Iceland
We visited Iceland in late May through early June 2019. It turned out to be an excellent time to visit. It was before peak tourist season started and we had wonderful weather for the entire time: mid 50's during the day and not too cold at night. I guess looking at the clock you would call it night, but it never got completely dark. The sunset was around 11:30 pm and sunrise was around 3:30 am. And, unusual for Iceland, we had clear skies every day but one.
We arrived at the airport in Keflavik and headed straight for the Blue Lagoon. We weren't able to go in the pool, but the surrounding scenery was well worth the visit. We also checked out the Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll in Keflavik; lots of Björk there. :)
We stayed in Reykjavík for the first 3 nights of our trip, and went on a whale-watching tour after the first night. Unfortunately we did not get to see any whales or dolphins. We did however get to see some puffins that were trying madly to get out of the path of the boat. And lots of other sea birds. After we got back to Reykjavík, we checked out the Icelandic Phallological Museum right next to our hotel. It's exactly what you think it is; a penis museum. It is a purely scientific collection and the only one of its kind in the world. They have preserved penises of almost all mammals that occur in Iceland, from whales to mice, plus animals from other parts of the world. https://phallus.is/en/ (viewer discretion advised)
The next day we took a drive northeast of Reykjavík to see the Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir geothermal area. "Geysers" in general are named after the Icelandic "geysir". We also encountered the totally charming Icelandic horses during the drive.
After our third night in Reykjavík, we drove along the south coast on the Hringvegur (Ring Road) for about 300 miles. During the drive we stopped in Selfoss and luxuriated in the town's geothermal pool and hot-pots. Very nice. We stayed in a very charming hotel that was part of a working sheep farm a few miles west of the town of Höfn. While enjoying some lamb chops in the hotel restaurant, the big boss sheep was giving us the evil eye right outside the windows. :) In the middle of the night, at about 2:30 am, I went outside to shoot the lovely sky with the sunbeams.
Over the next 4 days we worked (actually, played) our way back towards Reykjavík. The first day we saw a couple of glacier lagoons, Jökulsárlón and Fjallsárlón. These are absolutely stunning and must not be missed. The next day we visited a number of waterfalls in the vicinity of the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Some of these waterfalls are right in the backyards of farm houses along the highway. We also checked out the canyon called Fjaðrárgliúfur, which had its own pretty waterfall.
The third day we stopped at the black sand beach called Reynisfjara, where there is some beautiful columnar basalt right on the beach, and a couple of sea stacks out in the ocean. Then we went to see one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland, Skógafoss. It was a bright, sunny day, hence the lovely rainbows near the falls. Next we drove into the town of Hvolsvöllur, had dinner at a charming cafe called Eldstó Art Café, and then headed out to Hótel Eyjafjallajökull, named after the volcano that shut down European airports back in 2010. We were the only guests in the hotel.
The last full day in Iceland, we saw another famous waterfall, called Seljalandsfoss. Then we stopped in to the LAVA Centre: Iceland Volcano & Earthquake Centre in Hvolsvöllur before heading back to the Keflavik area and the airport. The LAVA Centre is a terrific place to get a taste of what volcanos and earthquakes really feel like.
Our last night we stayed in a hotel about 5 minutes from the airport in the town of Keflavik. Like a lot of hotels we stayed in, it featured a hot tub for a nice relaxing soak before our trip home.
Read MoreWe arrived at the airport in Keflavik and headed straight for the Blue Lagoon. We weren't able to go in the pool, but the surrounding scenery was well worth the visit. We also checked out the Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll in Keflavik; lots of Björk there. :)
We stayed in Reykjavík for the first 3 nights of our trip, and went on a whale-watching tour after the first night. Unfortunately we did not get to see any whales or dolphins. We did however get to see some puffins that were trying madly to get out of the path of the boat. And lots of other sea birds. After we got back to Reykjavík, we checked out the Icelandic Phallological Museum right next to our hotel. It's exactly what you think it is; a penis museum. It is a purely scientific collection and the only one of its kind in the world. They have preserved penises of almost all mammals that occur in Iceland, from whales to mice, plus animals from other parts of the world. https://phallus.is/en/ (viewer discretion advised)
The next day we took a drive northeast of Reykjavík to see the Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir geothermal area. "Geysers" in general are named after the Icelandic "geysir". We also encountered the totally charming Icelandic horses during the drive.
After our third night in Reykjavík, we drove along the south coast on the Hringvegur (Ring Road) for about 300 miles. During the drive we stopped in Selfoss and luxuriated in the town's geothermal pool and hot-pots. Very nice. We stayed in a very charming hotel that was part of a working sheep farm a few miles west of the town of Höfn. While enjoying some lamb chops in the hotel restaurant, the big boss sheep was giving us the evil eye right outside the windows. :) In the middle of the night, at about 2:30 am, I went outside to shoot the lovely sky with the sunbeams.
Over the next 4 days we worked (actually, played) our way back towards Reykjavík. The first day we saw a couple of glacier lagoons, Jökulsárlón and Fjallsárlón. These are absolutely stunning and must not be missed. The next day we visited a number of waterfalls in the vicinity of the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Some of these waterfalls are right in the backyards of farm houses along the highway. We also checked out the canyon called Fjaðrárgliúfur, which had its own pretty waterfall.
The third day we stopped at the black sand beach called Reynisfjara, where there is some beautiful columnar basalt right on the beach, and a couple of sea stacks out in the ocean. Then we went to see one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland, Skógafoss. It was a bright, sunny day, hence the lovely rainbows near the falls. Next we drove into the town of Hvolsvöllur, had dinner at a charming cafe called Eldstó Art Café, and then headed out to Hótel Eyjafjallajökull, named after the volcano that shut down European airports back in 2010. We were the only guests in the hotel.
The last full day in Iceland, we saw another famous waterfall, called Seljalandsfoss. Then we stopped in to the LAVA Centre: Iceland Volcano & Earthquake Centre in Hvolsvöllur before heading back to the Keflavik area and the airport. The LAVA Centre is a terrific place to get a taste of what volcanos and earthquakes really feel like.
Our last night we stayed in a hotel about 5 minutes from the airport in the town of Keflavik. Like a lot of hotels we stayed in, it featured a hot tub for a nice relaxing soak before our trip home.
