The day had come when we were going to fly home, but our flight wasn’t until later in the day. So Tauck had a few more stops that certainly added some last minute fun to our trip. As we drove along the road, we saw more lava rock and moss-covered lava that was so prevalent throughout our travels in Iceland. We also visited Seltun, a geothermal area that consists of bubbling mud pots, volcanic vents, thermal springs and fumaroles. A…
Our next excursion in Iceland was the Golden Circle, a route that enabled us to see three important sites: the Pingvellir National Park, the Geysir Hot Springs and the Gullfoss Waterfall. We first went to Pingvellir. Located in Rift Valley, it has geological importance because it lies between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. This separation has resulted in fissures, ponds and rivers. The path in the pictures below is in Rift Valley, the area filled in by the…
As we approached Heimaey Island, we sailed through an archipelago which formed as result of volcanic activity under the ocean. The water was a little rough, but it was a beautiful day to be out on the deck. We saw Surtsey Island (second picture), which emerged from the ocean in 1963 as a result of a volcanic eruption under the sea. Since the eruption ended, the island has been eroding because of heavy seas. Access to the island is highly…
In the first picture below, we are on our way to the village of Isafjordur which lies in the Skutulsjordur Fjord. It has a population of about 2,500 and is a fishing village. After docking, we took a small boat to Vigur Island. There was beautiful scenery including mountains and a volcano. The volcano has a flat top; volcanoes of this type are sometimes called table mountains. They form when lava erupts through a glacier. The last picture is of…
After leaving Grimsey Island, our next port of call was Akureyri. It was a busy day – there were four stops, the first of which was the Godafoss Waterfall, or the Waterfall of the Gods. It was named in 1,000 AD when the Parliament declared that Iceland would be a Christian country. The Godafoss Waterfall is located in the Skjalfandafljot River. It is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland. The Skjalfandafljot River runs across a lava field which is…
Another shore excursion was visiting Grimsey Island. It is the most northern part of Iceland that is inhabited. The Arctic Circle runs through Grimsey Island, and we had the opportunity to have our picture taken holding a sign that said we had crossed the Arctic Circle. There are only about 100 residents in Grimsey. Fishing is the primary occupation. They have their own post office, a small store, church and airport. We got to Grimsey Island by tender. The water…
When we took our Iceland tour in 2016, there was not a choice of shore excursions – though I will say we were very happy with the ones Tauck provided. Our first port was Grundarfjordur. We had three stops, each with a different kind of beach. Budir, our first stop, is famous for its black church and rare golden sand beach. We first came to the church, one of three black churches in Iceland. The exterior of the church is…
My husband and I took a small ship cruise around part of Iceland through Tauck in 2016. Due to multiple flight delays, we arrived in Reykjavik 24 hours later than what we had planned, but fortunately our tour was not starting until the next day. We walked along the bay where there were lots of rocks, much of it lava rock. We also saw a sculpture named the Sun Voyager. It was designed by Jon Gunnar Arnason. It commemorates the…