In 2019 my daughter Pamela and I made a trip to Iceland—in early February.  We stayed five nights in the capital of Iceland—Reykjavik. In a previous expose, we detailed our experiences in this interesting and modern Icelandic city.

We used the comfortable Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina as our home base. We upgraded to a “sea view “room.

As told before, my wife, Kathie, did not go on this trip due to her sensitivity towards being “cold.”  I am surely glad she did not go with us as it was, indeed, shivering cold.

One of our highlights of the entire trip was to take an Ice-Cave Tour.  This sojourn consisted of flying thirty minutes from a local airport in Reykjavik to Hofn. 

Luckily the weather was not bad.

Everyone had their own aisle space.

It would be the most expensive tour we have ever taken–$750 a ticket for the day.  It would become one of the most majestic days of our lives, though—more than money could ever buy.

We were met by a friendly local sheriff who moonlighted by taking people on tours. He spoke perfectly good English and had two children as I recall.

Along the way we saw Reindeer.

There were also several abandoned homes. 

One of the major stops was at Diamond Beach.  This is where small icebergs would float out to sea from a glacier lake and river—named “Jokulsarlon.”

It was, indeed, one of the most fascinating places we have ever visited.  

On the news this past year we heard of a woman who got on one of these bergs and floated out to sea.  Luckily for her, she was rescued.

A short trip from Diamond Beach would take us where the Ice Cave tours rendezvous site.  Most of the bathrooms were frozen, and only a few were operational causing a very “long” line.

We met our next guide, Boggie.  He is a character with whom we will never forget.  Boggie is extremely colorful and friendly.  He has quite a reputation as we later found out on Google. 

There is a notable scar on Boggie’s face.  He freely tells the story that once he was a commercial fisherman.  A cable had snapped and hitting him in the face.  He showed us a picture of his injuries that caused a several month sojourn in the hospital.  Boggie since changed professions and has become a first-class tour guide. 

All of us had to wear “crampons” to secure our footing in the ice.

The large cave we toured was actually black due to the volcanic rock.  These caves change from time to time as we found out.

 

The beautiful blue ice was later showed to us by Boggie.

We toured the glacier in his very large jeep.  Directions were located by these skinny poles that were stuck in the ice.  We were definitely in a different twilight zone.

The tour took us about two hours. 

We joined up with our original guide who took us back to Hofn.  We went into a convenience store.  As we exited, there was this machine that wanted to know “how we felt.”  We found this technology device throughout our stay in Reykjavik.  Someone actually cared on how we felt.

The next three days we used a company called “Reykjavik Excursions” to tour us around the southern part of Iceland.  It is the same company that has the large busses—the Fly Bus—that goes from Keflavik airport into Reykjavik.

For a nominal fee this company will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the central bus station where all tours begin. 

For some reason, we were the first ones on the bus and selected “the front seats.” 

We spent a full day along the south coast, all the way to a small village of Vik. The weather was clear. This panoramic tour and day was exceptional. On the way out of Reykjavik, an ice-blower was at work:

 

Iceland loves their tourists.  At popular places, they have spent millions of dollars developing centers–pavilions–that had restrooms, restaurants, stores and exhibits.

 

I was tempted to try this cake at one of the pavilions. 

And maybe this one:

We would stop to observe “Hekla mountain.”  It is only 2477 feet in elevation.  It is known, though, as “the Gateway to Hell” as it has erupted 20 times since 874.  The mountains in Iceland do not look like a normal mountains because the tops have been carved off by glaciers.

A popular stop is the Lava Center near the village of Hvolsvollur. 

There is a volcanic exhibit—which Pam and I did not have time to explore.  A modern and clean restaurant, stores and restrooms are in the Center. It was a good stop after traveling for two hours.

One stop we did not make was seeing the 1973 wreck of a US Navy airplane. Justin Bieber made the plane and the canyon famous with a music video named “I’ll Show You.”  Later, “The Game of Thrones” was filmed in this area too.  Luckily, the seven Navy crewmen all survived, but the plane has remained on the beach.

 

Our second stop was visiting the Black Sand Beach of “Reynisfjara.”  The waves were pounding away.  You really had to be careful not to get too close to the ocean as these “sneaker waves” could drag you out.

Most people became captivated by the dolomite caves.

In the distance one can see various “Sea Stacks.”  Pamela had visited this area more extensively the previous summer.

 

Our lunch stop was at the village of Vik.  I saw this picture taken circa 1920’s.  The village has not changed too much.

In the distance was this “red church.” We saw a number of these “red churches.”

We were allowed to walk up to the “Solheimajokull glacier.”  Footing was treacherous.  Pam, though, was ready with her “crampons.” 

There were a number of tours that were taking people to trek on the glacier itself.

We thought the Skogafoss waterfall was the prettiest waterfall we witnessed on our travels.  There was a beautiful rainbow that was formed by the cascading waters.

Pamela actually walked up these steps on that previous trip I had mentioned.

 

I caught an Asian woman admiring the falls via herself.  She was, indeed, most happy.

Another famous waterfall in the area is “Seljalandsfoss.”  It was practically frozen.  In the summer one can actually go behind this impressive waterfall.

We made a quick stop to see the glacier “Eyjafjallajokull.” 

What I found most interesting was the sign about flying “drones.”  At first, I thought drones were interesting. Now, after having experienced drones in public places, I really do not like them.  I am in full agreement with this sign.

On our second tour with Reykjavik Excursions, we took the famous “Golden Circle Tour.”  This is one of the most popular routes that most tourists take.

One of our stops was to see the impressive Gullfoss waterfalls. I think this place would be in more beautiful during the summer.

Outside the main Center, I took pictures of these monster trucks. This is the place where Pam almost missed the bus as I wasn’t with her in the pavilion to tell her the time. 

We did stop for a snack at an Icelandic Farm known as “Fridheimar.” It is owned by an Icelandic family that has a small ranch and a large Greenhouse.

There were a number of Icelandic Horses.  They are small, almost pony-sized and are extremely hardy.  Foreign horses are not allowed in Iceland.

Fridheimar is known for its growing of tomatoes and of course, “tomato soup.” 

For about $8 dollars, one could purchase a small bowl and a good tasting roll.

The Geysir area is a popular destination.  Yellowstone puts this place to shame however.  “Old Faithful” is thousands of miles away and this place will do.

The Center is quite busy.  It was here where we were introduced to “Trouser-grip wrestling” video.  A unique sport to Iceland where the combatants grab, literally, the pants—and belt– of the opponents and toss them.  There is a large statue outside illustrating this sport.

One of Iceland’s most historic import areas is Pingvellir—also known as “Thingvelllir”.  In 930AD, Icelanders would hold a major conference –aka parliament–of leaders as the area was central to the region.

Unbeknownst to the leaders, Pingvellir is also a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates separate.  One can actually walk along a rift.

As the elevation is fairly high, the views of Lake Thingvallavtn are superb.

It is in one of the fissures know as “Silfra,” snorkeling and diving can be done—even in winter.   Silfra has become one of the top dive destinations in the world. The water visibility can exceed over 300 feet.  Wearing a drysuit makes snorkeling and diving achievable.  The water is only 35-degree Fahrenheit.  Obviously, our tour did not give us time to try this memorable experience.

On our way back to Reykjavik, we came through a mountain road that only provided thirty -foot visibility at the most—a white out.  We were indeed happy to be with a professional driver.

We came through the snow cloud and finally to a beautiful sunset. These pictures were taken through the bus window.

Our last tour with Reykjavik Excursions was a 22:00 tour to see the famous “Northern Lights”—Aurora Borealis.  We were driven about thirty miles or so outside of Reykjavik where city lights were not a problem. 

We saw waves of “white” lights across the sky.  When filmed, the lights turn “green.” 

We could only stay outside our small bus for five minutes before returning to “warm-up.”  It was, indeed, cold. 

The driver took a picture of Pamela and me. 

Normally, when Kathie and I take a sojourn, the trip lasts about a month.  What Pamela and I experienced was an intense five days of traveling. 

We found the city of Reykjavik fascinating.

The countryside even more so.  And the people delightful and interesting. I could easily see why Pamela wanted to come back to experience Iceland in the winter.