped to find some sort of visitors’ center. We found instead a building marked “Reception Area.” Glenda entered. A little boy in his pajamas saw Glenda, shouted “Mama!” then put on his little boots, walked out onto the porch, and pointed to the barn. There his mother was cleaning out the milking area. Meanwhile, I was setting up my tripod to photograph the Eldborg Crater, but was distracted by an ebulliently friendly black and white dog, barely older than a puppy about to grow into adulthood. The dog was everywhere—under the tripod, back up on the porch—as friendly and cheerful as a dog can be. May she live a charmed life there here people love her, and there are no leash laws or traffic. Next I wanted to stop at Gerduberg to see the basalt wall with its vertical columns. I had seen photos of it and took a few myself. I wish I could have gotten closer. Maybe hikers can approach closer to see the vertical sections more clearly. I also found a considerable portion of the surface obscured by snow. These cliffs might offer a better photo opportunity in warm weather. We had no other specific objective on the Snaefellnes peninsula, so we reversed course back to Borgarnes.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Swimming in a Snowstorm-Blue Lagoon
February 15, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F
We shared a pizza for lunch at the N1 station in Borgarnes and started back south as an intense, but short, snowstorm hit. We went back through the six-kilometer tunnel, southward this time, on our way past Reykjavik to the Blue Lagoon. Both Glenda and I had some initial glitches with the computerized bracelets. Apparently, the attendant failed to register ours properly. Soon we got them working and entered the pool. While we were swimming in its pool, a snowstorm started. Swimming in hot water in the middle of a snowstorm outside is among the strangest things I have ever done. Completely comfortable in the water, my ears and face were still uncomfortably cold. We returned to the Hotel Center Plaza around 5:30 pm. Check-in and parking were much easier this time, since we had done it all before a week ago. For supper Glenda had a traditional pylsa hot dog from the little hot dog stand in the plaza. I was still not hungry after the big pizza I had in Borgarnes for lunch. We were assigned a room that was larger than the one we had occupied a week before. We prepared our luggage for the trip home tomorrow. I will be reluctant to hand in the keys of the Toyota RAV 4. She has been a great little horse. We just got the ironic news that Asheboro is expecting a winter storm tomorrow. We might be delayed in arriving at home. Yet, we are not worried. One thing we have learned in Iceland is that everything is dependent on the weather, and we can adjust.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Leaving in a Blizzard
February 16, 2015 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 27 °F
This morning in Reykjavik Glenda got a text message saying that her rain pants had been turned into the lost and found at the Blue Lagoon. Although a snowstorm made travel difficult, we left Reykjavik early and planned a detour to the Blue Lagoon on the way to the Keflavik Airport to reclaim Glenda’s waterproof pants. Snow started and stopped all day today, but when our airplane boarded at 4:30 pm the snow and wind struck with intense ferocity. We waited in the plane about one hour while the wind buffeted us on the tarmac. Then we waited another hour at the end of the runway until the pilot felt a brief, very slight, respite in the wind. She shoved the throttle forward and we were airborne. We are still trying to check on the internet to see if the Raleigh Airport is open. It may be that the winter storm in North Carolina has caused flight cancellations even if the airport is open. We will just have to take one thing at a time. Glenda and I were separated on the flight by one Sue Ellen from Ohio, an interesting travel companion—very intelligent teacher at a private school. Landing in Toronto we rushed to get our luggage transferred so that it would not get lost as it did on the trip to Iceland. We were shuttled back and forth from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1; then from aisle 3 to aisle 7 then back. I called Gray Southern to tell him that we would not make our connecting flight. He said that he had seen on the web that our flight had been cancelled. The reason no agents were at aisle 7 was that our flight to Raleigh-Durham has been cancelled. We went back to aisle 3 at the Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto. Glenda arranged for a hotel voucher, while I went to aisle 15 to rebook a flight out. A limousine took us to the Hilton Garden Inn. We are going to bed. We’ll wake up tomorrow and take another bite out of the apple.Read more
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Iceland Adventure
Hung Up in Toronto
February 17, 2015 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 16 °F
Because of snow in Raleigh-Durham, we had to spend overninght at Toronto. Maybe we can get back to the sunny south today, although right now it is colder in Raleigh than in Reykjavik.
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Iceland Adventure
At Home Again
February 18, 2015 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 36 °F
Although the flight was postponed repeatedly, we made it home to Raleigh-Durham Airport, where the Southerns picked us up. Because it was still snowing, we didn't delay but came straight home. I found Cedar Creek Drive to be glassy with ice so I turned off Lexington Road and gunned the motor. The car was not steerable, but the inertia brought us far enough so that I was able to get the car into the drivewayRead more
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Trip end
February 18, 2015