Iceland: Fire, Ice, Water, and Lights

We headed back to the apartment, visiting Arnarholl Park and its statue of Ingolfr Arnarson, Iceland’s first settler, on the way to find a grocery store. The store was on Laugevegur Avenue, a street filled with souvenir shops and pubs. We picked up what we needed and headed toward the harbour and our apartment. After dropping off our groceries, we went back out to see the lovely Sun Voyager sculpture, which wasn’t far from our apartment, before we settled in for the evening.

Day 2 - Reykjavik

On our second day, we walked up to see the Hallgrímskirkja. After all the ornate cathedrals we’ve seen in Europe, this church seemed very austere, but there is certainly beauty in that, as well. Of course, being one of the major sights in Reykjavik, there were dozens of tourists plopping themselves in front of the doors and the statue of Leifur Eiriksson to get their Instagram selfies. We didn’t stick around long, but decided to wander a bit, and after noting a sign that proclaimed we were in the neighbourhood of the gods (thus, the nearby Cafe Loki and Baldur Street we’d noticed), we stumbled across the Einar Jónsson sculpture garden nearby. Here we spent an enjoyable half hour or so looking at each sculpture in this lovely garden. From there, we headed downhill and ended up at Tjörnin Lake, where we enjoyed seeing the geese and swans, as well as the small aircraft flying low to land at the domestic airport.

We continued to walk along, poking our heads into shops and galleries, until we ended up near the lovely Harpa Hall. We'd seen the outside the day before, so this day we decided to have a look inside. We thought the restaurant there looked nice, so we stopped for a lovely lunch. Afterward, we visited the “World of Icelandic Music,” an interactive exhibit in Harpa Hall. This was fun, informative, and, we thought, very well done.

We had a full day tour the next day, so we went back to our apartment to relax after that.

Day One and Two Photos

Continued

Day 3 - Golden Circle

The small bus for our Golden Circle and Laugaras Lagoon tour with Bus Travel Iceland picked us up at the stop next to our building. Our guide was Yann Pieter. Our first stop was Kerid Crater, a perfectly round crater filled with turquoise water. After that was our lagoon visit. DH and I were the only people on our tour visiting the lagoon (the rest went to see the tomato farm and have lunch). This is a lovely geothermal bath with a waterfall, infinity edge, and a smaller pool nestled in the forest. We truly enjoyed our 2 hours here. Before boarding the bus, we got sandwiches from the Grab and Go for our own lunch.

Our next stop was Gulfoss. It had started raining while we were at the lagoon (which was fine—we were wet anyway), but at Gulfoss it was also very windy, so cold rain was pelting us sideways. Gulfoss is an impressive waterfall, though, easily rivalling Niagara Falls (the Canadian side). After looking our fill, we climbed aboard our bus to get out of the rain. And there we waited. And waited. And waited. One couple was missing. Finally, Yann Pieter spoke to another BTI guide who was missing 5 tourists from her bus. She drove up to the visitor centre at the top of the hill and messaged our guide that all the missing tourists were there. Our couple had slept through the instructions that Yann Pieter would drive down to the parking lot nearer the falls so that we wouldn’t have to climb back up the hill afterward. Sigh. This is something I dislike about group tours—waiting for stragglers.

Anyway, on we went, finally. Our next stop was Geysir geothermal area. DH and I have seen a similar, but larger, area in New Zealand (Hell’s Gate), but it was fun to watch the geyser that erupts about every 6-8 minutes.

Our last stop was Thingvellir National Park. Again, Yann Pieter dropped us off in one spot and gave us directions to meet him at the visitor centre after we walked along the path for a while. A group of 5 women decided to stay on the bus, because they were tired of the rain. However, almost as soon as we started down the path toward Oxararfoss and the drowning pool there, the rain stopped. Thingvellir was a highlight of the day for me, with its dramatic rock walls and lovely valley views, all made even more stunning by the fall colours. This is where two continental tectonic plates, the North American and the Eurasian, are slowly pulling apart, creating an incredible landscape where one can walk between the two continents. I was fascinated by a boulder caught between the tips of two basalt columns. Thingvellir’s history and importance to Icelanders, as the site of Iceland’s first parliament, add to its mystique. Even the bathroom at the visitor centre is designed to showcase the views.

By the time we returned to Reykjavik, we were ready for a hot meal and some relaxation. However, it was Saturday night, and most of the eating establishments in the area were some sort of pub/restaurant combo, and these were loud and lined-up. Finally, we stopped in at an unassuming little place on Laugevegur Street and got Lamb Soup and bread to take back to our apartment. That was just the thing. The soup was hot and delicious, and the apartment was peaceful.

Iceland Day 3 Photos

Continued

Day 4 - Reykjavik

This was another Reykjavik Day, and we decided to go to the volcano show at Harpa Hall we’d seen advertised. So, I quickly booked non-refundable tickets for the first show that morning, and we walked over to Harpa Hall. When we arrived, all the doors were still locked, which I found strange, as the website had suggested arriving 30 minutes early. As soon as the doors opened, we headed downstairs for our show, and……found out we were at the wrong venue for the wrong show. The show I’d booked was about a 25-minute walk away, around the old harbour. I knew we couldn’t possibly make it, as we had only 10 minutes. I called the venue, and they kindly offered to change our tickets, but they didn’t have another availability until 2:00 pm. It was a cold, windy morning, so after waiting outside of Harpa Hall, we felt in need of a hot beverage. We wandered a bit and came across The Laundromat Cafe, where, like hobbits, we enjoyed 2nd breakfast. This is a fun place with great food and, as the name suggests, an actual laundromat in the basement. We then went to the Kolaportid Flea Market and looked around but didn’t buy anything. There were some Icelandic sweaters for less than we’d seen elsewhere, but I can’t wear wool, so we just enjoyed looking at them. We then headed for the Lava Show venue which turned out to be in an area that had a lot of warehouses and big box stores. The show itself was great—very entertaining, educational, and hot! After the show, we caught a bus nearby that took us in the vicinity of Perlan, a nature museum that showcases the “wonders of Iceland.” Perlan is housed in a dome perched atop a hill, and our visit there turned out to be a highlight of Reykjavik for us. The experiences there include a 3-D “into the volcao” experience, an ice cave, and an aurora show in a planetarium. There’s a revolving restaurant and an observation deck, both with great views of the city, and the food at the restaurant is good, too. We watched the sunset as we ate dinner and headed back to our apartment via a quick bus ride.

Iceland Day 4 Photos

Day 5 - Silver Circle

On this day, we had a small-group tour of the lesser-known “Silver Circle,” including a visit to the Husafell Canyon Baths, with Nice Travel. Our guide for this tour was Kristof, who goes by Kiki.

We headed north from Reykjavik, travelling through the ~6 km tunnel that crosses under the Hvalfjordur (Whale Fjord). On the other side, we saw the mountains that were said to house the 13 Yule Lads and their hideous, child-eating mother, Gryla. Our first stop was the town of Borgarnes at a place where all the tour buses seem to stop for a washroom/coffee/snack break.

Our first sightseeing stop was at the Glanni waterfall. It’s not a huge waterfall, but it’s a pretty one, and the land around it is said to be populated by elves and trolls.

Our next stop was at the steamy Deildartunguhver hot spring, Europe’s most powerful, followed by a visit to a horse farm nearby. We got to meet and feed some Icelandic Horses and learn about their unique gaits. We also saw how geothermal rye bread is made, and we had a taste. Delicious!

Continued

Day 5 - Silver Circle - Continued

Next we stopped into the Reykholtskirkja, a little, old church in Reykholt. I was selected to sit in the front, facing the congregation, which, apparently, is where the single women used to sit, where they could view the men and the men could view them. I told my husband if he liked it, he should have put a ring on it. (Okay, okay, he did.)

After this, we visited Hraunfossar, the beautiful “Lava Falls” that reminded me a little of Plitvice in Croatia, and Barnafoss, the “Children’s Waterfall,” which is really rapids rushing through a gorge, where a pair of children once drowned. This whole area is spectacularly beautiful. We also enjoyed a lunch of soup and bread (our choice—there were other options) at the restaurant there (for $30 Can. each. Yowza!).

Finally, DH, one other traveller, and I were transferred to a small shuttle to take us into Husafell Canyon and the baths there. (The other travellers on the tour had chosen to visit a lava cave.) This was our favourite of the three geothermal baths we tried in Iceland. There are two pools, one warm and the other a little hotter, nestled near the end of a picturesque canyon. The changing facilities and restroom are rustic, with heavy rocks used as counterweights for the wooden doors, and benches with horsehide mats on them. The facilities are heated, which was nice. A maximum of 16 visitors at a time are allowed to use these baths, but we were very lucky in that the three of us had the baths all to ourselves, which made the experience extra special.

We returned to Reykjavik with another stop in Borgarnes, tired and very pleased with our day.

Aurora!

But it wasn’t over yet! That evening, I looked out our apartment window and noticed that the aurora borealis was making an appearance over the harbour. We put on our coats and hurried over to the Sun Voyageur to watch the celestial show and take photos. We weren’t alone with this idea. People were clustered around the sculpture, and we could see silhouettes of others lining the harbour. As a bonus, a column of blue light pierced the sky across the harbour. We weren’t sure what this was, but I thought it might be the Imagine Peace Tower—a monument to peace, conceived of and funded by Yoko Ono—although I knew that it was supposed to be lit on John Lennon’s birthday, October 9, and this was only October 5th. I’m guessing that it was a trial run to make sure everything was working in advance of the actual event, and it didn’t stay lit for long. Anyway, we stayed out watching Aurora dance for about an hour before we headed back inside and went to bed. We had our longest tour with the earliest start time the next day.

Iceland Day 5 Photos

Continued

Day 6 - South Coast and Glacier Lagoon

On Day 6 we had to be ready for a 7:30 am pickup for our tour to Iceland’s South Coast and Jokulsarlon Lagoon. Originally, we had booked this with Bus Travel Iceland, but then I realized that was a large group (coach) tour. I found a small-group tour with Gateway to Iceland, instead, although it meant shuffling our tour schedule a bit. We had originally planned on 2 days of touring followed by a day in Reykjavik and then another 2 days of touring. The change meant we had 3 consecutive days of touring, but we felt that travelling in a smaller group would be worth it. Our guide for this tour was Gummi.

Our first stop was in the town of Vik. The views here are stunning with black basalt columns jutting out of the ocean and a charming, red-roofed church perched on a hilltop.

Next, we stopped briefly to see Foss á Síðu, a tall and pretty waterfall located on private farmland. There were many, many waterfalls visible from the road as we drove, too. In fact, I enjoyed the scenery on all our tours, and, for me, the drive-by scenery was as much a feature as the sites where we stopped. I was glad I wasn’t driving, as I was able to enjoy the views more fully.

Although it was technically winter, and our next stop was listed as being available only in summer, I was glad we stopped there as it was my favourite sight on the South Coast, and maybe in all of Iceland. This was the lovely Fjadrargljufur Canyon. This mossy canyon undulates through the countryside from a charming waterfall. The fall colours made the views particularly gorgeous, I thought.

We stopped next at the Skeiðará Bridge Monument, where, in 1996, a volcano beneath the glacier erupted creating flooding accompanied by massive icebergs that destroyed the bridge. From here we could see both the nearer Skeiðarárjökull Glacier and the more distant Svinafellsjökull Glacier. We then continued driving through the flood plain and beyond before stopping at Diamond Beach. Here is where chunks of ice wash up on a black sand beach, creating stunning contrasts. Being a popular stop, it is also lousy with people posing for their Instagram selfies.

We had an amphibious boat ride scheduled on the nearby Jokulsarlon Lagoon (aka Glacier Lagoon), so, as he drove us there, Gummi instructed us to get in line right away, as our boat ride was starting soon. (This was an optional add-on to the tour, but everyone on our minibus had opted to do it.) It was just our group, plus the guide and the captain, on board. The boat travelled a short distance to the entry point and then drove into the water. We floated past a couple of large icebergs while our guide talked about how the glacier calved these icebergs into the lagoon where they remained until they melted enough to fit through the narrow channel to the ocean. She mentioned that most of an iceberg’s volume is below the surface, and I quietly hummed the theme from Titanic in my husband’s ear. I don’t know if I jinxed us, but the engine suddenly started making a loud, grinding noise and the boat stopped. Our guide said that there was probably some ice caught. But the captain was unable to get the boat going again. Soon, a couple of rescuers standing in small, individual zodiacs were racing toward our boat. One boarded the boat, opened each of two hatches in the deck, and peered in. Another pushed our boat away from the nearest iceberg. Two more rescuers came zooming up. We were told another boat would be along shortly. When it arrived, the rescuers all held the two boats close together while we climbed out of the disabled boat and into the new one, which took us safely back to shore. So, our iceberg adventure on the Glacier Lagoon ended far more happily than that of the Titanic.

Continued

Day 6 - South Coast and Glacier Lagoon, Continued

The sun was setting by the time we left the lagoon. Fortunately, though, Iceland has twilights that linger, so we were able to enjoy the scenery for a while longer. It was dark by the time we arrived in Vik for dinner, though. DH and I were hoping to try the black crust pizza, but the pizza place was mobbed, so we had soup from the cafeteria where the buses parked, instead.

We had one more stop to make on our way back to Reykjavik: Seljalandsfoss Falls. These were spectacular, lit up at night, but as a bonus, Aurora paid another visit while we were there, so it was a twofer. It was very chilly, though, so DH and I and most of the group, chose not to do the walk behind the falls, because we didn’t feel like getting wet at that point.

We arrived back at our bus stop 15 hours after we’d left. It was a long day, but worth it.

Iceland Day 6 Photos

Iceland Day 7 - Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Our last tour was to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. This one was with Bus Travel Iceland, and our guide was Dooley.

We first stopped at Ytri Tunga, a beach often frequented by seals. It was low tide, so the seals were far out. I saw what I thought were seals lying on a shoal, but I wasn’t sure until I later looked at my zoomed-in photos. (They were.) It was a scenic spot, though, and DH and I had a close look at the whalebones that were laid out next to the beach.

Our next stop was to look at a couple of trolls. In Iceland, rocks that have faces in them are said to be trolls. These Lóndrangar basalt rock pinnacles rise from the shore, and the face profiles were clear to see, I thought.

It was raining lightly as we approached the village of Arnarstapi, and, as the sun came out, we were treated to a lovely rainbow over the mountains. There were several lunch venues here, and DH and I chose the Snofjell Restaurant. DH had the buffet, and I had the seafood soup (very good!). Afterward, we walked to have a closer look at the stone Bárður Snæfellsás statue, which represents the half-troll guardian of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The views from the cliffs there were wonderful, too.

Djúpalónssandur beach was next on the itinerary. Here, there are fabulous rock formations, a black pebble beach, the remains of a shipwreck, lagoons, and spectacular crashing waves. We saw people getting far too close to the waves for their Instagram selfies. Fortunately, nobody was caught by a sneaker wave while we were there, but it happens, and people (i.e. tourists) are killed by sneaker waves every year in Iceland, at this beach and at others.

A coffee stop in Hellissandur gave us views of some turf houses. Nearby, we had a brief stop at Ingjaldshólskirkja, a church that, apparently, is pictured in some eye exams. Some of the group seemed to recognize it, but neither DH nor I had any idea about it, so maybe this image isn’t used for eye exams in Canada. It was a pretty sight, though.

Further down the highway, we were caught in a sheep jam. Iceland has very strict penalties if a vehicle strikes a sheep, so all the vehicles stop and wait when sheep are crossing the road. It’s less common after September, when most of the sheep and horses are rounded up into their winter pastures. I was happy for the opportunity to see some sheep closer up. They’re so fat and fluffy!

Finally, we arrived at the star of the peninsula: Kirkjufell. It’s easy to see why it’s such a popular sight, framed by water and waterfalls. However, this was one of the places where I felt particularly annoyed by the selfie-takers, who were crossing the barriers and tromping on the delicate grasses and mosses for their photos. Sigh.

Continued

Iceland Day 7 - Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Continued

We took the shorter route, cutting across the neck of the peninsula, back to Reykjavik. We made a quick stop at a viewpoint along the Vatnaleid pass and didn’t stop again until Borgarnes. There were people on our tour that had to be at the BSI by 8:00 pm to catch their Flybus to Keflavik airport, and others who had booked a Northern Lights tour for 9:00 pm. So, we didn’t stay the usual 40 minutes at Borgarnes, even though, as I understand it, it is a mandated break for the driver.

We saw an overturned SUV with emergency vehicles near it on the way to Borgarnes. Three curious Icelandic horses stood at the fence watching the scene. I tried to find out later if the tourists were okay. (Dooley said it was a rental vehicle). I didn’t find out about that one, but learned that a couple of tourists in their 60s had died in a crash on the South Coast a couple of days before, and a coach bus carrying 42 tourists had rolled on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula earlier that week (no deaths, fortunately, but there were some injuries). Apparently, collisions and rollovers are fairly common in Iceland, particularly involving tourists. Anyway, we made it back to Reykjavik safely, but a little too speedily for my comfort, although all the tours we took had that in common.

Another thing all the tours had in common was how the guides spoke about their families. In each case, the guide talked about growing up in Iceland, how close they were to their families, and how much their parents and grandparents had taught them. I really got the impression that family ties are very strong in Iceland. Of course, they are strong elsewhere, too, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard guides speak so much about their childhoods and their families as I did in Iceland.

Iceland Day 7 Photos

Day 8 - Reykjavik

This was our last full day in Iceland. We had considered going to Hammsvik Hot Springs or visiting a city pool, but the morning brought extremely high winds and cold rain, so outdoor bathing wasn’t appealing. We were happy to have a lazy morning, anyhow. Around mid-morning, the building superintendent knocked on the door and said they were replacing all the intercoms and asked if the workers could enter the suite in about a half an hour. That was fine with us, and it was a quick job. When they were done, we went out in search of Rainbow Street, and once we found it, we realized we had been there before but hadn’t noticed the rainbow colours at night in the rain. At one of the shops there, I bought a knit “Viking” hat (with horns) for my toddler grandson whose father is Danish.

We decided to have lunch at Cafe Loki, which we’d passed when we visited Hallsgrimkirkja. This turned out to be an excellent choice. I had lamb soup and DH had rye bread with eggs and herring. Both were delicious. For dessert, we had Skyr Cake, which was recommended by our daughter-in-law.

After lunch, the rain was easing and there was a gorgeous rainbow in the direction of the harbour. We hurried down to get some great photos of the Sun Voyager framed by a double rainbow. We needn’t have hurried, though. The rainbow lingered for over two hours.

Packing and tidying occupied the rest of the afternoon.

Continued

Day 8 - Reykjavik, Continued

We ate dinner at Rok, because they serve arctic char, which I love. It’s a small plate place, and that was nice, as we’d had a late lunch.

Iceland Day 8 Photos

Day 9 - Blue Lagoon, Departure

Our flight back to Canada wasn’t leaving until around 5 pm, so we’d booked a transfer and “Lagoon and Lava” visit to the Blue Lagoon for departure day. This was a nice way to spend our time waiting for our flight, but the Blue Lagoon was our least favourite of the three geothermal baths we visited. As expected, it was busier. I didn’t also expect it to be less clean. People didn’t seem to be showering naked and thoroughly, from what I could tell. (The shower doors were frosted, so it was easy to notice the colourful bathing suits as I passed them). And there were several times when I set my hand down on a rock or wall under the water and felt something furry. Algae? Ewwww. Anyway, WE showered thoroughly before our visit and VERY thoroughly afterward. We had lunch at the Lava restaurant, because one of DH’s coworkers had raved about it, but I was underwhelmed. It was all right, but nothing special.

We took a taxi the short distance to Keflavik, and, for the first time in all of our travels, our gate was the first one past security. However, it was in a sort of passageway to other gates, and there were only about 6 seats there. So, we moved along to another gate and found someplace to sit. Keflavik is a ridiculous airport, reminiscent of Sydney, where most of the flights arrive and depart at about the same time. So, all around us, the gates became more and more crowded, with not enough seats. Many people were grumbling about how crowded it was, and rightly so. People were sprawled all over the floors, and when it was time to head back the short distance to our gate, it was like swimming upstream. We had to squeeze through the crowds and, at one point, someone wearing a backpack turned and almost knocked me over. I would have fallen had several people not reached out to stop me. Anyway, as someone who suffers from anxiety in crowds, this was a nightmarish situation. Imagine our surprise when, once we were allowed through the doors to our gate, we had to go upstairs where we saw many, many empty gates with many, many empty seats. Why were all the flights jammed into adjoining gates on the lower floor? I was feeling pretty disgruntled, but I tried hard to think about all the lovely sights I’d seen in Iceland and not let the horrible airport experience sour my lovely memories of all the spectacular and interesting landscapes.

Iceland Day 9 Photos

BB, I loved reading this trip report! It was so much fun to read it and look at your photos. Ironically, I just got finished putting together a photo book for my daughter of our trip, and I was looking at the photos there and remembering the trip. Then I got to look at yours and it just brought back so many memories! I loved reading about all the different places you went to that we didn't get to, but I especially enjoyed reading about Snaefellsnes. I have very fond memories of that peninsula. It's such a beautiful and unique place to visit.

I'm sorry you didn't have as great an experience at Blue Lagoon as we did. Maybe it was the time of year? I don't remember the algae, and it really wasn't that crowded when we were there. It could have been the time of day maybe? We weren't there till mid-afternoon, and from what I've heard, that's a less crowded time of day for the Lagoon.

But I do agree with you about the airport situation. It was a hot mess when we were there, too. I mentioned on a thread the other day that I really missed the airport that was there in 2018 on my first trip to Iceland. It was such a charming and small airport with a lovely gift shop and places where you could sit and relax. Now it's 30% larger and frustrating to maneuver. And what's interesting is that from everything I've read, there are not more people going to Iceland now than there were back then. But they just made a bad airport, I think. Either that, or they just don't utilize it the way they should.

Anyway, it sounds like you had a pretty fun trip. I know you were trying to think of various places to go during this time period. Are you glad that you chose Iceland?

Mardee, I'm very glad that I chose Iceland. It's so breathtakingly beautiful.

We did manage to find quieter spots in the Blue Lagoon. Most people stayed out in the main pool, near the mask and drink bars. We found a section that was more tucked away (past the waterfall and the washroom), and we even had it to ourselves sometimes. And the area near the intake in the "quiet' section wasn't too busy, also, except for the person yelling across to a friend on the other side, "I'm in the quiet area!" Sigh. But in comparison to our other lagoon experiences, the Blue Lagoon was busier.

I was reading along, excited and hoping everything went well with your apartment, so I’m glad it did! That made for a great start to what looks like an incredible trip (aside from the food poisoning. Sorry to hear about that!).

I’m bookmarking this TR because I’ve been wanting to visit Iceland, but it would most likely be a solo trip, and I wouldn’t rent a car. So reading a report from someone who based themselves in Reykjavik and took day trips is really helpful! And your photos are incredible!

Thank you, Joy.

A solo trip would be very doable with tours, I think. The third person at our canyon baths visit was a woman travelling solo.

I very much enjoyed your report! You probably have read my posts on Iceland since we go often, lol, but I never tire of reading what people did and what they enjoyed etc.

My last trip was in March and the weather was very much still winter, so we did not rent a car this time and did excursions instead. We did quite a few that you did. Husafell was a favorite! We were the only ones on our day trip that did it, and there were only 2 other people from the hotel that went, so we had a great time and the snow was falling, just beautiful. We also went to Laugaras instead of Fridheimar. Been there a few times before so no need to return. Loved Laugaras, again in the snow;)

The day we went to the silver circle, we came across a really bad accident and it was visitors (a Dacia Duster) and they rolled and had to have the top of the car cut off to get them out, and then a helicopter took a few of the people away.

Those sweaters that you saw for less, unless it was a thrift store, they were made in China so better that you saved your money. Icewear is a popular store, but theirs are also made in China but say they are "designed" in Iceland;). Thrift stores are a great way to buy authentic sweaters at a fraction of the price.

That boat ride at Jokulsarlon was quite the experience, I imagine! We have done the zodiac boat ride there a few times and love it.

Yes, Black Crust Pizza gets mobbed, but the good thing is the line moves fast and you can do take out. You can also call ahead for takeout.

Funny, the day we went to Hvammsik in March was really bad weather, so much so that our snowmobiling trip was canceled. So we headed to Hvammsvik instead. Yes, there were whitecaps in the pools there! And towels, glasses, everything blowing everywhere. It was still fun, but not everyone shared that opinion;)

I am glad the apartment turned out great. I have found that the Icelandic people are so helpful and low key. Their saying of Petta Reddest, meaning it will all work out, is so true there. BTW, October is my favorite time of year there, for the reasons that you experienced. Thank you again for sharing:)

mikliz97, I was really happy we'd visited in "winter," in spite of the blustery moments. I can see why you enjoy Iceland so much.

BB--Carefull, you may end up returning time and time again;) I meant to tell you that Thingvellir is exceptionally nice this time of year with all the colors. It reminded us of Alaska. In March, it was a sheet of ice. So myself and a few others stayed on the bus to the visitors center while my husband and a couple others walked. I know my limits with ice;) The sheep roundup is interesting as it catches you off guard at times. Fun to watch though! I head back in May for a couple of weeks with a camper van and my SIL's sister is going with me.

BB, loved your report! I was/am in the process of planning Iceland for next summer, but it’s on hold because plans may be changing. Can I ask what sources you used for your research?

Hi, Tammy. These forums were one resource, of course, especially other people's trip reports. My son and d-i-l travelled to Iceland a month before we did, so they were a resource.

I also like Nomadic Matt's blogs: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/iceland/

Epic Iceland had some good info and, best of all, discount codes: https://epiciceland.net

I also used Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/VisitingIceland/

But because I was doing tours, I probably didn't do as much research as I do when we're travelling completely on our own.

I forgot to mention a couple of cost saving tips.

If you are a senior (as we are), you can get senior's discounts at some places (Penis Museum, World of Icelandic Music, Perlan).

I also got discount codes for some tours and activities from Epic Iceland. https://epiciceland.net

I can't count how many times I've thought about Iceland and then went somewhere else. It always seems to be my 2nd choice. One day.

If read (maybe on this Forum) that the wind can be tricky when driving and there's rental car insurance that covers having your doors blown off your car. Do you think the accident you saw was weather related or is Iceland just a tricky place to drive?

and there was surprisingly a lot more to it than I expected. [That’s
what she said.]

Was it hard to get tickets?

Was it easy to get in?

Can you go all day long?

Was the trip harder than it needed to be?

Allan, I'm sure wind, snow, rain, and ice are often factors in accidents, but in this case, it was a pleasant, mostly sunny, day without strong winds.

As for the Penis Museum, it's located downtown, so it's easy to slip it into your day. You don’t have to be a member to enter, and you can head down the stairs or use the elevator shaft. It may not be a good choice for anyone who gets the willies looking at bones or animal parts in formaldehyde.

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!

If you are a senior (as we are), you can get senior's discounts at some places (Penis Museum, World of Icelandic Music, Perlan).

I loved that about Iceland. That was also true in Stockholm and Norway. I always got a senior discount at just about every place that offered it. In fact, the only place I did not get one, for some reason, was at Gamla Bergen. But my daughter got one for being a student, lol!

Allan—Iceland can definitely be tricky with the wind and driving. There are lit up signs along the road that say what direction the wind is blowing and how strong. The insurances usually do not cover doors being blown back on a vehicle. On two of our trips we had issues with the wind and driving. Once was in late July and the wind was too strong so we had to find a campground asap and stay put. The other time was late August and our car almost got blown off the road, but thankfully my husband had a strong grip on the wheel and while we were blown to the edge, at least we didn’t get blown off the cliff. The wind in Iceland always lets you know that it is in charge, not you:)

One of our guides told us about being lifted up by the wind and blown toward the ocean on Black Sand Beach.