Iceland: A Tale of 3 "Cities"

Akureyri, Iceland

AFTER LEAVING Rotterdam, our first day was an "at sea day." Were on the way to our 3 stops in Iceland (notwithstanding the title, really a tale of 2 small villages and one city). We were out in the middle of the North Sea. It was cool. And very windy. Not really an outside day. We had to learn where the best places to sit and smoke a cigar were on the ship. There are three designated smoking areas on the Edge Class ships. That is actually very generous compared to other ships I have been on. Both Edge and Millenium ships have designated a portion of the top rear deck (where the Sunset bar is) for smoking. In decent weather, this is where most of the cigar smoking is done. On the Millenium ships, smoking is also allowed on the starboard, upper pool deck, near the bar there. I don't think I have ever seen anyone light up a cigar there. On the Edge ships, there is a mezzanine level smoking area between the upper pool deck and the pool deck, just behind the pool bar (I didn't discover that one right away first Edge Class cruise, but a staff person pointed it out to me on the second one). it is covered and partly enclosed. Some wind still gets in there, but it is probably the most sheltered smoking area on the ship. For this trip (unfortunately - as I would much prefer a warm day on the back of the ship), we did most of our cigar smoking up on that mezzanine. Also on the Edge ships, there is a small, partially sheltered area on the starboard side of deck 4, outside the Eden Bar and Restaurant. If you get there first, you can tuck up against the forward bulkhead and 2 or 3 people can sit out of the wind. We were there a couple times, but it is very small and limited.

By the end of the week, I had concluded that a cruise ship is not the way to see Iceland

Akureyri, Iceland

OUR FIRST Icelandic port of call, Akureyri, was on the north side of Iceland, at the end of a fjord named Eyjafjordur. A "bustling metropolis" 😊 of just over 2,000 residents, the town is nonetheless well set up for tourism. There are a lot of tourists who are bikers, hikers, and such, in Iceland, and unsurprisingly, there is a large hostel right on the main downtown street. There is also a resort type hotel which appears to cater more to bus tours, at the end of the main street and up a hill. The shops along the street sell mostly outdoor outfitting type clothes and accessories, and "Iceland" trinkets for tourists to have souvenirs. We didn't have anything planned. We came on shore and walked up the main street, and then stopped for a snack and drinks at the hostel, before heading back to the ship (we did not eat at those outside tables). Not a lot to do if you didn't have a plan. And cold and windy.

Akureyri, Iceland

THE FJORDS are undoubtedly beautiful and at the same time kind of desolate. I get the impression that Iceland gets more than its fair share of cloudy weather, and it actually was very reminiscent of the Alaska Inside Passage cruise we did many years back. I had taken 100's of photos of the Inside Passage, and as much for that reason as any, I really didn't make many photos of the Icelandic fjords. By the end of the week, I had concluded that a cruise ship is not really the way to see Iceland.

Isafjordur, Iceland

THE NEXT day, we cruised just a short way down the Isafjdardjup Fjord, to the slightly larger (2,500) community of Isafjordur, on the northwest tip of Iceland. We had to anchor outside of the very small port and tender in. Again, we had made no excursion plans for this day. I wanted to walk around a bit and tote my camera. I was slightly disappointed in the lack of real good photographic opportunities in both of these small, Iceland communities. What you did see though, was evidence of a pretty hard-scrabble (but industrious) living standard. Isafjordur is mostly a fishing community, and while there was some tourism there, we saw more evidence of that in Akureyri.

Isafjordur, Iceland

THE MAIN attraction in Iceland is no doubt, Reykjavik. The only real city in Iceland, with a population of 140,000, it is also nearest the primary airport (Keflavik - some 25 miles west) servicing the country and is the capitol city (there is also a very small airstrip right in the center of the city). Famous for the first Reagan/Gorbachev Summit in October of 1986, the city (and the airport) has also been a global strategic military location over the years.

Reykjavik Harbor, Iceland

REYKJAVIK IS on the western coast of Iceland. To its east is the area known as "The Golden Circle," which has some pretty spectacular natural wonders and attractions. We took a "Golden Circle Tour" (there are many of them), with a group of about a dozen folks on a small bus. Our guide was very good.

The Continental Divide

OUR TOUR included, in addition to a very scenic drive, stops at the somewhat famous Lingvollum national park, through the center of which is a continental divide. We took a walk down along the fissure which is caused by the divide. Although still windy and cold, it is a pretty impressive sight.

Llingvollum National Park - Reykjavik, Iceland

WE ALSO visited the geysers. There are many hot springs and geysers throughout Iceland. Over the years the local residents have learned to use that naturally hot water for their purposes. our last stop involved a natural outdoor pool whose waters were heated by nearby hot water springs. There were signs all around warning of the potential of severe burns. So we are talking about really hot water.

Llingvollum National Park - Reykjavik

FOR US, the final stop of interest was the huge, Gullfoss Waterfall (roughly translated as gold water). I have seen some waterfalls. In the U.S., Niagara is pretty immense. There is one in the Michigan U.P.: Tahquamenon Falls, that is also pretty big. But this is probably the most immense waterfall I have ever seen. The people standing down near the drop give it scale to show its size. And it does have a bit of a golden hue.

Geysers - Reykjavik, Iceland

WE WEREN'T at all interested in our final stop at the thermal swimming pool. I think, though, that we were the only ones in our group who were not. We stayed there for nearly an hour, and I took the time to find a nice soft chair and take a nap.

Gullfoss - Reykjavik, Iceland

REYKJAVIK WAS an overnight stop. It was also the time of the year when it stayed daylight 23 hours. But the weather was so dreary, and drizzly, that the next day (a 1/2 day), I didn't even plan to get off the ship. By the time we sailed out of the Reykjavik harbor, we had read of warmer temps in Ireland, and we were just looking forward to thawing out.