On our second day in Iceland I had planned the morning off since we had been traveling for over 36 hours and were supposed to have stayed up into the wee hours of the night before to search for the Northern Lights.  Due to cloudiness the search was called off so we were up and raring to go the next morning.

Sug was staying about 2 blocks away from us in a guesthouse so we strolled by her digs then continued on down the street to Le Kock restaurant and bakery where we had coffee and donuts.  (They also offer a full  Icelandic breakfast buffet.)

After breakfast we headed to downtown Reykjavik and walked around until we were hungry — again.  There are lots of small coffee shops with good food and WiFi but I had selected Kaffi Brennslan for our next meal.  We were not disappointed.

We needed to eat an early lunch because I had planned a Lava Tour at 2 p.m. — on horseback!

Charlie and I have ridden mules at the Grand Canyon, horses in Cuba, and like to plan similar excursions when possible.  Sug, however, had not been on a horse since a carnival pony ride when she was young.

The 2-hour Lava Tour at Ishestar stables was perfect for the three of us. Though small in stature and pudgy, these are NOT ponies. There is only one type of horse in Iceland which has been native for over 1,000 years and is perfectly suited to the climate.  There are no wild horses — all are owned by someone.

We arrived and were shown a short video of what to expect when we met the horses.  Then we geared up with hardhats.  Ishestar also supplied waterproof suits and boots if needed.  The 3 of us had arrived prepared with waterproof trousers and raincoats.

The horses were already tacked when we went to saddle up.  The group was divided into beginners and more experienced riders and assigned a horse accordingly.

About a half hour into the 2-hour ride beginners went one way and advanced riders went another.  Charlie and I were in the advanced group where we experienced the trot of an Icelandic horse.  A rider does not post at the trot in Iceland, just maintains an easy bounce with the horse.

We discovered a part of Iceland that can only be seen on horseback.  We were also graced with a rainbow but that is not an unusual sight in this enigmatic country.

Iceland:

• Traveling to Iceland
• A Viking Breakfast
• Lagooning in Iceland
• Settling in in Reykjavik
• My Lopapeysa

Jo

After arriving in Iceland‘s Keflavik Airport, having breakfast at the Viking World museum, and relaxing at the Blue Lagoon, we headed for Reykjavik in our rental car.  We had only been in Iceland for about 6 hours.

I used the app maps.me on my iPhone to direct us around the island nation.  (Local maps must be downloaded prior to use but the app relies on GPS and not cellular hookup nor wi-fi for connection.)  We easily found the street where our AirBnB accommodations were located and parked (for free) on the street in this residential neighborhood.

Our apartment wouldn’t be ready for a few more hours so we walked to the downtown area to get our bearings and to visit the Handknitting Association of Iceland.  I wanted to buy an authentic sweater that I could wear all week, especially on our planned evening excursions to hunt the Northern Lights.

The easiest landmark to recognize and see is the Hallgrímskirkja church located centrally in Reykjavik at the top end of a rainbow painted street.

On the way way to the sweater shop we stopped at Mokka Kaffi for a coffee break. (We’re still in our first day in Iceland and hadn’t eaten since the Viking breakfast at 8 a.m.)  We took in a few souvenir shops just to see what was on offer.

On the way back to our accommodations we stopped at a recommended restaurant Islenski Barinn which turned out to be our favorite place by the end of our stay.

We walked back to where our car was parked and checked in, then we drove Sug to her place where she also checked in.  We planned to rest until 8:30 p.m. when our excursion booked with Tröll Expeditions to hunt the Aurora was scheduled.  (Unfortunately they canceled us due to cloudy weather that night and informed us they would have no more tours during our stay.)

Next stop: Íshestar Lava Tour

Iceland:

• Traveling to Iceland
• A Viking Breakfast
• Lagooning in Iceland

After having a splendid Islandic breakfast at Viking World (which we finished around 9 a.m.) we headed to the Blue Lagoon geothermal seawater spa 20 minutes away by car.

Our reservations were for 9 a.m. but we arrived at almost 9:30 a.m. (Don’t forget, we’ve been traveling without sleep since the morning before when we left Baltimore in the US.)  We were admitted with no problem.

We were greeted at the desk and given wristbands which gave us entry into the locker rooms, the lockers, and the lagoon .

Sug and I headed to the ladies locker room while Charlie went through the gents.  We all had to take a nude shower in private stalls before suiting up and entering the lagoon. (Sorry, no photos allowed in the locker rooms.)  I slathered conditioner provided by the lagoon onto my dry hair which I also pinned up to keep from absorbing the minerals in the water.

Our wristbands also gave us access to a drink of our choosing from the swim-up bar and a silica facial mask.  I had a carrot-apple-ginger drink which was delicious.  Charlie and Sug both had kale/mango green drinks.  Sweeter than mine but also very good.

We spent a good 2 hours exploring the pleasantly warm waters of the lagoon which was paved on the bottom.  The waterfall was hot.

Upon exiting the lagoon we picked up towels provided and went again to our respective locker rooms to shower, shampoo, and dress.  On the way out our wristbands were scanned a final time to check if we had made any additional purchases (which we had not).

Next stop: Lunch and AirBnB in Reykjavik.

Iceland:

• Traveling to Iceland
• A Viking Breakfast

Jo

After leaving the Keflavik Airport in our rental car, Charlie drove us about 10 minutes to Viking World, a museum which offers an early morning (7:30 until 9:30) breakfast in their café.

I had made reservations via email for the 3 of us —  Sug, Charlie, and me — before we left home .

We were delighted with the extensive buffet menu.

Even more exotic was our seating under the Viking ship.

The view through the picture window was stunning.

When we had had enough to eat we packed back into our car.

Next stop:  The Blue Lagoon .

Iceland Posts:

Traveling to Iceland

Jo

Our journey to Iceland started many, many months ago since the trip was actually scheduled for last fall but was canceled due to COVID travel bans.

I did lots of research to decide when exactly to go.  I chose the dark of the moon in October so we could have the best opportunity to see the elusive Aurora Borealis.

Originally I scheduled our flights from Baltimore to Reykjavik on Iceland Air with a stopover in Boston.  When I checked our flights to add Sug to the reservation I was informed the flight from Baltimore to Boston had been canceled and now we would have to fly from Baltimore to Seattle to Boston then on to Iceland.

That sounded crazy to me so I truncated our Iceland Air tickets round trip from Boston to Reykjavik and purchased Southwest Airline tickets from Baltimore to Boston.  Unfortunately SW has canceled flights and changed our tickets 3 times which I then needed to rechange in order to  align with our Iceland tickets.

We left Sug’s car at BWI airport and took an early afternoon flight to Boston.  We were in the Logan Airport in Boston for about 6 hours before our Iceland flight was scheduled to leave but we went immediately to the international terminal so we could present our documents in order to get a boarding pass.

We had with us:

• passports,
• Global Entry cards,
• drivers’ licenses,
• negative COVID tests taken within 72 hours,
• barcode for entry to Iceland.

We only needed our passports and COVID test results. We had been masked since we entered the airport in Baltimore.

Our flight to Iceland departed around 9 p.m. and put us at Keflavik Airport a little after 6 a.m. the next morning (2 a.m. EST).

Upon arrival we went through border control then customs where we had to show our passports, proof of vaccination, recent COVID tests, and a bar code from the application for entry into Iceland.

The 3 of us headed to the EuropCar desk where we were upgraded from an economy car to a compact.   We were sent  out to the parking lot to pick up the automatic hybrid Kia which Charlie and  Sug (our car rental expert) examined and filmed prior to driving away.

Next stop:  Breakfast at Viking World.

Jo

Next month Charlie, Sug, and I are heading to Iceland.

In addition to getting our paperwork in order, reserving tours and activities, and planning COVID testing, we’re gathering clothing that will be appropriate for Iceland.

I ordered each of us a pair of waterproof pants.  I’ve heard it’s wet in Iceland. (We already have hooded raincoats.)

Because I haven’t hiked for quite a while, I ordered myself a pair of waterproof hiking boots by Sorel in a color that co-ordinates with not only my new waterproof pants but also my ski bibs (which I haven’t worn for decades).

I know we’ll want to keep warm and dry especially on our night excursions to (hopefully) catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

I’m also packing a bathing suit and microfiber beach towel for our foray into the Blue Lagoon and maybe other geothermal pools.

I have included in my gear long sleeve t-shirts, thermal underwear, socks and hats I made for the 3 of us.

I’m hoping to purchase a traditional lopapeysa at the beginning of our visit to keep me ultra warm.

The three of us are really looking forward to this long-awaited adventure.

Jo