After years of doing research and dreaming about the city of Reykjavik, I finally had a chance to visit Iceland in the summer of 2005. Iceland had been at the top of the list of places I wished to visit for the previous five years, before I finally got the chance to go. And Iceland did not disappoint, it far surpassed all of my dreams and expectations. I decided to put together this page of trip photos and memories of my time in Iceland, for my close family and friends to be able to see what it is like. I'm going to break this trip report into 4 different sections-- Reykjavik and Faxaflói Bay, the Blue Lagoon, Icelandic landscape and countryside, and Geysir and Gullfoss natural wonders.
Reykjavik and Faxaflói Bay-- Reykjavik has long been the unofficial party capital of Europe. However, as I am not into the party scene, I headed into Reykjavik with an interest in experiencing the architecture, the people, the sights of the city, and the food. We flew into Keflavik and got settled at our B&B in Reykjavik, which was about one hour away from the airport. One thing which I quickly realized was that this is one of the most expensive places in the world to visit. Everything ended up costing 3 to 4 times what I would normally pay, which meant eating mostly a hot dog and a Coke from a gas station for dinner most of the time. Some of the things I enjoyed most in Reykjavik were spending hours walking the city streets, enjoying walks along the shoreline looking out into Faxaflói Bay, and catching some great views of the city from Hallgrímskirkja. The Blue Lagoon-- The Blue Lagoon is an outdoor geothermal spa, which is the most popular tourist destination in Iceland. The landscape surrounding The Blue Lagoon looks like something from another planet. The average water temperature is 104 F and is heavy in minerals such as sulfur and silica, being lava water. We actually got to go to The Blue Lagoon twice during our trip, once during our stay and another time after our plane home was delayed for two days and Icelandair sent everyone who wanted to go there for free. It was so awesome to be able to to get the extra visit. Icelandic Landscape and Countryside-- For me personally, Iceland has one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever encountered in my lifetime. One of the reasons it is so appealing to me, is that it seems like a cross between Alaska and a volcanic Death Valley. I only wish that I could have had the time to explore the entire country, with its glaciers and majestic peaks. Here are some my favorite pictures which I took while we traveled around the western part of Iceland. Geysir and Gullfoss-- Geysir (also known as The Great Geysir) is the oldest known geyser in the world. Because it erupts infrequently, we visited Strokkur geyser, which is very close by and got some nice pictures of it erupting. Gullfoss is a majestic waterfall which drops steeply in a canyon of the Hvítá River.
Reykjavik and Faxaflói Bay-- Reykjavik has long been the unofficial party capital of Europe. However, as I am not into the party scene, I headed into Reykjavik with an interest in experiencing the architecture, the people, the sights of the city, and the food. We flew into Keflavik and got settled at our B&B in Reykjavik, which was about one hour away from the airport. One thing which I quickly realized was that this is one of the most expensive places in the world to visit. Everything ended up costing 3 to 4 times what I would normally pay, which meant eating mostly a hot dog and a Coke from a gas station for dinner most of the time. Some of the things I enjoyed most in Reykjavik were spending hours walking the city streets, enjoying walks along the shoreline looking out into Faxaflói Bay, and catching some great views of the city from Hallgrímskirkja. The Blue Lagoon-- The Blue Lagoon is an outdoor geothermal spa, which is the most popular tourist destination in Iceland. The landscape surrounding The Blue Lagoon looks like something from another planet. The average water temperature is 104 F and is heavy in minerals such as sulfur and silica, being lava water. We actually got to go to The Blue Lagoon twice during our trip, once during our stay and another time after our plane home was delayed for two days and Icelandair sent everyone who wanted to go there for free. It was so awesome to be able to to get the extra visit. Icelandic Landscape and Countryside-- For me personally, Iceland has one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever encountered in my lifetime. One of the reasons it is so appealing to me, is that it seems like a cross between Alaska and a volcanic Death Valley. I only wish that I could have had the time to explore the entire country, with its glaciers and majestic peaks. Here are some my favorite pictures which I took while we traveled around the western part of Iceland. Geysir and Gullfoss-- Geysir (also known as The Great Geysir) is the oldest known geyser in the world. Because it erupts infrequently, we visited Strokkur geyser, which is very close by and got some nice pictures of it erupting. Gullfoss is a majestic waterfall which drops steeply in a canyon of the Hvítá River.
Map showing some of the regions of Western Iceland that we visited on this trip:
Outside of a local apartment building with new friends:
View of downtown Reykjavik from the top of Hallgrímskirkja:
Hallgrímskirkja is the 4th tallest architectural structure in Iceland:
The lift up to the viewing deck allowed us to see Reykjavík and the surrounding mountains:
Reykjavík is situated on its southern shore of Faxaflói Bay:
Snæfellsjökull (from Journey to the Center of the Earth) is way off in the distance:
Zooming in on the beautiful mountain ranges seen from the harbor:
Standing outside the entrance to The Blue Lagoon:
An overview of the geothermal pools of the Blue Lagoon:
A picture of Steve with the Blue Lagoon in the background:
Check out all the people swimming in the light blue water:
The inside complex has restaurants, a gift shop, and changing areas:
Steve and Flemming enjoying the geothermal water:
Getting to know some Icelandic ponies:
Icelandic horses were brought to Iceland by Viking settlers in the mid-800s:
An Icelandic pony feeding on some grass:
Driving the Golden Circle in south-central Iceland. In the next two pictures, we have stopped by a river:
This is Kerið- a volcanic crater lake:
Continuing to drive along the gravel roads of the southern coast:
Another shot of the southwestern coastline, where we stopped to search for puffins:
Typical roadside volcanic scenery in Iceland:
Sign welcoming visitors to Geysir:
Watching an eruption at Geysir in the next two pictures:
Visiting the spectacular waterfall at Gullfoss:
The raging Hvítá River shrouded in mist:
It almost seems as if the river disappears into the earth in the final two pictures: