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Let me start with a disclaimer that I have tried many times to embed photos posted elsewhere, which just has not worked correctly no matter what I have tried. I'm one of the most stubborn people you'll run across, giving up on that in favor of providing photo links to click instead...

In the summer of 2017, my mother and I took a one-week cruise around the island which we found a terrific experience in order to see the more remote parts of the country. We didn't spend that much time in the capital itself, except for the afternoon we arrived until the next afternoon reporting to the ship; we were kind of exhausted, the hotel was a bit out of town, and it was Sunday so most places were closed. The final day they tossed us off the boat right after breakfast with most folks not having flights until late afternoon or early evening, so a half-day tour was provided to kill the time until we were ready to check in at the airport.

Our meals were provided throughout our time in Iceland so can't really comment on restaurants; we did have to find our own food the evening of the first day, which turned out to be a slice of (really good) pizza and a coke reasonably priced. We did not change any money at all, as the nation is essentially cashless. I would urge all American cardholders to put their card on their phones, or at least arrange to have one that can be tapped on the terminal, otherwise you will be signing little pieces of paper everywhere you go! The nation is essentially bilingual, you would have to go out of your way to find someone who cannot manage a conversation in basic English.

I'll start the photos with two from our last day tour...



Managed to get a shot of the fabled multi-colored rooftops of the city contrasted against the glacial backdrop at an observation tower stop.



I managed to get a decent shot of the president's residence compound from a moving coach across the water - came out looking more like a painting I think.

First day we had a stop at a small town on the south coast which is known for having had a Pompeii-like experience swallowing up some of the houses whole. A portion of that was excavated into a sort of museum, which was interesting enough although we had far too much time there we thought. No pics from that day, but there'll be lava later!

Instead, here's Fido Fidosson making an appearance. The one town where we did not join in either of the scheduled activities (friends who did both reported disappointment) we went into town to visit the supermarket and what shops were open. Taking a shortcut down a lane back to the ship, we wondered why a householder had placed a statue of a very large dog on her table like that? Then, we noticed the canine scratch himself and immediately resume his Tableau Vivant position!

Here are the lava pics from a trip to the fields themselves: close up and panoramic shots. My primitive efforts taking phone pictures at a time where I knew a heck of a lot less about that stuff than I do now don't do the experience justice, but you should get the idea...






Another excursion involved heading out a bit earlier than usual directly after breakfast can weather barely 50F in August (we did receive official certificates of having crossed the Arctic Circle during the trip). These pics show the fun of fording a rocky stream in our 4x4, and a picture to show there's plenty of green landscape at the fjords to go along with all that lava.

Finally, here are pics from an all-day tour based out of Iceland's second city Aykereri; we saw the town pool adding through but dud not stop, which I regretted.



First stop was at their famous waterfall that probably were not captured for full justice by this photo, but then again hopefully you guys at least get the idea!



I've skipped the midge-infested lake followed by lunch which was not really all that memorable, but this shot from the next stop at a "fairy chimney village" proved more interesting - what may seem like ants on the rock are actually some group members who climbed up there.



My mom's favorite part of the tour, and mine as well I must confess, was the lunar landscape of these sulphur flats - truly surreal! We did get used to the smell, but it was actually a plus in heightening the experience.



Finally, I couldn't believe my good luck in managing to to frame a solitary cyclist on the road that marks the division between the American tectonic plates in the background and European ones in the foreground of the photo.


That's about it for my comments on the tour of Iceland, but would be happy to answer any follow-up questions folks may have. We did not go up on a glacier, nor did we go to the Blue Lagoon bathing grotto - two of the most popular attractions for tourists in the nation.

John wrote: "Let me start with a disclaimer that I have tried many times to embed photos posted elsewhere, which just has not worked correctly no matter what I have tried. I'm one of the most stubborn people yo..."

Thank you so much for sharing, John.

John wrote: d disappointment) we went into town to visit the supermarket and what shops were open. Taking a shortcut down a lane back to the ship, we wondered why a householder had placed a statue of a very large dog on her table like that? Then, we noticed the canine scratch himself and immediately resume his Tableau Vivant position!."

:)

John wrote: "Finally, here are pics from an all-day tour based out of Iceland's second city Aykereri; we saw the town pool adding through but dud not stop, which I regretted.



First ..."

The photos are so beautiful. Each one is postcard worthy.

John wrote: we did have to find our own food the evening of the first day, which turned out to be a slice of (really good) pizza and a coke reasonably priced. He did not change any money at all, as the nation is essentially cashless. "

I love that you could get really good pizza in Iceland !

That's interesting about being a almost a cashless society.

I'm from the New York area and particularly picky about pizza, and another passenger from Pennsylvania agreed that the pizza in Iceland was actually pretty good!

I would love to go to Iceland- my daughter and son-in-law went a few years ago and loved it. This is one trip I would love to go on!

We thought perhaps we were about the last American travelers who hadn't been to Iceland by that time. I'd be willing to go again with someone who hadn't been there before. Couple of things that I haven't mentioned that I thought I'd throw in here as well...

The airport had VERY limited gate seating, as in virtually none!

Also, couldn't resist one final pic of my single souvenir purchase:

John, i really appreciate your comments on your experience, as there are several things i wouldn't have thought to even ask, such as money. Your photos capture exactly what i would hope to see. The cyclist is wonderful--one of those lucky, random moments that make a collection of photos shine.

The shot with the lava field in front of the green field, in front of the mountain range was great too. I wouldn't have expected that. The townscape is very neat, too. I'm grateful to you for sharing with us. I really hope we get to make this vacation now.

John wrote: "I'm from the New York area and particularly picky about pizza, and another passenger from Pennsylvania agreed that the pizza in Iceland was actually pretty good!"

I'm a New Yorker also. We know good pizza. :)

John wrote: "Also, couldn't resist one final pic of my single souvenir purchase:
.."

A shark museum ! So cool.

The shark actually wasn't all that bad, not that I'd necessarily snack on it while watching a movie at home (as I understand they do).

It was my first time on a cruise, and a great one to start out with - - been on a couple more which had issues (Irish Sea and Danube).

I would strongly urge folks to get out beyond the capital to see the rest of the country.

Honestly, John, when my husband suggested the cruise around Iceland with numerous stops, the only thing that sounded really neat to me was the beginning in Oslo & the end in Scotland. Your photos have helped persuade me.

It was a great trip. My only regret was that we went on that 4x4 Wilderness Adventure rather than the trip that included the famous writer's house one day.

I'll keep my eyes open for that writer's house. The itinerary i've seen mentioned Gunnar Gunnarsson's home. Is that the one? I've not heard of him but will keep your suggestion in mind.

madrano wrote: "I'll keep my eyes open for that writer's house. The itinerary i've seen mentioned Gunnar Gunnarsson's home. Is that the one? I've not heard of him but will keep your suggestion in mind."

I don't recall which writer it whose house they visited? The evening before was the night of our official "cruise party" in the port town. There was a concert in the local church, and then we all headed down the street a few minutes to the local museum for a reception featuring unlimited beer, wine, and snacks. We were struck while walking how much the atmosphere there strongly reminded us of rural New England or upstate New York.

It sounds lovely, John. Those enchanted moments make traveling such a wonder.

John wrote: "Let me start with a disclaimer that I have tried many times to embed photos posted elsewhere, which just has not worked correctly no matter what I have tried. I'm one of the most stubborn people yo..."

Oh, my goodness, I'm glad you enjoyed it, John. Wild horses couldn't drag me back to Iceland. I lived there for a few years. Sometimes, in the mid-winter, the sun would rise about 11:30 am, then set about 1:30 pm. So far north! And the island, at least Reykjavik, is nearly treeless because they cut so many down to build the town. At least, people are planting them again. In mid-summer, we had to go to bed in blazing sunlight.

I think Iceland would be nice to visit but to live, I nearly went nuts.

Nice photos! I love the photo with the dog!

Fun Fact: In Iceland, almost everyone's surname ends in -son or -dottir, so names are listed alphabetically in the phone directory by first name rather than surname. Ingrid Haraldsdottir would be listed under the I's. Only country I know of that does that, except maybe Japan, and I'm not sure about Japan. I can't read Japanese. LOL

Kiki, it was neat reading your comments about your years in Iceland. I was kinda disappointed that summer wasn't colder, to be honest, only in the 50 degree range. Although, contrasting that to the Texas 100+ should have kept me happy.

However, i liked the nation. Seeing steam escape barren land is delightful, perhaps my favorite thing. There was no anticipating where they were. Our "days" were very long and i can only imagine how long the nights must feel.

John, i again would like to state how good your photos are. While i'm pleased with mine, i think your abilities outshine mine by miles. One more, i thank you for sharing.

John, I just found this thread and loved your photos. My favorite was the shot of the president's residence(?) - the one you said looked like a painting...and it surely does!

My sister just returned from a 5-day trip to Iceland and a friend is back from a too-long cruise on a big ship that left from Amsterdam. The weather was so bad that they could see nothing from the ship, just a solid wall of GRAY!

Another friend who was there sent photos of a HUGE tomato-growing operation there which fascinated me.

!

Just noticed the kind words now - many thanks!

A week's cruise around the island was definitely the way to go for us.

I loved our cruise around Iceland, too. We saw an incredible museum documenting the volcanic eruption in Eldfell (Westman Islands) which took place in 1973 and buried about 400 houses. The story of the people evacuated was fully told in film, and then we got to tour a house that had been partially dug out. Impressive. Also loved the little boats around the rock formations with birds nesting (Puffins!!), trip above the Arctic Circle, etc. My friend took a 5-day walking tour, but she said they could only see the same mountain every day all day and it wasn't as good as advertised.
Michele

Our cruise this summer had Iceland and Greenland as its focus. Fortunately the weather was good most of the days. There were different industries there, which were neat. Seeing the natural wonders was terrific but learning about the way Icelanders manage their daily lives was endlessly fascinating.

For me, visiting the smaller cities in both countries made the stops learning experiences. The people were open and willing to share about their nation, too. Reading the latest news about the earthquakes has me wondering about how people there are doing.