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May 2017
A 16-day adventure by Catherine and Paul Read more
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  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    21
    Day 1

    Day 1 Adventure

    May 8, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We have been up for over 36 hrs and the start of our adventure wouldn't be an adventure if we didn't get lost at least twice! First stop Crater Lake...on a sunny day this lake would be a beautiful blue, but not today. Even without the sun the lake is a beautiful green and crystal clear. This crater was formed approximately 6,500 years ago. Next stop Keldur Hall which has existed for almost 1,000 years. this estate has a number of sod homes and it is one of the few preserved turf houses in Iceland.. The turf houses don't open until June, so Paul and I along with a gentlemen from Washington, were the only ones there.

    We ended the day with three spectacular waterfalls ...absolutely breath taking....check out the rainbow!    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    31
    Day 3

    Day 2....Where's Herve Villechaize?

    May 10, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Day 2 was supposed to be an easy one...not much planned. On our list was a US Navy plane that emergency landed in 1974. We spotted an unmarked parking lot so that had to be the place. What we didn't realize was Herve and Ricardo were not there to greet us. 45 minutes of walking later along desolate wasteland a la Neil Armstrong and voila...."the plane". From here we rambled further east towards Vik.....along the way we had brief stops to admire the black sand beaches and the jagged coastline. NOT a day at the beach by any means but we lucked out finding an awesome cave that was playing host to what appeared to be a high end photo shoot.....a good looking, well dressed couple...he in a tux...she in a lovely gown yet she must have been freezing her butt off......prior to all of this we met and exchanged info with a couple from Edmonton (go Oilers). Onward to Vik....scored a nice dinner there before heading further to Horgsland Guesthouse....talk about 1 notch above a hostel...this was it!!

    Big day tomorrow.....lagoon ride to a glacier via a zodiac followed by a scenic drive to Hofn.    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    3
    Day 3

    "Wait 5 Minutes"

    May 10, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 4 °C

    In Iceland, they say, much like Scotland, that if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes. Well, we are here to tell you that is an outright lie.

    Following breakfast, we received a phone call (thank goodness for roam like home) advising that our zodiac lagoon tour was being cancelled due to an impending storm. We were booked for 1:00 p.m and it was only 9:30 and already raining. With no options, we hit the road and headed east. To say we felt like Dorothy in Kansas is an understatement. Holy crap was it blowin'. We passed a guy on his bicycle but he was barely able to just stand at the roadside and hold it upright.

    We made it to Jokulsarlon to learn they had closed the portion of Hwy 1 that we had just driven. We were good to go east but anyone heading west was turned back. And that is how we met the father/son from Winnipeg and the couple from Berlin. We congregated at the Hoffsell Hot Pots outside of Hofn.....those 4 had been turned back due to the weather and road conditions.

    It was a crazy day....we wore every piece of rain gear we brought.....Columbia and UnderArmour should be commended for keeping us dry and warm.

    Tomorrow is another day. At the hot pots, the "Peggers" said we might encounter SNOW as we make our way up the east coast. We checked road conditions on-line and it looks ominous.

    Stay tuned.    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    1
    2
    Day 5

    Hoofin' from Hofn

    May 12, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Day 4 promised to be pretty much a driving day only. WOW, f'ing, WOW. This day answered the "why go to Iceland?" Question in spades. Stunning,winding roads in and out of fjords, a 6 km tunnel through the mountain and without a doubt, THE neatest "general store" in Breidalsvik(pop. 139). Part of travelling is the unplanned bonuses that happen out of the blue. The general store was one of those wonderful bonuses.

    We reached Egilsstadir (egg salad store in Canadian!!) and proceeded to head east to our B&B in Seydisfjordur (save this four door in Canadian). It is a mere 25 km between towns with one very large "but". We had to climb a mountain to get there.....not literally, but with the car. You know the sound that pig makes in the Geico ad?? That was me....only out of fear!! We made it....and exhaled. Stayed at a 107 year old house that had been lovingly restored by the owners. We felt like we were back in Port.....600 folks in a small fishing port that doubles as an entry/exit for the ferry to Europe. It was worth the effort as was dinner at the pub across from our B&B. Icelandic lamb for me....ribs for Cath and everything done on the grill or BBQ.

    Following dinner, our hosts asked if we wanted to join them and chat......and drink a few beers .....Cath didn't have to be asked twice !!We were the only guests that night and spent a few hours covering everything from the Trumpster (they laugh at him) to local info and jobs. Very enlightening. They are terrific hosts.

    Tomorrow is another day...time for some rest.

    Photo info.....harbour in Djupivogur, 32 eggs in Djupivogur--1 egg for each bird species in the region, near the entrance to a 6 km tunnel south of Reydarfjordur    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    Day 5

    Crazy Canucks

    May 12, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    For some of you, you will remember the Canadian ski team that had a wee bit of a kamikaze mindset. We are pleased to announce that we joined them today. Not only that, but we had visions of a Prince tune playing in the background.....you know the one...."Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate this thing called LIFE."

    Along with our B&B hosts in "save this four door", we kept a close watch on the weather and road reports. We agreed to hang in till noon and that both the weather and roads would be OK by then. We set off in slushy snow which is no biggie for us Canucks. However, as every Science student knows, the higher the elevation, the colder it gets. Guess who failed Science in HS???? ME !!!!

    Eventually we hit Dorothy/Wiz of Oz-like winds coupled with snow. Scotty was nowhere to be found to beem us up. We were too far from the B&B to turn around and not far enough yet to be in the clear. Keep on truckin'.

    SPOILER ALERT.........obviously we are alive cuz nobody else could possibly make this stuff up!!

    We rolled the dice and came up CRAPS. Total whiteout.....whoosh....into a snow bank.....at least we think it was a snow bank. Thankfully the guy two vehicles behind was a tow operator.

    "What are you doing on this road?" followed by " I usually charge $X to pull you out but I was already on the road so I will only charge you half of X". At that point, negotiating isn't really an option is it?

    He had us out in no time although it was so windy, he was barely able to just stand up. Turns out we were within 400 metres of reaching clear road. Once sprung, we bee lined to the bottom and waited for him so as to pay. We passed 3 other vehicles each up in the snow banks and the tow operator flagged down a car of Asians and told them to turn back. Within minutes of us paying, a road crew fellow came along and officially CLOSED the road.

    So we arrived back in Egg Salad Store......25 km from where we left....and called it a day. Found a guesthouse for the night and will live to drive another day.

    Feel free to live your life vicariously through our trials and errors folks. Who better equipped than ME to screw up? I can take the heat.....and I know you are laughing out loud at me now too!!! Don't apologize for the laughing.

    We contacted our B&B hosts to let them know what had happened. They felt terrible but we still shared some laughs. I am now debating what rating on Airbnb to give them!!! Just kidding.

    Things happen for a reason. No doubt we will answer that one later. Been quite a day.....just too short.

    BTW.....Vinbuden is their version of the LCBO.....3 guesses now as to why Cath is headed inside!!!!    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    1
    Day 7

    Sulphur Alley

    May 14, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    We are back on the road having left Egg Salad Store. We head west along the Ring Road....first planned stop is Dettifoss. We cross paths with Sandy, a Kiwi who is travelling for a year. We met the previous night at our lodgings and are headed in roughly the same direction. The 3 of us make our way to Dettifoss, referred to by some as "the mother of all waterfalls." It does not disappoint nor does the nearby waterfall, Selfoss. Spectacular comes to mind. We wind our way back down to the Ring Road and stop at Hverir, truly an other-worldly spot. We see steam pouring out of the earth, in some cases HISSING. It is a geothermal spot and whatever is spewing from the earth smells like sulphur. Thankfully not too too bad. From here we cross the road and head up to Krafla, a geothermal plant coupled with more sulphuric spots and a crater whose "lake" is still frozen.

    We have had enough for one day so time to find a place to lay our heads. We opt to skip the Game of Thrones cave at Grjotagja as well as the Myvatn Nature Baths. I promise Catherine we will double back next day for both venues.

    Deciding it was too touristy (translation....pricey) here we keep going and reach a fork in the road.....turn to Akureyri or straight on to Husavik. We choose Door #2 and head tO Husavik. All is going well until we hit the gravel portion of the highway.....a friggin' roller coaster with wayyyyy too much gravel. We have taken the wrong road as half of the 50 km is gravel. Shit! No turning back now.

    The good news ?? Husavik is another notch in the sublimely spectacular belt. We overpay for a guesthouse but score a great dinner at "Salka".

    Husavik's claim is that it is Iceland's whale capital. Pretty much guaranteed to see whales IF you pay up and have 3 hours to kill on a tour boat. We don't.

    Tomorrow is another day....we'll spend our whale tour money somewhere else.    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    1
    11
    Day 8

    "Phuket" or "F**k It"

    May 15, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Our day begins with a visit to a bakery in Husavik. All retail appears to be closed here as it is Sunday. No worries. We chat with a local and get some possible intel on spotting whales from the safety of land. We stroll through this picturesque port but no luck seeing any of the big kids. Oh well, we have other places to be but not before we get more FREE stuff in Iceland. We got FREE air for the tires and FREE water with a brush to wash the car. The car wouldn't have needed a wash had I not decided to put my window down to toss some leftover coffee out. YEP?....forgot to check the wind direction.....similar result as peeing into the wind!! Even managed to mess the interior up with that move. Aren't you glad that you're not travelling with ME??!!!

    Before we leave town, I gas the car up and Cath grabs a Coke Zero, the ones with different locales on the label. She was eyeing up the "Miami" bottle but settled for "Phuket." As we were now 7 days into our adventure, she had had enough.....and either said "Phuket" or "F**k It". The jury is still out on the exact wording. Cut us some slack tho as we are having a difficult enough time with Icelandic.

    Our journey today was to pay up the promise of doubling back to Grjotagja to see a cave used for filming in Game of Thrones. It was small but awesome....have attached a pic. Following the cave, we made our way to the Myvatn Nature Baths. OMG......wayyyy better than the Blue Lagoon in man ways. Spent a glorious hour or so soaking in 40C water. Can you say "ahhhhhhhhh"?

    We are heading for Akureyri now....second largest city in Iceland and a university town to boot. But wait....is that another "Foss" ahead?? Why yes it is....we must pull over. It is Godafoss....yet another waterfall with quite a unique tale behind it (Google it and save me telling you). Godafoss is truly awesome and holy moly,what a great spot to be a white water rafter....professionals only....this is NOT for the amateurs.

    OK, onward we go. The drive to Akureyri is bedazzling but sends us up a mountain pass. Which means we have to come down a mountain pass. This is not good on my psyche. I sit on the brake the entire trip down. At different points we exit a curve and enter Shangri La.....spellbinding views of mountains and lakes. Cath doesn't have the camera on her lap so ,sorry, no pics to prove how stunning it was. AND no pics to show how scared I was !!

    Akureyri is beautiful. Haven't been to Switzerland but I am guessing there is a similarity here. 18000 population. Located in a valley with a lake and surrounded by snow capped mountains. It could easily be a Christmas ball....shake and watch.

    We scored a spot in the middle of town and finally have our own bathroom....not an easy thing to come by unless you spend big bucks. Luckily we still had some big bucks as we needed them to cover dinner. Two orders of fish n chips with one beer...over $50 Cdn. We were stuffed which was a good thing as the ice cream parlour was on our way back to the hotel......perhaps tomorrow !!

    Tomorrow, stroll around Akureyri for awhile and then head north to Dalvik and points along the coast of what I call "the thumb". We are guessing the scenery might blow us away. We are booked into a little spot called Hofsos. As long as I don't have to go UP a mountain, we should be good to go.

    FYI.....photo in Husavik acknowledging NASA training, photo of dock in Husavik, Cath at Godafoss, "GOT" cave, scenery along Ring Road(always a snow capped mountain nearby)    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    11
    Day 8

    Tunnel Vision

    May 15, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    WOW...it is Monday....our 2nd Monday in Iceland. We slept in Akureyri last night.....well located "apartment" in the middle of the main downtown area. We opt to stick around for awhile and tour on foot. We climb countless steps to the church (it was closed) and then proceed a short distance to a lovely botanical garden (it was open). We make our way back into the town square....several blocks of shops, cafes and assorted businesses. Stop for a photo op with the Trolls (NOT a rock band), have a quick snack and then totally pig out on ice cream before leaving town.

    We head north to Dalvik and keep on going. We encounter a 3km tunnel enroute to Siglufjordur followed by a 7km tunnel, a 3 km tunnel and finally an 800m tunnel. Some were one lane so we had to practice our "tunnel etiquette".... we passed with flying colours. Of course we did...we're Canadian.

    "Siglu" was awesome. Apparently in its hay day, 10000 people worked there....fishin'. What else?? Nowadays, it is a touristy stop and hiker heaven. It is what Port Stanley wants to be. We eventually left but not without incident. There were NO signs pointing the way out towards the highway we needed. We did a lap (or 2) around one block before finally stopping to ask some locals (who sounded Russian or Polish) for directions. Turns out they were sitting at the corner we needed to turn at. Onward and upward. Oh yea.....MORE upward for me as well as more water. To top things off, the road had sections in need of paving. Despite my fears, it was a breathtaking drive as we headed to our final stop du jour----Hofsos.

    We arrive in Hofsos....eventually get our reserved lodging figured out and walk down to THE pool to inquire about closing times and protocol. In the time this takes, the one and only source of groceries closes (@ 6) so it'll be whatever cheese,crackers,salsa&chips we still have left over. Oh well, shit happens. Our accommodation last night in Akureyri provided a door code which rendered a front desk person utterly useless. Tonight's place is so polar opposite of last night's that I don't think the distance between the two can be quantified. We literally walked into an unlocked, empty house!!!! 5 rooms, all with keys in their seperate doors and NOBODY home !! Talk about low tech. I feel like I am back in the 60's when people still left their front doors unlocked. Well, turns out We are not back in the 60's......this town (Hofsos) IS the 60's.

    We adjourn to THE pool for about an hour long soak and swim. THE pool is an infinity pool overlooking the fjord. It also comes with a "hot pot" which is a large jacuzzi-like pool without the jets. Say the least...the views are why THE pool has helped put Hofsos on the tourist map.

    We return "home" and shortly thereafter our "host" arrives to collect our payment. At least she is somewhat high tech....she has a portable credit card machine in her hand!! We are the only guests tonight so "party on Wayne". She informs us we must visit the Emigration Centre tomorrow. Apparently it deals with Icelanders who emigrated to Canada. "Will do."

    Quiet night here....they rolled up the street at 6 p.m remember!! At least the pool stayed open til 8. Did I mention that THE pool is outdoors?? Open year round. There...I have provided a FREE travel plug for Hofsos.

    No concrete plans tomorrow. Borgarnes is a possible destination......Lonely Planet speaks highly of the town and surrounding area. One of these days we will get to Reykjavik.....no rush.    Read more

  • Catherine and Paul Dilworthiceland
    2
    Day 9

    Late Night Oooohs and Ahhhhs

    May 16, 2017 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    So, what do you do in a village that closes at 6 pm? Nothing....other than taking a dip in THE pool (see previous post). If you're still awake much longer cuz you are reading news and sports on-line, you spot something orange out of the corner of your room's window. Upon further examination, you go outside,walk around back of the house and see this at 10:45 p.m local time.

    Enjoy.    Read more

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