The Traveling Widower

Category: hiking

Posts for trips focused on hiking

  • Iceland Historical Sites – Easy Walking

    A scenic view of traditional Icelandic turf houses and a church with a red steeple, set against a cloudy sky and green grass.

    June 27th, 2026

    This is the other story I did not post while in Iceland. 

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    It has now been a week since I left home….seems like I’ve been running non-stop for a month! I’m not complaining (for once) – there are just so many things to see here, and our trip lead is doing his best to cover as much as he can. Today is the first easy day I’ve had since arriving – I had a good night’s rest, a good breakfast and an unhurried departure from the hotel. And it was raining again. Blah.

    We had a long bus ride ahead, so I planned to catch up on my writing (I’m doing that right now). We did have a stop planned early on – another waterfall. Hard to believe that there are some we have not seen yet. Just kidding. 

    But before we hit the waterfall, we did a quick stop at a hot water generating plant, where hot water is pumped from a geothermal spring (Deildartunguhver). The water is literally boiling out of the ground – the spring area is fenced off since regardless of the many warning signs, there is always some idiot who has to see how hot the water really is. It’s actually boiling…no kidding, it’s really hot. Don’t do it!

    A geyser erupting water and steam in a misty landscape with rocky terrain and sparse vegetation.
    Steam rising from a rocky hillside, with water splashing against the rocks in a geothermal area.

    The next stop was the Hraunfossar waterfall and as advertised, the trail was short and easy. And yeah, the waterfall was absolutely beautiful. There are no mediocre waterfalls in Iceland. Too bad it was raining again. It was a quick stop, snap a few photos with the phone, and then we were off to the North coast. During the ride, our trip lead spent time to immerse our group in Icelandic music, most of which I muted by wearing my ear buds. Not that it was not interesting – I just wanted to enjoy the incredible scenery and maybe catch a few winks. Which I did. 

    A scenic view of a river cascading over rocky formations, with lush greenery and hills in the background.

    Our stop for lunch was for a bit more than food and a bathroom break. This area was known for a famous outlaw from the Iceland highlands who lived in a cave. The second floor of the restaurant (B&S Restaurant) had a replica of the cave with cave-like displays. Really. We toured that before lunch. Sort of like Casa Bonita in Denver, without the cliff divers, dancers and music. But the food was pretty good.

    An interior view of a rustic dining area with wooden tables and chairs, surrounded by rock-like walls. The ceiling has a natural stone appearance, and there are small plants on the tables. Soft lighting illuminates the space, creating a cozy atmosphere.
    A narrow cave-like passage with rocky walls, featuring a white fox positioned near a rock, illuminated by a soft light from the left.
    A cozy living room with a brown leather sofa adorned with fluffy throws, a decorative vase filled with dried flowers, and wooden walls. A rustic wooden table sits in front with a candle.

    I have this strange habit of photographing interesting bathroom signs or interiors. This one caught my eye.

    A wooden sign featuring a stylized figure with a sad expression, holding itself in a desperate posture, indicating a restroom.

    We continued our drive on to the next stop, the Glaumbær Folk Museum – sounds boring but it exceeded my expectations. The settlement dates back to the 1800’s, and the turf (sod) houses were in pristine condition, with each room filled with original items from the period. The buildings were very large, with thick turf walls and roof. They were probably nice and warm in the winter. Not that I want to live in one. A very interesting stop. 

    A scenic pathway lined with grass and stone, leading towards mountains under a cloudy sky, with a tree partially framing the view.
    Traditional turf houses with grass roofs, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and cloudy skies in Iceland.
    Interior view of a rustic kitchen with wooden beams, a table with pottery, and shelves displaying plates and cups.
    A scenic landscape featuring rolling green fields, mountains in the background, a weathered stone monument, an old wooden cart, and a bench for viewing the surroundings under a cloudy sky.
    A long, narrow hallway made of earth and wooden beams, featuring a dirt floor and a thatched roof, leading to a lighted entrance.
    An old rustic interior of a storage room with wooden shelves filled with various kitchen and farm tools, including barrels, a grinder, and lanterns.
    Interior view of a room featuring a window, framed by historical portraits on the walls, overlooking a green landscape with mountains in the distance.

    The buildings do look a little like hobbit homes. 

    There was one more stop at a famous old cathedral in Holar – built in the 1700’s. I’m burned out on visiting old churches after a couple of visits to Italy, but the history of this one was interesting , and the location was beyond gorgeous. We motored on to our hotel in the beautiful little village of Siglufjordur. Home of the Herring Museum. And a normal meal for dinner – pizza. Definitely an easy day.

    A scenic harbor view featuring colorful buildings in red and yellow, moored boats, and a calm water surface, set against a backdrop of mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
    Harbor scene with several boats docked at the water's edge, surrounded by a steep mountain covered in snow and mist.
    Scenic view of a harbor with a white fishing boat docked beside green and white buildings, surrounded by mountains with patches of snow and cloudy skies.

    There’s a local artist who makes strange wooden status of people – some of his work was scattered around town, and turned up in another stop as well.

    A wooden sculpture of a seated figure with arms crossed, made from various pieces of wood, set against a bright yellow wall.
    A wooden sculpture depicting a figure sitting on a bench, made from various pieces of reclaimed wood, set against a bright yellow wall.
    Three metal sculptures of women interacting around a barrel on a wooden pier with a ship in the background.
    A wooden sculpture of a woman in an orange dress and blue headscarf, seated beside a barrel of fish, displayed in a maritime setting.

    That last one was from the Herring Museum – a Herring Girl

    Peace

  • Whales and Gnomes

    A whimsical whale with a Santa hat and a beard, adorned in a colorful sweater, leaping out of ocean waves with a backdrop of pine trees and a coastal village.

    1st July, 2026

    It seems like I neglected to post two days worth of photos and activities, so now that I’m almost over the crummy chest cold I brought home from Iceland, I’m finally getting around to post them. 

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    Our last full day of the trip was all about whales, usually one of my favorite activities but after the crummy tour I had in Reykjavik my first day here, I was not overly thrilled about the prospect of 3 hours riding around in the cold, with nothing much to see. But as usual with this trip, my low expectations were greatly exceeded.

    We left the Hotel Kea in Akureyri early in the AM, and headed up the coast to Husavik, a bustling harbor village which is a center for whale watching tours. Before heading out on a boat, we first made a stop at the local whale museum – this small building housed one of the most informative and interesting exhibits on whales and whaling that I’ve ever seen. Really. The tour guide was an interesting character, who has worked on whale tour boats before, and was a literal fountain of knowledge on whales and the whale hunting history and politics. He spent a great deal of time discussing the recent issues related to the start of hunting again in Iceland, a very controversial topic which I won’t get into, but you can if you want here. The tour moved up to the second floor of the museum to view a kind of spooky but incredible collection of complete whale skeletons, including a blue, sperm and humpback. The blue whale had died, likely of old age, and washed up on shore in 2010 – the story behind processing the carcass for the bones was interesting and a sort of humorous (not humerus) – think of the effort to cut up a Thanksgiving turkey, and then try and imagine one 85 feet long, weighing 150 tons. Yuck.

    An exhibit displaying a large whale skeleton in a dimly lit room, with modern lighting and a blue backdrop.
    A large whale skeleton on display in a dark exhibition space, with a man walking nearby. The bones are arranged prominently, showcasing the ribcage and vertebrae against a blue background.
    A detailed display of whale skeletons in a museum, showcasing the skull and ribcage structure against a backdrop of ocean and mountains.
    A mounted whale skeleton displayed in a museum, featuring the skull and elongated jaw structure, with a scenic background of mountains and water.
    A large whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling in a museum, with displays of marine life in the background and a visitor observing the exhibit.

    Husavik Whale Museum

    On the bus ride in, our trip leader (I usually do not include names of real people in my blogs) told us about a rather unbelievable, but true story, about Husavik. Apparently, the town competed in a European song contest (I’m not sure if they won), and Netflix filmed a movie with Will Ferrel, about the effort. I still don’t fully understand it. But the town has an exhibition at the main hotel to commemorate the effort and the movie. I’m not making this up – you can find the movie on Netflix. I’ll pass – I’m not a Will Ferrel fan.

    The whale watch tour was scheduled after an interesting lecture from a researcher at the Whale Institute and of course, we had to have lunch.  We never missed a meal on this trip. It’s going to take me a while to work off the weight I’ve gained on this trip – way too many desserts. Back to the whale watch…this one was much more pleasant, and a bit more successful that the one in Reykjavik. Our boat was quite a bit different from what I’m used to – no cabin. Just a pilot house, and a lot of seating. Plus an entrance to a bathroom below the deck. One other big difference – you had to wear a protective, waterproof overall. Not a bad idea given how cold the water is, assuming you might wind up overboard. The suits were nice protection from the wind and rain as well. The scenery was stunning as we cruised across the bay. – tall, snow capped peaks, with a lot of streams and waterfalls. A nice backdrop if we had a few breaching whales. 

    A scenic view of a harbor with various boats moored, against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a cloudy sky.
    Passengers and crew aboard the Nattfari boat in Husavik, surrounded by scenic coastal views and cloudy skies.
    A scenic harbor with several boats docked by a wooden pier, against a backdrop of mountains and cloudy skies.

    I did not get that particular shot, but we did have a few humpbacks blowing and diving near the shore, and one whale did breach but it was too far off even for my 400mm lens. But, I did get a couple of good fluke shots, and some nice scenery images as well. No complaints – it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

    Scenic view of mountainous terrain with snow-capped peaks reflected in calm water under a cloudy sky.
    A whale's tail emerging from the water, splashing as it dives beneath the surface.
    A scenic view of a waterfall cascading down a rocky hillside, surrounded by green grass and rugged terrain, with a calm water body in the foreground.
    A humpback whale's tail partially submerged in calm ocean waters, with a clear sky in the background.
    A whale partially breaching in the water near a rocky shoreline with green vegetation and a small waterfall in the background.

    The coast we were sailing along was along a mountain range, with no obvious access other than by boat. No docks along there. But there was this nice looking house, all by itself. A place to get away from it all.

    A solitary house surrounded by lush green hills and small waterfalls, viewed from a body of water.
    Look closely – the house is close to the shore.

    The tour lasted about 3 hours, including the slow ride back to the harbor. We were given the option of another geothermal bath soak on the way back to the hotel, but I opted out in favor of a search for a t-shirt to wear on the way home. Shopping. Not my favorite thing to do, but I just did not feel like going through the hot tub ritual again.

    I did find a shop that sold t-shirts, but more importantly, had an entire room dedicated to one of my peculiar obsessions – gnomes. They were not the type you put in gardens, but I had branched out quite some time ago to include the indoor variety, and I was like a kid in a toy store. Complete gnome overload. 

    A retail display featuring a variety of decorative gnomes and holiday ornaments, arranged on shelves. Products include gnome figurines in red and white, plush holiday decorations, gift boxes, and puzzles, all set against a minimalistic background.

    Eventually, I found one that was small enough to fill the limited open space in my luggage, and fit in with the rest of the indoor gnome population. I’m sure the others will welcome their foreign brethren. They probably all speak the same language. Gnomish. It’s sort of Scandinavian – lots of strange letters. 

    A decorative grey gnome with a tall pointy hat adorned with snowflake designs and a white beard, sitting on a black textured case, with a lamp and other items in the background.

    We had our farewell dinner that night at a surprise and welcome change in restaurants – a very high-end sushi house. We each were given a wonderful and large platter of assorted sushi, some of the best I’ve had. Plus a wine pairing, which I did not participate in (that darn heart thing). Not a bad way to end the really great trip.

    Just one more night in a really uncomfortable hotel room (Hotel Kea), and I’ll be on the long way home.

    Peace