Business class seats on our Iceland air flight were great. We had pre ordered a meal so got some hot food including drinkies for the adults and activity sets for the kids. The scenery en route was spectacular. We saw the glacier and the volcano that had erupted in 2010 causing major trouble with travel and we saw lots of snow.
The Kvosin Hotel was a lovely base for the night. We got robes and slippers, always a bonus and we had a great breakfast there next morning with waffles for Eoin and eggs for Shea. Result! We set off for a walk around town and found our way to the oldest swimming pool in Reykjavík, Sundhollin, which was originally opened in 1937. We had tried to visit last time we were in town but it was closed for renovations. The building was designed by noted architect Guojon Samuelson, who also designed buildings such as The Church of Akureyri and the famous Hallgrimskirkja church. We enjoyed relaxing in the hot tubs with the cold air on our faces. We shared a pizza for dinner and relaxed in the hotel wishing for the northern lights to make an appearance.
After breakfast we wrapped up in warm clothes and set off with Samuel, our tour guide for the morning. He drove us to Thingvellir National Park. This is where the tectonic plates of Europe and the US meet. We saw some amazing scenery and learnt lots about the country. We paid a quick visit to the visitor centre and then walked along the snowy path to meet the driver in the neighbouring car park. The sun shone and the views were beautiful.
Next stop was a great photo spot where few tourists go. We walked down into a rift through deep snow and stood between lava rocks from each continent. Shea stood on the US side! We got some nice photos and not a selfie stick in sight!
Last stop on our tour was the lighthouse down near the harbour. We walked across the black lava sand beach. The boys climbed on rocks and huge waves crashed against the shore. Then we got dropped off at the airport.
The airport was tiny and the normal rules concerning check in and security didn’t apply. Some passengers arrived 20 minutes before take off and just walked straight onto the plane. The flight to Akureyri in northern Iceland took a mere 35 minutes. The small propeller plane caused some initial panic but it was a very smooth flight with spectacular views. On-board they had some travel journals in the seat pockets for travellers to record and share their Icelandic adventures. A nice touch.
The town was small and had a very different vibe to Reykjavík. We stayed in a nice apartment just off the Main Street. A walk around town don’t take long but it was pretty. The town is flanked by a tall mountain to one side, home to a popular ski resort, and a large fjord to the other side. The boys had a great snowball fight and we all enjoyed walking the snowy paths along the frozen fjord. We stopped for dinner in the Thai restaurant which was excellent. The traffic lights had a red love heart in the place of the regular red stop light. Another nice touch.
Next morning we’d had a change of plans due to a serious storm coming in on Friday. Flights were going to be cancelled and roads closed. We had to change our flights and leave early or risk missing our flight to Norway in a few days. So we started our day early and tried to see as much as we could before leaving again. We had breakfast in a local cafe called ‘Berlin’ and our tour guide Reynir collected us from there. We had an amazing tour with him from 9.30-2.30 when he dropped us back to the airport. First stop was Godafoss, Waterfall of the Gods. The temperature was low and the wind chill high, about -25, we’ve never been so cold and nearly ran back to the car.
Next stop was Lake Myvatn. A very frozen looking Lake which looked like a field. It’s the fourth largest lake in Iceland and features lots of geothermal activity and volcanic features. It was surrounded by volcanic craters and geothermal gases rising into the air. There was a track across the ice where people drive and the movie ‘The Fast and the furious’ was filmed here using hundreds of imported cars which were also driven across the ice.
Several scenes from Game of Thrones were also filmed here. We felt warmer as we travelled across land with geothermal activity and as the wind dropped.
Dimmuborgir, or the Dark Fortress, is an area of dramatic lava rocks. We got the bonus of trees covered in snow and ice on our visit. One story connected with the place is that of the Icelandic Yule Lads. The 13 sons of the trolls Gryla and Leppaludi are Santa Claus figures who bring presents to the children for thirteen nights leading up to Christmas Day, the kids leave a shoe on the window ledge and in the morning find a present or a rotten potato, depending on behaviour. Families can visit them here in the cave in Dimmuborgir.
The bubbling mud pools of Hverir were the next stop on our tour. The viewing platform was quite close to the bubbling earth. The steaming vents, smell of sulphur and lunar like landscape gave a magical feel to the place.
Last stop was at the Myvatn Nature Baths , time to warm up and relax after a busy morning. The challenge to run through the snow barefooted was rewarded with the warm geothermal waters of the natural pools. The poolside lava rocks covered in snow added mystique to the experience as did the hair freezing on our heads!
Reynir drove us back the 50 minutes to the airport, stopping to pick up our luggage on the way. Shame we didn’t have a longer stay in this frozen North with the warm heart.
Reykjavik felt much busier and developed on our return. We took a taxi to the harbour and checked into the Iceland Air Hotel Marina for a night. The winds were picking up as we took a stroll around town. We stopped for a happy hour drink in the main square. Then we headed for fish n chips in a harbour side restaurant.
Our last day in Iceland was a blustery, wet day as Storm Denis made an appearance. It was the same storm about to hit Ireland but here they don’t actually name their storms! The hotel was busy with extra guests stranded due to cancelled flights. We got a late check out so we could shelter from the storm for a while and then we headed out when the rain eased. First stop was the Saga Museum, a few hundred yards up from the harbour. We were nearly blow away walking there. At Saga, the Viking history museum, we got an audio guide which we listened to as we walked through historical scenes with very realistic looking mannequins. There was an informative video showing how the sets and mannequins were created and there was a dress up area with Viking gear and weapons.
Next door was Aurora Reykjavik, a museum created by hunters of Aurora Borealis to share a passion and knowledge about the most unique natural phenomenon in the world. We figured it was the closest we’d get to the Northern Lights on this visit so in we went. We read about some myths and legends connected with the lights around the world. We saw photos of the lights as seen in places all over Iceland and we got to appear in our own Northern Lights photo!
We got drinks and dinner in town. Nice starters in the wine bar with happy hour drinks and then shared pizza. Then we took a very expensive taxi to the Northern Lights Inn by the blue lagoon, we had initially planned to spend our last morning relaxing in the thermal waters but decided against that at the last minute since we had already enjoyed two thermal baths this week. We had visited the Blue Lagoon on a previous visit and while it was very nice it was also quite expensive and crowded. Also with it being closed due to the storm yesterday we reckoned it might be crammed this morning so preferred to keep our nice memories of the baths in Myvatn for this trip. So we just spent the night in the Inn and headed to the airport in the morning to fly to Norway.
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