– John Steinbeck
August 30, 2017 After arriving in Reykjavik the night before, the next morning we enjoyed a scenic drive to the hotel in Borgarnes, a small town on the shores of Borgarfjörður. The afternoon was the first taste of Iceland’s raw beauty with an excursion to Deildartunguhver, the site of the country’s largest thermal spring and to Hraunfossar..
August 31, 2017 Today the we encountered the stupendous scenery of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. First a visit to the charming Buðir Black Church, it is one of 3 black churches in Iceland. They are black because the exterior wood is painted with pitch, just like the hull of a boat. This is to protect it from the..
September 1, 2017 Leaving Borgarnes in the morning we traveled towards the northeast countryside across highlands, dales, and fjords and saw varying landscapes ranging from cattle farms to lava fields, to the volcanic region surrounding Lake Mývatn. We make a few stops along the way, first to Grábrók Crater. Grábrók is a crater formed by a..
September 2, 2017 This morning we drove to the picturesque fishing and whale watching village of Húsavík for the morning excursion of whale watching. The afternoon excursion was to Jökulsárgljúfur National Park where we enjoyed a walk around Hljóðaklettar, the labyrinth of “echoing rocks”, created by the spiral basalt formations of arches and canyons around here…
September 3, 2017 Today was the beautiful Lake Mývatn, one of the world’s natural wonders. Lake Mývatn and its environs of bubbling mud flats, lava fields, and lunar-like volcanic craters comprise a national nature reserve that ranks among the most beautiful sights in a country, overflowing with natural beauty. The explorations here begin with a stop at Goðafoss,..
September 4, 2017 After a short flight to Reykjavik from Akureyri, we board a coach headed to Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park. Revered for its historical importance – this is where Iceland’s Althing or national assembly, met in open air sessions from 930CE to 1798 – Þingvellir (Thingvellir) sits on an active volcano site at the spot where the..
September 5, 2017 First stop today was the Eyjafjallajökull visitor center to learn more about this infamous caldera of a volcano that erupted last in 2010, causing major disruption to the surrounding airspace. We then traveled to Skógar to visit the country museum, where we learned about early life in Iceland, viewed the folk crafts, and..
September 6, 2017 Traveling back to Reykjavik this morning we passed through “saga” country, the setting of one of the country’s most famous medieval stories – Njáls saga. Upon arrival in to Iceland’s capital we we stopped at Orka náttúrunnar, a geothermal energy plant. Then enjoyed a lunch of traditional lobster soup at a local restaurant..
September 7, 2017 Today was a leisure day and final day of the tour, we were free to explore and enjoy Reykjavik. It is a sophisticated European center with museums and galleries; a theater, symphony and dance; boutiques and restaurants. Today also included a visit to The Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal spa which offers..