June 2017 Iceland OAT Trip: 2017

The following is a complete set of notes by Marilyn along with a list of guests on the trip with us.

OAT ICELAND + GREENLAND June 24-July 9, 2017 (16 days)

Tour Director: Gudmundur Bjornsson

Trip highlights

Day 2 Reykjavik – concert hall-unique architecture windows like devils post pile

Day 3 Stykkisholmur (western part of Iceland on peninsula) - Snorri Sturluson – poet’s story saga

Day 4 Stykkisholmur scenery – waterfalls, snow capped mountains, diving tern birds, green ground with white and tan moss. Moss colored by volcanic ash.

Day 5 scenery – green fields with hay rolled in bales; snow capped mountains, rivers, fjords, infrequent farm houses and wild horses. To Akureyri.

Day 6 bugs at Lake Myvatn, home hosted dinner with Christi and Von in Akureyri

Day 7 whale watching; got boat at Dalvik; Chuck caught a 2kg cod fish in 2 minutes.

Day 8 Golden triangle; geyser spouting every 4-5 minutes; lots of tourists; Godafoss waterfall – 2 levels of lava; Hotel Selfoss

Day 9 volcano movie and farm on slopes of volcano that erupted in 2010; Hotel Selfoss

Day 10 river rafting on glacier river – cold, wet and miserable; cut flower company.pm in Reykjavik.

Day 11 Reykjavik - Blue Lagoon hot tub 9:30am-10:10am in the warm water; photo taken + e-mailed

Day 12 Greenland - helicopter ride from Kulusuk to Tasiilaq

Day 13 cancelled fjord boat ride at Tasiilaq-too much pack ice in fjord; drum dancer

Day 14 Tasiilaq am boat ride in fjord; standing on fjord ice; view of broken off glacier ice from high point at former US communications station; bright sunshine

Day 15 – bright sunshine in Kulusuk am; great view of water and ice on water from airplane on flight to Reykjavik. Water shimmering in the sun

Day 16 – met Shirley Schumacher in Reykjavik airport while waiting for plane to Seattle.

Day by Day itinery

Day 1 Sat June 24, 2017 – Depart LAX to Seattle to Reykjavik – 9:30am board; take off 15 minutes late for Seattle at 10:15 am. Arrive Seattle 1pm. Clear day for flying. Saw Shasta Lake and Mt. Hood from the air. Had to change terminals in Seattle from A (domestic) to S (int’l) terminal. Tried to get Iceland boarding passes – no Iceland Air employees around until 3pm. Late gate change from S11 to S6.

Had chicken rice bowl at 3pm as no food on 7 hour flight to Reykjavik. Board flight a 4pm; depart 4:30pm. Uneventful flight. Slept a few hours on the plane.

Day 2 Sun June 25 – Arrive Keflavik Airport (Int’l) Reykjavik, Iceland – arrived Reykjavik at 6:45am. Met at airport by tour director. Walked to van pulling luggage (no OAT person handled the bags).

Reykjavik means “smoky bay” from the steam from the thermal underground heat. Iceland’s first, Ingolfur Arnorson, settlers built a farm in 874 in what became Reykjavik.

45 minute drive to town. Hills mostly brown and black lava rocks and lots of purple lupine flowers growing wild.

Had breakfast at Hilton Reykjavik. Put luggage in holding area as rooms not ready.

9:30am walked 2 blocks to bus stop for orientation walk. 15 minute bus ride to downtown. Walked by harbor and very unique concert hall (windows in shape of devils post pile posts). Saw Supreme Court building. Saw place were original settlers settled in 874. This was some rocks from the rock building they built under plexiglass below the sidewalk. Walked around downtown for 2 hours. Took bus back 15 minutes – neighborhoods and buildings were well maintained. Got back to hotel at noon.

We got our room at 1:45pm. Unpacked. Got e-mails – good Wi-Fi connection.

5:30am orientation meeting with tour director and group. 6:30pm dinner at hotel. Had really good white fish

Day 3 Mon June 26 – Explore Borgarfjordur; travel overland to Stykkisholmur; Hike Mount Helgafell

Up at 6:40am, breakfast 7:30am. Hi temperature expected to be 53 degrees. Grey morning. Departed from hotel at 8:30am. Drove north along coast into rolling meadows of the Borgarfjordur agricultural district.

Scenery along the coast was rivers, fjords, green ground cover. Very few trees – all cut down. Hay in some fields was being cut and bailed in white and black plastic. Some sheep and horses. Very few homes along the way. Mostly overcast all day with ½ hour of light rain while we were on bus.

Drove 2 hours water falls of Hraunfossar area to children’s falls. Lava all around. Falls called “children’s” as a long time ago some children were playing on a lava arch over the river and the arch collapsed, killing the children. 3 view points along the river. Steep lava walls.

Drove ½ hour to thermal hot springs for 10 minute stop. Steam fogged my glasses. 160 degree water temp.

Drove 20 minutes to Settlement Center in Borgarnes for buffet lunch – 2 kinds of hearty soups and various salads. Settlement had small panorama of saga of one of Iceland’s 13^th century poets and warlords Snorri Sturluson, a celebrated figure in Iceland. Also had history of Norse settlement of Iceland. ½ hour for lunch and ½ hour for saga story with head phones and narrative.

After lunch, we drove an hour to Helgafell (holy mountain), a sacred hill about 250 feet high. Hiked up mountain. Good view from top. - Snow caped mountains, rivers, fjords. Small town of Stykkisholmur – (on westerly peninsula of country) protected harbor with commercial fishing boats. Town is major center for catching cod fish and shipping to US and UK. Scallops especially good in this town.

Continue driving to Stykkisholmur, the largest town on the scenic Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Drove through the town. Saw small boat harbor. Church with unique design. 2 good restaurants along the harbor.

Hotel was on a slight hill right next to the town swimming pool. Chuck went swimming 4:30pm to 6pm. Bonus super market was a block from the hotel.

Dinner at Stykkisholmur Hotel at 6:30pm. Dinner was pork, fish appetizer, and custard dessert.

Day 4 Tue June 27 – Discover Snaefellsnes Peninsula; Visit Arnarstapi lava field. Up at 6:40am; breakfast. Depart 8am. Clear and sunny day. Hi temp 52 degrees. Today we explore Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the area that marks the entry point to Jules Verne’s Journey to the center of the earth.

9am saw seals in water. 9:30am walked short distance to Bjorn (bear) falls. Coffee stop10-10:20am.

Continue drive to fishing village of Arnarstapi known for constantly changing weather. Village is situated along a coastline punctuated by fascinating geologic features like arches, basalt, cliffs and blowholes. Took a 1 hour hike along the dramatic rocky coast including seeing a large arch made by lava.

Had lunch in the Hellnar valley in a small restaurant – 6 tables at the old harbor. Only a few small fishing ships tied up at old harbor. Looked out to the sea. Most of boats in nearby new harbor. Lunch was a hearty fish soup, bread and blueberry yoghurt for dessert. Had lunch 11:45am to 12:45am.

1pm started to rain. 5 minute walk in rain to see lava rocks. 1:10pm visited visitor center for ½ hour stop – info about glacier and mountains. 1:45pm depart. 10 minute stop at old volcano with grass on the bottom and grass all along the sides. No one there.

Stopped at church rock on ocean. Stopped 45 minutes at shark farm. Saw drying seal and wild shark and short video on catching, cutting and aging shark meat. Young lady, age 22, who gave the demonstration was from Italy and was working for the summer and living on site. She spoke 5 languages and was very outgoing. Had a taste of shark meat, a national delicacy called Hakarl. – swirled black vodka. Shark smells like ammonia.

Back to hotel 4:45pm. To dinner a 6pm in town and one of best restaurants – had fresh scallops served on a wood plank, meringue dessert for $123 with Barbara and Alan Goldenberg. Restaurant was a former house with dining room on ground floor and 2^nd floor. Restaurant was 1 building from the small harbor that had several fishing boats tied up that evening.

Scenery was blue or grey skies, some sun. land flat and green and mountains with snow on top. Had a stop for birds where the terns fly above and dive bomb the tourists is they get too close to their nests.

Few cars on the highway. Lots of waterfalls, rivers running to the ocean. Shark wild caught in Greenland.

Spent 2^nd night at Stykkisholmur Hotel.

Day 5 – Wed June 28 – Explore Eiriksstadir Museum; Horse farm visit; travel overland to Akureyri –

Up at 6:30am, breakfast, depart 8am. Overcast day. No sun at 7am. Drove an hour north and had 45 minute stop at Eric the Red’s sod house at the Eiriksstadir Museum. We went inside the sod house. Not much to see – a few toys made from animal bonds and some agricultural tools. Eric the Red was the father of legendary Viking Leif Eiriksson known as “Leif the Lucky”. Leif Eiriksson was raised in Greenland. Discovered North America 500 years before Columbus. Sailed as far as south of NYC.

Rest stop 11-11:20am. Drove along a fjord. Crossed over Salmon River. Costs $1000 to $2000/day to fish in Salmon River. Land was all very green. Hay was cut and rolled in white plastic rolls.

Next visited a local horse farm – Gulksymri horse farm. The Icelandic horses were first brought to the country by Viking settlers.

Had lunch – broccoli soup, salad and dessert of whipped cream + cookies. They horse farm family gave us a 20 minute show demonstrating the 5 gaits that the Icelandic horses can do. The 5 gaits are walk, trot, gallup, trot and pace. All other horses in the world use 4 gaits. Farm had 120 horses, some owned and some boarded by others. Horses used mainly for pets. Got to walk around horse barn – horses in stalls; barn was clean. Had black smith putting a new horseshoe on a horse.

3:20pm rest stop for 20 minutes. Green hay field. Sun out. Blue sky with white clouds.

4:20pm 10 min. stop to see mountain with pointed top like minnerates at Mammoth. Don’t want powerlines in the valley.

Arrive hotel in Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest urban area at 5pm. Town is situated on the northern fjords near the Arctic Circle. Akureyri is improbably sunny and enjoys a mild climate in spite of its location. Blue sky. Scenery driving today – green flat land with no trees. Glacier made hills. Reminded me of highway 395 near Bishop.

For dinner had salmon salad with scrambled egg appetizer, beef strips with too much fat.

Day 6 Thur. June 29 – Explore Godafoss (Waterfall) & Lake Myvatn; Home Hosted Dinner – up at 6:30am, breakfast. Depart hotel (Icelandair Akureyri Hotel) at 8 am. Sunny day. Blue sky. White clouds. Drive slowly thru town to see town.

Drove an hour to Godafoss (waterfall of the gods). The current carries rushing water along a glacial river over the rocks falling 40 feet into the pool below. Wide big falls. Falls were named when one of the leaders of the country’s parliament disposed of his wooden statues of Norse gods at this waterfall upon adoption of Christianity as the official religion in the year 1000.

Back on bus at 9;45am. Day warmed up. More bugs around. Stopped at 10:15am a place where they had mud pots and geysers and hot springs. Walk around. Drive some more to photo stop of Lake Myvatn sculpted throughout the ages by volcanic eruptions and renowned for its diverse bird population of ducks, gyrfalcons, plovers, ptarmigans and more.

Rest stop 11:20am-11:40am. ½ hour stop at black castle lava formations of Dimmuborgir where a lonely troll is said to have lived. Depart 12:15pm.

Lunch at Hotel Myvatn – buffet with large eating area.

Drive toward Akureyri. Stopped 3:05-3:50pm at Laufur a family farm since 1047 on the banks of a fjord. No boats were in the water of the fjord. Church was started out of turf or sod. New church built 1 in 1850s and another newer church about 20 years ago. Original turf sod house was built for the wealthy and at one time housed from 20-30 people. House had period furniture from 1800s and 1900s. House was expanded – had 2 stories, one room for kitchen; another room for livestock. Some walls and floors were wooden, others sod. Stark life along a fjord.

Drive ½ hour back to Akureyri. Stopped for 20 minutes at Botanical Gardens. Lots of big trees and flowers blooming. Back to hotel 5pm. Did wash.

Home hosted dinner with Christi and Von, a paramedic EMT and fireman. They have 3 kids 22, 19 and 14. Von likes to play the drums. Christi (grew up in Dalvik, whale watching town) managed a non-profit program of some kind. They travel a lot as Iceland is expensive so other places seem cheaper. Coming to LA Oct 11 to 27, 2017. Dinner was a thick fish soup and home made bread and a whipped cream/strawberry dessert.

Day 7 Friday June 30 – Dalvik; whale watching up at 6:30am; breakfast; depart 8am. Arrive at a fishing village of Dalvik. At store front for boat at 9am – returned at 12:30pm. Had to get warm suit and fleece on at store.

There were other people on the boat other than the 13 of us from OAT. Nice small boat harbor, short walk from the place we put on the warm jumpsuits. After 20 minutes underway, we saw 4-5 porpoises playing in the water. Boat went out almost an hour, nearer the mouth of the fjord to find 3-4 minke (smaller) whales. Didn’t see any humpback whales or grey whales.

Cool and crisp in the boat on the water. A few other much smaller whale watching boats also in fjord.

Sun was out. Lots of clouds. Sea very calm at outset and just a little choppy at the mouth of the fjord.

Very few buildings along the fjord other than the town of Dalvik.

On the way back, we stopped for 15 minutes to fish. The boat had fishing rods and hooks. Chuck put his line in the water and caught a nice sized (2 kg) cod in 2 minutes. Larry in our OAT group caught 2 cods in about 3 minutes. 6 or 7 fish in total were caught by people on the boat. The deck hand, a woman, gutted and cleaned and cut into filets all the fish while the boat was returning to port.

Upon arrival, got out of our warm suits. The deck hand had a BBQ fire all set to go. She grilled the fresh caught cod and we each got a small piece to eat. Delicious. Tasted really good.

Then 40 minute drive back to Akureyri arriving at 1:40pm. Took big bags down to the bus that was returning to Reykjavik. We kept our carryon luggage. We fly to Reykjavik tomorrow and pick up the big bags then.

Chuck went swimming 2:15pm to 4pm. I washed my hair and read a book and did e-mails.

5:15 left for Univ. of Akureyri. Heard graduate student 45 minute talk on Icelandic fishing quota system that is now sustainable and works for cod and herring. Major overfishing in 1970s that took 25 years to recover from. Iceland now has a 200 mile fishing limit around the island. Iceland is major supplier of cod to US and UK for fish and chips. Presenter had lots of fact but had a dry and monotone delivery – needs help with presentation skills.

Back to Icelandair Akureyri hotel at 6:45pm. Had fish and chips at a table in the bar as restaurant was full. We didn’t think we needed a reservation for the hotel restaurant, but since we didn’t have one, it was ok to eat in the bar.

Day 8 Sat. July 1 – fly to Reykjavik; explore the Golden Circle up at 6:30am; breakfast; 8:30am depart for Akureyri airport to fly to Reykjavik.

One of our tour group, Judith Praznik didn’t show up for the 8:30am departure. I think she was in her early 80s; physically she had kept up with everyone the first week of the trip. We suspected she went for a walk and got lost. Her things were still in her room. A few people had seen her at 6:30am when she thought the bus was leaving.8:30am was the departure time. Tour director notified the hotel and also OAT. He was very calm about it and said not to worry as she would be found.

At 10 am, tour director told us they had notified the police. At noon – he told us Judith had been found wandering the streets in the downtown area a good 15 minute walk from our hotel. Not sure of the process but a few days later tour director told us Judith after conversation with her husband who was not on the trip had decided to return home with a nurse who was an OAT employee. She never returned to our group.

Weather was grey and overcast.

9:25am plane departure for 35 minute flight to Reykjavik. Arrive 10am. Drive around west part of Reykjavik the area where our tour director lives.

Drive today to Golden Circle, a ring of natural highlight that is south and east from Reykjavik: (1) Thingvellir National Park, (2) Geysir hot spring area and (3) Gullfoss waterfall

Drove to Thingvellir national park 11:30am to 12:30am. Saw area where Iceland’s first parliament met. Also saw area where earth splits in 2 tectonic plates-the Eurasian and North American. Sunny and warm. Lava walls pulling apart 2 centimeters a year. Snow capped mountains surrounding a plain dotted with canyons, caves, streams and springs forming a natural amphitheater. This is where the world’s oldest Parliament was formed.

Drove ½ hour and stopped at geyser from 1:30-3pm for lunch on our own of fish and chips and 1 soup and 1 choc bar for $51. Lots of people and tour busses. Short walk – 5 minutes to the 2 geysers here – the upper one, named Geysir, and doesn’t erupt at all. All other geysirs take their name from Geysir. The middle geyser, named Strokkur, erupts every 4-5 minutes with a blast of water and steam into the air. In the lower area close to the road were small steam vents and some mud pots. There were signs all along the short walk saying don’t touch the water as it is 160 degrees F or hotter. In this area there is intense geothermal activity and puddles of water on the ground literally boil.

3:15-3:45pm stopped at stunning Gullfoss waterfall which features three tiers of rushing white water that flow into a hundred-foot-deep crevice. The area had been saved from a proposed hydroelectric plant by a local woman who wanted to pressure the natural falls and beauty. There was a plaque to the lady at the falls. Chuck hiked another 15 minutes to and from a farther photo spot that got sprayed by the mist from the waterfall. I stayed up on the walkway by the cliffs.

Drove for an hour to Selfoss and checked into Hotel Selfoss. Arrived 4:50pm. On drive saw biggest glacier in Iceland from the distance.

The hotel is next to a river with blue/white glacier water. Got our room around 5pm. Chuck went out to try and find swimming pool. 6:30pm buffet dinner – lamb cut while you wait, pork, chicken, fish with salad, smoked herring, cold salmon, 4 kinds of ice cream (pistachio, vanilla caramel and blueberry, sorbet; assorted cheeses; chocolate cake and meringue cake. Hotel caters to tour groups – long tables and several other tour groups eating.

Day 9 Sunday July 2 – Explore South Iceland; volcanic Museum; Super truck tour; Seljalandsfoss (Waterfall) up at 6:10am at Hotel Selfoss; woke up early. Depart 7:45am drove for an hour. Land was flat – green farmland. Grass cut and rolled in white plastic.

Stopped 8:40am to 9am at waterfall Seljalands. Located near the Seljalands farm, this picturesque waterfall drops about 200 feet over the rocky cliffs of the country’s southern coastline. Also view of glacial Markafljot River. Campground nearby.

Drove another 20 minutes for stop from 9:20-9:50am at Thorvaldseyri Visitor Center volcano museum. This museum is at the base of the Eyja Fjalla Jokull volcano that erupted in April 2010 stranding us in Athens for 4 days. There is a much bigger volcano named Myrdals-Jokull just south and east of Eyja Fjalla Jokull that hasn’t erupted for over 100 years. Saw 20 minute video of actual footage shot just before, during and after the Eyja Fjalla Jokull eruption. Family farm was evacuated for a few days then all returned and life went on. Farm now has good side business in showing tourists the volcano story and selling tourists books and souvenirs etc.

10:05-10:25am – another waterfall – Skoga waterfall means forest water. Wide waterfall. Took photo. Green hills on both sides of waterfall.

Stopped 10:45am-11:30am on coast. 3 paths (2 to right, 1 to left) to cliffs by shore where we saw puffins sitting in rock cliffs at water’s edge. Overcast sky. Saw 3-4 puffins in cliff nests. Sea waves pounding big rocks on shore. Another kind of bird in the rock cliffs and walking on the sand at water’s edge – terns perhaps.

Drove to lunch 11:30am-12:30pm. Had fresh char fish and potatoes, good bread.

Drove to super truck place in Vik, the southernmost village in Iceland. Drove an hour off road - truck drove on black lava sand. Walked 1:30-2:45pm on lava rock terrain. Saw ice cave. Went inside ice cave for 10-15 yards. Ground was mostly black ground up lava sand. When got back to super truck had Ketna vodka and OJ.

Drove off road back to Super Truck place. Rest stop 3:15-3:45pm.

Back to Selfoss Hotel. Rained hard. Stopped raining. Chuck went to swim 5:30pm-7:15pm. Our room overlooked a river that made a wide turn just outside our window. Color of water glacier white blue.

For dinner walked 2 blocks to local hot dog place. We had 3 hot dogs with everything on it – raw onions, cooked onions, mustard and ketchup. Really good hot dogs. Stopped by ice cream place for 2 cones on way back to hotel.

Day 10 Mon. July 3 – Glacial river-rafting expedition; visit geothermal plant; travel overland to Reykjavik up at 6:30am. Depart 8am. Drive ½ hour to cut flowers company, formerly a farm. One of owners gave us a tour from 8:30am-9:30am. He has a brother working in the business as well as his parents who started the farm. The farm uses geothermal energy to grow lilies, roses and other species. They have 4 greenhouses one of which is entirely for roses. Lights go on in the greenhouses automatically when there is not enough sun. Plants all watered by drip line. Busy season is Sept-March. They use artificial blue color to make blue flowers. All sales are in Iceland. Fresh flowers cut and supplied to market daily. We saw employees picking the flower in the greenhouse, cutting the stems to uniform length, separating high quality single roses (better prices) from regular bunch roses, and 2 employees making bouquets for sale.

Drove ½ hour to raft place arriving around 10am. Had to wait for final group. 10:30am safety talk. Got wet suit, booties, outerwear, splash jacket and life jacket and paddle. One of booties was already wet inside, but employee said it was ok.

Drove 20 minutes in school bus to river. 4 boats, 2 were OAT and 2 were other people. Very young boat drivers – we had Sven and he was more senior of the 4 drivers. In the water 11:30am-1pm. Sky was overcast with a little sun. Mild rapids. We paddled through at least 10 rapids getting wet almost every time as raft bobbed on the rapids. Rapids were class 2 and maybe 1 class 3 so mild. Very cold water in the river. Chuck and Larry in front of our bout; I was behind Chuck in the middle and Mary was being me. Janet was behind her husband Larry and Collette was behind Janet. So six in our boat.

Lava walls along the river. Didn’t see any buildings by the river and no people. One area had devil’s post pile shaped lava rocks.

Very cold water. Earlier in the day, our tour guide said we were get wet, cold and miserable – and we did. Next time I want warm river water and a warm sunny day. Stopped midway for a break where several people in the other boats jumped 3-4 stores down from the top of a cliff to the river. Larry (retired fire fighter) from our boat jumped in.

Got back to base camp, changed out of wet suit. Had hot chocolate to warm up.

Lunch 2:45pm-3:15pm at a bakery in a shopping center. Had soup and ham and cheese sandwich.

Drove ½ hour to geothermal plant at Hellisheidi for 4-4:30pm stop. 90% of homes in Reykjavik use geothermal power. Guide gave a short talk. This plant and 4 other plants provides 30% of electricity needed by Icelandic people.

Back to Hilton hotel in Reykjavik at 5pm. View from room looked out on parking lot. Hotel 15 minutes from downtown. Happy house 6:30pm-7pm with Barbara and Alan, Mary and Betty. Had chicken avocado sandwich at Lemon across the street from the Hilton hotel.

Day 11 Tuesday July 4 – Blue Lagoon; explore National Museum

Up at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica at 6:30am. Breakfast. Depart 8:15 am. ½ hour drive to Blue Lagoon, same route as to the int’l airport. Brown lava rock landscape.

Short wait to get in the Blue Lagoon. Went upstairs. Had to shower first (in the nude, but with a shower curtain for some privacy). Got in suit. Small dressing area and lockers that locked with the chip on your ID bracelet. In Blue Lagoon my 9:25am. Partly sunny day. Perfect lagoon water temperature at 102 degrees.

Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s best known geothermal pool where locals and visitors enjoy the healing waters and mineral-rich mud of this man-made oasis in the midst of a lava field.

Not too many people in the pool this early. Tour director says it get really crowded in the afternoon. Silica (volcanic ash) creamy facemask available for your face. Chuck took some, I didn’t.

Very relaxing in the warm thermal water. Pool employee took our photo with an iPad and e-mailed the photo on the spot.

Got out at 10:10am; showered; washed and dried hair. Looked at items in gift shop. Much more crowded with people waiting to get in.

11am depart back to hotel. Drop off wet suit. 11:45am depart hotel for National Museum of Iceland.

At Museum 12:15pm to 1:15pm. First settlement 874. Settlement period for 60 years people mostly came from Norway. Denmark ruled for several a00 years. Iceland invaded by British and then US in WWII to keep Iceland out of the hands of the Germans. Iceland got independence from Denmark in 1944. Lots of artifacts at Museum. One hand sewed wedding dress with colorful trim from 1800s in very good condition.

1:30pm dropped off at harbor in front of Aurora Exhibit. Went to nearby Bonus Pig market and bought 2 sandwiches and chips and candy bar for lunch. Ate lunch on bench across the street from the Aurora exhibit. Went to Aurora Museum 1:45pm-2:45pm. Beautiful photos of Northern lights and explanations. Had video of northern lights from many different places in Iceland. Beautiful blues and greens and yellows and occasional red color. Red color is rare and occurs every 10 years or so. Took selfie photo with colorful Aurora lights mural in the background.

Took 3:07pm #14 bus 4 stops to transfer to #11 bus back to 3 blocks from Hilton. Got back to hotel around 3:45pm. Read and packed.

Farewell dinner at 6:30pm in hotel. Salmon salad, lamb, potatoes, carrots, fruit for dessert. Sat with Coleen, Janet, Larry, Sandy and Anne. Both Sandy and Anne going home tomorrow and not on post trip.

8:45pm back to the room to pack.

Day 12 Wed July 5 end of Iceland tour; helicopter flight to Tasiilaq Valley of the flowers hike.

Town of Tasiilaq has about 2000 people and there are 3 other villages further up the fjord that have another 500 people. Town is growing- tourists, dog sleds, post office, big market/general store, hospital and city gov’t.

Day 2 of Greenland tour Thur. July 6 – explore Ammassalik, Inuit drum dance

Up at 6:30am Greenland time equals 8:30am Iceland time. We were supposed to have an iceberg boat tour on 7/6 but it had to be postponed since there was too much pack ice in the harbor. Ice was almost solid. Boat needed more open water to move in the fjord. High winds last night blew the ice back into the fjord.

Homes of the village were in bright colors – red (school), yellow (hospital) blue, green and even 1 purple. 5 newer warehouses just below our hotel. Mountains with snow on top just across the fjord water. Green grown cover just below hotel. Few cars.

Left hotel at 9:20am. Van drove us to edge of town on a gravel road. Lots of sled dogs tied up in that area that belonged to hunters. Not allowed to pet or touch the dogs who are working dogs, not pets.

Views of fjord. White and blue ice – lots of ice jamming the fjord. Little open water. Walked to town. It rained the entire time. Killed time and stayed dry by going in local market that was also a drug store, hardware store and dept. store all in one. Supplies come from Denmark by 7 ships/year between say May and November bringing supplies for the year.

Back at hotel at 10:45am; lunch of cold and marinated salmon, lamb and beef, rice, potato salad.

Depart hotel 1:30pm. It had stopped raining. Fjord still jammed with ice. No boat trip today. 1:30am to 3:30am walking tour of town – new church, with Danish architect, city all, hospital in building painted yellow, school in red building, 3 cannons that are shot off 3 times/year – when first supply boat arrives in May, on national independence day (June 21) and when last supply boat departs in Oct or Nov. Visited town Museum – which was former church. Houses where people worked for water and power were blue in color. Had artworks and artifacts.

In room 4-5pm. At 5pm had a local lady come that was an Inuit drum dancer. She chanted as she struck the drum frame with a stick in rhythm. Sang for ½ an hour. Had a native costume on – seal skin boots that came above the knee, 2 different kinds of bright color material above the knee – one bright color flowers, the other was a red and white pattern. Halfway up thigh was a band of brown seal skin. Top of costume was mostly white cloth with red, white and blue bead work at the neck on the blouse, and beadwork neckless and earrings.

Day 3 Friday July 7 – Iceberg boat tour and helicopter to Kulusuk; up at 7am. Depart 8:45am for harbor. Had boat ride from 9-9:50am in Tasiilaq harbor that still had a lot of pack ice in it. Lots of pack ice (ice from snowfall not broken off from icebergs) in the fjord – blue color at water line with white iceberg/snow on top.

Sky was overcast but clear. Boat navigated through the ice for about 20 minutes outbound. A little tricky getting to and from the mooring as there was a lot of ice. On the way back, stopped by a big piece of back ice that was very solid. Our tour director, Guomundur got out of the boat and stood on the ice. He said we could follow, so both Chuck and I stood on the ice in the fjord for a few minutes.

Back to the hotel. Packed up. Had lunch at noon at hotel Ammassalik in Tasiilaq. Saw second of 7 freight ships per year that come into the harbor bringing supplies for the town. Ship was from Royal Artic line from Denmark.

Took helicopter from Tasiilaq to Kulusuk. 10 minute helicopter ride. Clear day. Blue sky. Sunny in afternoon. Great views of mountains with snow and snow in the fjord water. No buildings between Tasiilaq and Kulusuk.

Van picked us up at the airport for 2 minute ride to small hotel-Hotel Kulusuk. Arrive hotel at 1:45pm. Got room – small, Spartan. Bed spread had 2 tears on it so got it replaced. Window drapes very flimsy so didn’t block out the light at night. TV worked – CNN and BBC.

3pm van 5 minutes to town of Kulusuk a town of 250 that is losing population. Jobs are scarce. Saw maybe 25 dogs for hunters who take people out on sleds; market; post office. Most of homes don’t have running water-go to a communal “water” house to use toilet, or shower or wash clothes. Small church-Lutheran. Had a statue overlooking the fjord of a woman Inuit with her hair done on top of her head. She was the last woman to wear her hair piled on top of her head.

Took an hour van ride inland to the highest point in the area. In the 1950s to 1991 the US had a radio tower and base of this mountain. Sun was out. We stopped at top. Great view. Blue sky; sunny. Great view of the ice in the water and also about 20 different pieces of iceberg ice that is thicker and taller than the pack ice. Snow patches on the surrounding mountains.

Back to hotel at 5:30pm. Sat in bar with rest of OAT group. Chuck had wine. Dinner at 6pm in hotel – chicken and lamb. Sat with Barbara and Alan – Barbara doesn’t stop talking and Alan rarely talks – plays Sudoku non-stop.

Day 4 Sat. July 8 – fly from Kulusuk to Reykjavik – up at 6:30am; sunny and clear sky. Woke up at 4:30am as it was light in Kulusuk. Breakfast. After breakfast sat in Kulusuk small lobby 9-9:45am. Shuttle took us to Kulusuk airport at 10am. Waited at very crowded small Kulusuk airport waiting area for plane that departed 11:10am Greenland time which was 1:10pm Iceland time. Two hour flight. Really spectacular scenery taking off from Kulusuk – bright sun; ice blue water around island, snow on top of mountains. Clear view of ground for first 45 minutes of 2 hour flight. Landed at domestic airport about 15 minutes from Hilton Reykjavik Nordica.

Got to hotel around 3pm. Retrieved large luggage left at hotel on July 5^th. Tour Director Guomundur Bjornsson gave out room keys. We gave tour director his tip. He said his goodbyes and left and said we’d go with a different OAT tour director to the airport tomorrow.

Chuck went swimming around 4pm. Went to Lemon restaurant across the street from Hilton for chicken avocado sandwiches for dinner. Then went to 10-11 convenience store for 2 ice creams.

Visited with Mary Bordeau, Betty Weidel, Barbara and Alan Goldenberg (from Oakland, CA) in dining room of hotel. Went to room to finish packing.

Day 5 Sunday July 9 fly from Reykjavik to Seattle to LAX. - Up at 6:30am; breakfast Chuck walked to swim stadium for swimming. Marilyn packed and did e-mails. Had sandwich from breakfast for lunch in room just before left. Left room at noon. Waited in lobby to a different OAT tour director, Heidi arrived. Left on bus to Reykjavik int’l airport at 1pm.

Got to airport at 1:45pm. Airport very crowded. Check in kiosk for boarding passes with no problem. Kiosk wouldn’t print luggage tags. Tried 3 different machines that all said see service agent. Saw service agent who said no bags entered on screen so she couldn’t help us. Stood in 15 minute line to talk to another check-in person, who was able to print luggage tags to SeaTac and then to LAX. So checked bags. Went through security and passport control to waiting area by big display board with arriving and departing flights. Chuck bought some fish and chips to eat.

As we were waiting for our 5pm flight, Shirley Schumacher came over and said hi. She was in same airport at same time to go back to Boston then to LAX. She had been hiking and biking for a week in Iceland. Small world.

Boarded plan around 4:30pm. Took off 15 minutes late at 5:15pm. Good views for plane to northern Canada – lots of ice and sunshine. Arrive SeaTac 6pm. Got bags and rechecked to LAX. Went through immigration. Bought sandwich for dinner at SeaTac. Plane departed 8:25pm to LAX; landed 11:25pm on tarmac. Had to take shuttle tram to airport. Came out near Terminal 5. Got bags. Took cab home; arrived around 12:30am Monday am. Don’t want to ever have another flight that arrives so late at night.

PEOPLE ON TRIP

Mary Bordeau from Coxsackie, NY (upstate NY). Single retired from being a phone operator at the local state prison. Terrific sense of humor. Rarely wore a jacket, even in Iceland.

Sandra Bross from Casa Grande, AZ; very pleasant; single; didn’t go on post trip to Greenland. Worked for Kohls in customer service.

Barbara and Alan Goldenberg from Oakland, CA. Barbara could talk non-stop. Had retired from BofA. Never did find out exactly what she did. She kept saying operations. She also worked in audit and did fraud investigation. She liked banking. Don’t think she ever made a loan. Was in the branch system –she said Sacramento office. Is currently active in the Oakland Women’s Rowing club and also follows city council activities.

Alan early in his career was in sales for agriculture equipment mft. Last 30 years has been a financial planner with Northwest Mutual Ins. Has 2 women that work for him – one in investments, one for insurance products. Has his own investments with American Funds in 3 funds (1) Balanced (2) Income and Capital Income Builders for int’l. Likes American funds.

Larry and Janet Horne from Camarillo, Ca. Larry is a retired LA Fire Dept. captain. Very outgoing and easy to be around. On the day we went river rafting, Larry was the only one of our group to jump off the cliff straight down into the glacier river. Larry really enjoyed our home hosted dinner as the man of the house in Akureyri was also a fireman and EMT. Janet was a retired business applications teacher at Pierce College. Sister-in-law Coleen Williams also in our group. Larry and Janet went to Copenhagen for a week after the trip.

Judith Praznik from North Weymouth, MA. (south of Boston). See comments on Day 8. Judith was a retired clinical lab worker. Don’t know if she was a boss or not. Someone on our trip said Judith was 84 years old. Judith was with us the first week but got sent home around day 10. She missed the 8:30am bus departure and after a few days was sent home.

JoAnn and Ping Pun from Jacksonville, Fl. Pink had a good sense of humor. He is a retired PhD mathematician from Blue Shield. He took lots of photos. Always had his camera out. JoAnn still teaches piano.
Anne Rossi from Boston, MA. Very nice professional lady. She is a psych evaluation nurse professional. Pleasant to be around. She didn’t go on the post trip either.

Coleen Williams – Coleen is Larry Horne’s sister. She lives in Carlsbad, CA. Coleen’s husband Dennis was supposed to be on the trip but had to cancel due to a bad back. Never did find out what kind of work, if any Coleen did. She is an avid skier and in very good shape. Usually was at the front for what ever hikes we were taking.

June 25, 2017 - City walk - Reykjavik

Thermal Recovery Unit

Hilton Hotel

Gudmundur, our Trip Leader

June 26, 2017 - Explore Borgarfjordur; travel overland to Stykkisholmur; Hike Mount Helgafell

Video below of Hraunfossar, 2900-foot "Magic Waterfall":

Stop to admire thermal springs

Views from Helgafell holy mountain

Public pool very close to Stykkisholmur Hotel

June 27, 2017 Visit Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Arnarstapi Lava Field

Lunch in Hellnar Valley

Artic Fox - Winter

Artic Fox - Summer

Church Rock

Visit to Fermented Shark ( hakarl) Processing Center and Horse Ranch

Drying Shark meat

June 28, 2017

Eric the Red's (father of Leif) sod house at the Eiriksstadir Museum

Bridge over Salmon River

June 29, 2017

Lake Myvatn

Godafoss (waterfall of the gods)

Black castle lava formations of Dimmuborgir

Botanic Garden in Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city

From left, home hosted dinner with Von and Christi,Janet, Coleen, Mary, Betty, Marilyn and Larry

Akureyri 25 meter pool

Laufur, a family farm and generations since 1047

Newer church that replaced one built in 1850

Back side of sod houses

June 30, 2017 Delvik Whale Watching

July 1, 2017 Fly to Reykjavik and drive to Golden Circle,

Geyser Hot Springs area

Solfoss 25 meter pool

The bartenders at Hotel Selfoss mixing a Cosmopolitan drink of the day at Happy Hour

July 2, 2017

Seljalandsfoss (waterfall)

EYJAFALLAJOKULL (VOLCANO) ERUPTION APRIL-MAY 2010

July 3, 2017

July 4, 2017

Gudmundur Comments on Trip Video at Farewell Dinner:

July 5, 2017
Helicopter Flight from Reykjavik to Tasiilaq, East Greenland

Video:

July 6, 2017

Videos of Inuit drum dancer

July 7, 2017 - Boat tour of Pack Ice:

Videos are first

We are standing on a huge chunk of ice:

Board helicopter to fly back to Kulusuk:

Kulusuk Church
Window:

July 8, 2017

The following pictures were taken mid way on our trip[ by our photographer and trip leader Gudmundur. Details to be added later. Double click on images to enlarge: