In late May and early June, 2011, I traveled to Iceland for almost a week. At the time, despite the fact that it is a small country of only about 320,000 people, Iceland had figured prominently on the world stage in preceeding years, due to the financial crisis and the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano which disrupted airline travel in April 2010. However, I went to Iceland for the reason most tourists go - to appreciate the dramatic landscapes and seemingly endless natural beauty.
I stayed in Reykjavik the while time and then used a tour company to take day trips from there. This meant that I got to see a lot of the south, the west, and the center of the country but not the north and east. In addition to Reykjavik, I saw Vik and the south shore, the Geysir and Pingvellir areas, Akranes, and I took an Ice Explorer ride on top of Langjokull glacier - of the large glaciers, the nearest one to Reykjavik. Iceland has a very northern, alien, desolate beauty in a lot of places. There are not many trees. The scenery might resemble parts of Scandinavia but in general it is fairly unique. Temperatures were only in the 40s there despite the fact it was early June - quite a difference from the midwest U.S.
Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in southwest Iceland, close to both Reykjavik (maybe 20 miles) and the airport (maybe 10 miles or less). It feels really good to get in. But it was dreadfully cold when it came time to get out, with temps in the 40s and the wind blowing.
Typical dramatic beauty of the south coast of Iceland near Selfoss.
Myrdalsjokull glacier in southern Iceland
Ice Explorer ride, coming down Langjokull glacier in western Iceland. The alien snowy beauty of the area made me feel like I was a polar explorer.
Reykjavik harbor, taken during a bird-watching cruise that featured wild gyrations that made me seasick. The steeple is Hallgrim's church, a major visual landmark of the city.
Church amid bleak but beautiful treeless landscape near Vik, in the extreme south of Iceland.
Myself, near Pingvellir in central Iceland. This area represents the ancient parliament site of Iceland.
Skogafoss waterfall along south coast of Iceland. The roar from this waterfall was incredible, and the mist would get you soaking wet pretty quickly.
Harbor at Akranes
Eyjafjallajokull volcano, the one that caused all the air travel disruptions in April 2010. The volcano is the mountain in back but the top is not all that well visible.
This is the town of Selfoss on the south coast of Iceland. At the time of my visit, I was told that some people commute from this town to their work in Reykjavik.
This us Guilfoss, a waterfall which is located in the Geysir area and which is a very popular tourist attraction.
Geysers are common in Iceland because of its geothermally active nature; in fact, "geyser" is an Icelandic word.
This is the Ice Explorer vehicle which took me up Langjokull glacier, which is the closest of the major glaciers to Reykjavik.
I stayed in Reykjavik the while time and then used a tour company to take day trips from there. This meant that I got to see a lot of the south, the west, and the center of the country but not the north and east. In addition to Reykjavik, I saw Vik and the south shore, the Geysir and Pingvellir areas, Akranes, and I took an Ice Explorer ride on top of Langjokull glacier - of the large glaciers, the nearest one to Reykjavik. Iceland has a very northern, alien, desolate beauty in a lot of places. There are not many trees. The scenery might resemble parts of Scandinavia but in general it is fairly unique. Temperatures were only in the 40s there despite the fact it was early June - quite a difference from the midwest U.S.
Myrdalsjokull glacier in southern Iceland
Ice Explorer ride, coming down Langjokull glacier in western Iceland. The alien snowy beauty of the area made me feel like I was a polar explorer.
Reykjavik harbor, taken during a bird-watching cruise that featured wild gyrations that made me seasick. The steeple is Hallgrim's church, a major visual landmark of the city.
Church amid bleak but beautiful treeless landscape near Vik, in the extreme south of Iceland.
Skogafoss waterfall along south coast of Iceland. The roar from this waterfall was incredible, and the mist would get you soaking wet pretty quickly.
Harbor at Akranes
Eyjafjallajokull volcano, the one that caused all the air travel disruptions in April 2010. The volcano is the mountain in back but the top is not all that well visible.
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