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2015-02-22 9:56 AM

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Subject: Iceland anyone?
We want to visit Iceland this summer. Our primary interests are hiking and anything outdoors related. I'm sure we will rent bikes for a day, but cycling will not be our primary activity. Anyone been? Tips, tricks or traps? Thanks in advance.


2015-02-22 12:36 PM
in reply to: mdg2003

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

I've been to Iceland a couple times now and can tell you that you've made the right choice! It's an absolutely amazing country, a dream come true for the 12 year old girl inside you. At every turn there are waterfalls, rainbows, cute little lambs, horses that just run around and stand in the road, and since you're going in the summer you'll get to enjoy 24 hours of daylight. A few years ago a friend and I spent a month riding our bikes in a circle around the entire country, so we saw a lot. Most of the people live in Reykjavik, and the 2nd largest city is Akureyri on the north east-ish side which is still a pretty small city.  Everything else is just little towns with a couple hundred people, which are totally charming, especially the little coastal fishing villages. So I'd recommend renting a car and driving around to the little towns. I have a friend that works for Arctic Adventures ( http://www.adventures.is/  ), a company out of reykjavik and they organize tours for all sorts of outdoor activities. The last time I was there, I did a snorkeling thing in Þingvellir. The water is absolutely crystal clear, and about 34 degrees (F), so of course everyone wears dry suits. I also did a glacier hike in skaftafell.
Bring your camera. Any good photographer knows that the best time to take a photo is when the sun is just down at the horizon. In most places, that "golden time" lasts about 15 minutes, but in Iceland during the summer it'll stay that way for hours and hours. Go visit Jokulsarlon, the ice lagoon, to see beautiful icebergs floating around, and don't be afraid to stray from the beaten path. I've found some amazing places that were never listed on any kind of map or guidebook. Up near lake myvatn, there is a volcano called Hverfjall, and if you can find it, there's a large trench where the earth split apart, and inside is a hotspring that you can bathe in. Be careful though, the water was 115 degrees!!. Also near hvergaerdi, about 45 min outside of reykjavik, you can hike up into the mountains and find a large creek that is all geothermally heated water. Let that sink in for a second, just imagine being up in the mountains, beautiful fresh clean air, and you can hop into a little pocket in the creek and relax as hot tub temperature water cascades over you. I could blather on for a few more hours so if you have any more questions I'll be glad to take a crack at them.

Here's a few pictures from my trips..





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2015-02-24 4:17 PM
in reply to: trijamie

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Everything the above poster said.  I spent a summer in Europe as part of a study abroad program in college.  I spent about 2 weeks in Iceland.  Amazing.  Beautiful country, friendly people, it truly is a land of many enchantments.

We stayed in hostels, and toured around the country staying in many different locations.  One minute your at a hot spring, the next your on a glacier, the next a roaring waterfall.  There is a reason it's called 'the land of fire and ice'.

It is expensive though, a secluded island nation everything is imported.  I remember a beer (nothing special either) costing about $8-10USD.

The food is amazing, I had some of the best fish I have ever had.  I tried whale and puffin.

I second the statement that you made the right choice.  It was/is my favorite place I have been to and am eagerly waiting until I can return.

 

2015-02-25 11:13 AM
in reply to: Justin86

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?
Thanks for the responses. I think we will probably get a car and try to make a big loop around the place. Hopefully stopping for a two nights in each major area we come to. It looks like we will shoot for a ten day span in country, excluding air travel days. Loved the pictures, please post some more if you get a chance.

Justin, you ate puffin? I'm imagining an gamy/oily duck that tastes like herring! Am I far off?
2015-02-25 11:57 AM
in reply to: mdg2003

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Puffin was great!  It wasn't oily a bit gamy like duck though.  Same with Whale, its a mammal after all.

I also recommend visiting Vestmannaeyjar aka Westman Islands.  I'll dig up some pics and post them too.

X

2015-02-25 8:31 PM
in reply to: Justin86

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

I didn't try the puffin or whale, as I mostly stuck to gas station hotdogs. You know, traditional Icelandic stuff. Look up a place called Hjörleifshöfði, it's a mountain, though I hesitate to even call it that, on the southern side of iceland just outside of Vik. This is one of those places I found by accident that ended up being totally cool. It's surrounded by black sand that stretches forever, and looks like another planet (like much of iceland). In fact Bjork filmed one of her music videos right where I'm talking about. I hiked up and found these old ruins of cottages, and then on the back side there's a cliff but also a trail that weaves it's way down, and through a cave type thing all the way down to the black sand where there's another big cave. Totally bizarre, totally unmarked. I loved it. Anyway here's some more pictures.





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2015-02-27 12:37 PM
in reply to: trijamie

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?
2015-03-01 7:21 AM
in reply to: Justin86

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?
Awesome pics! Whale and puffin menu at a steakhouse? Just how scarce and pricey is beef around there? I'm not a big fan of lamb, which from what I've read is their main protein other than fish. I need my weekly steak!! Is chicken readily available?
2015-03-02 8:13 PM
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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Originally posted by mdg2003 Awesome pics! Whale and puffin menu at a steakhouse? Just how scarce and pricey is beef around there? I'm not a big fan of lamb, which from what I've read is their main protein other than fish. I need my weekly steak!! Is chicken readily available?

Don't think I can answer those questions.  Besides whale and puffin all I remember eating was fish.  The best salmon and cod that I have ever had. 

EDIT:  I take that back, I do remember going to a burger joint.  It was good.  One thing I remember they seemed obsessed with Pepsi Max. 



Edited by Justin86 2015-03-02 8:13 PM
2015-03-03 8:22 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

I took this in Reykjavik. I didn't check, but maybe it was a whale meat texas burger

 

E.T.A.- in south Iceland I had a burger that had a fried egg on top. I mean literally on top, like on top of the bun. Really weird...



Edited by trijamie 2015-03-03 8:24 AM




(texas.jpg)



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2015-03-11 11:58 AM
in reply to: trijamie

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Originally posted by trijamie

I've been to Iceland a couple times now and can tell you that you've made the right choice! It's an absolutely amazing country, a dream come true for the 12 year old girl inside you. At every turn there are waterfalls, rainbows, cute little lambs, horses that just run around and stand in the road, and since you're going in the summer you'll get to enjoy 24 hours of daylight. A few years ago a friend and I spent a month riding our bikes in a circle around the entire country, so we saw a lot. Most of the people live in Reykjavik, and the 2nd largest city is Akureyri on the north east-ish side which is still a pretty small city.  Everything else is just little towns with a couple hundred people, which are totally charming, especially the little coastal fishing villages. So I'd recommend renting a car and driving around to the little towns. I have a friend that works for Arctic Adventures ( http://www.adventures.is/  ), a company out of reykjavik and they organize tours for all sorts of outdoor activities. The last time I was there, I did a snorkeling thing in Þingvellir. The water is absolutely crystal clear, and about 34 degrees (F), so of course everyone wears dry suits. I also did a glacier hike in skaftafell.
Bring your camera. Any good photographer knows that the best time to take a photo is when the sun is just down at the horizon. In most places, that "golden time" lasts about 15 minutes, but in Iceland during the summer it'll stay that way for hours and hours. Go visit Jokulsarlon, the ice lagoon, to see beautiful icebergs floating around, and don't be afraid to stray from the beaten path. I've found some amazing places that were never listed on any kind of map or guidebook. Up near lake myvatn, there is a volcano called Hverfjall, and if you can find it, there's a large trench where the earth split apart, and inside is a hotspring that you can bathe in. Be careful though, the water was 115 degrees!!. Also near hvergaerdi, about 45 min outside of reykjavik, you can hike up into the mountains and find a large creek that is all geothermally heated water. Let that sink in for a second, just imagine being up in the mountains, beautiful fresh clean air, and you can hop into a little pocket in the creek and relax as hot tub temperature water cascades over you. I could blather on for a few more hours so if you have any more questions I'll be glad to take a crack at them.

Here's a few pictures from my trips..

Amazing pictures!

I'm crashing the party a bit... I too am going to Iceland but it will be in November for airwaves. 

Do you have any advice on renting a car or 4x4 vs using one of the companies like your friend has? 



2015-03-12 12:09 AM
in reply to: Asalzwed

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by trijamie

I've been to Iceland a couple times now and can tell you that you've made the right choice! It's an absolutely amazing country, a dream come true for the 12 year old girl inside you. At every turn there are waterfalls, rainbows, cute little lambs, horses that just run around and stand in the road, and since you're going in the summer you'll get to enjoy 24 hours of daylight. A few years ago a friend and I spent a month riding our bikes in a circle around the entire country, so we saw a lot. Most of the people live in Reykjavik, and the 2nd largest city is Akureyri on the north east-ish side which is still a pretty small city.  Everything else is just little towns with a couple hundred people, which are totally charming, especially the little coastal fishing villages. So I'd recommend renting a car and driving around to the little towns. I have a friend that works for Arctic Adventures ( http://www.adventures.is/  ), a company out of reykjavik and they organize tours for all sorts of outdoor activities. The last time I was there, I did a snorkeling thing in Þingvellir. The water is absolutely crystal clear, and about 34 degrees (F), so of course everyone wears dry suits. I also did a glacier hike in skaftafell.
Bring your camera. Any good photographer knows that the best time to take a photo is when the sun is just down at the horizon. In most places, that "golden time" lasts about 15 minutes, but in Iceland during the summer it'll stay that way for hours and hours. Go visit Jokulsarlon, the ice lagoon, to see beautiful icebergs floating around, and don't be afraid to stray from the beaten path. I've found some amazing places that were never listed on any kind of map or guidebook. Up near lake myvatn, there is a volcano called Hverfjall, and if you can find it, there's a large trench where the earth split apart, and inside is a hotspring that you can bathe in. Be careful though, the water was 115 degrees!!. Also near hvergaerdi, about 45 min outside of reykjavik, you can hike up into the mountains and find a large creek that is all geothermally heated water. Let that sink in for a second, just imagine being up in the mountains, beautiful fresh clean air, and you can hop into a little pocket in the creek and relax as hot tub temperature water cascades over you. I could blather on for a few more hours so if you have any more questions I'll be glad to take a crack at them.

Here's a few pictures from my trips..

Amazing pictures!

I'm crashing the party a bit... I too am going to Iceland but it will be in November for airwaves. 

Do you have any advice on renting a car or 4x4 vs using one of the companies like your friend has? 

I'm not too knowledgeable on renting a 4x4 I'm afraid. I did meet some other travelers along the way who had rented one though, and she was super happy about it because she felt safer going on really rough roads. Funny story, my friend from Iceland was supposed to meet me there but ended up going on vacation herself to another country, so she left her car at the airport for me with a map of how to find it, and the keys in the unlocked trunk. It was like a James Bond movie. I had to teach myself stick shift and probably burned out the clutch, but I'm sure she wont notice. The crack I put in the windshield probably took her attention

By the way what is "airwaves"? A music fest?

2015-03-12 9:14 AM
in reply to: Asalzwed

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Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by trijamie

I've been to Iceland a couple times now and can tell you that you've made the right choice! It's an absolutely amazing country, a dream come true for the 12 year old girl inside you. At every turn there are waterfalls, rainbows, cute little lambs, horses that just run around and stand in the road, and since you're going in the summer you'll get to enjoy 24 hours of daylight. A few years ago a friend and I spent a month riding our bikes in a circle around the entire country, so we saw a lot. Most of the people live in Reykjavik, and the 2nd largest city is Akureyri on the north east-ish side which is still a pretty small city.  Everything else is just little towns with a couple hundred people, which are totally charming, especially the little coastal fishing villages. So I'd recommend renting a car and driving around to the little towns. I have a friend that works for Arctic Adventures ( http://www.adventures.is/  ), a company out of reykjavik and they organize tours for all sorts of outdoor activities. The last time I was there, I did a snorkeling thing in Þingvellir. The water is absolutely crystal clear, and about 34 degrees (F), so of course everyone wears dry suits. I also did a glacier hike in skaftafell.
Bring your camera. Any good photographer knows that the best time to take a photo is when the sun is just down at the horizon. In most places, that "golden time" lasts about 15 minutes, but in Iceland during the summer it'll stay that way for hours and hours. Go visit Jokulsarlon, the ice lagoon, to see beautiful icebergs floating around, and don't be afraid to stray from the beaten path. I've found some amazing places that were never listed on any kind of map or guidebook. Up near lake myvatn, there is a volcano called Hverfjall, and if you can find it, there's a large trench where the earth split apart, and inside is a hotspring that you can bathe in. Be careful though, the water was 115 degrees!!. Also near hvergaerdi, about 45 min outside of reykjavik, you can hike up into the mountains and find a large creek that is all geothermally heated water. Let that sink in for a second, just imagine being up in the mountains, beautiful fresh clean air, and you can hop into a little pocket in the creek and relax as hot tub temperature water cascades over you. I could blather on for a few more hours so if you have any more questions I'll be glad to take a crack at them.

Here's a few pictures from my trips..

Amazing pictures!

I'm crashing the party a bit... I too am going to Iceland but it will be in November for airwaves. 

Do you have any advice on renting a car or 4x4 vs using one of the companies like your friend has? 

The trip that I took we went off of the beaten path many times.  Because it was a school trip we had a larger vehicle but it was a beast.  Most of the people I saw were in 4x4 with snorkels on their cars.  There where the road we were on was questionable as to if it was a road or we were just driving down some field.  We also drove through rivers, there was no bridges in some of the spots. 

I recommend a 4x4!

2015-03-17 12:12 PM
in reply to: trijamie

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Seattle
Subject: RE: Iceland anyone?

Originally posted by trijamie

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by trijamie

I've been to Iceland a couple times now and can tell you that you've made the right choice! It's an absolutely amazing country, a dream come true for the 12 year old girl inside you. At every turn there are waterfalls, rainbows, cute little lambs, horses that just run around and stand in the road, and since you're going in the summer you'll get to enjoy 24 hours of daylight. A few years ago a friend and I spent a month riding our bikes in a circle around the entire country, so we saw a lot. Most of the people live in Reykjavik, and the 2nd largest city is Akureyri on the north east-ish side which is still a pretty small city.  Everything else is just little towns with a couple hundred people, which are totally charming, especially the little coastal fishing villages. So I'd recommend renting a car and driving around to the little towns. I have a friend that works for Arctic Adventures ( http://www.adventures.is/  ), a company out of reykjavik and they organize tours for all sorts of outdoor activities. The last time I was there, I did a snorkeling thing in Þingvellir. The water is absolutely crystal clear, and about 34 degrees (F), so of course everyone wears dry suits. I also did a glacier hike in skaftafell.
Bring your camera. Any good photographer knows that the best time to take a photo is when the sun is just down at the horizon. In most places, that "golden time" lasts about 15 minutes, but in Iceland during the summer it'll stay that way for hours and hours. Go visit Jokulsarlon, the ice lagoon, to see beautiful icebergs floating around, and don't be afraid to stray from the beaten path. I've found some amazing places that were never listed on any kind of map or guidebook. Up near lake myvatn, there is a volcano called Hverfjall, and if you can find it, there's a large trench where the earth split apart, and inside is a hotspring that you can bathe in. Be careful though, the water was 115 degrees!!. Also near hvergaerdi, about 45 min outside of reykjavik, you can hike up into the mountains and find a large creek that is all geothermally heated water. Let that sink in for a second, just imagine being up in the mountains, beautiful fresh clean air, and you can hop into a little pocket in the creek and relax as hot tub temperature water cascades over you. I could blather on for a few more hours so if you have any more questions I'll be glad to take a crack at them.

Here's a few pictures from my trips..

Amazing pictures!

I'm crashing the party a bit... I too am going to Iceland but it will be in November for airwaves. 

Do you have any advice on renting a car or 4x4 vs using one of the companies like your friend has? 

I'm not too knowledgeable on renting a 4x4 I'm afraid. I did meet some other travelers along the way who had rented one though, and she was super happy about it because she felt safer going on really rough roads. Funny story, my friend from Iceland was supposed to meet me there but ended up going on vacation herself to another country, so she left her car at the airport for me with a map of how to find it, and the keys in the unlocked trunk. It was like a James Bond movie. I had to teach myself stick shift and probably burned out the clutch, but I'm sure she wont notice. The crack I put in the windshield probably took her attention

By the way what is "airwaves"? A music fest?

Hahahaha! That sounds like a very appropriate way to start an Iceland adventure. And nice move diverting the attention from the clutch to the windshield. 

Yeah, Airwaves is a big music festival in Reykjavik in November. 

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