Iceland

Sharon Imagined How Many People Were Peeing at Any Given  Moment at the Blue Lagoon.

I typically write blogs for friends and family, however since they link to various sites where other travelers might be seeking info, I also like to include prices and various traveler tips.


The trip began with a short hop to Seattle  and a few hours in the lounge getting properly lubricated for the six+ hour flight to Reykjavik.  Most of the W Coast flights to Iceland involve a red eye.  We booked Icelandic since they partner with Alaska and that meant a $99 fare for Sharon.  Unfortunately, Icelandic business class doesn’t offer lie flat seats, but we got super lucky and wound up with a mostly empty plane that allowed most everyone an entire row in which to attempt sleep.  We try to split airport duties, so Sharon grabbed the bags while I grabbed the rental car and we got out of there super quickly, but still faced six hours before we could check into our AirBnb.....all this on top of a seven hour time change and just a few hours of restless sleep.  Fortunately, the airport is about 30 miles outside of the city on the Reykjanes Peninsula, home of the famous Blue Lagoon and some quaint fishing villages.  We looked into going to the Blue Lagoon, but it seemed outrageous to pay nearly $100 to sit in a bluish pond with hundreds of other people; a brief visit to look at the place confirmed our opinions.




The next stop was a lovely little fishing village with a restaurant that featured lobster soup.  Soup is a big deal in Iceland and, given how incredibly expensive restaurants have become, a good budget option.  Generally, you get two huge bowls of soup and all the bread you can eat with prices ranging from $13-20.  I should note that taxes are included and tipping isn't expected in Iceland, so the prices start edging towards Manhattan prices and don't seem quite as outrageous as at first glance.

Sharon Enjoying Lobster Soup

Finally, we made our way to what is known as a system apartment.  It was a tiny one bedroom apartment attached to a garage in front of the house.  Perfectly adequate and well-positioned for easy access to both downtown Reykjavik and the Ring and South Coast roads.  We did all we could to stay up until 8pm and start shifting over to Iceland time and after a 12 hour nap felt good enough to tour the lovely city of Reykjavik.  I'd highly recommend Rick Steves' Iceland book for its detail and great restaurant recommendations.  We hit a great brewpub for a very reasonable lunch ($20 for some nice cod fish and chips, BUT you also got an unlimited soup buffet with bread).  We went back later for a few happy hour beers.  Speaking of alcohol, Iceland has some really draconian liquor laws.  Even for beer and wine one must visit a state store, most of which close at 6pm and aren't open on Sundays.  A decent six pack of craft beer is around $20, but for the same Jackson, you can buy a couple of decent bottles of wine.  I didn't find the craft beers all that great in either bars or the liquor stores.  A good move is to bring alcohol from home or purchase it at duty free before leaving the airport.

WTF?  Dylan inspired IPA?

The next two days were long, long driving days involving some of the best scenery in S Iceland.  The Ring Road is probably the most traveled "must see", but I didn't find it very exciting.  The best part might have been Rick Steves' suggestion to take a back road to the first stop, a large lake.  The lake hike wasn't bad since it included some famous historic Icelandic spots along a giant fissure that represents the split in the continents between N America and Europe.  The next stop took us to a hugely disappointing geyser field which, if you've ever been to Yellowstone....well, you'd know.  The final stop was a pretty good waterfall just past the geyser fields....not Niagara, definitely not Victoria or Iguassu, but worthwhile nonetheless.

We arrived home exhausted, but dragged ourselves out to a spectacular fish restaurant off the beaten track, but near the apartment.  We both had the best halibut ever along with a couple of bottles of wine in a mellow atmosphere (Reykjavik city restaurants can be pretty hectic with tourists) with some nice jazz in the background.  The chef at Gallery Fiskur (the only top 10 restaurant in town that isn't in the center) made the rounds and spent a little time with us discussing the foods of Iceland.  All in all, a good day followed by a great evening.

The next day it was up and out early, with a long drive down the South Coast, arguably the best drive in Iceland.  Iceland tends to be a lot of huge lava fields with surrounding waterfalls, thermal plants and pools, glaciers and a beautiful coastline.  I couldn't help but think the Big Island has much of the same, but you can get out on the beaches and relax.  In Iceland, you get out on the beaches and literally chill.  The first stop of the day involved a visit to Bobby Fischer's grave; Fischer was one crazy guy, but he was big box office for Iceland when he faced Spassky in Reykjavik for the world chess title.  For you younger readers, the match was actually televised on ESPN (and us older readers might remember just how boring it is to watch guys play chess on TV).
Son of a Jewish mother, Fischer was a vicious anti-Semite and pretty much alienated everyone he came across.  The US was trying to extradite him from Japan for tax evasion when Iceland stepped up and offered him immunity as a result of him putting Iceland on the map.

What the Hell, I collect graves of the good and bad

After the brief visit with Bobby, we were off to some beautiful waterfalls, some hiking up to the top of one of the falls and....the best part....getting up close and personal with a glacier, despite the signs warning people to not pass beyond a certain point; of course, nearly everyone did much as they do at volcanoes NP in Hawaii.  Sad that the glacier has receded nearly 1/2 mile in the 15 years since the parking lot was built.

Pretty steep hike of over 500 stairs to the top

As They Die, Glaciers Get Pretty Dirty

We were pretty burned out from driving, so on the final day we did a very Icelandic thing and went to a local pool which was geothermaly heated (as all are in Iceland).  The pool was pretty spectacular with varying side pools of temperatures ranging from around 85 in the pool to 108 in the hottest "jacuzzi".  The 100 degree pool was the size of a 15x30 pool.  Also enjoyed the huge waterslide...several times.  Pics aren't allowed, so none shown below.

Finally, we had to get up at 4:45 to make the long drive to the airport, check in the rental car and catch the flight to Helsinki.  I gotta stop scheduling these early morning flights!