Lori and I had both visited the southern part of Iceland in 2013 and Lori visited the western regions since then. We loved the otherworldly vistas that Iceland offers, so we had to go back. This time, to the north.
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Alaskan Airlines gave us an incredibly tight connection in Seattle so we decided to head to the airport earlier than usual to try to catch an earlier flight. Norma at the Alaskan desk made it happen and wished me an early happy birthday as well. As a result, we were able to have a very relaxing dinner at the Seattle airport rather than rushing and possibly missing our plane and spending the night in Seattle.
Of course it was raining upon our arrival to Keflavík where we caught a FlyBus into Reykjavik. We transferred to their Green Line, which dropped us off at the Hallgrímskirkja. It was a short walk (in the rain) down to the Hotel Óðinsvé where we stayed in 2013.
We took a short walk and hit a couple of stores that Lori wanted to visit before meeting Dan and Sherry in Snaps, the restaurant in our hotel. After dinner, we walked around town to take in some of the familiar sights: the Hallgrímskirkja, the waterfront, which has been completely built up, and the Harpa. It was a dry but very cold 12 degrees.
The next day, we took a walking tour of Reykjavik. We went back to the Harpa for their Volcano Express show, which was well done. It put you close to the volcanic action with drone footage. We had a yummy lunch at Mama Reykjavik.
I had really wanted to visit the National Museum of Iceland to see Bishop Páll's crozier made by Margret the Adroit around 1200. I was interested in this piece as I had read a book that made a case that Margret had also created the Lewis Chessmen.
We wrapped up the day by visiting City Hall to see their Iceland Replica, a wonderful relief map of Iceland, and by following a high school marching band around town and eating dinner at Fuku Mama in the Pósthús Food Court. Good bibimbap.
The Lebowski bar, where the "patio opens when the temperature exceeds a steaming 5 Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit)" |
The National Theatre of Iceland |
More great murals in Reykjavik |
Gnome in the park |
Úr álögum (Free from enchantment) by Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) |
Lori poses with sculptures |
The Tjörnin, a lake by City Hall, surrounded by sculptures |
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Bishop Páll's crozier made by Margret the Adroit around 1200 in the National Museum of Iceland |
Bishop Páll's crozier made by Margret the Adroit around 1200 in the National Museum of Iceland |
The Valþjófsstaður door from 1200 in the National Museum of Iceland |
The first Icelandic bible, Guðbrandsbiblía from 1584 in the National Museum of Iceland |
We stumbled across a high school marching band practicing... |
...and we followed them as they played across the city |
Lori, Sherry, and Dan pose on the rainbow street leading to the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik |
Lori, Sherry, and Dan are off to see the wizard on the yellow brick, er, the rainbow road leading to the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik |
One of our guides, Lísa, picked us up at our hotel bright and early. We met the other guide Jòn, who was also the leader for Lori's second trip, and the rest of our group at another hotel where we piled into the bus destined for our first hike.
Our first hike was at Haìhnùkur. It was a beautiful start to the trip. We had tremendously clear skies and could see the Snæfellsjökull across the bay as clear as could be. It was said that this glacier was always in clouds. Not today. We had lunch at the Settlement Centre Restaurant.
Sea thrift |
Alpine mouse-ear |
Jennifer and Jón enjoy the clear view to the Snæfellsjökull |
Lísa displays her living art |
Lor and I enjoy our first steep climb |
Moss campion |
We descend, with views to Akranes and Snæfellsjökull |
Jón and I descend |
David leads the charge on the descent |
Alpine cinquefoil |
Lísa goes to take a drink from the river, which you can still largely do in Iceland like we could in the Sierras in the 70s |
Lísa descends and the clear views to Snæfellsjökull persist |
After lunch we hiked to the Eldborg I Hnappadal. This is a crater that was formed by the lava cone that fell in on itself when the eruption stopped.
There was a small shrub called the dwarf birch along the trail. I thought the leaf was very similar to the beeches we saw in Patagonia. I read that they are somewhat related: "Nothofagus (southern beeches) and Betula (birches) are both tree genera belonging to the order Fagales."
We then checked into the Hótel Búðir. This is Lori's favorite hotel in all of Iceland. After dinner, we walked up to the Black Church where we watched the impossibly long sunset—we're really far north—and enjoyed great views of the Snæfellsjökull.
The dwarf birch looks like the beech that we saw in Patagonia |
Jón Sævarsson describes the Eldborg I Hnappadal that we're about to climb |
Lísa, Jason, Jennifer, and David ready themselves for the climb to the crater |
Kathy, David, and Jason climb while Jón encourages the others |
Jón climbs |
The rim of the Eldborg I Hnappadal, where the crater was formed when the volcano collapsed upon itself when the eruption stopped |
Lor and I above the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
The gang descends the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
The gang descends the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
Jason and Jennifer descend the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
Kathy and David descend the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
Dan, Lísa, and Sherry descend the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
Jón and Lori descend the Eldborg I Hnappadal |
Wood crane's-bill |
Sea campion |
Snæfellsjökull, and hay? In Iceland? |
The absolutely splendid view out of our hotel room |
Our lovely room in the Hótel Búðir |
The black church above the Hótel Búðir |
The black church above the Hótel Búðir |
Sunset and the Snæfellsjökull |
The Snæfellsjökull |
Jason and Lori enjoy the bar in the Hótel Búðir |
Today we hiked across the lava fields in the Snæfellsjökull National Park. It was another clear day and we could see the Snæfellsjökull while we hiked, which is very unusual. In the morning, we walked inside a lava tube called Grashólshellir and then out to the Svörtuloft lighthouse. We saw a ptarmigan and heard its burping sound as it flew overhead. We ate lunch at the Sker Restaurant in Ólafsvík where we enjoyed a weight lifting—and carrying—competition in the street.
The Snæfellsjökull from the other side, as we drive to our hikes over the lava |
Another hiker stands on a volcano in the Snæfellsjökull National Park |
A lava tube (that we did not enter) |
Roseroot |
Jón describes the Grashólshellir, a nearby lava tube |
Sea thrift |
Jón describes the Grashólshellir to Jennifer, Lori, and Lísa, while Jason looks around |
I scrambled through that narrow opening and found that the lava tube bent up and to the left and got even more narrow |
The conversation continues as the group exits the lava tube |
The entrance to the Grashólshellir lava tube cave |
The group takes on fortifications after our tour of the Grashólshellir lava tube cave |
Heath spotted orchid |
Jón describes the forces that define this landscape |
And then, just like that, we encounter the Svörtuloft Lighthouse |
Mother of thyme |
Dan and Sherry join the others at the Svörtuloft lighthouse lookout |
The coastline at the Svörtuloft lighthouse |
The Svörtuloft lighthouse |
The Sker Restaurant in Ólafsvík |
After lunch we hiked across more lava fields to Dritvík.
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A smoke-breathing troll guards the trail through the Dritvik lava fields |
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The gang starts up an even more irregular trail on the second hike through the lava fields |
An emergency shelter by the coast |
The emergency shelter with Dan, Lori, Jón, Sherry, and David |
Empty rations |
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Rocks on the beach |
Jón describes where we've been... |
Jón and the rugged Icelandic coastline |
Jón and the rugged Icelandic coastline |
Jón and Lori and the rugged Icelandic coastline |
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Why Jón suggests that wearing leather gloves while hiking across lava fields is a good idea |
Lori leads the group across the lava fields |
After the everlasting sunset the other night, I checked the times. Sunrise is at 2:15 and sunset is at 12:35. That's why we never actually saw the sun set.
Today was a long travel day. The drive was punctuated by a brief stop at Eiríksstaðir in Búðardalur, a Viking longhouse. We got lunch nearby at Vínlandssetur.
Just before we arrived at the Sigló Hotel in Siglufjörður, we paused for a moment to enjoy a shot of Brennivin at the northernmost point of our trip, where the sunrise and sunset values in my weather app had changed to just dashes.
Lor and I get one more shot of the black church before we hit the road |
A typical glacial-cut valley along the road on the north side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula |
The Kirkjufell along the northern part of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which was made famous by the Game of Thrones |
The Kirkjufell along the northern part of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which was made famous by the Game of Thrones |
Getting gas within sight of Kirkjufell |
You have to look very, very carefully to see the stone ruins of Eiríksstaðir, the home of Erich the Red--the replica is in the background |
The turf walls of the replica |
Inside the replica of Eiríksstaðir |
Some armor and weapons of the time |
Lori demonstrates the use of the helmet, mail, and--uh--one-handed sword |
The pantry |
The replica of Eiríksstaðir |
So, what else occurs in this toilet to warrant this sign? |
A statue of Leifur Eiríksson, the founder of North America and the son of Erich the Red, who may have lived here |
The view from the Vínlandssetur restaurant in Búðardalur |
Back on the road and things are getting more snowy |
A cool shrimp mural |
A typical view as we drive along the northernmost portion of our trip |
Lori at the northernmost part of our trip |
Jón chose this moment at the northernmost part of the trip to share a bottle of Brennivín with us |
Me at the northernmost part of our trip |
There was a mirror in the elevator and seven seconds of time to pass... |
There was a mirror in the hotel's elevator and seven seconds of time to pass... |
A nice room in the Sigló Hótel in Siglufjörður |
The Sigló Hótel in Siglufjörður |
The small town of Siglufjörður |
We encountered the first rain of the trip as we hiked up to Nykurtjörn Lake through clouds and mist, which really added to the atmosphere of the frozen lake. It was quite magic. Along the way, we were followed by curious cows and horses.
After toasting our hike with prosecco, we visited the farm where we parked. We played with their dogs and puppies and chatted with the farmer.
The hot tub at the Sigló Hótel in Siglufjörður with a view of the harbor and town |
This ADU utilizes the turf roofs of Iceland 's past |
Our first view of the Þverá River |
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Eight-petal mountain-avens |
Black crowberry |
Black crowberry |
We play "find the sun" while eating lunch in a thick fog |
Jón says hello to a friendly horse |
A horse says hello |
Another horse says hello |
The horses surround Dan and David |
Dan takes a selfie of him and the horses |
The horses ask Jón if it would be OK if they joined us on the hike |
Half an hour later, the horses are still following us |
Jón and I and an ice field |
Lori and another ice field |
Our destination was the ice-covered, fog-shrouded Lake Nykurtjörn |
Jason, Jón, and Lori take in this magical moment |
The fog hides the size of Lake Nykurtjörn |
Kathy and I in the fog |
Lori descends |
Jason, Jennifer, and Lísa descend near the waterfalls |
The fog lifts ever so slightly so that we can see the snow-covered mountains on the other side of the valley |
Lori descends |
A closer look of the waterfall in the Þverá River |
Jón is a big hit with the puppies on the farm where we parked our bus |
Guess what's in this building? |
The view from our room in the Sigló Hótel |
Today is Iceland National Day to celebrate Iceland's full independence from Denmark on 1944-06-17.
We started our day's drive in the city of love, Akureyri, where the red light in the traffic signals is shaped like a heart! We then drove through a tunnel that goes by an underground 70 degree (Celsius) river that keeps the tunnel a balmy 26 degrees. We stopped briefly to get out and feel the warmth of the tunnel.
Our first stop was the Aldeyjarfoss. It's a narrow but powerful waterfall. The riverbank is lined with impressive basalt columns, plus basalt rosettes.
Next up was the more crowded Goðafoss, which was downstream on the same river, Skjálfandafljót. It's wider and has similar basalt columns lining the banks. We had lunch at the nearby Dalakofinn Restaurant.
We then hiked around the Hverfjall crater in light sprinkles. I experienced this weird anomaly where my GPS elevation gain was equal to zero even though the rim is as high as 1,380 ft. I saw other hikes on AllTrails that suffered the same consequence. We finally checked in at the Berjaya Mývatn Hotel.
The closest thing approximating a forest that we've seen |
The closest thing approximating a forest that we've seen |
Our first view of the Skjálfandafljót River that comes all the way from the Vatnajökull |
Me and Lor and the Aldeyjarfoss |
Interesting basalt columns along the river |
Lori and the Aldeyjarfoss |
Interesting basalt columns along the river |
Further downstream is the Goðafoss |
Further downstream is the Goðafoss |
Basalt columns persist down here too |
Our last peek at the Goðafoss |
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Our first view of the Hverfjall Crater, one of the largest tephra craters formed when magma encountered water resulting in a large explosion |
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Another view of the Hverfjall Crater |
Boulders ejected from the eruption of the Hverfjall Crater create a Martian-like landscape |
Lava flows below the Hverfjall Crater and Lake Mývatn beyond |
Another view of the Hverfjall Crater |
Our gang hikes along the rim of the Hverfjall Crater with views of Lake Mývatn |
Lake Mývatn from Hverfjall Crater |
Our gang hikes along the rim of the Hverfjall Crater with views of the Bjarnarflag Geothermal Power Station power plant in the distance |
This ejecta from the eruption of the Hverfjall Crater is a mix of molten lava and ash |
Mother of thyme |
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After a long day seeing many different things, we arrive at the Berjaya Mývatn Hotel |
Our room not with a view in the Berjaya Mývatn Hotel |
Today's hike emphasized more recent volcanic outflows in the Krafla region. We saw fumeroles, boiling water, steam coming out of the ground, and vast lava fields from the 1975 - 1985 eruptions. Jón showed us photos from those eruptions when he and his friends were 16 and hiked so close to the volcano that they melted their shoes—probably something parents would not approve of today.
We then soothed our souls in the Mývatn Nature Baths (Jarðböðin við Mývatn). There was a heavy rain shower while we were in the baths but since we were very hot, this was one time where a shower was welcome.
The landscape is painted by the sulfur emitted by the fumeroles. |
Cooling lava results in a ragged landscape |
Fumeroles |
The observation deck above the fumeroles and boiling lakes |
Close-up of the boiling water |
Another angle of the colored soil, boiling water, with one of the volcanoes of the Krafla volcanic region in the background |
Bill displays feats of strength |
Eh, not really |
The lava cooled in these wavy, rippled patterns |
Dan walks through a lava field that was formed when one of the volcanoes in the Krafla volcanic region erupted in the 70s |
Jón walks through the steam and reminded me of the Pink Floyd film, Live at Pompeii |
Creeping buttercup |
The Krafla volcanic system, with the volcano that erupted most recently at left and the boiling lake we visited earlier at right |
A visitor takes in the features of the Krafla volcanic system that is still very much alive |
A recent lava flow |
Iceland: a land of fire and ice |
This lava cooled into lots of boulders |
This valley was completely filled with lava |
The group descends from a ridge |
And then we hike back up to another ridge |
Rough lava in one of the fallen fragments |
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A panorama of the Leirhnjúkur lava field |
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The sulfur-rich cliffs above the trail |
Detail of the rock in this valley |
Jón and Lori take in the expansive lava field |
Meanwhile, the group takes in lunch |
The lunch spot overlooked a lava field... |
...which hid delicate little treasures like this fern |
The curves of the oozing lava are frozen forever in time |
Lori digs it |
David takes a breather |
The group begins the final descent with views of Mývatn |
Up and over! |
Common whitlowgrass |
Moments before Jón has us all lie down quietly and meditate in silence |
An ever-changing landscape |
Alpine catchfly |
Jón leads us to the bus, which has magically moved from the original parking spot |
The troops file into the Mývatn Nature Baths (Jarðböðin við Mývatn) to soothe their muscles after a good week of hiking |
The Mývatn Nature Baths (Jarðböðin við Mývatn) |
A sculpture of a man gutting a fish outside the Berjaya Mývatn Hotel |
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During our drive in the morning, we passed by long columns of cairns that were erected in the 12th century when Christianity was introduced and provided direction for the bishops who had to visit their parishes.
Our first stop was the Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Iceland, and the nearby Selfoss.
We then drove to our trailhead to Svínadalur and ate lunch on picnic benches in the rain. Fortunately, the rain stopped when we started to hike, and we had lovely weather as we hiked out to Svínadalur and then back along the Jökulsá á Fjöllum (Glacier in the Mountains) River downstream from the Dettifoss.
We saw puffins on the way to Húsavík where we checked into the Fosshotel Húsavík
Leaving Mývatn, we pass by a thermal power plant |
Cairns, erected in the 12th century when Christianity was introduced, provided direction for the bishops who had to visit their parishes |
The Dettifoss, most powerful waterfall in Iceland |
Lori and I well below the Selfoss |
The Selfoss |
A rainy lunch before a lovely hike to Svínadalur |
And, we're off! |
Lísa is happy that I noticed that she had dropped one of her layers that she was shedding as the rain withdrew |
A lush valley between two volcanic walls |
Hiking alongside a clear creek |
A gentle waterfall in the brush |
Looking up to see the intricate detail of the basalt rock and the ferns eking out an existence in small cracks |
Flowers, horsetails, and small ferns decorate a small cave |
We climb and reach a plateau |
Ruins of the Svínadalur farm |
Ruins of the Svínadalur farm |
Ruins of the Svínadalur farm |
Ruins of the Svínadalur farm |
Ruins of the Svínadalur farm |
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European golden plover |
European golden plover |
Lori above the Jökulsá á Fjöllumm |
Jón hikes through the birch trees |
Another selfie while hiking |
Interesting rock formations along the Jökulsá á Fjöllumm |
Velvetbells |
The Karl og Kerling formation along the Jökulsá á Fjöllumm |
A closer look at those red cliffs we saw earlier |
"All you need is..." |
The Karl og Kerling formation |
The Karl og Kerling formation |
We take a break under the Karl og Kerling formation by the Jökulsá á Fjöllumm |
Dwarf fireweed |
Jökulsá á Fjöllumm |
Jökulsá á Fjöllumm |
Leafy northern green orchid |
Dwarf birch |
The dwarf birch along the trail to another interesting rock formation |
After the hike and over a beer, Dan quizzes David on cartoon physics |
On the way to the hotel, we're treated to a
(distant) view of Atlantic puffins |
Atlantic puffin |
Atlantic puffin |
A remote house by the road |
Our modern quarters in the Fosshotel Húsavík |
Our modern quarters in the Fosshotel Húsavík |
We started the day with whale watching with North Sail Tours. Although it rained at the beginning, the seas were calm, the rain broke soon after we were underway, and we had a successful trip. We saw three different flukes and blows from at least five individuals.
We had lunch at a restaurant on the dock (Gamli Baukur) and celebrated Jennifer's birthday. We then drove to Akureyri, where Jón lives and they have those signals with red lights in the shape of hearts. We strolled through the Akureyri Botanical Gardens while we waited for our plane to Reykjavik, rather than sitting in the airport for two hours. There wasn't any security in the Akureyri airport and there didn't appear to be security in the Reykjavik airport either. This was very refreshing. Our prearranged driver was late but we eventually got to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel by the Kevlavik airport where we had a nice dinner with Dan, Sherry, and David at the Tokyo Sushi Courtyard before getting a good night's sleep before our flight home the next morning.
Our baggage was a bit delayed coming off of the plane in San Francisco. When I checked in on our luggage, I found that, by coincidence, Norma was working customer service in baggage claim, so I had the opportunity to thank her for her service last week. Our baggage eventually found its way.
The outside of the modern Fosshotel Húsavík with our bus in the front in the rain |
Whale watching with North Sail Tours with rain at the beginning that broke soon after we were underway and calm seas where we saw three different flukes, and blows from at least 5 individuals |
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Lunch at a restaurant on the dock (Gamli Baukur) |
Akureyri Botanical Garden |
Akureyri Botanical Garden |
Akureyri Botanical Garden |
Akureyri Botanical Garden |
Lots of love in Akureyri |
On the flight home, we flew over the foreboding, sparsely populated, massive territory of Nunavut in northern Canada |
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