Category: Iceland

We were packed up and took part in our final meal on Mars.  Tino and team had our bags delivered for us on the dock and we boarded the bus for the airport to rent a car to see another hot spring. As the bus let us off, BB drug our bags as close as she could to car rental as I hustled on foot to the car center avoiding the rental bus. With the car, I found BB hiding behind the building to block the wind, we loaded up and headed off to the Sky Lagoon.

A fabulous experience in the largest hot tub in the world as far as I was concerned. Iceland has thousands of geothermal hot springs around the country providing no shortness of heat or water. The Sky Lagoon is a huge hot pool with an infinity edge over the ocean. We participated in the seven step process of large sauna, rubbing on salts, steams, etc. The swim up bar was a little pricy but very convenient. After a couple of hours of soaking, we were spent.

Mars anchored offshore of the small harbor so we headed out on the tender with the hope to see puffins and ended up making it to the top of Eldfell Valcano. Each of the villages had maybe a thousand locals either in the fishing business and derived some benefit from the tourism of the ships stopping daily. Everyone was casual and receptive to our visit.  

After another great dinner, we found ourselves having a glass of wine watching the horizon from the ship and realizing we were moving again for another port but this time was our last one. 

Another waffle and we set off to take the walk to the black sand beach. The morning sun did not burn off the fog so it had a chill in the air. We reached the local airport and the trail map instructed us to follow the runway to the end for the beach. There were others who had hired locals getting out of vans so we walked around the chain and headed down the runway. It was a mile long or so and 200 feet wide with no where to hide if the occasional plane approached. Visibility was about 50 feet so it was hard to imagine one landing.

As sunrise was before 5am and sunset was not until 10pm, the early morning coffee views were fabulous. We decided the night prior to load the AllTrails app and find our own hike to a waterfall. We set off for a 4 mile loop into the hillside with the sheep. We returned thru the town, another meal, enjoyed an afternoon video call with our most favorite grand children. We then set out again for another waterfall we could see from the cabin. We were not missing the big tour bus driving people to see similar sights.

We decided to the night before to signup for a local small bus tour of a local waterfall. We planned our escape after having the Norwegian waffle which had become a staple of our new diet.

From the explorer lounge, we met 4 ladies traveling together from South Carolina. We found our 4 ladies from Lake Hartwell from the lounge on the same small bus. One had already had her daughter from HHI check to see if she knew BB.

A drive into the country with views ranging from grassy fields to snow capped mountains. We saw hundreds of waterfalls and one huge one up close. Our tour guide dropped us off at the botanical garden and we walked thru the village trying to figure out who was decorating al the trash cans. We returned to the ship for more food, nordic bathing and enjoying the view as the Mars headed out to the next destination.

We elected for our own foot tour of the village checking the local shops and views ending at the local brewery for snacks. We returned to the Mars and conducted our Nordic bathing ritual at the spa. After dinner, our routine found us looking out of the explore lounge having a spritz.

Viking has a host of excursions daily and always one for free while some range from walking tours to helicopter rides to see the glaciers. You can signup for one of theirs or arrange with locals for others. We took our first and last big bus tour to see a local museum of outside houses displaying Icelandic living over the years with locals in character. Followed by afternoon tea.

We embraced the nordic bathing routine and developed a daily process  including the hot tub, steam room, snow room and sauna while working in the breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We woke to a tug boat outside our window and headed to the Grai Kotturinn, or Grey Kitten, restaurant. They only had 9 tables so we waited outside with our cappuccino coffees. After a great breakfast, we headed out to “the Church” on the hill. The main streets were barricaded off to get ready for the parade which made walking great.

A taxi picked us up at the hotel to deliver us to the Viking Mars. After the hectic driving and navigating thru the city, it was immediately more relaxing on the ship. The wait staff tried the best they could to anticipate what we wanted.

We had lunch outside overlooking the bay and enjoyed dinner at the Chef’s table.

We skipped the food service on the flight to try to take a nap with limited success. We exited for customs and to try to find the rental cars. We needed local currency so did extracted $100,000 Iceland dollars. Seemed like enough for a week. It was close.

I must have looked tired when we arrived at the rental counter because the agent would not allow me to have a car until I drank a cup of coffee. They warned us of taking the car off-roads and how traffic circles worked which we were well prepared for. We headed off for a day trip to tour the Golden Circle route. The road signage was of no help so the first place we recognized, we stopped for lunch. Because I had never had the Swedish meatballs at IKEA, we decided it would be perfect and it was packed.

We pushed on to see a lake in a crater which had beautiful water but too cold to swim. From there we headed to a location with geysers large and small. Another 30 miles to see a huge water fall followed by driving through a national park back into Reykjavik for the Edition Hotel on the bay.

I dropped BB off at the hotel to return the car to a place which had no appearance of a rental facility – it was a bus stop. I walked back the couple of miles of cool fresh air.

We took a walk, had a burger and saw a long line of folks at 10pm in line for at a hot dog stand. We ended the evening with a view from the roof top bar.