Iceland: The Land of Fire & Ice

Iceland is hands down the most visually stunning country I’ve ever seen. Geysers! Volcanoes! Thermal Spas! Waterfalls! Mountains! Vivid Green Valleys! There are so many adventurous activities to do that I must go back one day to do what I missed! Iceland is located where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet and there is a volcanic fissure there and it’s getting bigger each year! I just stood in awe looking at the fissure when I saw it.

An accomplishment is I can now spell Reykjavik easily and without checking.

Blue Lagoon

It’s a thermal spa! The Blue Lagoon is 9 million litres of water with a temperature of about 37 – 40°C. It doesn’t get much better than that. I regret not getting a picture of myself in the lagoon. It’s a touristy spot, but well worth the visit if you enjoy this sort of thing. For me, the word spa is right up there with the word wine, so I had a great time. Combine the words spa and wine together and I’m not leaving and probably getting escorted out.

Pre-booking is recommended and a standard ticket is 6100 ISK ($70 CAD).

The Golden Circle

The Golden Circle consists of different attractions: Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, the Geysers: Geysir and Strokkur and Skálholt. I had an incredible day learning about and viewing these sights.

Þingvellir (Thingvellir)

Þingvellir is a natural wonder and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Icelandic parliament was founded at Þingvellir
Þingvellir is at the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates

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Gullfoss

Gullfoss is a waterfall that is 32 m high with 2 drops
It is a spectacular sight!

Geysers: Geysir and Strokkur

Watching a geyser erupt is definitely one of the coolest things ever!
The Great Geysir is sleeping and rarely spouts
Strokkur spouts every few minutes

Strokkur Erupting …

Skálholt

Skálholt is the most historic place in Iceland
Christianity became the religion of Iceland in 1000 AD and Skálholt is the ancient seat of the Icelandic Bishops
Danish rule changed the religion to Lutheranism in the mid 16th century and the last Catholic bishop was executed there
Today, a new Cathedral stands tall

Around Reykjavik

I spent a day walking around Reykjavik and toured the Harpa Concert Hall and Hallgrímskirkja Church (The Church of Iceland is Lutheran). It was a rainy day and I had tea and lamb stew in a bread bowl at a local pub – it was my first time having lamb stew and it was very, very good!

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Accommodations

In Reykjavik, the Team Diabetes group stayed at the Hotel Reykjavík Centrum. It was a smaller room, like most European hotel rooms, but it was perfect for my needs. A standard double/twin is $436 CAD/night.

Iceland was very expensive – so plan accordingly if you’re going. I only bought a woolen orange scarf which my Mom now has. I believe that it came to about $140 CAD.

Things I Didn’t Do

On a return trip to Iceland, I plan to: