The Traveling Widower

Tag: reykjavik

  • 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

  • Back to Reykjavik – The Very Last Stop

    A vibrant display of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) illuminating the night sky with shades of green and purple over snow-capped mountains and a calm water surface.
    Not a real picture….read on

    July 2nd, 2026

    This has been the trip that never stops giving, in a good way. On most every trip, the last day consists of a bus ride to the airport and then endless hours waiting in a lounge, or at the gate. On the return trip from Antarctica, I think there was an 8 hour gap between flights back to the US. Talk about boring. I was lucky to find a private club which let you in for a reasonable fee. Boredom was not an option on this trip, not even for the last day.

    Today, we started out on a short flight from Akureyri to the small commuter airport in Reykjavik, From there, we headed over to this pretty amazing museum, the Perlan, which is a domed natural history museum built over what used to be the main hot water tanks for the city. The facility focuses on the wonders of Iceland, and the place is pretty wonderous on its own.

    Entrance of Perlan, a museum in Iceland, featuring modern architecture and signage that reads 'Perlan Wonders of Iceland'.
    Interior view of a modern building showcasing a large glass dome ceiling, with artistic displays of whales around Iceland on the wall and visitors observing from the balcony above.
    A rocky cliff face populated by numerous birds, with some standing and others sitting on various levels of the rocky texture.

    We started out with one of those immersive displays in a domed theater, of the Aurora Borealis which you can see in the winter. The seats are all reclined, you get the full 360 degree view by just looking up. An incredible video display. You are not allowed to photograph or video the show, but you can take pictures before it starts of the aurora displays they show as you settle in. The film was a journey of aurora’s across the solar system – hard to describe without seeing it. Amazing stuff.

    A vibrant display of green and purple auroras swirling across a night sky, creating a sense of motion and depth.
    A vibrant display of the aurora borealis with swirling green and purple lights against a starry night sky.
    A vibrant aurora borealis lighting up the night sky over a snowy mountain landscape, with swirling green and purple lights and a star-filled background.

    From there, we wandered through some of the history and geology displays (we did not have a lot of time). There was one display that caught my eye (and camera), about one area we spent a few days at – Myvatn.

    Myvatn translates to the lake of midges! The guide book never mentioned that. I wonder if they have a Midge Day celebration every spring, when the annoying little creatures all hatch and start seeking body openings to crawl into. It could have been worse though – Geitungavatn (lake of hornets) would have been really bad.

    We moved on to the highlight of the museum tour – the volcano show. This one was a lot like something you’d see at a  Disney or Universal Studios park. They warned you first about motion sickness – I understood why after about a minute into the show.  You sit on a stool in a glass enclosed area, and the film moves all around you as you slide across a volcanic field, fall down a rift zone and then go underwater until you enter a volcano crater. You then fall down the volcano magma chamber, (which I’ve already done for real but without the lava), and are eventually blown out in an eruption. The floor vibrates during the eruption. You really do feel like you are on an amazing ride. I thought I was in Mordor from Lord of the Rings, looking for Sauron to appear. Wow. I did sneak one picture before they told us we could not take pictures

    There was another short video afterwards on more recent eruptions, then a walk through an ice cave. I could have lived without that – I felt like I was walking through a freezer that really needed to be defrosted. No old frost-bitten food though.

    Close-up view of textured blue ice formations inside a glacier.
    People walking through a snow tunnel with icy walls, featuring a person in a red jacket and hat in the foreground.

    That was the end of the tour for us – we were on a tight schedule since we had lunch reservations, and then had to drop some of the group at a hotel before dropping a few of us off at the airport (myself included). We had the opportunity to take in a great view of Reykjavík from the top of the building, but it was incredibly windy, so I passed on the opportunity, and headed back to the bus.

    Our last lunch together at a great restaurant in a Hilton hotel, where I probably added another pound or two of gut from the deserts (Tiramisu!!!), and then made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. A great end to a fantastic trip. We had such a good group of people, a fearless and excellent bus driver, a wonderful naturalist from National Geographic, and the perfect trip leader, a native of Iceland who has incredible knowledge of the culture and history of this incredible place. He kept us entertained and educated with stories of Icelandic history and folk lore, interspersed with his own personal family background. He should write a book or two. Maybe three – he has a lot of stories to tell.

    I’m fortunate to have scheduled a return trip to Iceland next year – a photographic tour of the less traveled areas. I can hardly wait. I have a feeling there will be at least one more trip after that in the future. Maybe a summer home in Iceland?

    This is not quite the last post from this trip – once I get around to curating the RAW photos from the Sony and GoPro, I will add a few more to the page I published during the trip, and might do a brief trip summary if I have any thoughts worth publishing. Right now, I’m really looking forward to my last flight home (Seattle->SMF) and to doing nothing for a few days. 

    Peace

    One last update – the flights (KEF->Seattle, Seattle-Sacrament) were uneventful. That’s a good thing. On the last flight, I did take a picture of a glacier covered volcano – Mt. Hood. No waterfalls though.

    And I will continue to add photos to the Iceland gallery page, as I work through the images and videos from this trip.