ICELAND: Reykjavik, Greenland Day Trip & the Ring Road Rally

I’ll be arriving in Reykjavik on August 1st. for three days followed by a five-day driving circuit of the country. I had planned to be in Iceland for at least three weeks, but I was unaware that it was a Schengen country, and I’d nearly used up all of my Schengen time (90 Days). So I cut Copenhagen from my itinerary in early July, headed for the UK, and ended up with enough time (9 Days) to get a taste of what Iceland has to offer. Even in its abbreviated state, my visit here will be a fantastic way to wrap up my 2016 European Tour.

We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.  -Led Zeppelin-

I arrived in Reykjavik, got oriented, and even flown to Greenland for an inspired impromptu day trip. Iceland has been a smooth groove even though I failed to plan extensively. I spoke with a girl who worked at reception in the hostel the night before leaving on my whirlwind ring road adventure and basically came up with some must-see stuff. She even helped me sort out my google maps so I wouldn’t have to rent a GPS. The friendly Lithuanian guy at the rental agency and I hit it off the next day, and he gave me an automatic car for the same price as a manual which was an excellent start to the journey and a huge savings, to say the least.

Here’s some iceberg action from Greenland. Since 90% is underwater it’s actually ginormous. I’ve already gotten 400 photos to work with, and I still have three more days to go. It’s hard to make time on the roads in Iceland because you constantly want to pull over and shoot pictures. The place is as bad as New Zealand when it comes to natural beauty, low population density, and an abundance of sheep.

                                        Reykjavik

LOFT HOSTEL – Located dead center in Reykjavik, this hostel has an ideal location, comfortable accommodations, and a wonderful staff.

There is also a good view from their top floor patio.

Capital City with a small-town vibe.

Need one of those hats with the horns on it? This is the place for you. Flava Flav ruined Viking hats for me when he was slutting around on that sleazy reality show of his. “Flavor of Love” indeed, more like the flavor of chlamydia!

See what I mean, and this is a good picture of him with his boozy, washed-up, Eurotrash girlfriend Brigitte Neilsen from the show. She’s now making the rounds with that recovery charlatan, Dr. Drew Pinsky. I felt so sorry for his bandmates in Public Enemy being so humiliated by his antics on that abomination of a show, and also for Denmark for being her birthplace.

MAIN STREET – As you can see Reykjavik is nothing like you would expect from a capital city with its two-story buildings on its main street. There are even a couple of one-story buildings as well. There is a very small-town feel to it, and the country’s total population is a mere 300,000 people.

CAFÉ LOKI – The only reason I included this is that it is the name of my daughter Dina’s dog, and I had dinner here. I had a bowl of the local meat soup, some smoked trout on flatbread, and a coke zero. All told it was $40. As you can see Iceland lives up to its reputation for being a bit expensive.

HARPA REYKJAVIK CONCERT HALL

HALLGRIMSKIRKJA – Lutheran Church and largest church in Iceland

CHURCH ENTRY ART EXHIBIT

HULDA  HÁKON – PÉTUR/PETER

A VIEW FROM THE TOP

LEIF ERICSSON – Son of Iceland – Discoverer of Finland

LEIF ERICSSON

A woman’s work is never done

HARPA REYKJAVIK CONCERT HALL

Jón Gunnar ÁRNASON – Sun Voyager (Sólfar) – 1986

LEBOWSKI BAR – A nice tribute to a much-loved movie by the Coen Brothers. Come on in and order a White Russian or just drink up the atmosphere. The Dude would love the place if he could come up with $14, which is the price of a Caucasian.

                             Day Trip to Greenland

 Air Iceland – 2 hours to Greenland

MY FIRST ICEBERG

A QUIET RIDE FROM REYKJAVIK

A local guide who was very hard to understand. Nice fellow though.

WE READY OURSELVES FOR A HIKE

THE LOCAL HOTEL – Probably the largest structure on the island. In front of the building, you will see a tall gray pole in the ground. These are all over town and used to gauge the depth of the snow as the winter snows pile up.

A pretty little village whose colorful houses used to carry meaning for the town. Each color designated a specific function in the community. Colors for water, electricity, communications, etc. Now they are purely for aesthetic purposes.

TRUNDLING TOWARD THE VILLAGE BELOW

WHERE’S WALDO? – Try and locate the three dogs. These Greenland dogs are special sled dogs indigenous to this country.

TINY LOCAL MUSEUM & GIFT SHOP

SEAL SKIN – Just as the Native Americans used every part of the Buffalo so do the Innuit People of Greenland with the seal.

I feel a little bad for buying a Polar Bear Claw, but I could rest assured that this was not from a trophy hunter. Clearly, a family was fed for a considerable time, the fur went to good use, and the claws alone fetched $1000 total. It’s a very expensive place to live. Aside from that, it was a gift for my awesome son-in-law whose nickname is Bear.

WATER FILLING STATION

CHURCH

Love the ship model behind the pulpit, not to mention the seal skin kneeling cushions for communion.

This lady is the mother of the guy with the green shirt in the pictures below.

This Innuit performer has traveled around Europe and is demonstrating the song and dance of his culture as passed down to him through the generations.

Our friend gives us a funny story about a raven and a seabird while making ridiculous guttural sounds.

In this performance, he plays the role of a lascivious old perv as he sidles up to a blond who is agonizing in the foreground because she has just seen him accost another lady. He sticks out his tongue and weaves about. It really is kind of cringeworthy even though it’s clearly an act.

ICEBERG HUNTING – A little one appears.

Panama hat with icebergs, I love it!

One last MegaBerg

One last GREENLANDSCAPE

Time to grab the flight back to Reykjavik from Kulusuk.

                                          Reykjavik

Overnight in Reykjavik before the big “RING ROAD RALLY”.

                    Day One – South Coast – Vik Area

My intrepid little method of conveyance. Note the TR Z (travel zealot) license plate.

ON THE ROAD

THE MOUNTAIN HAS SPRUNG A LEAK

SELJALANDSFOSS WATERFALL – The first of many waterfalls to be encountered.

And now for a farmhouse that was nearly destroyed by the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in its backyard. Although the eruption temporarily threatened those beneath, the people never gave up. Farming continued, and plants and animals were nurtured.

                               Skògafoss Waterfall

These falls are striking with their crisp, straight, stone lip turning water into a foaming curtain so well-formed that one can’t help but suspect that it is manmade.

SUCH BEAUTY – This is a land where man does as little damage as is possible. Iceland operates with 100% Renewable Energy, now.

                             Sólheimajökull Glacier

GLACIAL ICE

I love the interplay of the layers and textures of color. For a quiet photo, there is a lot going on.

EYE CANDY

VIK

HRUTAFELL GUESTHOUSE – Hvolsvöllur – South of Vik

Plain on the outside, but very luxurious on the inside.

MY BACKYARD

                             Day Two – Hofn Hostel

BLACK BEACH – Perfect place for rain and angry clouds.

I do love capturing these textural playgrounds.

Once again a great way to shoot these beaches; from under an umbrella.

I think a real test of a country is how beautiful it is in the rain.

So many times you snap a picture here, and it looks like a painting.

Here’s a little welcome déja vu along the lines of the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland.

CAN’T BEAT THOSE HEXAGONAL BASALT FORMATIONS

Don’t dare to throw trash or call their horses ponies, and you will get along just fine with the locals.

HOFN HOSTEL – A tired, old, overpriced hostel that charged me $150 for a night’s stay in a private with no bathroom, sheets, or towel.

                                      – Day Three –

                                       -Day Four –

Petra’s Stone Collection – This is an early hoarder who focused her efforts on stones. This is nice because they don’t rot. Most of her collection just came from the region she lived in. A number of locals suggested that her time might be better spent on other pursuits, but Petra was unable to disengage from her stony obsession.

This is one case of hoarding that really paid off. The King of Iceland even gave Petra an award, and the museum is bringing in a lot of money for the family.

PETRA WOOD CARVING

MY HOME FOR THE NIGHT

                                          -Day Five-

                                          – AKUREYRI –

AKUREYRI BACKPACKERS

BAUTINN – This place whips up a fantastic lobster soup.

                         Day Six – Return to Reykjavik

INTERESTING ICELANDIC  PILLOWS

THIS MENU CAUGHT MY EYE BEFORE I CIRCLED ICELAND

APOTEK RESTAURANT – MY FINAL DINNER

FRESH ICELANDIC BREAD & BUTTER

AMUSE BOUCHE – A Taste of Puffin

OCEAN PERCH – Slow-cooked ocean perch, beetroot purée, spicy butter, serrano ham, beetroot

MINKE WHALE – Shallot vinaigrette, crispy Jerusalem artichokes

SEA TROUT – Yuzu mayo, truffle mayo, crispy quinoa, thinly-sliced apple served on a thick salt block

PLAICE – Samphire, green asparagus, blood orange, lime beurre blanc

RACK OF FREE RANGE ICELANDIC LAMB – Lamb filet, leeks, pickled onions, browned cereliac, baked carrots, spinach, and dill cream

SKYR FANTASIA – Skyr Fromage, Skyr mousse, strawberry & lime gel, lime sponge cake

Six Courses with Dessert – 7,990 kroner – $69 – an incredible value for Iceland

ANNA – My delightful Icelandic server.