Off to Iceland ... and home again

  

Thursday, July 31, 2025

 

We packed our bags, enjoyed our final breakfast at the Sommero Hotel in Oslo and hopped into a taxi for the airport. Our flight to Iceland was scheduled to leave at 1:30 pm and it left right on time. After a very pleasant 2 ½ hour flight, we arrived in Reykjavik. We gained two hours of time so, in fact, it was still only about 1:30. We picked up our bags, arranged to rent a car and headed to the parking lot. We were in our car and on the road by 2:30 pm.

 

It is a lengthy drive from the airport into Reykjavik, almost an hour. That gave us time to familiarize ourselves with yet another new car. This one is a Hyundai Tucson, a bit bigger than we would have preferred. It also actually has a key that you have to put into the ignition. We are so accustomed to fobs that it feels odd to have a key.

Along the way, we passed by an area that is closed to the public, including residents of Reyjkavik. Because .... there is a mountain in that area that has some volcanic activity going on. Nothing to worry about apparently but there sure was a lot of smoke rising from the crater in that mountain. Interesting to note how calmly life goes on in spite of what, to us, is a major event.

 

As we got closer to Reykjavik, we drew on our memory of our visit in 2011. The city is, not surprisingly, much larger but we were able to recognize some of the main streets and other landmarks. We headed to a very impressive and tall church 

because I remembered visiting a bakery across the street. It had amazing bread and other items. But, alas, that bakery is no longer there but one of our long remembered restaurants was still in its place. We are leaving Reykjavik today but will return on Saturday and plan to have dinner there.

 

Today, we headed out on the road to a small village called Stykkisholmur. It was about a 3-4 hour drive from the capital. Our goal is to travel on roads we did not explore when we were here before. At that time, we circumvented the main part of Iceland, enjoying the drive, the scenery and the culture of the island. One area that we did not explore is north and west of Reykjavik. So, we are going to explore that area this week.

 

The traffic leaving Reykjavik was moderately heavy but travelling at a comfortable speed. As we left the city, we were on a beautiful road that separated the mountains from the sea. The landscape is extremely rugged and mostly void of agriculture. The soil is volcanic and large boulders dominate most of space. Where the lava has crumbled, it is possible to harvest hay

and some wheat as well as grazing sheep and cattle. We were also surprised to see large groups of Icelandic horses. We stopped a few times to take photos.

                                          (The sign says: Do not Feed the Horses)

As we drove further from the city, the traffic diminished and we were able to enjoy the sea and the scenery more fully.  We stopped frequently to admire a scene and, of course, take photos. Cloud cover disappeared and we were driving under full sun and a clear blue sky much of the time. We have some great photos of high mountains,

boulder-filled fields,

rushing streams and waterfalls.

At one point, we needed to go through a tunnel to get from one side of a fjord to the other. The fjord is far too wide to build a bridge.

The Hvalfjordur tunnel is 5.8 kilometres long and slopes down a long way so that we could pass under the water. We knew we were getting to the end when the slope began to rise again and we could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

All along the way, we did not pass through a single town or village, not even a hamlet. It is critical to ensure that the car has enough fuel to travel a long distance. Also, thank goodness for GPS as paper maps seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird. I, frankly, miss them because they give a broader view than the picture that shows up on the dashboard.

 

Just about dinnertime, we arrived in Stykkisholmur. It is a tiny seaside village so it was easy to look around in a short time. It has a very architecturally unique church,

several restaurants and bed and breakfasts, a few sculptures, and a very high rock that has a lighthouse on the top. The only way up was to climb a staircase that intimidated both of us.

 

We had delicious fish and chips with a lovely salad for dinner

and headed to our modest accommodation. Quite a change from Oslo.

 

In the morning, we will board a ferry for a 3 hour ride across a large bay and, from there, continue our adventure.

Friday, August 1, 2025

After a fine breakfast at our hotel, we took our car to board a ferry

that would take us across a wide fjord to Brjanslaekur. It was a smooth journey across the water. Sadly there was also water falling from the sky which impeded our photography quite a lot. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant crossing and provided an alternative to several hours of driving. One stop at an island, Flatey,

to deliver some goods and passengers, then on to Brjanslaekur. Once we disembarked, we headed to the nearest village, Flokalundur, hoping to get a fresh cup of coffee. We stumbled over a poultry farm along the way so, of course, we stopped to take photos. Ducks and turkeys intermingled with the chickens. An interesting combination.

It was the first time that we have seen any poultry in Iceland. We carried on to the village a few kilometres away only to find that it had a small hotel, one gas pump and no place to get coffee. We really are in rural Iceland. 

Just north of Flokalundur, we came upon a sculpture of an ancient man.

We wondered about his role in history but it seems that a group of highway workmen built him and he has become a popular tourist site with no particular historical significance. Another way to use those rocks.

And so our journey along the fjords began in earnest. We travelled high into a mountain range, so high that there was frequently snow remaining on the roadside and on the sides of the mountains.

The road was in good repair

and provided amazing views of the landscape. If you ever set out to paint a picture of Icelandic mountains the only colours you need are shades of grey and brown for the mountains, all shades of green for the wide range of vegetation on the slopes, pink, white and yellow for the many wild flowers, and white for the roaring rivers as the water flowed down the mountainsides toward the sea.

We did encounter occasional sheep, both white and black, as well as some that were white and black. No fences along the roadsides and at times they would simply pop up at the last minute. Yikes!

As we travelled from fjord to fjord, we saw several species of water birds, ducks, geese, seagulls and many, many swans ... yes, beautiful, elegant pure white swans.

Truly beautiful!

We also saw seals resting on the rocks and also horses. The horses were fenced into large paddocks.

The elevations changed as we travelled through several mountain ranges. At times we were right up with the snow and a few minutes later we were at sea level. The vegetation varied as the altitude changed ... but always green. There was very little traffic so we were able to drive slowly or even stop to take photos.

Over the course of the day, we drove up one side and down the other side of seven fjords. In most cases, when we reached the head of the fjord, there was a one lane bridge that we crossed to carry on down the other side.  Mountains rose high above us; rivers and streams became our companions.

We had another fascinating tunnel experience today, travelling through a mountain. The Vestfiardagonf tunnel is 9.1 kilometres long and actually has an intersection partway through it. It was the last tunnel built in Iceland with single lane sections. If there was oncoming traffic, the vehicles coming toward us had to pull off into 'parking spaces' every 300 meters, until our line of vehicles passed through. Partway through the tunnel, after the junction, the tunnel widened so that traffic could flow more smoothly in both directions. I was grateful that we were going in the direction that did not have to stop. I was also especially grateful when we emerged from that dark and narrow tunnel unscathed.

One of the highlights today was finding the Dynjandi Waterfalls, totally by accident. We were weaving through the mountains and came up on a major construction area. A sideroad led to  a parking lot where a great number of tour busses and other vehicles were parked. Curiosity got the best of us and we took the road to the left. Wow!!! Were we ever glad we did that. Otherwise, we would have missed one of the most stunning waterfalls in the world, all 100 metres of it. The sun came out (briefly) at exactly the right moment. It was a glorious sight. Five more waterfalls cascade down the mountain carrying the water that the Dyjandi has dropped from the top. 

Shortly after leaving the waterfalls, we encountered a new tunnel, Dyrafjardargong by name, (not on many maps yet) that took us through a mountain, rather than over it. It is 5.6 kilometres long, much shorter than the route over the mountain (30 km). It was pleasantly wide and well lit. Nonetheless, we were glad to see daylight at its end.

After what felt like a long time between breaks, we came to Isafjordur. We were very happy to see a gas station, a bathroom and a place to get a coffee. Pure delight! We also saw two cruise ships in the harbour. No wonder there were so many tour busses at the waterfall. The busses were all returning to Isafjordur while we were there.

One of the cruiseships happened to be the Queen Mary 2 of the Cunard Line. It was funny to see it anchored at sea, while the other cruise ship was at a dock. All the Queen Mary passengers were being tendered between the ship and the shore.

After a refreshing break, we continued on our fjord tour. I cannot count the number of times we said. "Look at that!" It was a long drive today but it seemed that almost every moment was an 'ah-ha' moment. Overall it was a great day!!

We are now nestled into our room for the night, preparing to return to Reykjavik tomorrow. It is almost time to go home.

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Early rising, substantial breakfast and we were off!! Our last day in Iceland. And on our way back to Reykjavik. We began the trip by deliberately going the long way around, down a gravel road that flanked the sea. 

It was beautiful, if a little rugged. Horses

and sheep

were in every direction. The fjord was responding to the windy conditions and whitecaps ruled the sea. Hills and valleys prescribed the route as we went up and down and around many turns. We enjoyed the journey even though it did make a slow start to a long journey.

Once we reached the highway, we made much better time. The scenery was glorious ... green landscape against dark mountains, dotted by wild flowers

and black and white sheep. Of course, we paused for photos. We have a lot of them. 

Not long after we left our hotel, the sky darkened and intermittent rain became a part of our day. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the ride. We lost count of the number of waterfalls we saw, pouring down from the snow high above. The day was especially chilly (a high of 15C ... and this is summer) so the snow did not surprise us.

One of the waterfalls included a fish ladder, presumably to assist spawning salmon.

Our first stop was in a small village called Holmavik. We visited a small museum of witchcraft. The best thing about it was the coffee. A tiny gift shop next door was also disappointing. We did not stay long. We did take a photo of the church and a mural in the village.

We also encountered a horse rustling activity. The horses were all over the road and several men and women were trying to round them up.

Much later in the day, we visited the home of Erik the Red, an early explorer in Iceland. He lived in a small grass hut with a wife and two children and a mistress and two other children and several people who were in his employ. It was a small hut that held 15 people. Having so many people in a small house actually helped to keep the house warm in winter. His son, Leif, also known as Leif the Lucky was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, specifically Newfoundland.

The rest of the day was spent driving up and down the mountains and across a couple of fjords. The oohs and aahs in the car punctuated our enjoyment of the day, in spite of the occasional rain shower. 

We arrived in Reykjavik about 5 pm and immediately went for dinner to a highly recommended traditional Icelandic restaurant, Cafe Loki. Jim had lamb with vegetables and I had a tasting plate that included cod, cured lamb, salmon and shark. It was all delicious ... except the shark. Never again! For dessert, we shared a serving of Icelandic rye bread ice cream. It had an interesting texture and was quite delicious. A cup of Icelandic coffee completed the meal and we headed to our hotel. 

Our final night away from home. We are ready to be back in Waterloo with so many memories and experiences under our belts. But, truly, there is no place like home.

Until we travel again, thanks for 'following us'.

Donna and Jim ... The Robinson Adventurers

P.S.   Sunday, August 3, 2025

We enjoyed our breakfast at our hotel in Reykjavik and then set out to explore the city a bit more. (We have return our rental car and be at the airport about 2:30 so we have a few hours to roam.)

Our first stop was the Cathedral but, being Sunday morning, there was a service in progress and no one was able to enter during that time. So we continued on. Next stop was a service station to get gas. I went into the shop and while I did that Jim looked around the property for some lava rocks that we could bring home. He did a great job and managed to find several specimens that we will give to our grandchildren.

From there, we headed to the dock area to see the buildings that have been erected since our last time in Iceland (2017). We found an impressive conference building with an outer layer that looked like the layers of rock in the mountains. Also, a beautiful theatre complex was also overlooking the water. From the advertisements we saw, it looks like it has a pretty busy schedule with some high profile entertainment.

We got a bit wound up in the narrow streets in the dock area. Many of them were one way so we ended up driving in circles briefly. We did note that there were a lot of touristy shops in the area as well as a series of ticket offices along the dock offering whale and puffin watching trips out onto the fjord. The area was amazingly crowded with people, many of who were in line to purchase tickets. Keep in mind, this is mid-summer ... every single person was wearing a down jacket and a warm hat. It was only about 10 degrees and windy. Brrrr.

We drove out of the city along the parkland/seashore. We stopped and admired many sculptures, some new and some familiar.

And then, it was time to head to the airport. Jim dropped me off with all the luggage, returned the car to the agent and we were ready to go.

We checked in, enjoyed some Icelandic gin in the lounge and proceeded to our flight just before take-off. It was a very smooth and enjoyable flight all the way to Toronto. There was one surprise along the way. We flew over the tip of Greenland and were able to see the snow and ice and many frozen fjords. I have included a few photos here. I cannot imagine that we will ever get to Greenland as a destination so it was exciting to see it from the air.

We landed in Toronto on time, picked up our luggage, connected with our taxi to Waterloo and arrived home last night about 10:30 pm. We sat on our front porch for a while, enjoying the warmth of a beautiful evening. It was nice to be home!!

Thanks for travelling with us.