Iceland, Wembley and Helsinki: a tale of a northern winter

[Justinf]

Another early-ish start with a full-day tour planned.
This tour, officially called a South Coast Adventure took in:

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seljalandsfoss waterfall
• Skogafoss waterfall
• Svinafellsjökull Icelandic glacier
• The Black Sand Beach or Reynisfjara
• Small coastal town of Vík

This tour also visits a puffin colony in summer, but these critters are not around in winter. Smart birds.
10 on the 20-seat minibus today and it became obvious early on that the tour guide was awesome and my fellow travellers much more friendly and open.
Our first stop was unscheduled. Our driver took a short detour on a snowy back lane to try and see a waterfall. I wish I could remember the name of it. I'm hopeless with this kind of thing.
At one stage it didn't look like our bus was going to make it, but our guide (I also wish I could remember his name - he said to just call him Wall-E) made it work.
It was well worth the detour.

 

[Justinf]

Our next stop was Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
This beast last erupted in 2010. It erupts relatively frequently. Google some pics and you'll see.
No eruption when we were there though. I love the farm that was just sitting there at the base.

 

[Justinf]

And then we stopped to pet Icelandic horses.
Don't call them ponies to the locals, though. Seriously! Don't call them ponies. You will be told very sternly that they are horses.

 

[Denali]

Did you find your boots were OK for the weather?

1 thing you wished you packed?

1 thing you wished you didnt bother packing?

thanks

 

[Justinf]

Did you find your boots were OK for the weather?

1 thing you wished you packed?

1 thing you wished you didnt bother packing?

thanks

My boots were my godsend. They are the most important thing you can take in cold weather. I bought mine from the US on ebay for about $35 which was an incredible bargain. They were secondhand but they arrived practically new. Waterproof and also good for -40 degrees with good traction for snow and ice.
One thing I wished I'd packed was sunglasses. I didn't think I'd need them, but I did. Particularly on a sunny day when I was on the side of the bus that had direct sunlight streaming in.
One thing I wish I hadn't packed was track pants. I didn't wear them once. Complete waste of space. I'd never wear them outside and didn't need them inside.
Also one thing I was sooooo glad I packed was my mac in a sac. Or otherwise a rain jacket. It snowed nearly the whole time I was in Helsinki and it kept me dry. It also rained a few times in London. It is bright yellow and I looked like a 90kg canary, but at least I was dry.

 

[VPS]

I don't want to hijack your thread but have started a new one here Clothing and footwear in snowy and icy regions about clothing for the colder climes

 

[Justinf]

Our next stop was Skogafoss waterfall, which is 60 metres high and 25 metres wide.

The best view is from the base where the above pics were taken, however there are steps up to the top. All 500 of them. I'd like to think I am reasonably fit, but it was a massive struggle. And slippery due to ice as well. Your choice to go up, and I did, but the views from the top aren't that great. The steps are actually the continuation of a walking track and were not designed at all for seeing the waterfall from above.

 

[Justinf]

I don't want to hijack your thread but have started a new one here Clothing and footwear in snowy and icy regions about clothing for the colder climes

Not hijacking at all. It's really important. Good boots, layers and mittens (not gloves) will see you through.

 

[Justinf]

After that we ventured to the far southeast coast town of Vik.
Our tour guide managed to get us up high enough for a superb view.
Interesting that this is the warmest part of the country. While Reykjavik was -6 degrees, Vik was positively baking at +1.





Vik turned out to be little more than a lunch stop. We were taken to basically a truck stop which had a cafe and a supermarket. I bought a sandwich from the supermarket.
We were back on the road again to hit the nearby black-sand beach of Reynisfjara, which was only 20 minutes away.

 

[Justinf]

The black-sand beach was actually pretty good, except for the hordes of tourists.
Yeah I know it's hypocritical that the tourist complains about tourists.
Freak waves have claimed lives here and we were warned not to go too close. Still, there were people getting close and one group got drenched by a big wave.
The sand is volcanic. I'd never seen snow on a beach before.

 

[Justinf]

After the black-sand beach we had a long drive to our next stop.
This was a very full on day tour, from 9am to 7.30pm.
I had never seen a glacier before, but I was about to see Svinafellsjökull.
It required a short walk from the car park, but it was worth it.
The green of the glacier was totally mesmerising.
I loved it.
Despite the signs asking you not to, you could actually walk to the glacier itself. The glacier has receeded dramatically in recent years so the warning signs are no longer relevant.
I didn't go right to it, but a few in our party did with the aid of crampons.













We had one more stop. But I had deliberately not booked a Northern Lights tour.
Having experienced the lights in Alaska and Yellowknife at a rating of 2, I didn't see any point in booking a tour just for the sake of it just to see the same again.
However I had kept an eye on the aurora forecast.
It had varied between 1 and 3 the whole time but thanks to free wifi on the bus, I checked the forecast for tomorrow night. A rating of 3 is definitely worth going out by the way.
By now it had jumped to 5, which is pretty much as high as it gets (it goes from 1 to 8 but ratings of 7 and 8 are virtually unheard of) and there was a forecast of clear skies for tomorrow.
Could this be the chance I had been waiting for all these years?
I quickly booked a tour for tomorrow night and hoped for the best.
Boy oh boy, was I to be rewarded.

 

[ADLhighflyer]

Enjoying the trip report - can't wait to see the northern lights pics coming up!!!!

 

[Justinf]

We had a fair drive for our final stop.Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
I love a good waterfall.
And this one was very picturesque.

 

[Justinf]

Enjoying the trip report - can't wait to see the northern lights pics coming up!!!!

It will not disappoint.

 

[Justinf]

After the final stop, it was time for the drive back to Reykjavik.
One thing I did see was a big raven that was the size of a small dog.




Our tour guide, who again was awesome, and fellow travellers thought it might be a good idea to top at the Vínbúðin liquor store about 75 minutes out from the capital.
Our group was really chilled.
So we stopped at the booze shop.
Unfortunately the store didn't have cold beer. The young woman in charge just said "Put them outside for 20 minutes and they will be cold".
Seemed like a good idea but I didn't have 20 minutes.
Still, everyone bought something (i bought three small cans of Viking lager) and we all drank and talked all the way back to Reykjavik.
It's moments like these when I really appreciate good fellow travellers.
Truth be told I waited until 45 minutes from Reykjavik to break open my first can. I didn't trust my bladder but some of the US women who were necking bottles of wine straight from the bottle were a little merry. All good. Was a great atmosphere.
Back to the bus stop at 7.30pm and a quick walk through the park to my hotel.



It was too late fir happy hour, but I ventured to the American Bar to see Spurs vs Watford.
Perfect timing really.
After conceding an early goal, we got the points with an 80th minute goal from Sonny and an unlikely winner from Llorente at 87 minutes.



Tomorrow was my last full day in Iceland and I had the Blue Lagoon and Northern Lights tour to look forward to.

 

[tgh]

As usual , super tr Justin .. keep it comin'

 

[cjd600]

Can’t help but think a Man U beanie and Carlton top would be a better combo. The beer looks good though

 

[Justinf]

Can’t help but think a Man U beanie and Carlton top would be a better combo. The beer looks good though

View attachment 154500

I'm sure we would get along very well in real life, but man Utd and Carlton? Gee it would make it difficult.

 

[Justinf]

I was able to get a very nice sleep- as my Blue Lagoon tour wasn't booked until 11.30am.
I wasn't sure what ti expect for the Blue Lagoon.
On one hand I was told it was wonderful and on the other I was told it was an overpriced and overrated tourist trap.
I decided to find out for myself.
Once again it involved a bus pick up and then another change of bus at the BSI interchange.
The lagoon is out near the airport so it took well over half an hour to get there.
You deboard the bus and walk the short way to the building.
Today was minus 4 degrees and when you get to the main building the fun begins.
I'd just booked the basic package which included entry, towel and 'free' drink.
You are issued with wrist band which controls your entry, your locker in the change rooms and any bar tab you rack up;
I was ushered to a change room which was very busy. You take your clothes off and put them in the locker. The wrist band locks and opens your locker.
You then shower (mandatory) before you enter the lagoon.
I haven't showered with others since my footy days (when mother nature was much more kind to me) but it was no big deal. I leanred ages ago that there is someone who looks better or worse than you do, not that I was there to judge in the slightest.
The lagoon is human-made. It's not a naturally occurring thing.
The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 37–39 °C (99–102 °F).
I'll say it again - I was VERY sceptical.
As I showered and put on my running shorts (which I would use was 'bathers'), I entered the heaving mass of humanity in the room that separated the warmth from the cold.
It was only a 30 metre dash from inside to the lagoon but at -4 wearing little more than your birthday suit, it felt like 5km.
Once submerged into the geothermal waters, things calmed down a bit and I actually began t enjoy it.
I had initially booked for 2 hours and thought it would probably be 1 hour too long.











I didn't even feel like a beer but I made sure I had my free one. You can also get smoothies and soft drinks etc, but i thought 'what the hell'.
I git talking to an older Irish couple who were really nice. They have a son who is an oncologist in Warrnambool.



So the all-important verdict.
Do it.
I hate baths.. I don't enjoy massages (unless it's a leg massage - sports iinjury type). I hate crowds.
This is almost all of the above but yet it was wonderful.
I could have easily spent hours longer in the water. There was something awesome about going -4 to +38 in seconds.
Never mind the physical benefits of the waters, I really enjoyed the entire experience.
Warning for those with long hair - the water plays havoc with it.
My shorts came out looking like they could be broken in half like a piece of bread.
Use PLENTY of conditioner.
When I finally got out of the water (difficult to do), it was a quick shower and change and then onto the bus that you have prebooked.
In my case it was 2.15pm, so I was back in town by 3.30pm with an Aurora tour booked for 8.30pm.
I took the opportunity to wander around town for a final time and soak up the atmosphere.

 

[Denali]

What app did you use for the aurora forecast? (please and thank you)

I've booked The Retreat to avoid the crowds.