Iceland: The land of fire and ice

The Reids had spotted a great deal for 4 days in Iceland, so for the second Bank Holiday in May we jetted to Reykjavik for some sightseeing. Our package included flights, hotel, transfers and a variety of excursions which really made for a low-stress holiday pretty much everything was pre-organised - a welcome change from indepenednt travelling given our big trip in Israel and Jordan just weeks before.. On reflection it was a great way to do it - particularly given our mammoth self-guided tour of Israel a couple of weeks previously - and everything was efficiently done so we were pleased we did it this way.

We arrived at about 11pm local time and it was still light – an indication of how far north Iceland really is, and how dark it must get in the winter. A great option for Northern lights if you do go in winter. Generally the trip was pretty cold even for the end of May – we were a little under-prepared but got through alright.

Day 1 – Whalewatching

A morning at leisure wandering the few streets of the small town of Hafnarfjordor then a midday pickup from the hotel to go whalewatching. A really efficient service and we were on board a pretty large boat that probably held 200 people. Out on the ocean it was pretty cold, and the boat came prepared with enough padded onesies for all.

These were well needed as outside the harbour the wind got up and sitting outside was the only option to get watching. Clearly they’d spotted a few whales in their time, and they really hone in on where the whales would surface.

We got caught in a tourist trap that evening though. Unfortunately our first choice for dinner was full, so we happened upon the Viking Restaurant. It's a really big place, and there weren’t many people in so the atmosphere was a little sparse, though they did have a wandering guitar player. Unfortunately the food wasn’t that great, and was relatively more expensive than the rest of Iceland and our honest and polite feedback was discussed forcefully. Not to worry, we didn’t need to go back (and nor should you if you ever get the chance!_.

Day 2 – Free time

No tours scheduled for today, what to do? Hire a car and explore! In the morning we heading off to the famous Blue Lagoon , an outdoor geothermal spa. As the weather had closed in and was foggy and rainy it made for an atmospheric setting. No photos inside though – here’s one from the area outside:

Continuing our tour we landed upon Viking World, a museum that covered some of the history of Iceland, with archaeological findings, but the highlight was the Viking Ship Íslendingur, a replica of ancient Viking vessels that was built in the 1990s and sailed from Iceland to the USA following the journeys of centuries ago.

After the disappointment of the previous night, we hit the jackpot with an Icelandic Tapas Restaurant in Reykjavik central. The highlight was the Icelandic Tapas menu, which included whale, local fish and puffin! A great success.

Day 3 – Golden Circle tour

Another tour from Reyjkavik excursions, this time a tour ofthe Golden Circle . Four main stopping points, the first being a strange stop to a commercial tomato growing farm where you get an explanation of how they grow tomatoes in the non-traditional climate using geo-thermal heat, followed by the chance to try some of the local produce. Next stop was a geyser field, which an array of geothermal activity, much like Rotorua, though less suplpherous. One geyser tended to erupt every 4/5 minutes, making for a chance of great shots. Our silly blog format doesn't let us post portrait-pics so turn your head for this one, a selfie at the top of a hill with the geyser erupting in the background.

After another tourist targeted lunch and gift shop it was onwards to the Gullfoss, an epic waterfall that is like Huka Falls, but way bigger and more intense. 

The final stop was the junction of American and European tectonic plates, an area undergoing constant change, and also we think a location for Game of Thrones - hence the title of this blog post.

Quite a good tour, though a lot of driving meant for frequent sleeps on the bus, and we were pretty pooped at the end of it.

Just a short walk from our hotel was a branch of AmericanStyle, good food and relatively cheap prices.

Details – we stayed at Hotel Harnarfjordor. A fairly consistent hotel, some rooms had cooking facilities, and the breakfasts were good. Heating was by way of geothermal hot water so you were always toasty when you got back from the great outdoors. Tours and transfers were supplied  by Reykjavik excursions – efficient and wi-fi on the buses. Flights by Wow air - a good solid budget airline.