Sunday, June 2, 2019

Day 15 - Golden Circle

This last morning we hit a couple of museums.  Skógasafn is a three part museum.  Folk museum, Open Air with buildings and the transport museum. As usual, we could have stayed longer.  The second museum, the Lava museum we did manage to hit all the interactive exhibits.  They had a movie, with bean bags in addition to regular seats.  Just a nice touch.  Lunch was my last meal in Iceland, I made sure to have some of that fish.

If I thought the airport at Iceland was a quiet little hub, boy was I wrong. Apparently it's a huge airport for transfers.  Once you got through the relatively small and calm check in area to the gates the chaos ensued.  It looks small from the outside, but behind the gates there were masses switching planes.  I thought I had plenty of time, but after the first security check, they had a second international check, then a third TSA check for 'special' people flying to the US. At that last stop I had to throw away my powder tooth paste I specifically bought so that I didn't have to deal with liquids.  Can't win.  I barely had time to grab a sandwich before I decided I should wait in the line that nobody said I should wait in but which seemed to be the thing to do.  I find the proactive service in Iceland generally non-existan, us American's are actually spoilt a bit in that regard. The flight was good.  I saw a little bit of Greenland as we followed the sun west.  I had another stop in Portland before heading home.

Ready, set, let's go again!  Loved this trip.

 Skógasafn













Suckers with priority access waiting in the wind while the rest of us pulled up in a bus.


Greenland

Mt Rainier


Saturday, June 1, 2019

Day 14 - Golden Circle - Part 2


Hike to Svartifoss




Dad




Dad and Tara









Smiðjan Brugghús


Day 14 - Golden Circle - Part 1

My last full day in Iceland started with a hike up to view Fjaðrárgljúfur, a windy canyon carved out by a small river.  The water of the Fjaðrárgljúfur fell over an apron unlike most of the other falls we've seen.  Caught a few birds hanging out on the rocks as well.

Second stop of the day was a walk along glacier lagoon at Svinafellsjӧkull. Nice lovely weather along the rocky cliffside next to the glacier.  There were some flowers and bees, a little slice of nature next to this big hunk o' ice.

We then headed down the road for another hike in Skaftafell to Svartifoss.  I loved this hike, it was so green, lots of trees and a fantastic place to relax on rocks at the bottom of the falls.  I was alone for the last part of the hike and wouldn't have minded staying quite a bit longer to just chill for a while, but headed back soon after getting there to join the others.  And I meant, alone as in the only one in my party.  This area of Iceland has plenty of tourists as did the base of the falls.


We ended the day back in Vik at a brew pub that I overheard a guide telling their travelers along one of our excursions.  I'd say it was geared toward tourists and us tourists did enjoy it!








Fjaðrárgljúfur






Hike along Svinafellsjӧkull