Golden Circle Tour

Good day friends! It’s raining today and no tours are scheduled, so a good time to share yesterday’s excursion on the Golden Circle. This route is considered the baseline tour from Reykjavik to experience volcanos, glaciers, waterfalls and thermal pools. The highlight of this tour was our guide, Howser. Both my guides have given us their Icelandic names which trail on for eternity, and then say “ But you can call me…”. Howser, at first sight, appears to have just stepped off the set of Game of Thrones! In his Scottish like brogue, he captivated us all day with his colorful language, storytelling and extensive knowledge of his home’s history and geography.

Speaking of thermal pools, our first stop was the Secret Lagoon. This pool is family owned and so much more intimate than the highly crowded and commercialized Blue Lagoon. We had two hours to soak in the soothing waters while getting to know fellow travelers and maybe (yes) enjoy an Icelandic beer!

I was ready for a nap after that considering the late night before and, well you know. But the tour continued. Comments are in the captions below on the various stops. Suffice to say it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, as well as highly informing of what this extraordinary place Iceland is!

Exploring Reykjavik

Tuesday was spent exploring Reykjavik. There was an on and off drizzle most of the morning. The coffee shop I wanted to check out happened to be near the landmark Lutheran church above the city, Hallgrimskirkja. Named after a 17th century hymn writer, the modern design is without ornamentation but striking in it’s soaring interior and bell tower. I took the lift up to the top of the bell tower for some great views of the city.

A city bus ride then took me out to the peninsula where the Grotta Island lighthouse is. A foot and cycle path skirting the peninsula leads to the lighthouse. It is quite exposed to the elements there, and I could imagine it shrouded in ice at times I’m sure. Then hopped back on the bus using my transfer.

Finally it was time to visit the Icelandic Phallological Museum, better known as the penis museum. At 284 displays, it holds the Guinness world record and probably always will. All the mammals and maritime species of Iceland are represented. I must say they all looked a bit sad and lonely submerged in formaldehyde separated from their owners. Never again to rise to the occasion. However, it was an entertaining exhibit, including lots of interesting facts, carvings, utilitarian items and more celebrating the male member.

Back to town, it was happy hour at most every bar in town… an event one doesn’t want to miss considering the price of a beer here! I had my eye on a certain English pub which appeared very authentic inside. As I entered, a woman had just won a “meter of beer” by spinning a roulette wheel and landing on the top prize. She was handing out the meter long stack of glasses to other patrons with free beer. It must have been her lucky night because she did it again a little later! Also had a very nice conversation with a couple from Durham… England.

Finally it was time to meet for dinner with an acquaintance from the previous day’s tour. The guide had suggested his favorite restaurant for Icelandic fare, which we decided to check out. Hannah, from Wales, and I had an absolutely delicious meal together and good conversation for two solo travelers. Turns out we were both booked on the same tour the next day, so we officially declared ourselves travel buddies!

Finally… I see the northern lights!

Northern Lights update! As I said in my last post, when I arrived on Sunday, the skies were clear. The forecast for the week looked progressively worse, so my best shot to see the elusive aurora borealis would be tonight. I canceled my Tuesday tour and booked a tour aboard a super yacht going out into the harbor.

We left port at 10 pm aboard the Amelia Rose. The interior bar, living rooms and bedrooms were pretty extravagant… I felt like a Russian oligarch! On top deck, we (lots of Brits all around me) listened to our guide explaining the phenomenon, trying not to get our hopes too high while slightly stoking our anticipation by citing the online prediction websites. Tonight was a KP of 3… which = a good possibility!

Around 11, she excitedly directed our attention to 1 o’clock for a sighting. Hmmm… all I see is a smudge of light. And then it was gone! Other smudges of varying sizes, shapes and intensities came and went over the next half hour. They were faint, not dancing like you see in the best conditions. But they were there! As we headed back to land, I sipped a hot chocolate and counted my good fortune in being able to check mark one item on my bucket list!

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30Carolyn Jimette Cook, Bruce Davis and 28 others

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First day sightseeing in Reykjavik

Arrived in Iceland early Sunday after an overnight flight from Boston. Checked into the hostel I am staying at for a much needed shower and a nap. However, the sun was shining (somewhat of a rarity here) so proceeded to meet up for a free (tip what you want) city tour. Our guide was quite knowledgeable, quite funny and turned out to be a quite interesting tour. Reykjavik gained its independence from Denmark in 1944. The island’s history goes back to the Vikings but was not settled until the ninth century by Norwegians. The town looks like a small fishing village in places, while yielding to heavy tourism pressure with upscale bars and restaurants elsewhere. Buildings are heated using the vast geothermal resources here, as well as radiant heating pipes under the streets to melt snow and ice. Public swimming pools are big hot tubs!

The two tours I’ve done were outstanding and will post on those tomorrow.

Off to Boston and Iceland

Quite a travel day… up at three am and out the door at four. Traffic jam on I-26 to the airport only added to the excitement! Navigating the Boston transit system to arrive at my son Alex’s place at 11. Pleasantly surprised to see my nephew Tom was still here, who I had not seen in awhile.

After lunch, I left the remote workers to work and set off walking through the series of greenways and parks they call the Emerald Necklace. Destination was the home of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who created them as well as Central Park and hundreds of other iconic green spaces in America. Unfortunately, the home and visitor center was closed. Ended up talking to the maintenance man who knew a good bit about him. It was one of the first warm sunny days here, and people were out in droves enjoying it.

Later on, we met Alex’s partner Jess next to Fenway Park at the Cheeky Monkey brewery for dinner. A good day seeing the softer side of Boston!