travel suggestions?

[winterbadger]

The Teacher and I are starting to plan a joint summer vacation. The first stop will be Iceland, a country neither of us have visited before. What would people recommend we do or see? I've already tried skyr and didn't like it, so don't suggest that. ;-)

Herself wants to cross two long-held desires off her list and (1) ride an Icelandic horse and (2) visit some of their hot spring pools. I'm guessing we could do a few more of her "must some day"s and see a glacier and/or a volcano, possibly even some whales. Me, I'd like to see birds, do some hiking, and maybe see a museum.

Comments

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

may I suggest you look under the Iceland tag on my journal?
It's a fantastic place, a totally alien landscape :0)

[winterbadger]

Oh, excellent, I will do so! I had thought of stopping there on the way to or from the UK before, so The Teacher's suggestion clinched it. And it looks as if there is a great deal to do and see, just judging by their tourism office's website.

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

If you haven't already, you might want to read at least one Icelanding Saga in translation, because many of the places in them are still there to see. Njal's Saga is the famous one. Don't worry about skipping the geneological chapters at the start... apart from those, they read like modern pulp novels.

[winterbadger]

Excellent suggestion. I enjoyed Orkney the more for having read the Heimskringla beforehand (as well as King Hereafter, of course...)

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

Aww, yay Icelandic horse-riding!!

[winterbadger]

Yes, you and The Teacher would get on well--she loves horses!

[kmpleet.livejournal.com]

We had some relatives visit Iceland, and they LOVED it. Brought back some awesome pictures. The place is out of a fairy tale...but not the cutesy Disney kind, though. "Real" fairy tales.

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

Get dinner at Þrír Frakkar in Reykjavík. It is the best restaurant in Iceland. SRSLY. If you're not uneasy about eating unusual animals, you can try puffin and whale -- if you are, you can stick with the traditional dishes, like fish mashed in creamy potatoes, and it'll still be the best thing you've ever eaten. SO GOOD.

If you can swing it, go on a whale watch. We saw incredible wildlife (including a breaching humpback!), and it gets you really close to the puffins' island!

The national museum is fantastic, and if you can manage a trip to Þingvellir, it's beautiful and very moving (if you know the history). It's also not too far from Gullfoss (incredible waterfall, well worth visiting) and Geysir (which is not actually the one that blows; I think the one that erupts about every 15 minutes is called Strokkur or something like that).

I have an "íslenska" tag on my journal with some pictures; unfortunately, I'd just been run over by a truck and couldn't do much walking, so I missed a lot of opportunities to explore. But it's a wonderful country! Have a great time :D

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

Also, you can see the glacier from Gullfoss. So unless she wants to walk on it, that can be crossed off from the Golden Circle!

[winterbadger]

Thank you so much! :-) I'm sure she will want to try the whale watch, and puffins are a huge plus! (She will probably be OK with eating them--me, it would make me too sad!)

She's got something going on with her knee (she's actually at the doctor today to get it checked out), so she may be in a similar case to yours. :-(

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm sorry to hear about her knee! I hope it heals up well and quickly. There's plenty to do in downtown Reykjavík without too much walking; it's a very small city, and if you make frequent cafe pit-stops, it's totally navigable for a cripple ;) The only long-ish walk with not much to break it up is from downtown to the university area (also where the national museum is) -- and by long-ish, I mean like 5-10 mins. Awesomely small city. Also, the public transport is good -- I recommend getting a week-long (or 2-, or 6-, or whatever) bus pass so you can take full advantage of that.

I meant to mention, too, that you might be there for the Viking festival in Hafnarfjörðr (a suburb to the south of Reykjavík, easily accessible by bus but not so much walkable) -- looks like it's June 16th to 20th this year. Also, don't be lured in by the Pearl -- it looks great from a distance, but the museum part is supremely cheesy and not worth the extortionate entrance fee, and that's about all there is inside except for a ridiculously overpriced restaurant. Such a waste of valuable time in Iceland! There are many nicer and cheaper things to see :)

[winterbadger]

Oooh, thanks for the warning about the Pearl! I think we'll miss that festival (she's still teaching part of that week), but the suggestion of the bus pass is a good one.

[ticktockmary.livejournal.com]

I loved the Blue Lagoon, though it was in January so not crushed with tourists. But that hot water, mmmm... If you do go, accept that you might have to throw away your swimsuit afterward. It's nigh impossible to get the sulfur smell out.

Lots of interesting art galleries in Reykjavik too.

[winterbadger]

Excellent, thank you!