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Traveling to Iceland.

After a lot of planning and anticipation the time for my Iceland trip finally arrived. I must admit that it was a wee bit stressful leading up to this trip as Kory and I were negotiating to buy a new home (timing is never good for these things it seems). Regardless, we made it through the challenges (yes we’re going to be moving!) and I managed to remember all the right things to pack before flying to Vancouver and then on to Reykjavik. (blog post on how I prepared)

There has been a lot of information in the news about volcanic activity in Iceland and I have been following the updates to ensure that there is no danger to flying into Reykjavik. The volcano is still active and there is lava flow, but no disruptions to travel. Travellers have been advised to stay away from the active area. When we flew in I did catch sight of an orange glow on the horizon and a plume of steam/gas which you can just make out in this image from the plane (there is a plume and an orange glow on the horizon just right of centre - sorry for the poor quality phone image).

The weather forecast is looking good with some rain or snow, but temperatures above zero. When I arrived I was surprised at how nice it was - much warmer than it’s been in Calgary and no snow! I arrived at 6 am and after settling into my hotel (I paid for an additional night in order to get an early check in) I had a few hours of sleep before heading out for a good walk around.

A free day.

I flew in a day early to ensure that both me and my luggage arrived, or I at least had time to buy some essential clothes for the trip if my luggage did not make it. Luckily my luggage made it and I was able to spend the extra time wandering around with my camera.

Reykjavik is such an interesting city with a very metropolitan vibe, clean lines to buildings and colourful artwork/graffiti dotting the downtown area.

The waterfront has a wonderful walking path which makes it a great place to stroll early in the morning or late in the evening. I love the muted colours of sunrise and sunset as well as the bustle within the harbour area.

There were some people having great success at fishing and the view of the snow covered mountains surrounding the harbour were lovely to see.

My photography tour companions

Our tour guide is Paul Sansome (website) who has spent many months in Iceland photographing the iconic scenery. I found this tour through My Photo Club - an online group that hosts weekly photography talks over zoom and I can attest to the high quality of the speakers and talks (My Photo Club).

There are five people on this tour including Paul who is driving the van.

Some are arriving a day early and the rest get in the next day which is when our trip officially begins! 

Iceland is well known for its love of coffee and tasty baked goods. While walking around downtown I often caught the delicious aroma of roasting coffee. The locals are very particular about their coffee and I haven’t seen any of the usual coffee chains anywhere while walking around - a pleasant change. This is my favourite coffee shop/bakery in Reykjavik to indulge while waiting for my tour companions to arrive.

Have you made any significant trips recently - retirement bucket list trips? Where did you head and what were some memorable parts of the travels?

I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.