We had a really smooth sailing 2 days at sea sailing from Norway to Iceland. We continued with our bridge lessons, played all the versions of trivial pursuit, and saw a couple of shows. Life on board is absolute luxury. Superb food, and incredible service from the crew. Being an adults only cruise has been a win too.
Our first port of call in Iceland was Akureyri. It is on the norther part of the island and is the 5th largest town in Iceland. It was settled by the vikings in the 9th century. The weather was a bit bleak when we docked but we were actually quite lucky in the end. It drizzled a bit on and off all day, but nothing the drimacs couldn’t deal with.
We had booked to do the Natural history bus tour and our departure time was 9am. We travelled across the fjord, along the slopes of Vadlaheidi Mountain, through the Fnjoskadalur Valley and alongside Vaglaskogur Forest – one of Iceland’s rare woodlands. Then we went to Goðafoss, a stunning 12-metre-high waterfall We got seriously wet from the sprays from the water – the power of nature in the cascading river. Back on the bus to see the Laufás Folk Museum. Housed in a traditional 19th-century farmhouse of stone and turf, the museum has a selection of household and agricultural implements once used by the farmers. The peat covered roofs are fascinating From there our final stop was the Akureyri Botanical Garden. Unfortunately time was short and the weather was bad.
The next day we sailed into Isafjador- which means fjord of ice. It is in the north western part of Iceland and was inhabited also in the 9th century and now has a population of 2500. This was the only time that we had tender transfers to shore. Here we were met by Jon our guide for a semi private tour . The company is called Iceland Backcountry Travel, owned by Gudmundur Valdimarsson. There were only 6 of us in a huge Ford Escape 4×4. Jon had a little ladder for us to get in and out of the car with. He is the most chivalrous, funny and caring guide ever. A brilliant driver with superb knowledge and he took us off the main roads, down mountain passes, to places many don’t t get to see. I think I may have a crush on Jon. What a fantastic day out. More waterfalls including the majestic Dynjandi waterfall. churches, folk museums, glaciers, lava mountains and so much knowledge shared.
Later that night we set sail for Reykjavik. By now we were thoroughly impressed by the splendor of nature and the friendliness of the people of Iceland. It is just amazing how clean the air is. All power comes from geothermal energy, all the towns are heated by underground hot water, natural steam is used to create electricity in abundance. There are over 100 earthquakes a day in Iceland – which we were told is critical to keep the lava flowing and the water heated.
We docked in Reykjavik for a 2 night stay and were met by Trausti our private guide for the day, and we did a golden circle tour from Reykjavik .Our first destination was Thingvelar, where the oldest parliament in the world was founded in 930 AD, and one of two sites on Earth where you cam see the effects of two major tectonic plates drifting apart. The other site being the Great Rift valley of Eastern Africa. We walked in the actual fault Almannagja which marks the eastern boundary of the North American plate. From there we saw the beautiful waterfall Oxararfoss. Thingvellir National Park and the waterfall Oxararfoss have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Next we drove on to the Haukadalur valley where we we saw the world famous geothermal area where the geyser Strokkur erupts every few minutes. The usual height of the water eruption is 15-20 meters, but it can sometimes reach a height of around 40m. After our lunch, where Trausti and I shared a tomato and ricotto cheese sandwich, our next stop was the waterfall Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most spectacular waterfalls. The flow of water in this massive river Hvitá is on average 140m³/s in the summer, but around 80m³/s in the winter so you really feel the tremendous power of the waterfall when standing close to it. Even in the winter. On our way back to Reykjavik we stopped briefly at a geothermal power station and then onto a museum that displayed the effects of the last major earthquake. Once agaun a superb driver, funny and knowledgeable and a chivalrous guide,
Our last day in Iceland, we did the hop on hop off bus tour in Reykjavik and a little bit of retail therapy in the pedestrian shopping areas. Then we set sail for Dublin Ireland. Another 2 days at sea, where we carried on with our bridge classes, playing general knowledge games and just enjoying the boat and the food.
We had just the one day in Dublin, so again on the hop on hop off bus.. we did a stop at the Goal, the 2 cathedrals and in the heart of the city. Then back to the boat foe our last night.
We docked in Southampton on Saturday morning and our disembark was seamless. Our uber dropped us off at the airport to collect my £1 rental car from Hertz. We drove straight to London and checked into the beautiful new Hilton Garden Inn at Terminal 2, it has been open for a month. It links directly into the terminal and is so convenient.
We popped into London for the afternoon, but it was so crowded and felt so dirty, that we only saw Piccadilly Circus and then just headed back to the hotel for some R&R, cant believe that 6 weeks have flown by so quickly…land now we are homeward bound.
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