Reykjavik, Iceland

July 30 & 31, 2016

Iceland, a misnomer of a name since Greenland is full of ice and Iceland is full of volcanoes, is a land of waterfalls, volcanic rock, geysers (they pronounce “gAsirs”), pure mineral water, glaciers, mountains, hot pots, craters, whales, sheep, puffins, and horses – the gorgeous Icelandic Horses. We were shocked and blessed to experience almost all of these along with gracious people and fascinating history on our short two days in Reykjavik, the capitol of Iceland. So, here’s a peek into our Icelandic adventures.

   

  

     

My favorite experience by far - waterfalls. Strong, steep, multi-layered waterfalls fed by glaciers frequent this land. On a rare, clear, sunny day, we were able to see the 2^nd largest glacier from a distance along with countless mountains and streams on our way to Gulfloss, a powerful majestic waterfall. Before walking down to view the falls, I dined on the most delicious salmon of my entire life – buttery, flavorful, delectable wild salmon - in a quaint restaurant and bakery. Next, I hiked down to the falls and was delighted to realize we could walk up and out to the actual falls. Absolutely breath-taking. The awe-inspiring majesty of nature never ceases to amaze me again and again!

      

Next stop, a river waterfall with a man-made salmon ladder. The former home of my delicious lunch, Mr. Salmon, was breath-taking! 

Later, a local family introduced us to the muscular, beautiful Icelandic horses during an engaging horse show. These horses are unique in so many ways including my favorite fact – they originate back to the Vikings and the breed has remained unchanged for over one thousand years. Proud and protective of their horses, Iceland forbids horses of any kind from entering Iceland. Even if a horse leaves the country for an international competition, it cannot return.  Captivated during the show, I immediately noticed the unique gaits. These horses use five distinct gaits and the most enchanting is their rising high steps using their front legs. I even rode my own horse, Prince, the following day. He was quite feisty and handsome! 

  

  

Final stop of day one was a geo-thermal electrical plant built on top of a volcano. Talk about trust! They are ingenious - creating all the electricity for the area from the heat of an inactive (at least currently) volcano. Since this volcano tends to erupt about every 5000 years and it's been 3000 since it last erupted, I sure hope they're safe!

Jeff was elated to escort a group on a whale watching excursion, curtesy of Holland America. :) What fun! The highlight - a humpback whale who not only surfaced several times for their boat of onlookers, but also waved at them with his fanning tail. A whale's tale for sure!! 

Really, I’ve failed to capture the beauty of Iceland in photos and words. You just need to take the plunge and join the oodles of tourists who flock here - their tourism industry peaked in recent years and continues to boom! The contrast of colors with black and grey volcanoes and open countryside allows visitors to see mountains and glaciers from miles away on a clear day. We were blessed to experience two gorgeous, clear and sunny days! Locals kept telling us that the weeks before our arrival were windy, grey and cloudy with limited visibility.  Praying northern Iceland on our return journey will be clear and gorgeous as well. The northern port is also home to thousands of whales this time of year…praying!!

The sail away photo says it all…simply awe-inspiring!

Bon Voyage! Sailing toward Norway!