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| View of Reykjavik from church clock tower |
Another amazing trip to Iceland! Only 6 hours flying from Edmonton arriving in Keflavik airport about 45 minute drive from the capital, Reykjavik. There were cold winds blowing almost the whole week there, however, most days were sunny and the photos tell the rest of the story.
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| Hallgrimskirkje |
The first day walking around Reykjavik was clear but cold. We headed to the Hallgrimskirkje, the church with a tower visible all around the city. It costs $9 to take the elevator up to the clock tower for some amazing views.
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| Thingevellir - meeting site of first Parliament |
We did the classic Golden Circle - Thingevellir, where the continents are separating 2cm per year (note the widening gap) and the site of the very first parliament in 930 ad anywhere in the Western world. Viking chieftains met once a year to hold court and set law for the lands.
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| Gullfoss - golden waterfall |
The best view of Gullfoss, a tiered, powerful waterfall that is one of the key sites to see in Iceland. The wind blew very hard and still some snow and ice around the waterfall.
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| Geysir - blows every 8-10 minutes |
The next stop was Geysir where eruptions happen about every 8-10 minutes. Again the wind blew, and blew, and blew!
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| Snaefellsnes glacier |
Another day we drove to the Snaefellsnes peninsula where we had another bluebird day. The glacier there is a site where Game of Thrones has been filmed, and for good reason...it is very scenic. We stopped for a picnic lunch near a harbour and bird cliffs. Then on to Olafsvik and some beautiful beaches.
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| Olafsvik shoreline |
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| Black sand beach in Vik |
We were hoping for good weather to head out to Jokulsarlon, the iceberg lagoon out east on the south coast. However when we arrived at Vik in heavy winds, the clouds and a storm came up precluding us from continuing. The silver lining was we got to see several places southernmost on the island.
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| Basalt columns in Dyrholaey |
We walked the black sand beaches near Vik, fought the wind at Dyrholaey where there are huge basalt columns rising up from the shore leading to cliffs where puffins nest. Then another point to lean into the wind and photo the black sand once again.
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| Eyjafjallajokul - left snowcap behind the farm |
On the way we stopped to photograph Ejyafyallajokul, the volcano that erupted in 2010 disrupting flights all over Europe and eastern Canada.
Our final days were to visit Volcano house, a museum in the harbor area, the City Hall, National museum (excellent) and Perlan (not worth the time) and a delicious fish and seafood dinner.
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| Outside Blue Lagoon pools |
On our departure day, we drove out to Blue Lagoon, near Grindavik, to see the pools which are super expensive (59 Euros just for a basic visit) and then to a Viking ship museum near the Keflavik airport for our check in and flight home. I think another trip will have to be planned, as there is so much more to see and experience in this small, but interesting country!
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| Sun Voyager sculpture on Reykjavik waterfront |
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| The Harpa - the opera theatre in Reykjavik |
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| Seljalandsfoss waterfall - south coast |
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| Viking ship museum near Keflavik |
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