David and I did a trip to Iceland with GAdventures in late May 2023. Links to photo albums below.
Weather was much nicer than forecast beforehand with just a day or 2 of rain and much warmer. Many of the cold weather clothes remained in baggage.
We stopped at Blue Lagoon for an initial hot springs experience on the way from the airport to our hotel in Reykjavik. And then had a day in town to explore and adjust.
Reykjavik is a pretty city and nice to walk in.
Our companions on the trip were a mix of ages (15 to 70), and countries (4 Canadians, 5 Americans, 1 Brit, and a Scottish family of 4) -- a congenial lot. And a great guide. Lots of driving -- the ring road circumnavigates the island and is about 1300 km.
Waterfalls (Foss)
We did 2 or 3 waterfalls per day. Some required a long hike to reach, or steep climbs, or some scrambling. Some were damp. Here is a selection of a few:
Wildlife
More sheep than people! And the lanbs were frolicking gaily.
Also:reindeer(!), 1 arctic fox, lots of birds (mostly fulmars and swans, no puffins), horses, cows.
On the flora side, there are not many forests or vegetation other than moss. But plants were starting to bud/blossom and some pollen was noticed.
Trolls and elves are common though we didn't see many. Instead of Santa Claus, Icelanders have 13 Yule Lads (trolls). We did see their caves.
Food
Lots of seafood, and lamb. Also tried hot dogs, and reindeer. Not many fruits or vegetables.
Skipped the sheeps' head and fermented shark.
Hot Springs
We did 3: Blue, Forest and Sky Lagoons. Each had its own character but similar procedures. Sky Lagoon had a 7 stage activity: hot, cold plunge, dry sauna, scrub, wet sauna, shower, hot spring.
They were all shallow (<5 feet), 38C approx, salty, provided drinks and we spent about 2 hours in each.
Geysers and Mud Bubbles
2 different locations. 2 different smells.
Vehicles
Lots of EVs and hybrids. Gas is expensive $3.60/litre, electricity is cheap (see Foss above). Teslas were subsidized and popular. Lots of other unusual brands.
E-scooters were also common in cities and dangerous for pedestrians. Not many bikes.
Basalt Columns
A long, pleasant hike along a river brought us to some amazing volcanic features-- hexagonal columns of basalt formed as lava cools and shrinks quickly (when it contacts a river for example)
A more detailed description of basalt columns
Tomato Town
A greenhouse restaurant that supplies >50% of Iceland's tomatoes runs year round. The tomato vines grow about a meter per month and when the reach 9 meters they are composted and new vines introduced. Boxes of bees are used to pollinate. Each box is a separate hive.
Tomato soup and tomato beer were sampled. There are also horses (no particular connection to the tomatoes). Icelandic horses are strictly enforced.
Glacier Walk
A highlight of the trip was a hike on a glacier -- with crampons, ice pick, harness, and helmet. There were a few crevices and running streams, but not dangerous.
Icebergs
Photos
Here is a link to a photo album of the trip. Some of the pictures are courtesy of my brother and travelling companion, David.
David has another photo album (David).
