Iceland winter trip report--warning, it is long!

Day two

We could see yesterday that the weather for today was to be good, so we booked a car for the day through Blue Car rental, who we used last summer as well. So this morning we walked down to their office in town and arrived shortly before 8am when they opened. We booked a Rav 4, which was perfect for us. We were on the road within minutes and head to the Reykjanes Peninsula. Our first stop was Netto in Keflavik. Odd stop, I know, but this summer I bought yarn there on the suggestion of a lady in Grindavik as they had a large selection. So we stopped here again for more yarn.

Then we headed to Viking World, not for the museum, but for. the turf houses there at Landnamsdyrin. We were the only people there and it was fun to just wander a bit and take some photos. I am always amazed by these structures.

After that we headed to the Gardur Lighthouse. There are two lighthouses there, a large white one sort of in the middle of an open area, and then a red and white one on a little spit out by the water. The smaller one is the older one which was built in 1897 and the larger one was built in 1944.

Then we made our way to Reykjanesta to the Reykjanes Lighthouse. Wow was it windy up there! I had a crossbody purse on and it was literally flying all around me! I had to get video of that for proof;) Then we headed down to the parking lot near the cliffs. We saw a keyboard and sign for Volcano Man, which if you have seen the Eurovision Song Contest movie, you will recognize this immediately. We loved the movie, but had no idea about this location setting, so got a good laugh out of it. The area is beautiful and we just wandered for a while. It was not windy here at all vs up at the lighthouse.

Our next stop was Grindavik for lunch. We stopped at Cafe Bryggjan for the lobster soup and open face smoked salmon sandwich. Very good!

Next we were off to the Hopsnes area and checked out the shipwreck from 1988 there. You can see debris from it scattered around, but also big logs. There are no trees in this area, so the logs really stood out. Then we headed over to the bright orange lighthouse there which was stunning in the snow. We kept on that road and came across an area that we are unsure of what it was. Ruins, basically, of old homes. We went into the larger one that had most of the walls in tact, but no roof. We could see the fireplace was still there, and then a large window with some smaller windows, and they looked out to the snow covered mountains. That was gorgeous and a photo that we will have framed! The house was near a hot spring of some sort, as everything else around it was frozen and snow covered, except for this small water area that was warm and covered in moss, but no snow. We didn't get any closer to check it out, just to be safe.

Our next stop was Arctic Horses. We drove up, unsure really of what it would be. Several workers were out and about so I asked if it was ok if we were there. They were so welcoming! Two of the men talked to me about the horses and one horse in particular took right to me, so one of them men took photos of me with the horse. I learned the horses name, but of course cannot spell it correctly;) There were horses in the pen area, but. these were just out in a field, so more interesting to watch, IMO.

After that we headed to Kleinfarvatn Lake. Gorgeous!!! There is a small parking area that holds maybe 5 vehicles or so. We got out and hiked around as much as we could. It was sunset, so really a pretty time to see it.

After that is was a quick stop at the volcano. We hiked it last summer, so didn't feel the need to do that again, but we did walk up quite a ways and just took in the views. Saw some vehicle that thought it could get through the easy snow to go up past the parking area, and yes, we watched it get completely stuck.

Then it was time to head back to Reykjavik. It may sound odd to Europeans, but we love the two duvet system found in German and the Scandinavian countries, so decided to buy those to bring home. We can't find those same sizes here. So we went to Rumfatalagerinn, which is right across from Blue Car Rental. We bought the duvets and then drove them back to our hotel quickly. then went back to return the car.

Then we walked over to Tappas Barrin for dinner. The food was very good, but otherwise we were not a fan of this restaurant. It was packed to the gills, and very loud. The tables were teeny tiny, so much so that when they would bring two tapas, there was no room for them on the table with the water glasses and drink glasses. We ate and pretty much just got out of there.

We walked along the water again to head back to the hotel. That was is really relaxing and away from the crowds on the main drag.

Day three

Today was mostly just a relaxing day in town. We started out with a cinnamon roll from Braud. Then it was just wandering around looking at all the street art and murals. I never tire of these and always find new (to me) ones. We did a bit of shopping today. Mjuk is a favorite of mien for the softest hats/mittens/ etc so we stopped there for a few items. Their building sits on a corner and both sides of the building are are gorgeous black and white mural.

We headed down to the wharf area for lunch at The Sea Baron. Here there is no menu per se, but rather a wall of skewers that shows what they have available that day, plus their lobster soup. The soup is very good, but very rich, so we passed on it this time. Instead we had a skewer of salmon, a skewer of shrimp, and a skewer of potatoes and shared that for lunch.

This afternoon was our Sky Lagoon appointment. We could the bus right next to our hotel and headed out. This summer we did GeoSea, Myvatn, Secret Lagoon and Blue Lagoon, so we were not sure how this would compare. I have to say, it was probably our favorite spot! Before entering the changing rooms, you grab a cloth bag to put your shoes in so that the floor in the changing area stays clean. As with any bath in Iceland, you shower naked before suiting up. The showers are all private stalls, so for anyone that is more modest there is no worries. My husband and I met up outside and promptly found a spot along the edge with a view. It was snowing that day, so made the experience even better. We went over to the swim up bar and I got sparkling wine and my husband had a n/a beer. They actually had quite a good selection of n/a wines too, which was nice to see. Then we did the 7 step ritual. We were not real sure about how we would like that, but we loved it! My husband did skip the ice plunge pool, but I went for it. After that we headed back out to the main area and then off to the far other end to the waterfall. It was a very enjoyable couple of hours here. Just before we left, we sat I the little cafe area and then headed out to catch our bus. Just as we were about to get on, I realized I left my nice Marmot gloves behind. I was heartbroken as I figured it wast he last I would see of them. Fast forward 3 days and I figured I might as well email them and see if they were found. They were! So they are sending them to me, for a fee of about $16US dollars. I did bring a backup pair of gloves, thank goodness.

That night we had a Covid test at Harpa since we had been around quite few people over the last few days, so thought it would be smart. It was very easy to reserve online and once there they were very efficient and results are back in about 25 minutes via email.

Dinner tonight was at the hotel restaurant, Loa. It was excellent! We had the lamb and cod and shared as usual. We must be getting old as we very much appreciated this setting vs the tapas place the night before;)

Tomorrow we have a 2 day tour to the south coast booked with Troll, so we just went back to the room to pack and get ready for that as it was to be an early start.

Day four

Today was to be the 2 day tour with Troll. Weather for today was looking good, but a huge storm was to roll in tonight, so we kept an eye on the emails just in case. Sure enough, we got one that said the tour was cancelled. They offered us either a complete refund or we could make a one day tour for our group. We opted for this, so quickly unpacked and repacked for what we needed for the day.

We were picked up at the bus stop right outside the hotel a bit after 8am. The itinerary for today was Reynisfjara Beach, then a glacier hike, then Skogafos and Senjalandsfoss on the way back to Reykjavik. IT was a long day, but excellent! Reynisfjara was beautiful again. The glacier hike was a lot of fun! My husband has been a true mountain climber for many years, but I stick to hiking and backpacking as I don't care for ice and the thought of falling;) They got us all set up in our crampons, harnesses, helmets and ice axes. I knew enough how to use these from my husband and son over the years, so that eased my fears a bit. We spent 2 hours hiking on the glacier. Going up was fine, but I will say going down was very unnerving for me. Seeing the slope down, on sheer ice confirmed that I will never be a true mountain climber and I am ok with that! LOL!

I got to look the part though;) Our group was 13 people. and 10 of them were all easily in their early 20's. Then there was my husband and I, mid 50's and another man about the same age. I was much slower than the rest coming down as my fears were getting to me, so I was taking baby steps just to be safe.

By the time we got back it was starting to get dark. We stopped at Skogafos which was gorgeous covered in the snow! Everyone in our group went out to check it out as well. The next stop though, Seljalandsfoss, the youngsters couldn't bother to get off the bus;) My husband and I and one other couple were the only ones that headed over to check it out. The pathway here is lit at night, which is really nice and makes it even prettier.

When we made it back to the hotel, it was about 9pm and we knew the storm tomorrow was to be bad and they were telling everyone to just stay home and to not go anywhere, so we stopped at the little market to buy food for the next day just in case. Turns out that everyone else must have had the same thoughts as the market has been cleared out of the I-remade sandwiches etc, minus two. We bought those out of desperation, and they were pepperoni taco subs. They sounded truly awful and we really hoped we would not be that desperate.

The winds were whipping that night, and then there was a power surge. The lights in our room turned on at 3am, and then the tv turned on. Very odd, but it woke us up and we looked outside to see everything covered in snow.

Day 5

Today was the storm so we slept in and took our time. We looked out and saw people walking, so we ventured out. It was very windy and the snow was coming down sideways, but we were not going to melt so we headed out.

We had no agenda so just wandered as many side streets as possible, looking for more murals etc. We did stop by the hand knitting association store fore more yarn to bring home. The church was closed for a few hours as there was hearst parked right by the doors, so we kept our distance. The Icelandic flag was flying at half staff there today. Our guess is that it was due to the sightseeing helicopter that crashed into a lake a few days before, taking all 4 people.

We decided to do Fly Over Iceland today so we walked down there for that. We have done a similar one in Canada and enjoyed it, and this was one good too. Definitely a touristy thing, but fun. After that we headed to dinner at Messinn, which was one of the restaurants we went to on the food tour. It did not disappoint! The Arctic char and the plokkfiskur with bernaise sauce are some of the best dishes we have had. Our table was ight by the window and looked out to the high school where we watched a lady play fetch with her dog. It really made us miss our own.

We once again walked over to Harpa to see it at night. The building itself is fascinating, and the lights on it are constantly changing. We loved when it was all blue lights and one of the pools in the area out front reflected so was blue as well. Stunning!

By this time the winds were really whipping and the snow was pelting us in the face. It didn't matter, we still loved it! We walked along the water back to the hotel and as we got closer, the weather got worse. It was hard toe ben stay upright! I got a few videos of it to show our adult kids.

We got back to the hotel and grabbed our swimsuits and towels and headed over to the Sundhollin pool. It was a short walk, only about 3-4 blocks. This was a perfect way to end the evening. The cost is 1100kr and they provide lockers with keys. There is an ice plunge pool, sauna, hot tub, regular pool and another small hot pool. It is all outdoors, but somewhat protected on all sides from the building. It was snowing a bit and very windy, so it felt so good to sit in the huge hot tub and just relax. I can see why the locals do this!

Day 6, our last day

This morning we took our sweet time getting moving. We walked down to Harpa again along the water, with the wind at our faces and trudging through the snow from last night. Yes, I still love this kind of weather! We headed to Harpa for our covid test for our return to the US today. Once again, the test was very quick and easy and the results within about 25 minutes.

We went back to the church and took the elevator to the top and walked the stairs up the rest of the way. The views are still gorgeous, even though everything was covered in snow. The cost for the elevator is 1000 kr per person.

Then we did more wandering, including a last stop at Braud for cinnamon rolls. It was our last day so we splurged and did not share one, opting for two this time;)

We also stopped and bought some hot dogs to bring home. I brought a cooler bag, planning on this, and that worked great and yes they were still cold by the time we unpacked them here in Seattle last night.

The Flybus was included in our package, but with the duvets that we bought we had an extra bag and were not in the mood for dealing with luggage and the flybus transfer. So we had the hotel call a cab for us and that was perfect. It was $120 to the airport. A splurge, but worth it.

At the airport, the line moved fast to get checked in. We learned a big lesson this summer though. The gate was not announced until about 30 minutes before boarding, so passport control was mobbed at that point and it was a mess to get to the gate in time. So this time we checked the last few days and could see that our flights always go out of the D gates. So after having lunch in the area before passport control, we did not linger there and instead we went to passport control where we walked right up to an agent and were on our way. We headed to the D gates and just hung out there until the announcement of what gate, then headed to the gate. Much more civilized this way!

The flight from Seattle was not full at all, there were many rows that had just one person, for instance. The flight home was another story, and I am guessing some of it is due to the storm the day before and people rescheduling their flights. We lucked out though and had the aisle and window seat, with the middle seat empty.

We arrived into Seattle with no issues, and while waiting for our luggage there was a trained beagle that was sniffing everyones carryons. We got out luggage and our driver met us at the door and we we made it home safely.

This was a very different trip from most of ours in that there was a lot of downtime. We like to usually be on the go, but this was a nice change. It made sense to do it this way since the weather in Iceland changes so quickly. We have ad our 4th trip plans in the works for summer, and are working on a 5th, another winter trip.

I forgot to add, my backup gloves did the trick but were not as easy to get on and off as my lost pair. So we ended up in 66North and I have a new pair of gloves as a souvenir;) Still looking forward to my beloved Marmot ones though!

A few other notes of what we took. Here in the Seattle area we don't get the extreme weather that Iceland has, so my husband and I both bought new parkas. He got this one:

https://www.rei.com/product/123625/fjallraven-nuuk-insulated-parka-mens?color=BLACK

and the one I bought is this:

https://www.rei.com/product/194923/the-north-face-snow-down-parka-womens?color=TNF%20BLACK

Both of these were perfect for the weather!

We both took our Lowa Renegade hiking boots and my husband wore his every day. I wore mine about half the time and swapped them out with these. There was a discussion on here recently about the quality of MW items and these were excellent. They gripped well in the snow, kept my warm and were high enough to keep the snow out.

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/ohio-womens-snow-boots-p13202.aspx/jet%20black/

We also both took our Arcteryx shells, which were perfect for the glacier hike. His is a muted navy blue, but mine is a bright red, so the photos of us on the glacier actually look even better with the jackets, lol. My husband is a true mountain climber, so that is his regular climbing jacket, but I stick to hiking/backpacking/snoeshowing/skiing. So our jackets have proven themselves for a long time and were great to take along with new ones just in case.

I definitely suggest bringing two pairs of gloves. Even if one pair just gets really wet you would want a backup pair immediately. Then of course if you lose a pair like I did, you also need a backup. That is something I didn't think much about, but just happened to bring both.

We never wore our rain pants. We did wear our mountaineering/ski pants for the glacier climb day.

We brought along our micro spikes but never needed them.

My husbands parka is bulkier than mine, so we put his in a space saver bag for the way over as he didn't want to wear it onto the plane etc. That saved so much room in his bag! Well worth the $10 or so on Amazon. We got the kind that you just roll the air out of vs needing a pump or a vacuum.

Welcome back! Thanks for a wonderful read, and I'm so glad that you had such an amazing time :-) When my friends and I went in December, we booked the same Icelandair package that you did, and stayed at the Centerhotel Laugavegur as well. We agreed that the package was too good to pass up. I'm delighted to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the Sky Lagoon and found your way to Sundhollin. I really enjoy taking in the public pools when I've got some downtime.

Thanks for sharing!

justsweetjs--I didn't realize you chose the same hotel, how funny! I am so thankful for your recommendation of Sundhollin! I wish we would have gone every evening, but we walked so much we were pretty tired each night. Most days we did over 20k steps. I kept telling my husband about your and your suggestions since you helped us out this summer too! This morning my husband commented that he misses the snow. I do too.

Aimee--Wow, your first trip was in winter, that is definitely not the norm! :) LOL, I can just imagine those poor young ones trying to figure out how to stake a tent in those winds! My husband and son have summited all the PNW volcanoes numerous times, and led many of the climbs. I stick to hiking and backpacking. I have done the South Sister a handful of times, but during the summer when it is just a hard hike vs a technical climb. My knees are bad and I have had 3 surgeries on them so far. Deformities that I didn't know about until they took a toll. So I am stalling on replacements but know it is coming up very soon. My surgeons have said I am too young for replacements, but the deformities have made it so that I will need them soon. So we are holding out as long as possible and have already surpassed their expectations. So with that, I felt pretty darn good about the glacier hike! We truly lucked out with the northern lights! So when the tour for them that was booked was cancelled, I didn't even care;) It just meant we had more time for other things.