Iceland - ísland (June 2014) - Part 7

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June 21, 2014

Saturday morning and I only had to return my rental car until 5pm, so instead of hanging out in the capital I decided to visit the Reykjanes peninsula just South West of Reykjavik.

Simple drive along routes 41, 42, 427 and 425, and although it is worth exploring if you have time, I did not find it as impressive as everything else I saw in the last couple of days.

Fun drive thru route 42, where again you will find some great mountains with those yellow, brown and green colours I'm so used in seeing now.  Right in the middle of the peninsula you will come across the Kleifarvatn lake, the largest in the region and since the earthquake of 2000 it has lost 20% of its size.  Very dark water and please make sure not to go crazy trying to drive your small rental into no no areas, you might get stuck.

No longer after the lake you will find the Seltun geothermal area with its powerful sulphur smell and colours.  Small area but worth to stop and see it because probably you don’t have anything similar back home.

Then you will notice as soon as the cars leave this area they stop by another lake not far away, this is the Grænavatn lake with its turquoise waters, which I’m sure would look super cool if it was sunny.

At the end of route 42 you will find the Krysuvikurkirja church - why do they use so many consonants? - My map was telling me it had burned down in 2010 so I decided just keep going on route 427 towards Grindavik and then finally to Reykjanesta cape, this is the furthest you will go in this peninsula, and the lighthouse will meet your expectations, so will the cliffs full of assassin birds.

There is a major power plant in the area, you will see columns of smoke coming out them.  Driving to this point was kind of confusing in the sense for a while I thought I was driving to the wrong place, but pretty much it would be hard to get lost because there are not that many roads but the ones you see in the map.  I thought about taking route 45 to see the other tip of the peninsula but I was running out of time to return my rental so I decided to drive back to the capital.

My next adventure was exactly the return of my rental, this is when I would have to explain to Hertz about my little incident with their car.  Pretty much it was very straight forward, I explained what happened, they told me the CDW did not cover the damages, which I already knew, and they charged my AMEX for the value of the bumper replacement (around CDN 1500.00).  Then the cutie that had helped me when I picked up the car drove me back to my guesthouse.  This is very important guys, before leaving to Iceland I called my credit card company and told them I was not allowed to decline the CDW from the rental company, and in order for the AMEX coverage to kick in I must decline any type of insurance.  Due the fact this was not possible AMEX told me to make sure to write on the rental contract I was not allowed to decline the insurance and in case something happened AMEX would take care of everything. Love this credit card because they even covered the ash, gravel and alien abduction.  When I returned to Montreal I filed my claim and within a week I received a cheque for the same value Hertz Iceland had charged for the bumper replacement in their Yaris.

I still had 3 days left in town and I wanted to finish in style, so I upgrade to the Hotel Leifur Eiriksson located right next to the cathedral.  Listen, it was only 3 blocks away from my previous guesthouse, room size was probably the same, more expensive but I was happy with it.

According to everyone I talked to night life in Reykjavik happens on Friday and Saturday night.  Friday I was too tired to go out, but today I was ready to find out what happens in the city where the sun almost never goes down in the Summer, and remember, this would be one of the longest days of the year.  

First because the World Cup was still on and I still haven’t seen Brazil play at all, I hit one of the pubs in town where I joined lots of other soccer fans to watch the games.  I met a lot of people this way, and all the pubs had giant screens, happy hours, anyway sometimes it was hard to find a seat to have a drink and watch the game, but you always found a way.

Later on I ended up at the Club Kiki (on Laugavegur 22), called the queerest corner in town.  The club is actually located on the 2nd and 3rd floor, the last been more like a mini lounge area. Initially I wasn't sure about the music, kind of lounge vibe, people seating all over the place and windows covered by very thick curtains. Remember, this is Summer and literally it never gets really dark, thus the curtains. Met several people at this place, a mix of foreigners and locals, and the sad disco ball in front of the minuscule deejay booth progressively became happier as time and music keep moving.  Talk about a warm up set not only by the deejay but also buy the location.

By the time the music was at full swing, the dance floor was packed with people dancing and the chairs/tables had pretty much disappeared. No regrets in going out, Icelanders are party crazy people and I ended up in another party with some locals and Brits. What a great welcome to the Summer 2014.


 June 22 and 23, 2014

Pretty much my life was to explore everything about the city, I walked a lot, visited some museums, watched more World Cup games in different pubs, and I also did a 3 hours long whale watching tour.  Iceland Tours had included an open voucher with “Life of Whales”.

Definitely recommend the whale watching tour, if the weather allow of course.  We had the funniest viking guide tour, and yes we got to see several whales, not the big blue whale but whales nevertheless.

Ate good, expensive and cheap food, it depends on what you feel like having at the moment.  Walked in different areas of the city, including the water front where the Höfði house is located, this is where in 1986 the Reykjavik meeting occurred between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the beginning of the end.

There are many parks, hidden gardens, expensive shopping - actually whom am I kidding, everything is expensive in this country, but worth it.  Historic sites, landmarks, harbor, statues, mini lakes.  Do not forget to climb to the top of the cathedral, and have a bite to eat from the food vendor on the park Leifur Eiriksson, try the fish and chips, visit the Perlan and there are many other things to do.

June 24, 2014

My last day in Iceland and it was raining cats and dogs.  The plan was to spend some time at the Blue Lagoon, before leaving to the airport to catch my 6:40pm Icelandair flight to Halifax, then catch my flight to Montreal.

The hotel arranged my pick up with the bus company and they almost forgot about me.  Fortunately there are always little buses picking up tourists in all the hotels and to the terminal I went. I arrived just on time to buy my bus ticket, the Blue Lagoon entrance and take off again.  Just buy the ticket beforehand otherwise you will have to line up to get it.

The Blue Lagoon is located 40 minutes drive from the capital and 20 minutes from the airport. The closer you get to the place the more it feels as if you were arriving to the moon.  Then you start noticing the blue water, the colour due to the  silicate minerals.

Listen, yes it is a tourist trap, and there are many other geothermal spas in the country, and yes it is expensive to get in.  Nevertheless it is something you have to see, specially if you have time before your flight back home.  I guess my suggestion is depending what time your flight out is you should leave this visit to the end of your trip.  The spa is well taken care, with several showers, lockers, main restaurant, and lots of people.  It was raining, windy and cold when I was there but it doesn't matter because the water temperature is between 37 and 39 °C.  Met different travelers while on the pool, some had just arrived to the country and other were leaving that day like myself.

One thing I forgot to do was to pay attention on the bus schedule, and I had to wait a big too long for the bus to pick me up to the airport.  I almost called a taxi but at the end everything worked out and I made it to airport with plenty of time.

Guys, this was an unforgettable trip and I cannot believe I didn't think in visiting this place many moons ago. Although the place is expensive (Canadian standards) I encourage you to go and spend at least 10 days traveling around.  The majority of Icelanders speak English, just make sure to learn a couple of words here and there.  Make sure to respect the environment, don’t drive or walk where you are not allowed, don’t get a speeding ticket like myself, they are not cheap either.   Be prepared for the weather and enjoy what this beautiful island has to offer. The vikings conquered forcefully different lands, but now they are easily conquering our hearts with their beautiful land and people hospitality.

The end, or until I sell one of my kidneys so I can visit the rest of the country.

Iceland - ísland (June 2014) - Part 6

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June 20, 2014

Today my final destination was going to be Reykjavik at the end of the day, with some small pit stops along the way, at least this is what I thought.  My tour guide information was telling me I would drive through Selfoss and Hveragerði all the way to the big city, or stop by the Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Left my Eystri Sólheimar accommodations early in the morning and I told myself if I saw the entrance to the C-47 Dakota airplane I would stop but I didn’t.  The weather was just beautiful and just leaving the area was breathtaking.  On my way back saw several now familiar places, Skógafoss been the most spectacular of all, but there was something bugging me.  According my map there was a waterfall that I kind of missed when I went to Seljalandsfoss, I also had decided I was going to try to go to the archipelago of Vestmannaeyjar, and the exit was right near Seljalandsfoss anyway.   After spending around 10 minutes looking for the waterfall I realized that I had already seen everything, and I did notice on my way in this girl asking for a ride. On my way out I stopped and told her I was driving to Westman Islands, to try to catch the ferry.

She decided to come along and this is how ladies and gentlemen I picked up my second hitchhiker in Iceland. An Austrian alternative earthy folk singer that was in town for the Midnight Sun Music Festival happening on June 20-22.  Yes, I totally forgot I was going to be in Reykjavik for the longest day of the year.  I guess I was supposed to picked up this girl in order to find out about this festival right? The problem was that because I spent 10 minutes in this mini detour we arrived 10 minutes too late to catch the ferry to Westman Islands.  The next one was only departing 3 hours later.  i should had checked the timetable, but you know what this is my vacation and who cares right?  The weather was just horrible, you could barely see the island from the shores and my hitchhiker had already moved on with another ride westwards. I thought about it and after talking to one of the attendants, she advised to walk around the black sand beach in the area, I decided to wait for the next ferry.

Guess what?  The walk around the black sand beach was just uplifting, even if it was raining, foggy and windy. Just looking at the ocean, seeing those birds that were still trying to kill you, it was just so peaceful.  By the time the next ferry was leaving (1:00pm) the weather had cleared already and you could see very clearly the majestic archipelago.  If I had taken the first ferry I would probably not been able to enjoy the islands as much as I did.  By the way, I left my car behind in the parking lot, you really don’t need your car in this place.

Let me tell you something, there is Iceland and there is this archipelago, they are so different.  Remember, these little islands were affected by the eruption of Eldfell volcano in 1973, which destroyed many buildings, the population was evacuated to the mainland for a couple of months, and according to the movie I saw about it Icelanders tried a new strategy to save the town, by applying billions of liters of sea water on the lava flow.  It is just fascinating to be able to actually climb the volcano that caused this disaster, and you actually have the option to climb a couple of other mountains, some are almost vertical climbs, kind of scary actually. The most important fishing fleet of the country is located in this place.

The town is very cosy, perfect to spend some relaxing time in a coffee after all your physical activity.  First thing you will do is to decide which volcano to climb, and I picked Eldfell. Not a too difficult hike, and there are many ways to get up to the top.  Just make sure to dress in layers, because it will get super windy at the top.  The view is just magnificence, you feel like you are part of the National Geographic documentary. Regardless which way you look, there is always something super interesting and you start wondering if you should stay overnight to bike around and get to see the other side of the island.  I know I said it before but nobody told the lambs they are not goats, seriously how are they able to climb those almost vertical hills?

Really enjoyed my time in this island, it was the best decision I made to wait for the next ferry instead of just driving back to the big city.  The weather was just perfect and I got to walk around a lot, to see more incredibly scenery of this nation.  If you are traveling to Iceland please make sure to add this archipelago to your itinerary, you won’t regret it. 

After a couple of hours touring Westman Islands I took the ferry back to the mainland and drove back to Reykjavik. Yes, I ended up driving through Selfoss and Hveragerði, I had dinner in one of those town, actually bought a sandwich (CDN 10.00) on a supermarket and eat it along the way.

I arrived a bit late to Gistiheimili Snorra guesthouse, and I really wanted to have a beer, but there was none there unless I went to a pub, and I was too tired to move.  What a great day this was, and now I was back in Reykjavik where I would spend my next 3 days exploring what is this place was all about.

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Iceland - ísland (June 2014) - Part 2

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There are basically 3 types of roads in Iceland, the main road or Route no 1, also known as the Ring Road because goes around the whole island (1,332 km), secondary roads using 2 or 3 digits in their names (some of them are gravel), and the famous mountain roads, also known as Highland Roads and they are marked as F-roads (F35 / F338).  Why is this important? Because if you want to drive on the F-roads you will need a 4wd vehicle, otherwise you might be subject to serious fines by the police, and who knows what your insurance will do if you damage your rental in non authorized zone.

July 16, 2014: My final destination was going to be my hotel in Stykkishólmur, in the north part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Left my hotel at around 8:30am and drove north on Route 1 towards Hvalfjörður.  

As soon as you leave Reykjavik your mouth starts dropping by the scenery in front of you, sometimes I must admit is difficult to pay attention to your driving because you can’t stop looking at those giant mountains with those green/yellow colours. My solution was to actually safely stop whenever I could in order to fully admire the view.  

Once in Hvalfjörður, I knew I was going to drive around the fjord because I wanted to visit the famous Glymur waterfall.  Many people choose to bypass this natural wonder by taking the submarine tunnel, please don’t do it because first of all the fjord is beautiful, and second the waterfall is a natural monument, the second highest in Iceland.

Small drive in a gravel road until reach the parking lot to start the hike to Gylmur. Before leaving Montreal I had thought about not bringing my Camelbak water backpack, glad I brought it because I used everywhere in my hikes. 

Not a difficult hike, probably took me 45 minutes to get there, and along the way you are exposed to an unforgettable landscape.  When you reach the water stream you have to literally pass thru a small cave to get down to the river bank, then walk across a log to reach the other side and then start climbing to the top of the waterfall.  

You can keep walking because there are other place to visit if you want to, and along the way I met two Belgian guys I wished I had exchange emails with, because returning to the car I was when I turned around and saw them standing in one of the edges of the waterfall. I know they would like to have a copy of this phenomenal moment, because I’m sure they felt as if they were at the top of the world.

Took off again on route 1 towards Borgarnes and then took road 54 towards the peninsula. The weather until now had been wet, not rainy crazy but enough to wear a raincoat, and sometimes you had the glance of the mountains with white spots, or hidden gens behind the strong fog, then as if per magic when I arrived to the Eldborg crater it was sunny again. Initially I started to drive towards the crater, but then I realized the beauty was to admire from far and turned around and continue my trip.

I drove by the Gerdubert basalt columns, interesting geometric formation that you will see again in other areas of the country. The most impressive of all in this peninsula is the diversity of the landscape, actually this is true for the whole country. I don’t know how many times while I was driving I would start laughing after seeing a volcanic mountain, a sandy beach, a beautiful valley, and telling myself how was it possible to have such a beautiful place.

By the time I arrived where roads 54 and 56 intersect, I stopped at the restaurant to refill my energy and fill up the tank of my Toyota Yaris.  This is when you start noticing the other travelers that are going in the same direction, and be assured you will see them again in your future stops, so I pretty much just started establishing some connections right there.  Anytime you stop, just ask the locals about the must see places, they are very proud of their region and gladly will share with you information you might not find in the books and maps you are carrying.

Ytri Tunga beach was my next stop because I was told, by my waiter, it was the place to see seals specially in the month of June. Did not get to see seals, but saw lots of tourists, good way to stretch my legs.  Next was Búðir (also called Búdir), the black church located right after the intersection of road 54 and 574. The view is just so inspiring not only when you are looking towards where Reykjavik is but also in the opposite direction.  There are waterfalls pretty much everywhere, the ones you find in the books are the most famous, and I saw some incredible double, triple and sometimes quadruple falls along the way.

On my way to the town of Anarstapi I was, when I saw another point of interest on the road, the Rauðfeldsgjá canyon.  At first you think is a rock with a bunch of birds and a stream coming from somewhere, and I only decided to further explore this “rock” after my French buddies had decided to do it, and also after seeing someone come from somewhere on that direction.  The closer you get to the base the more you are looking for the “entrance” that is not visible, until you realize the stream is coming thru a fissure on the side of the mountain, and you have to jump some rocks in order to get into the small chamber.  What an incredible view it is inside, with green moss and the water stream coming from the split walls.  You can further explore the canyon, just keep in mind you are going to get wet with cold water.

Before arriving to Anarstapi you can see the majestic Stapafell mountain, and you might actually miss the glorious valley where the town is located because you are still admiring the mountain.  This is another place you must stop and do some hiking, there are several cliffs with tons of birds, basalt columns, and lunar type of rock formation all the way to the Hellnar arch.  The amazing thing about this country is that it doesn’t where you are, there is always something beautiful to see.

By the time I finished my hike I realized I still had a long way to go, so I called the place I was staying advising not to expect me until probably 9:00pm.

The weather had already changed and some dark clouds were covering the Londrangar basalts cliffs when I got there. This unique ancient basalt volcanic formation gives the area this dramatic look, actually I found all sights in Iceland to be somehow dramatic, either because of the colous or because the weather, or because of the landscape.

I had already entered the Snæfellsjökull National Park, and this is where you can see the volcano covered by the Snæfellsjökull glacier. If you read Jules Verne’s book “A Journey to the Center of the Earth” you will recognize this area as the starting poing of the trip.  Driving along road 574 you will encounter several light houses, little mountains, until hit the northern part of the peninsula in the Breiðafjörður bay.

The fishing port of Ólafsvík was my next stop and I was back on road 54, I had already eaten all the food in my car and I was ready for diner.  Cute town with spectacular view, but then again nothing more surprises me about this country, I was actually beginning to believe in the existence of elves.

Only 2 hours left in order to make it to my final destination of the day, in the town of Stykkishólmur.  As you can see, one day is not enough to fully appreciate this peninsula, you need at least one day to explore the south and another for the north, and let me tell you both sides are totally different.  By the time I left my Italian and British buddies in Ólafsvík, the weather was a mix of sun and fog.  Sometimes you will see a mountain surrounded by clouds with spot lights of sun touching patches of yellow grass, given you this amazing uplifting energy of beauty. I’m starting to believe that even the lambs are happy in this country.

You seriously don’t know what to look, because everything is unreal, and although I had a short time to see the north side, I had decided I was going to stop anywhere.  The valleys are just precious, out of nowhere you see waterfalls falling from the mountains, beautiful lakes, and finally you get to see the famous mountain Kirkjufell, and this guy is going to follow you for a while. Just keep you eyes open because you might miss the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall, and from the right spot you might get wonderful pictures with the mountain as your background.

At this point I was getting a bit tired and the fog had intensified, so I just wanted to get to my bed. Drove by some small villages, saw some more amazing views until I finally made to the town of Stykkishólmur where a bed was waiting for me.  To be honest I did not explore this place, and people take the ferry to cross the bay to the West Fjords from here, which I heard is amazing.  There is an interesting concrete church and an old lighthouse on the top of the hill.  

Read Part 3

Iceland - ísland (June 2014) - Part 1

“…but I thought you were going to Croatia?” - “…but didn’t you say instead of Croatia Istanbul was your next choice?”.  Yes, yes and yes people, typical me, thinking about going somewhere and at the last minute deciding for an unexpected place.  Just like the time I was planning to go to Australia and I ended up in South Africa instead.

It was a last minute decision, when initially I thought I was going to go to see the Adriatic sea, or where Asia meets Europe, instead I ended up in the island where literally the American and European continent are breaking apart from each other.  

Let me tell you something, nothing will prepare you for how beautiful this country really is, and how expensive things are.  Paradise if you are into photography because the pictures you’ll able to add to your collection will be unforgettable, and incredibly breathtaking if you are into outdoors activities because literately you will lose your breath by either admiring what you are seeing, or by getting to the top of the waterfall, mountain, volcano or whatever else you are climbing.

Due to the fact I had less than 30 days to prepare for my trip, and not much time to get everything ready I decided to book a Self Drive Tour.  I do recall one of my friends going to Iceland a while back and he suggested me to deal with the company “Iceland Tours”.   Checked around for reviews, and compared prices with the other companies and at the end I decided to book the 6 nights/7 days best of South and West.  Personally I didn’t think 10 days were enough to go around the whole island, unless I was rushing which is not my style, and second I wanted some time to chill out in Reykjavik.

Now if I had the time, I probably would had rented the car on my own, search for places to stay after had planned my itinerary, and perhaps it would had lowered my final bill.  

During my research I also came across a French photographer that had visited Iceland and created a map with unique and detailed information about  the island - after some more research I decided I wanted his map and his Icelandic guide. If it fits your budget search for International Photographer.  The combination of a general detailed map, information from the tour company, and mainly the International Photographer kit were my tools for my Icelandic adventure.  Every night I would decided what more or less my route the next day was going to be.

Iceland is only 4 hours and 15 minutes away from Halifax, and if you traveling from Canada, there are also directly flights from Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver.   Fishery used to be the main pillar of the country’s economy, followed by aluminum, but it seems tourism just became the most important activity.  Now lets not talk about volcanos with funny and unpronounced names that are trying to disrupt the European air travel alright?

June 15, 2014: I was a bit disappointed I didn't get to see a nice view of the island while approaching the airport, I had booked window seat just for this reason but that’s okay, it was a short flight with Icelandair (you need to pay for your lunch/dinner on the flight people).  During the flight it seems someone needed medical assistance, and it was comforting to see around 10 doctors stood up when the flight attendant asked if there was a doctor on board.

Arrived super early (5:30am) and initially I had thought about going to the Blue Lagoon, but they only open until 9:00am, so I stayed behind trying to see if I could fit the wrong size SIM card I had bought onboard the flight into my Android phone.  I didn’t notice they gave me the one for the iPhone.

Took the bus to Reykjavik (voucher issue by Iceland Tours cause I was going to pick up my rental in the city) and made it to my hotel Gistiheimili Snorra.  Cute place located not far away from the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral. 

Waited a bit until I was able to check into my room, and then I decided to explore Reykjavik. This is when I learned how the weather in this country was going to be during my whole trip: unpredictable.  You have to be ready for anything and everything, and dress in layers. 

The first impression: the cathedral was going to be my point of reference, it can be seen from anywhere in the city.  Super pedestrian friendly with generous cycling paths, and probably 99.5% of the population speak English.  English signs are also displayed everywhere so as a tourist you will have no issues in finding your way around, and if you do just ask for help. 

I walked around the main street towards the historic Midtown and Harbour, and this is when I noticed the Harpa building, which is the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Center.  It looks modern and interesting, and I did go inside.  Talking to some locals a couple of days later, I was told they wished they had hired a local architect to build something more in synch with the city.  Midtown is the place of the first Viking settlements, and it is full of restaurants/bars.  

Later on the Hertz people came to my hotel to pick me up so I could get my car rental for the week, and then I just planned my first day of driving in Iceland.  As aforementioned I decided to concentrate on the West and South part of the country, and the first part of the trip was going to take me to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, located Northwest of Reykjavik, with some pit stops along the way.

General tip for drivers using GPS, make sure to use the Icelandic keyboard, otherwise you will have issues in finding your destinations.  One more thing, if you have an address and the GPS/Google Map gives you a similar name but not exactly what you typed, the chances are that it is the correct place.  It seems in Icelandic when you are talking about and of something the suffix of the name changes. As an example, Patius (me) and Patiuer (me in a different version) would be the same thing in Icelandic, the difference is if you are talking of me or about me.

Read Part 2

Iceland - ísland - preview

Guys, I had the most amazing (and expensive) trip to Iceland, and now I'm back in Montreal.  Please give me some time to write a proper review and to go over the almost 6000 pictures I've taken during my trip.   It was about everything and anything.  I'll leave you with some pictures from this amazing trip (click on the pictures).