Iceland: Taking Advantage of the Exchange Rate

Iceland was a gorgeous country full of natural beauty and very nice people.  While typically one of the most expensive tourist destinations in Europe, the government bankruptcy has doubled the exchange rate in our favor in the past 12 months… so why not capitalize?

It was amazing to see such stark contrast between Reykjavik (REK) and the rest of the country as 200,000 of the 300,000 total residents of Iceland live in the greater REK area.  So, while all the pictures from the trip are posted online RIGHT HERE, I will save you some of the trouble of browsing through all 400+ with some highlights posted below.

So who went?  I got the call from my buddy Ben (below at left) and one of his B-School buddies, John (below at right) who are making the most of 5 day weekends (yes, class is only Monday and Tuesday).

Ben, me and John... the intrepid travelers. (Junksarlson in southern Iceland)

I started the trip a bit earlier than the others, leaving SF at 8:30am on Tuesday, meeting them for our Icleand Air flight out of Boston at 9pm and then landing in Iceland at 6:30am Wednesday.  We found our way to the hotel for a quick turnaround before heading to the Blue Lagoon, the famed hot water springs and spa (and tourist trap)… we figure that was the only proper way to put jet lag and lack of sleep behind us…

Hotel Fron: our base of operations- with free breakfast!

Blue Lagoon: like a giant hot tub.

After a couple hours of relaxing away our travel, we headed back to REK to gear up for our first dinner in Iceland… what else but Pylsas… the Icelandic hot dog…

Icelandic Hot Dogs: better than the American style by a long shot.

A few beers later, we were all feeling pretty good about our decision to take advantage of the improved exchange rate (basically doubled in our favor in the past year).

Day two we headed east along the loop road (which encircles the entire island).  Everything was bland and white, with occasional waterfalls or moss covered volcanic rock formations to break up the drive to Jokulsarlson (where the first picture at top was taken).  The drive back to REK was a completely different experience… the snow had melted away to show more landscape, waterfalls were swelling with runoff and rain, and the fog/ clouds had burned away to reveal massive mountains and glaciers in the distance.  It was hard to believe we were on the same road as the morning.

Glaciers: making a break for it.

Loop Road View: the morning was blanketed in white.

Loop Road View: what a difference a few hours can make. (same view)

Waterfalls: everywhere around the island.

TLC was Right: don't go chasing waterfalls, your jeans will get soaked.

The rest of the ride home was a bit less exciting… we were all tired, my jeans were soaked through, and somehow, we managed to get a bit lost…

Day three would show us the famed Golden Circle, an area of intense geologic, tectonic activity.  I was all nerded up for the Thingvellir area where the American and European tectonic plates are shifting apart (divergent plate boundary).  You can actually see the rift between them and they are still moving… which is the primary cause of all the geysers, volcanos, and geothermal water caches all over the island.  Being that Ben graduated Mechanical Engineering like me, he was excited to visit the Geothermal Power Station as our last stop of the day… and even though I thoguht it was closed, it was a good call that we went.  Interesting learnign experience (they provide hot water nationally and bill everyone monthly, as a separate line item in your power bill).

Thingvellir: the rift between America and Europe is growing wider all the time.

Geyser: not quite as old, but definitely as faithful.

Icelandic Tour Bus: they look at people movers a bit differently...

Gullfoss: huge waterfall, freezing wind and rain, but no guard rails. Amazing.

Volcanic Crater: the remains of an old eruption (and warmer weather).

Bjork: more than just an artsy rocker!

Geothermal Power Plant: the more you know (jingle playing)!

And with that, it was back to the city, dinner and bar hopping… you know, to get a better understanding of the local culture and morale.  For a bankrupt economy, everyone seemed in good spirits.  I suppose sunsets at 11pm and nothing darker than dusk before sunrise at 6am will do that…

Our last two days in Iceland woudl be spent exploring REK… so here are some highlights of the amazing city that is home to 2/3 of the country…

Gorgeous Church: it's under there somewhere... unfortunate timing.

Modern Sculpture: art was all over town, like this modern Viking ship by the water.

Lakefront: there is a man-made rectangle lake in the center of town, great public space.

And that wraps up the highlights… though my favorite meal of the trip was unfortunately not pictured here… Lobster Soup at (basically) a bait shack… we went back twice.  AMAZING.

So, if you go to Iceland, count on the weather being crazy (15 minute rotations of sun, sleet, wind, rain- in that order), the people being nice (but late… dinner at 8 or 9, shops open at 10am), and the country side being gorgeous (I put it second to New Zealand in natural beauty).  If I could do it again… perhaps start with Blue Lagoon again, rest up in REK, then 3 days to travel the entire loop road, staying at B&B’s along the way, ending in REK for a big night or two on the town.

Will I go back?  If the exchange rate doubles in our favor AGAIN? Definitely.  As is, maybe a layover on the way to Europe…

Have fun,

~N

Going to Iceland

So… I just booked flight and hotel for Iceland, April 28th to May 3rd. Ben Gregg- you inspire me.

Ben pitched the idea to me this past Sunday… oddly enough after having learned about the geological formation of Iceland at a Geological Cabaret the night before (Tenaya Rocks… http://www.tenayahurst.com/). In short, Iceland sits on top of a ‘hot spot’ at a divergent plate boundary… yeah, I am a bit dorky for getting all excited about that show, but it was awesome.

So, remote island nation mentioned twice in two days… Coincidence? perhaps. Iceland? yes, please.

I want to go to there.

I have been leaving the country at least once a year for a while now… and I figure that while I am not working I have time to do it again. And most new employers dont like people jetting off for a week or two to remote locations.