Góðan daginn Iceland

[Denali]

We've got flights booked for April so really looking forward to this report.

 

[love_the_life]

We've got flights booked for April so really looking forward to this report.

Figured you’d be here soon.

 

[Pug1]

We've got flights booked for April so really looking forward to this report.

It's pretty spectacular Denali and my words and photos don't do it justice. Just bring your credit cards!

 

[Pug1]

A sign we found with more helpful Icelandic words!

 

[Pug1]

You really need 2 or 3 days to see Reykjavik but we had only the half day before joining Hebridean Sky at 2pm on day 2. So we walked around the town centre and along the waterfront. The Danish Navy was in town to help celebrate Iceland’s 100 year anniversary of independence from Denmark and there were lots of tourists. Population of Iceland is about 350,000 but it gets over 2.5 million visitors each year. Keflavik airport is overwhelmed and due for major expansion.

Whale watching fleet and Danish navy ships.


Ponant’s Le Soleal in port. The cranes are for a new hotel being built on waterfront.


Settlement Exhibition
This is a must see in Reykjavik and is a new building over the remains of a 1000 year old Viking Longhouse that was excavated in 2001. There is a brilliant audio visual portrayal of the settlement of Iceland and the life in Viking times. The exhibition is free to seniors of a certain age. It’s quite dark inside so our photos are not clear enough for use here.

This is a photo taken from their website on this link. The Settlement Exhibition | Reykjavík City Museum

 

[Denali]

It's pretty spectacular Denali and my words and photos don't do it justice. Just bring your credit cards!

Yes, preparing myself for sticker shock. We're using AirBnBs and Ive signed up for the Bonus grocery store emails to get use to their pricing and a bit of meal planning.

Think Im going to book the Blue Lagoon Retreat which is double the price because saving on accommodation and food.

 

[tgh]

We will be few weeks behind you Denali, boarding the cloud on the 18/06 , we will probably spend a few days driving around the south.
Really enjoying this excellent tr

 

[Denali]

We will be few weeks behind you Denali, boarding the cloud on the 18/06 , we will probably spend a few days driving around the south.
Really enjoying this excellent tr

We're not planning on doing the Ring Road drive but Diamond Beach looks like something to visit in the south/east, might head that way for a night or 2.

 

[JohnM]

Slipping into 1A.

 

[love_the_life]

Slipping into 1A.

So you're right down the bottom on deck 1?

 

[love_the_life]

Yes, preparing myself for sticker shock. We're using AirBnBs and Ive signed up for the Bonus grocery store emails to get use to their pricing and a bit of meal planning.

Think Im going to book the Blue Lagoon Retreat which is double the price because saving on accommodation and food.

I remember getting money from an ATM and taking out what I thought was a decent amount to last us for the day or so before we flew out to Oslo. Between the high prices and my bungle of what I thought the exchange rate was, we only had enough cash for a couple of coffees. To be fair it turned out we only withdrew about $A20.
We did buy a lovely Icelandic sheepskin pelt for our daughter (the cutest animals, they look like cotton balls on matchsticks) and a reindeer one for us, which is lovely though it does shed a bit. And we had to buy a new carryon to put them in to bring home.

 

[Pug1]

We're not planning on doing the Ring Road drive but Diamond Beach looks like something to visit in the south/east, might head that way for a night or 2.

Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon was one of the highlights for me and I'll upload some photos later in the TR. It's a mini Antartica, especially on a sunny day.

 

[Denali]

I remember getting money from an ATM and taking out what I thought was a decent amount to last us for the day or so before we flew out to Oslo. Between the high prices and my bungle of what I thought the exchange rate was, we only had enough cash for a couple of coffees. To be fair it turned out we only withdrew about $A20.
We did buy a lovely Icelandic sheepskin pelt for our daughter (the cutest animals, they look like cotton balls on matchsticks) and a reindeer one for us, which is lovely though it does shed a bit. And we had to buy a new carryon to put them in to bring home.

Ive already got the Hand Knitting Assoc store on the list - hubby wants a beanie.

 

[Pug1]

Still on the morning of day 2 in Reykjavik and we went to the lovely glass fronted concert hall on the waterfront. It changes colour in the sunlight.but It was not at its best for our visit as the day was cloudy. Apart from the concert hall itself there are two nice gift shops and a café plus spotless toilets. There is a desk at the toilets and a charge of ISK250 applies! This seems fair considering a large proportion of the 2.5 million visitors would call here. Cruise passengers from the larger ships are coached in to the front of the Concert Hall. If you do the calculations it’s a lot of revenue from toilets!


Next we walked to the magnificent “Sun Voyager” sculpture on the waterfront. This looks like a Viking Longboat but is in fact a monument to the sun or dreamboat as envisioned by the late Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason.

 

[Pug1]

I remember getting money from an ATM and taking out what I thought was a decent amount to last us for the day or so before we flew out to Oslo. Between the high prices and my bungle of what I thought the exchange rate was, we only had enough cash for a couple of coffees. To be fair it turned out we only withdrew about $A20.
We did buy a lovely Icelandic sheepskin pelt for our daughter (the cutest animals, they look like cotton balls on matchsticks) and a reindeer one for us, which is lovely though it does shed a bit. And we had to buy a new carryon to put them in to bring home.

There is a hot dog stall at the back of the Radisson Blu that is open until 2am every day and he sells a Hot Dog for about $6. He does a roaring trade as evidenced by the noise into our room and he must be the "cheap eats" option in Reykjavik.

 

[Pug1]

Time to board our little ship for a 7pm departure. It was a short walk from the hotel and moored near the Concert Hall.


Settled into Corner Suite 414 and you can see it before we messed it up.




Then it was the Welcome Aboard refreshments and the mandatory lifeboat drill and briefing, before we left for our overnight sail in smooth seas to Grundarfjordur and Latrabjarg Cliffs.

 

[Denali]

Thats quite a large cabin and a bit of old world class with all the wood.

 

[drron]

So you're right down the bottom on deck 1?

You can tell he is no cruiser.

 

[JohnM]

So you're right down the bottom on deck 1?

There’s always one smart-alec....

 

[JohnM]

You can tell he is no cruiser.

Make that two....