Iceland Trip  Part 1                       Sep. 23-29, 2022                         Shamla Shankar

            We had a fantastic trip to Iceland, the land of Fire and Ice, thanks to meticulous planning by Lakshmi and her crew of providers in Reykjavik and Vik.  In brief, the sights, the travel, the food even the Northern Lights co-operated to give us the best experience and every member of our group was well satisfied.

            Someone once told me that Iceland is green and Greenland is full of ice!  The Iceland part was definitely true.  Though we were almost at the end of September, the weather held up and we had no issues with our moving around.  In general, islands get a lot of rain in the Northern hemisphere and there was some wind too, but we were not rained out.  Wearing layers of clothing, the temperatures were very bearable in the low 50s F.   As we drove around, especially between cities, the hills and valleys were so green and beautiful.  The landscape was ever changing and there were waterfalls every now and then to delight us.  When examined closely, the ground in most places was covered by volcanic rocks. In fact the entire island was created by volcanos and there are eruptions every now and then, even in the current year.

           In many countries we are usually warned not to drink the tap water.  In fact once we had to boil water in a kettle and cool it overnight just so we could brush our teeth.  Here all the water came from glaciers, waterfalls and lakes and tasted delicious.  We were encouraged to use tap water to drink and no one bought bottles of water.  We just filled up our own bottles where ever we liked, no restrictions!  As for food, it was one of the highlights of this travel destination.  No not local cuisine, but pucca desi food, every meal surpassing the previous ones.  As we joked, based on the popular Bollywood song, na na karte pyar tumhi se kar baithey …. We were consuming every meal, na na karte phir sey khana kha baitey! (Translation:  we say no no all the time but still keep eating over and over!)  Thanks entirely to the organizers.  There were two kitchens set up, one in Reykjavik and one in Vik.  A Rajasthani Maharaj was in charge of each of these.  Many groups came, ate and enjoyed.  It would have been tough had we been left to find local vegetarian cuisine. Kudos also to our tour leader Ashish who painstakingly transported our lunches in hot cases and we stopped at pre- arranged rest areas indoors to have our delicious warm food.  Ashish got us into the spirit of enjoyment and was so cheerful and caring about our needs, whims and requests.  Kudos to Ashish, one of the best leaders we have had!

Delicious Indian food on the go          

  We had taken overnight flights from various destinations in US like Newark, Boston, San Franciso and our flights came within short times of each other.  However the immigration lines were very long and it took a while to get organized, get our luggage and get on the bus.  Our local  driver Beachy (that’s what everyone called him) and guide Ashish met us and kept us engaged. The Grand Hotel Reykjavik lived up to its name and was huge and luxurious.  Our day tour guide, Viral,  seamlessly allotted our rooms We enjoyed the huge spread in the breakfast buffet and then went to our rooms and freshened up.  By noon our tour was starting, the first stop being lunch.  We enjoyed lunch on some days and dinner on most days at this hall.  Our hosts were friendly and hospitable and we all liked the food.  Special attention was paid to the needs of some of vegan members and the two children who were part of our group.

            Viral, a Gujarati, who did not seem to mind his name at all, especially in Covid times, was a young man who was friendly, articulate and knowledgeable.   He told us that a break-away group from Norway hunted out a new place to live and they found Iceland in 1000 A.D.  The meaning of the word Vik was a bay.  Norse was the language in use.  Now the majority of the population live in cities with very sparse habitation in few farms spread far and wide. As we drove around the town of Reykjavik,   Viral showed us some popular sights including a building where Reagan and Gorbachev met during cold war times, a metal Sun Voyager sculpture created in 1990 by Jon Gunnar Arnason. It was by the ocean that looked like the shell of a small ship used by Vikings. 

One of the numerous geysers in Iceland

We were by the ocean and wind had picked up.  Our next stop close by was the modern Opera House known as Harpa, built with beautiful 3D glass walls and ceilings  in 2011 We walked over and briefly entered took a look.  Reykjavik residents were great music lovers and many programs happened in the many theatres indoors.  Viral told us that  fishing and tourism were the two financially sustaining features of Iceland.  Some years ago, overfishing caused the industry to plummet till new rules were in place.  We were shown the original Parliament house still in good shape and located in a quiet area and then the really tall and lovely Hallsgrimkirkja church. It is an imposing 244 feet high edifice and completed in 1986 and functions as an active parish church.  The Lutheran religion is practiced in Iceland. The huge organ inside was awe inspiring.  An interesting fact is that in the large front yard of this imposing church is the statue of Leif Ericson, a Norse explorer who came in his armada of ships and among others discovered the north American continent and surrounding lands a thousand years ago during the Viking age of exploration.

              The highlight of the afternoon however was the Blue Lagoon.  Iceland is full of geo-thermal activity with hot springs.  This lagoon was manually created from the overflow of one such hot spring which is used for producing electricity.  It was huge, blue and hot and we loved these conditions.  The depth all around was less than four feet and it seemed huge.  Most of us were content to stay in the hot spots where the water was even warmer.  Some did explore all parts of the lagoon. The floor was smooth.  After some strict instructions with lockers (they had electronic wrist band keys which we wore throughout) and the showering we were finally in the over 100 degree water and could relax.  We could order a drink if we wanted and have it right there.  We were also provided with some white mud to put on our face and our guides joked that we looked years younger on our return to the bus.  The day ended with a delicious dinner of chappati, kadi, mix vegetable curries, and warm mohan taal halwa.

The Blue Lagoon hot springs bathing pool           

It had been a long day especially after our flight, and the warm lagoon at the end of the day soothed us and were ready to rest.  However, bad news was in store for us.  A storm was hitting the island overnight with rough winds and rain.  Buses and cars were often kept off the roads in such conditions and we resigned ourselves to spending the next day in the hotel. Next morning, we were enjoying the variety breakfast at the buffet when we got the news that winds had subsided and our day’s tour was on!  In keeping with the weather, with lightning speed we got ready, also remembering to grab our swimwear and towel as we were visiting another thermal bath at the end of the day.  We were pleasantly surprised that the wind and cold were bearable even at the open Pingvellir (also known as Thingvellir) national park, our first stop.  As they joke in Iceland, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!  You could also see the four seasons in a day!   We all climbed a few steps to the viewpoint and had a good view of the scenic valley below, the park being approximately 35 square miles.   Then we were given the option to walk the mile or so through a canyon protected by tall walls of rock formations with occasional view points.   Some of us enjoyed that walk and met the bus which had driven down.  The rock formations as well as the foliage growing on it was amazing and colorful.  It is close to a tectonic area that could threaten to break Iceland in two pieces  at some future date in history. 

Pingvellir National Park

Today we were taking the Golden Circle tour and each stop was varied and exciting.  Next up after a short drive was Geysir, (the geyser). Did you know that the word geyser was derived from this word?   It spouted to a good height every five minutes so there was no FOMO (fear of missing out!).  Some of us even got a warm dousing as the wind turned a spray our way.  But we were given enough time to point our cameras in the right direction and capture a good picture or a video.  Along the path there were mini geysers too that were constantly bubbling and the water flowing away in a stream. I believe most of the electricity used is thermal.

Typical scenery in Iceland          

  Gull Foss (The Golden Falls) was a beautiful sight to behold, both from the viewing point as well as up close after a climb down the steps and a wet path.  It is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvita river. Though the falls were not too high, said to be 105 feet,  the volume of the gushing waters over several levels made for a pretty sight.  At the bottom one could get really close to the water flowing over the rocks, but only some of the group braved the steps and the wet trails to do this.  It was a great video opportunity to build our memories.

Some of our tour mates            

The Gull Foss (Golden Falls)

The last stop for the day was yet another hot springs relaxation dip in the thermal waters.   Here the set up was a little different.  On the whole the stress for the ladies was less getting ready as we were not being instructed and monitored so much like Blue Lagoon. (Can’t say we blamed them there as the volume of visitors there is amazing).  Here at the Fontana Thermal baths, it was on a smaller scale with some rectangular pools lined with ceramic tiles and one larger natural area which had many huge stones in it, to be avoided carefully.  There were some convenient stone benches to sit inside the water.   The gradation of the temperature was also varied from mild to hot in different pools so all ages could enjoy.  We of course occupied the hottest pool, drove out other visitors with our loud and boisterous talk in Tamil and had the place to ourselves to take pictures and enjoy.

  We finished off our dip with a hot sauna and headed for the coffee lounge area after about an hour and a half.  We must have improved the economy of Iceland at least with our coffee purchases!   Truly these two thermal bath experiences were amazing, hard to believe that the water was heated naturally from the ground and totally relaxing at the end of a day of amazing sight- seeing.

Glimpse of Northern Lights. From travel mate’s camera a big green streak           

No matter how beautiful Iceland is in many respects, the first question one asks you is “did you see the Northern Lights?”  Our answer is Yes! But …..the whole outing to view them was an adventure.  Finding the sky to be clear of clouds, our tour leader, Ashish arranged for us to travel a short distance by bus to a place the driver found to be appropriate for viewing.  It was at a mild elevation and the night sky was clear.  We pulled up to the side of a road that was not highly traversed by traffic and got out.  Many of us were seeing the entire beauty of a starry night after a very long time in its full  360 degrees glory, with twinkling stars.  We waited patiently and soon what appeared to be a large dusky arc of cloud made its way slowly across the sky.  The movement was almost imperceptible.  Suddenly everyone was shouting and squealing like children and posing for photos.  Lo and behold, in the pictures the definite streaks of emerald green were clearly visible much to our delight.  We had managed to capture ourselves in photos with the Northern Lights!   Apparently, at night our  vision in the darkness cannot really register colors unless the visibility of the N. Lights is at its higher spectrum.  In a scale of 1 to 9 we were told the night sky was displaying only 3 that day.  But it was magical enough for us.   At another location and a different place, some of our travel pals had a better viewing late at night right from their hotel room windows and they captured some photos for us.  The more recent the model of the IPhone, the better the pictures!

In the interest of savoring every moment of our trip and its unique sights, I am concluding this first part of our visit.  Hope to send Part 2  in a week or two.  Meanwhile, do review your photos and relive these wonderful memories!  After my writing is complete, I plan to post it with appropriate photos on my Travel Blog (travelswithshamla.wordpress.com) in which our unique experiences with Lakshmi Travels in every country we visited, is detailed with photos.    I will alert you all when its done!  Thanks for reading!