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Travel Talk
ICELAND
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mike Medenblik of Vellinga's Travel/Cruise Holidays had the opportunity to visit Iceland last September and would like to share his experience with you.
Day 1
We were able to fly direct non stop with Icelandair from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Keflavik International Airport. This was a major convenience and the service was excellent about this flight with plenty of legroom.
Day 2
We arrived early morning to Keflavik International Airport. Customs went very smoothly with no problems at all. The process was east from the airport to our hotel with Reykjavik Excursions Flybus. We took the approximately 50 kilometer drive to our home for the next two nights, The Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir. This hotel is located about a 10 - 15 minute walk from the center of Reykjavik which we really enjoyed. We took a short nap to catch up on our lack of sleep from flying overnight. Upon waking up, we decided to make the walk to town finding a beautiful park on our way. We reached downtown Reykjavik and did a walk along the main street which is filled with many beautiful shops, restaurants, pubs and coffee houses. Our first dinner which was to celebrate my birthday was at Caruso, a great restaurant with a variety of scrumptious Italian dishes. All in all, a fabulous restaurant well worth the price.
Day 3
We were able to take the Reykjavik Grand Excursion offered through Reykjavik Excursions. We were able to take in many of Reykjavik‚s highlights such as the Pearl, Hallgrimskirkja Church, the National Museum of Iceland, the harbour and The Famous 101 Reykjavik Neighbourhood. For dinner this evening we went to Restaurant Reykjavik where I took in the famous fish buffet. After dinner, we were able to visit the famous Ice Bar attached to the restaurant. Here, you receive a coat before you enter the bar into 6 degree Celsius temperatures where they serve cocktails and Icelandic Brennivin.
Day 4
We began the day by picking up our car rental from Hertz to begin our self drive holiday to visit some the south coast highlights. We headed out of Reykjavik on Route 1 also known as Ring Road. Route 1 is Iceland‚s major highway connecting most of the cities. It is 1330 kilometers long and goes through the fjords, mountains, plateaus and flatlands. Our first stop was Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful waterfall, which was had the opportunity to walk behind. Our second stop was Skogafoss, another absolutely amazing waterfall. We were then able to go off the beaten path to Solheimajokull Glacier. The glacier was huge and not as clean as one might think. We were able to as well walk the black sand beach at Reynishverfi. From there we were able to visit the caves at Halsanefshellir and see the awesome rock cliffs. From there we went to our accommodations for the night in the nice quant town of Vik.
Day 5
Today we were able to visit the Golden Circle. Along the way we drove through lava fields around Mount Hekla, a volcano that hasn't erupted since 2000. We made our way to Stong, where there were ruins of a Viking age farmhouse. We were able to visit the famous Geysir area, a geothermal field where hot springs are in abundance. Geysirs explode and pools of mud bubble. Then off to the gulfoss waterfall, the queen of Iceland's waterfalls. We stayed the might in the little town of Fludir.
Day 6
We began our day by visiting Thingvellir National Park. This is the original site of the oldest existing parliament in the world. The Great Atlantic Rift is clearly visible, a rift that is slowly pull Iceland apart along tectonic plates. We drove along the amazing fjords on our way to Deildartunguhver, which is the largest hot spring in the world with 180 litres of 96 degree Celsius hot water every second. We then got to see Barnafoss which were amazing waterfalls as well on our way back to Reykjavik.
Day 7 and 8
We spent the last two days in Reykjavik exploring this amazing European city more including a day trip to the Blue Lagoon, one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur. Bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases. The lagoon is fed by the water output of a nearby geothermal power plant. A must attraction to see when visiting Iceland.
Vellinga\'s Travel / Cruise Holidays is a full service travel agency taking great pride in our relationships with our customers. We love travel and cruising, and it is our aim not just to satisfy our customers, but to exceed all their travel planning needs. We have been providing excellent service for over fifty years to the Chatham Kent area.
