Iceland Part 3: Excursions.

As I said yesterday we went on 3 excursions. The Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon and the Landmannalaugar and Saga Valley tour. These were three of the so-called "must-do" trips around southern Iceland. We enjoyed the trips and took a lot of photo's (just look at the smile on Tracy's face if you don't believe me!). I doubt any description or amount of photo's will do justice to the things we saw, but I'll have a go nonetheless!

The Golden Circle or "if you get lost in an Icelandic forest, just stand up"
You read correctly - the quote is but one of the many pearls of wisdom imparted to us by our tour guide. Our distinctly Euro-sceptic tour guide. The driver on this trip looked very happy to be there - smiling most of the time he was driving. I think he may possibly have been high!

First stop was a geothermal power station where we had a little presentation, got to walk around the visitor centre and take some pics. What I didn't realise is that this power plant also supplies most of the hot water needed in Reykjavik.

Another thing I didn't realise is that the city centre has heated pavements and heated car parks. Seriously - there are hot water pipes beneath the pavements and other key public areas to save the effort of snow ploughing. Since the hot water is supplied by nature there's no worry about having to heat the water in the first place. How cool is that?!

Anyway, off we went across the lava fields (I got the impression that anywhere that wasn't mountain/volcano, glacier or lived on was a lava field) and we eventually arrived at the Gullfoss waterfall.

Wow, it was stunning. All the water, if I remember correctly, was running off a 'nearby' glacier. Words, indeed pictures, can not do this justice. It was beautiful and I managed to take a hundred photos there alone! See Flickr and YouTube for more.

After the waterfall, we went to the Geyser Park. Home to the first geyser known to academia - Geysir. It was also home to Strokkur, who erupts every 4 to 8 minutes and it was this one we went to see.

It was just a big hole in the ground with some bubbling water in it. Then, after a long wait, a big bubble came to the surface and popped. Some people were saying "is that it?" but the pro photographers knew there was more to come.

Then, a few moments later the water level dropped rapidly and up shot the geyser. Easily 20 to 30 feet into the air!

That was my first geyser experience. I was impressed.

Landmannalaugar or "on your left is a prison for white collar crime... it's full of bankers... the bankers who ruined our economy with their greed!"
Our very cheerful driver/tour guide was kind enough to take us on a couple of rants and I mean proper rants - he must have gone on for 15 minutes. I think I was the only one actually listening with interest though :-s

The rants were about the state of Iceland's economy and it was quite clear who he blamed for it. He was in the pro-Europe camp as well so you can't say we didn't get a balance of opinion over the two trips!

Anyway, to business. First stop, random waterfall. Not as impressive as Gullfoss but nice.

Then we pressed on into the highlands and even further away from civilisation. Off-roading in a minibus! Didn't know it was possible.

We stopped by a lake in the crater of a volcano. Now that was impressive. Again, in the middle of nowhere. Little sign that we were anywhere near other people.

Then we pressed on, complete with flat tyre and huge chip in the windscreen, to the Landmannalaugar camp-site. Now this, if you like camping, is the place to go! Lots of hikers and campers use this place as a hub. Not only that - but it has its own thermal pool - what more can you ask for after a day or 4 of hiking?!

Being in the area, we went on a hike too, only for a couple of hours though. Up to and across another lava field, up the mountain and to a geothermal area. Some of the hills were streaked in different colours; reds, greens, blues and oranges. Very striking.

Then while the minibus was repaired we ate lunch and took lots of random photos. Like we need an excuse to do that though ;-)

We then made our way out of the fields of Cotton Grass, across the plains of volcanic ash to a vantage point where we could see the volcano known as Hekla (the same name as our plane if you remember from earlier in this series). Though it had been quite cloudy all day, there was enough of a break in the clouds to get a half decent photo!

So that was it. We made our way home after the volcano. Okay, so we had to stop to allow a veritable armada of horses to pass. But after that, oh and removing the brick stuck between the rear tyres (using an ingenious method), we were merrily on our way.

I think you could safely say we got our money's worth! It was planned to be a 12 hour day but ended up at just over 13 hours! The driver was kind and stopped off at a service station when we were nearly back in Reykjavik so we could pick up some food for an evening meal.

The Blue Lagoon or "shit fucking holy christ"
Ah, this beautiful specimen of Anglo-Saxon came out of the mouth of a man whom I don't think was British. The accent seemed German or similar. The outburst, though really quite offensive to anyone of a Christian disposition, was almost justified.

You see, the blue lagoon (and I mean the lagoon itself) is outdoors. Okay, so that's no big revelation but picture this...

You're in the lagoon. You've been in there some time. Salty, opaque, slightly blue water surrounds you at an ambient temperature of between 30 and 38 degrees Celsius (that's 86 to 100 Fahrenheit for you old skoolers). It's a pleasurable experience. The water isn't that deep so you're crouching to neck level in the warm soothing blanket that is the water.

Above you it's started raining. The air temperature is around the 14 degrees Celsius mark (57 Fahrenheit) but with your body immersed in the lagoon and your head so close to the warm water, the rain is merely a refreshing spray on your face.

Then you need to go into the main building. Perhaps you want something to eat, need the toilet or are going for a massage. Maybe you just want to get something from your locker?

So you make your way to the exit of the pool - some steps at one end of the lagoon.

You stand up to go up the steps.

Most of your body is now out of the water and, crucially, above that layer of warm air hugging the surface. The cold air and the colder rain assaults your warm flesh and you look up to see that the door into the main building is still another 7 metres (21 feet) away.

You climb the stairs and start making your way along the path to the door. You feel the cold air against your skin and for the first time notice that it's really quite windy. The wind in Iceland is chilly at the best of times.

So you make your way along the path, trying to tread quickly but carefully so as not to slip, gusts of icy wind blow cold raindrops onto your already shivering form. That door isn't getting closer fast enough and it seems to be taking ages to get there.

And then you see someone about to come out of the building and there's only the one door. What do you do? Do you throw open the heavy and slow moving door and thrust yourself into the warm interior or do you stand and wait for the others to come out?

The swearing guy in this story had to wait in the wind and the rain. As he almost forced his way through the door, that is when he made his little outburst. So you see - justifiable. Well, aside from the blasphemy.

I should probably talk a little about the lagoon. We enjoyed our visit and we spent 3 or so hours bathing there. We didn't take advantage of the other stuffs such as steam rooms, massages etc. but were content and very chilled out never-the-less.

Not sure on why we had to shower before going in the lagoon though. That remains a bit of a mystery and if anyone would like to explain, then please do so.

I thought it was a good idea for the tour operators to offer people the option of stopping at the blue lagoon on the way between Keflavik (airport) and Reykjavik. After a long journey I can imagine that the lagoon and a massage would be most welcome! We didn't do this though.

~ In Conclusion ~

We had a great holiday to Iceland and really enjoyed exploring the country and seeing the dramatic scenery first hand. I think we'll definitely be going there again. I'd be happy to return to Reykjavik but I'd also like to visit the north of the country. Which would mean getting to Akureyri but that's not that big a problem. Well, not in the summer!

Thanks for reading this account of our holiday and I hope it has been interesting and possibly even helpful. So until the next post, take care all :-D

Iceland Part 2: Hotel and the Journey.

We stayed at Hotel Frón which is in the centre of Reykjavik on the main shopping street, Laugavegur. It was excellently located for everything we wanted to do (excursions, food, visiting attractions etc.) and I would recommend it.

It wasn't perfect - the breakfast area used the hotel restaurant which wasn't big enough for all the hotel guests to use at once so breakfast times tended to get a bit crowded. We managed to get a seat every day but on a couple of occasions we did have to wait a while. In fact, on one occasion we were sat with a random French family.

The hotel restaurant was a Mexican restaurant and served good, traditional Mexican food. Though we only ate there once it was always our backup if we couldn't find a place to eat elsewhere and we could have happily ate there more.

Most (if not all) the fittings in the hotel room were from Ikea. I suppose that, in a Scandinavian country it is to be expected! It was the same In Denmark if I remember correctly.

The room was decent. It was okay for sleeping in but you couldn't otherwise relax in there. We had twin beds instead of a double which was a slight nuisance and only one pillow each - though I'm sure if we had asked we would've been given more.

The staff at the hotel were friendly and spoke good English. In fact, that could be said of most of the Icelanders we met. At a lot of hotels in the city you could book excursions from multiple tour operators and, depending on hotel and operator, you got picked up and dropped off at the hotel.

You could also book excursions from the many tourist information centres dotted around the centre but for the sake of simplicity we stuck to the one company - Reykjavik Excursions (RE). I think they were the biggest of the operators and provided the largest language selection for their tours. Though cheaper options existed.

We were pleased with the tours we went on with RE. We went on the customary Golden Circle tour, Landmannalaugar and Saga Valley tour, a trip to the Blue Lagoon and used their Flybus service to and from the airport.

We had planned on going on the Super Jeep tour which would have taken us (as close as was safe) to the latest volcanic action to witness the "devastating" and "ferocious" after-effects first hand. Sadly this got cancelled due to bad weather. Apparently, and I may have mis-overheard someone, you could still hear/feel the glacier settling back after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.

More on the excursions tomorrow though, right now I want to focus on the journey to and from Iceland and our accommodation.

As I mentioned above, we used the Flybus service (a coach provided by RE) to get between our hotel and the airport. Some people took a taxi, some used other coaches, some rented a car. Either way, if you're flying to Iceland from abroad then you are going to need a way of getting from the international airport in Keflavík to Reykjavik. It's a 40 minute journey by road, when the weather's good!

Keflavík airport was very nice actually. Easy to navigate, not overcrowded. The opposite of Heathrow then - but I suppose this is another thing you have to expect!

We flew with Icelandair who provided us a decent Boeing 757-200 (with Rolls Royce engines) called Hekla. Hekla being one of the most famous volcanoes in Iceland. Coincidentally, we had the exact same plane on the flight back to London as well! I don't think you can say that very often.

Even though we were the lowest of the low (i.e. in economy class) we still got treated okay. We got a complimentary can of pop and if you had your own headphones then you could take advantage of the in-flight entertainment system (a touch screen TV embedded in the backs of the chairs) that provided films, TV shows, music and more. The prices of food (and headphones) weren't that expensive and the food was almost nice!

We used the self-service check-in machine at Keflavík, which was a novel experience. So instead of queuing we just checked in, printed off and attached our luggage tags and boarding card, then went to the queue-free baggage drop desk to have our luggage taken to the plane and that was it! It felt so quick and simple.

Both times I had to go through Security I got angry at the invasion of my civil liberties but at least I didn't have to go through the body scanner thing at Heathrow. You know, that thing that strips you naked so's the security people can check to see whether you're secreting a weapon. Sorry, not a 'traditional' weapon, one of the things that has already been used as a weapon and so a knee-jerk response had been made to ban all items like that.

Sorry, but overly-zealous misdirected airport security really hacks me off and I could rant for hours on how annoyed it makes me but I shall spare you that displeasure and move swiftly on to the journey home.

I decided that we would break up the journey home so as we were only travelling at a 'civilised' time of day. That meant we had an overnight stay in a hotel near Heathrow. Specifically Travelodge Terminal 5 and I would like to say a few things about it.

Firstly we had to get from terminal 1 to terminal 5. There was a free train - the Heathrow Express. It was nice. It looked like a lot of money had been spent on the London to Heathrow link and on terminal 5 itself.

A quick bus ride out to the hotel and then we had self-service check-in. A woman was on hand to help anyone unfamiliar with the technology and if she saw you pausing (if only to read what was on the screen) she would start telling you to "just press next".

Room was nice though. Breakfast was a little disappointing. Plenty of food, and a cooked breakfast after a week of bread and meat was nice but it wasn't good quality food. Filled a hole but nothing special.

And that was it, we were home. On the bus from the coach station (oh yes, we got the coach between Birmingham and Heathrow) back to home I got a bit down. Parts of Brum can only be described as a shit hole - and even then that's just me being polite. But once I got back and had my own creature comforts around me I was happy again after a fantastic holiday.

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So that's the end of part 2. All that's left to share is the excursions we went on so come back tomorrow for the final instalment!

Iceland.
In a previous post I talked about the trip to Iceland we had planned. Well, thankfully, Katla didn't erupt and we have been to Iceland and have now safely returned. This past week I've been busy sorting out the 600 or so photo's and the video's for presenting to your good selves.

We've decided to create a photo-book (a good idea from Sharon that I've shamelessly copied) but it's taken a lot longer than expected to create. It's more or less finished now (just awaiting finishing touches) so I'm free to write this blog entry and update Flickr, Facebook and YouTube.

Why do I give myself so much to do?!

To minimise the amount of writing that you, my long suffering reader, has to wade through, I have decided to serialise the report and release the entries on a daily basis.

Part 1: Iceland and Reykjavik

We expected it to be cold but prepared for all weathers. This meant stealing some proper suitcases from my parents [thanks guys] and buying some more clothes. We really weren't sure what sort of clothes were required and I wish to state (because I couldn't find it written down anywhere else) that you won't look out of place wearing denim jeans. If it rains, you'll feel bloody uncomfortable but you won't be the only one.

For the longer excursions I wore hiking trousers. They were expensive but they were comfortable, kept the wind out and they dried quickly so I reckon they were worth it.

It was warm in the sunshine but if you got yourself in front of the unobstructed wind or if the sun went in the temperature dropped rapidly. So I nearly always wore a coat when out and about. I also kept a spare pair of socks with me and some extra layers to wear if I got cold.

Reykjavik itself seemed to cater very well for tourists as long as you were in the city centre - which is where most of the restaurants and bars were. Worthy of note is that most of the shops and attractions don't open until between 10am and 11am. There'll be cafe's, tourist information shops and hairdressers open but not a right lot else. So unless you're going on an excursion you don't need to be getting up at silly o'clock.

In total we spent 3 days wandering around the city centre visiting various museums, galleries and parks/gardens. We found getting around quite easy even with a pretty low resolution map from some tourist booklet.

The sightseeing highlights for me were the National Museum, the Settlement Museum and the Hallgrímskirkja. We ate well in Reykjavik even if it was a little on the expensive side. All these places, and more, are detailed below:

The National Museum

The main exhibition at the museum was the history of Iceland from the time of settlement to the present day and was spread over two large floors. There were other exhibitions but we didn't have enough time to look at everything in the settlement exhibition, let alone the rest of the building! Entry is free on Wednesdays but if you want a proper look round you'll need more than one day.

The layout of the settlement exhibition got quite confusing at times - even with a map that showed the order you were supposed to view the exhibits! But apart from the wondering around like a lost chicken, it was a very informative and interesting day.

The Settlement Museum

This museum dealt specifically with the settlement of Reykjavik. The main feature was an excavated (and preserved) long house. Next to the long house though, were the remains of a wall which dated to around 871AD - making it the earliest known evidence of human settlement in Iceland.

There was some clever interactivity in the museum and being able to get right next to the long house was great. Well worth a visit but will only take a couple of hours to get through.

Hallgrímskirkja

The parish church of Reykjavik, on top of a hill and so visible across the city, was interesting in an architectural sort of way. It has a fairly original style and made for some good photo's. You could also go up to the top of the tower to see unobstructed views across the city.

There is a lift up to the top of the tower and the owners had changed the sign stating the lift capacity was 8 people to 6 people. Some Canadians next to us commented that that must mean the lift would manage 8 normal people or 6 Americans!

The Culture House
We also visited the Culture House which had an exhibition of medieval manuscripts. It was interesting enough, but I wouldn't go out of your way to visit it if you get what I mean.

Food

Well, there was no shortage of restaurants around our hotel. Some looked a bit scabby and some looked really fancy. We stuck to the middle ground (being adorned in merely smart casual clothage) but still had some fantastic food. It can get a bit pricey over there so a good tip is to go to a supermarket outside the city centre to stock up on lunches - especially if going on all day excursions.

I would now like to present my top 3 restaurants. If, when you go, it is anywhere near as good as when we went then you won't be disappointed!

1. Thai Reykjavik
   Fantastic meal, not too expensive either. Excellent service and decent beer! You have to go to this place, seriously!
   Located on Lækjargata, closer to the lake than to the harbour. Map
   
2. Geysir Bistro and Bar
   We had lunch here and the food was gorgeous. Again excellent service and a reasonable price. Well worth a visit if you're down by the art gallery. Location map is on their website (the green dot).
   
3. Rossopomodoro
   An Italian restaurant where we got forgotten about so I wouldn't say the service was good and it was the most expensive meal we had. That said, the food was very nice and largely made up for the negatives. Map.
   

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That's it for part 1, come back tomorrow for part 2!