Return to Iceland: Hiking in 2018
I found out I could do a trip in June of 2018 with not a lot of warning, so, after a brief exploration of activities, knowing I had a hiking trip planned with a friend in July, I set up a guided hiking trip to Iceland. I would get to explore an area I only briefly saw during my first trip there in 2013 with Greg and Kathy Wright. I didn’t even bother trying to find someone else to go with me, hoping instead to blend in with a group and to use the logistics of a travel company to get my luggage moved every day. My only stressor going in was ongoing foot and ankle problems that had limited my running and made it uncomfortable.
Overall, things worked out well. I had roughly a day in Reykjavik before setting out early in the week on the hiking trip for 5 days. It was very interesting, scenic, and different, to sum it up for those who have no appetite to digest the whole of this document and who just want to look at photos and scan the highlights. Those who wish to may continue. I will stick with the diary type format that lends itself to these things.
Solfar, the Sun Voyager, along the waterfront in Reykjavik.
Saturday, June 16th, 2018 – to the airport and beyond:
I was up before 5am, ran and lifted weights for my legs, and went back to the gym a few hours later to do an upper body workout before setting out after lunch for Newark. The ride was fine and I was able again to get to the hotel to park. I used WOW airlines for the first time on this trip. They fill the niche of the cheap, quirky airline to Europe with connections through the Keflavik airport near Reykjavik in Iceland. I booked the round trip flight for less than $300 on a travel website without looking very much at what it included, and ended up paying $114 additional for luggage, being misled to think I needed to pay for my backpack as a carry on and only noting after paying that I didn’t need to. My first duty at check in was to see if I could get a refund. I was told to call customer service, as the check in desks don’t deal with that. After getting through security, I called customer service while in the noisy and crowded waiting area: after 15 minutes on hold, I was told any baggage fees are non-refundable. Thanks, WOW, and this foreshadowed the rest of my travel experience with them. I will go out of my way from now on to avoid them, as no company has ever treated more like a credit card number and less like a person. You also can pick your seat ahead of time, but I didn’t because I thought there would be a fee for that as well. I was given a middle seat on a packed flight and was jostled the whole flight by the seat mates and the people in front and behind, including women talking really loud much of the time. So, not much sleep.
DAY 2, Sunday, June 17th, 2018 – Keflavik and Reykjavik
We arrived at 4:55am. The only food and drink I had on the flight was my own water and snacks: WOW charges $3.29 for a bottle of water (the loud talking woman behind me got a glass of wine for $18.90 which didn’t help her volume control). Passport control was quick despite the early hour and I had my bag in a reasonable time. I had prepaid for a bus ride to Reykjavik (the Gray Line) and headed outside to look for it, as I was done quicker than even I’d hoped and wanted to catch and earlier ride. Of course, I couldn’t find anything related to the bus, so back inside I found the representative of the company, and it turned out there was no way I could have found it on my own. Anyway, she was nice, and I was able to get some Skyr, a smoothie, and an Icelandic flag donut and ate them all while waiting with her.
Hallgrims Church, the largest church in Iceland, finished in 1986, is 75m high. The view from my hotel.
The bus came on time and took us to a bus depot in Reykjavik. I was able to use the free wifi to check my emails on the way, as it is otherwise a boring 50 minute drive. The next bus was smaller and took us on the local bus routes. I got off at stop 8, by the strange and wonderful looking Hallgrim’s Church. From there it was a short walk to my hotel, which was on the side of the front of the church. I went inside to drop off my bags, knowing it was too early to check in, and I was pleased the clerk allowed me to eat breakfast. They had a nice spread, and it all worked out because I was leaving too early for breakfast the next morning. I killed some time there and also talked to the clerk about whale watching and which place would take cash, as I knew I had a lot to get rid of. The first whale watching boats of the day left at 9am in the summer, so I walked down (about 15 minutes) to get one of those.
A street view in Reykjavik on my walk to the whale watching docks.
The Elding boat was surprisingly full, primarily with Asians, but still had a lot of room to maneuver. We set out with surprisingly little safety information (they covered it all briefly once we were moving), and within an hour spotted the spout of a humpback whale (prior to that we’d only seen a few porpoises at a long distance). The guide, who was Polish, with a strong accent, was very helpful, and we followed that whale about an hour (at least it seemed like that). It was very unpredictable and never stayed on the surface long, and we never got close, which is their policy. I didn’t get a single photo, but did get two shots of the tail on video before it went down. All the other boats out there came over then and we finally left, and we didn’t see anything else other than some birds. I went down into their education room, which had posters about whales, and I was so fatigued - aching with it - I laid down on some chairs and fell asleep for 30 minutes, waking up only as they announced our arrival back into the harbor area. I was remarkably refreshed by that brief snooze and ready for the day.
It was now around noon and the downtown area was much busier. I had to walk through the business area to get back to the hotel, so I stopped as I got near it at a Thai restaurant. I had an excellent yellow curry with tofu and then went back to the hotel (the Leifur Eirickson), where I was able to check in. My room was in a separate building across the street. It was pretty small, so my stuff took up a lot of space. I unpacked a bit and laid down to get off my feet for a bit before an afternoon run. I slept only a little.
My run brought back a lot of memories. I ran along the waterline to the east, mostly on a paved path, but there was a small area of trails as well. It started to rain and was raining steadily by the end, but I enjoyed it and my feet didn’t feel too bad. It was 4.6 miles or so.
I had done some reading of the local tourist newspaper and saw there was a neat restaurant not that far away, but I planned on stopping closer. Nothing suited me, though, so I eventually reached the place, inside a food court near bus stop 10 called Hlemmur Matholl. The place was in the back right corner, called Skal, and I got two small plates. One was highly recommended in the article, smoked carrots with seaweed and a fermented garlic/soy/mango sauce on a piece of grilled sour dough bread that was outstanding beyond description, and a curious combination of sautéed goat cheese with fennel crackers and rhubarb jam. They “hand made” a delicious kombucha as well. After that I stopped at the ice cream stand in the food court and was about to get the mix of three flavors (they knead them all together), but the counter guy told me to get the Baked Ice Cream Summit, with vanilla ice cream, passion fruit sauce, toffee/chocolate/caramel bits, and seared marshmallow on top. It was also outstanding.
On my way back I stopped at a small grocery and got some snacks for the trip and for my breakfast the next morning. Then I went back and repacked, as we needed to take a variety of things on the trail and would have no access to our main bags until the evening the next day.
DAY 3, Monday, June 18th:
I had to get up too early to run, but even though I woke up several times during the night I was able to get right back to sleep and my alarm actually woke me for once at 5:30. I showered and forgot to shave, so did that after, and then ate my snacks hoping my bowels would adjust to the new time zone. They didn’t, but to make a long story short, they were not a big problem despite my worrying. I checked out and headed to the bus stop. I waited about 15 minutes, getting turned away by one guy who was heading to the same place eventually but not with my group. The bus that took me had about 10 older women in it who were all jovial and picking on me as the only man, but I told them even as just one man I made the testosterone level high in the bus. Then a younger woman got on with an older woman. I couldn’t tell what their relationship was, but we weren’t in the bus long, stopping shortly after at a larger bus depot.
After a bit of standing around, the guides and people in charge showed up. A blond man named Solvi, looked at some names and called out 12 people, and I was one of them along with the last two on my bus over, but none of the others. We moved off, and I could tell right away I had lucked out. The only issue was there were two people who spoke only French, but Solvi spoke French well enough and there were three others who spoke French well. It really only meant we had to endure double briefings, but I didn’t mind it. We had a little time before we left, so I went back inside and got some skyr. By that time, our bus had come and it was packed. I kept my backpack, camera bag and jacket with me, and it was very cramped once a young man moved from the back due to motion sickness on the bumpy road. He turned out to be a welcome addition. He was a new trail runner from Baltimore and was coming out to do a several day hike and camping adventure with his sister. We talked most of the way, and he paid me a nice compliment: “You don’t look a day over 40 to me.” We had one 30 minute stop during which the local school children did lots of stuff to get our attention, and the trip took 4:15.
It was a pretty drive, and the road was in good shape for dirt considering it had just opened. We had to drive across a number of streams without bridges. On arrival it was raining steadily, and things were a bit confusing, made worse by my camelbak pack leaking about 20 ounces of water in the bus. The seal attached to the bottom of the bag seemed to be the culprit, so I put the water pack in a dry bag and filled it back up. It worked out well and the bag, which was quite wet on the outside, didn’t bother me at all and was quite dry by the end. The info we’d gotten said this was a hike where we could take a dip in a hot spring, but it was at the start, and we only had 15 minutes, so I didn’t try. It was a disappointment as I was looking forward to it. We slapped together a lunch with bread and I added only some vegetables to it. I wasn’t worried about enough food; it was not a long hike and I had not run.
Although it had been a confusing hour or so, it felt great to set off, and it was really attractive scenery initially. I had to keep myself from taking too many photos. The lava flows from various events in the past were obvious and the path cut through them well. It was raining steadily but not heavily, and I made a good decision to wear only my hiking pants. This served me in good stead throughout, having only one layer on my legs. When it rained, they generally stayed dry and I was never cold, even in high winds. We eventually walked a lot in slushy snow, often fairly deep, which was the only real challenge to the day for me. Otherwise the pace was never fast, and I never felt tired.
We took a break for snacks in a really fascinating area just off the trail: a small stream running through an area where the snow had melted, with multiple vents of steam and hot water bubbling up all along the stream. Solvi boiled eggs in a bag in one area (not altogether successfully). We wandered further back along the stream until we could see an impressive steam vent up the hill, which was a steep climb but well worth it to see it up close. It was very loud, similar to a jet engine. Almost universally around the steam vents and hot springs were areas of bright green plant life: algae, mosses, and lichens, some a very vivid neon green.
A beautiful shot as we got up in the higher elevations and the snow later in the day.
The lodging for that night was the highest elevation at which we would stay, probably around 1400m, and we walked down to it across snow. It was completely surrounded by snow in a scenic area. I immediately didn’t like the layout: the toilets and sinks were connected only by an outside boardwalk, though they were enclosed and had a roof on them.
The inside was cramped and chaotic. I finally got word we were staying in what was similar to an attic, a small area where the ceiling sloped rapidly downward to just above the floor on the sides. I hit my head several times negotiating it and was told I had to stay in the room packed with mats on the floor (15 or so mats with no space in between) by one of the other guides. I immediately wondered why I had been charged $265 extra for traveling alone. Anyway, we made the best of it, some people hanging wet stuff on cords around the room, and others helping with the food preparation and movement. After an initial search, the sleeping bag I’d rented for $65 was also found.
Dinner started a trend for the better with our group using the room the guides were to sleep in to eat. As best I can recall there was fish, rice, and some salad. After we were done, we wisely had a chat about the plans and also went around the table and introduced ourselves. I flashed back to my time with my nephew in Patagonia where I figured that my background would make me the most interesting person there only to be almost overwhelmed by the lives of the other trekkers. It was a similar experience here. No one said what they did, but they all introduced themselves. Abby and Sarah were a daughter and mother from California (they were on my original bus); Jana was from Germany and had been to many places for trekking, including Nepal; Natalie was a French-Canadian who’d nearly died two years ago and had this on her bucket list; Carine and Sandrine were friends from the French part of Switzerland; and the French couple, Marie and Serge, all said a little about their reason for being there. I was next, and said, “Je m’appelle Terry” to howls of laughter. I good-naturedly offered that I was a doctor if anyone was having any problems and told them about why I was there. It turned out there were 5 doctors out of the 12! Jana was a surgeon in training in Hapsburg, Sarah was a pediatrician, and Julie and Richard were both surgeons from Australia! Corinna, another hiker from Germany, had escaped from East Germany before the wall came down. Julie had just done an Ironman triathlon (she didn’t mention it, but her husband, who was immensely proud of her, couldn’t help himself) a week prior and did well enough to qualify for the team from Australia going to the Hawaiian Ironman in October! Carine was a nurse in an eating disorders unit and Sandrine was a police officer. So, I was middle of the pack yet again. It was great to hear about their lives and we all shared a lot about ourselves as we walked over the days.
After dinner there were some chores and packing and repacking. A few people were asleep right away. I read for a bit, did my last ablutions before the night out at the bathrooms, and tried to go to sleep. It was warm enough, and the mat was soft enough, but it was a bit too noisy for a good night’s sleep for me. Still I slept a bit and was one of the first ones up.
DAY 4, Tuesday, June 19th:
We ate some porridge prepared by Solvi, and there were eggs, bread and jams with some skyr maybe. We then made our lunches: mine was a peanut butter and a nutella sandwich. Otherwise there was lots of activity as we packed and then the vehicle arrived to take our bags to the next hut. As we headed down the hill, the chief guide came out shouting at us. It turns out Sarah had taken the wrong hiking boots. After that was sorted spent much of the morning walking on snow.
I would figure the walk from the day before was about 1/3 on snow. This day’s was closer to ½. On the steepest downhill in the snow we had to option to walk or slide, and I ran to it and slid down. We crossed a few small streams on rocks, then we stopped for lunch in a rocky spot that was nice. It started to rain as we got nearer to the place, which involved a nice descent to a lake.
We arrived with a bit of confusion and were left outside in the rain while we figured out what to do and where to go. Our stuff had not arrived, so we had to sit around for a bit. When it did, I decided to try to go running. Unfortunately my heel was really painful and I was limited to 2 miles of starts and stops and walking, all in a steady rain. The terrain was otherwise good for running and I was really annoyed I couldn’t enjoy it. Showers were $5, so I saved money and took my clean clothes into a toilet and wiped myself down with baby wipes before getting dressed.
Solvi had all sorts of snacks along and we ate them and talked until dinner was ready. This time it was traditional soup, with lamb in it, and some canned peaches. He had also made a vegetarian soup, and it was now I found out (whether or not it was true) that several of the others were vegetarians and they were not paying any extra for their meals.
The sleeping quarters were a bit better: the mats were on raised platforms, but there wasn’t anywhere else to go to pass the time, so we played cards in the kitchen: first a game called BS, then I taught them the O’Rourke version of Rummy which is the easiest to learn. Jana, Abby, and possibly Solvi played that night, but the 4th person did vary from game to game. Then we went to bed. I was right next to Richard, who is 6’8” and snores, but he was pretty quiet and I fell right to sleep. I woke up fairly soon after, right around midnight, with a painfully full bladder, and I thought I would be able to just sneak outside and pee off the porch in my boxer shorts and t-shirt. I got downstairs and put on my shoes, but when I went outside there were people out there talking. My bladder was ready to burst, so I rushed to the toilets, which were not close by, in a lashing wind and rain. It was also quite chilly, especially in the toilet, and that bladder took a long time to empty. I hurried back and was able to settle down and get back to sleep, but I woke up again (!!, too much hydration), and this time put on my jacket for the dash to the toilet as it was still raining and quite windy (Julie told me later she went out around 5am and it was beautiful). I then slept most of the rest of the time until we all got up around 7am.
Part of the route I traveled on my rainy, cold middle of the night potty breaks. Now beautiful out.
DAY 5, Wednesday, June 20th:
The morning had lots of hustle and bustle, was supplemented by a brief guitar and singing show by one of the guides, and then packing our stuff to go after a similar breakfast. The view from the porch was even better as it had snowed up in the higher elevations during the night. We could have walked in our water shoes from the hut, as the first stream we waded was just down the hill, maybe 400m or so. We took off our hiking boots and put on the wading shoes we’d been told to pack, then waded across in groups of two or three. I went with Natalie. Then we dried up, put our hikers back on and walked only a short distance to a second, much wider stream we also traversed fairly easily. The sun came out and it got a little warmer, and the snow patches were much less common.
We came to the deepest stream and got across that with no falls or mishaps. The rest of the day was spent crossing a lava field wasteland. I noticed there were small bunches of flowers now blooming, with petals only a few millimeters across, but they only bloomed where sheltered from rocks. Solvi said little could grow in this kind of soil as it was constantly shifting in the wind and rain. We stopped in a nice outcropping of rocks and did some climbing around. I was down to a long-sleeved shirt and t-shirt and sweating a bit. We might have eaten there or a bit before.
We headed back down to the trail and kept going on the flat for a while. There is a huge glacier to the east of the trail (our left) we never got very close to. Solvi had talked in his briefing about a “special place” near the end of the hike we could go to on the way or come back to once we’d gotten to the next hut. We veered off the path and were walking through loose gravel when a stunningly beautiful canyon appeared before us. It was pretty deep – Solvi warned us to be careful – and definitely the highlight of the trip for me. We took lots of photos and videos before leaving.
All of us holding the black rocks, with Hat Mountain in the background
From there it was an easy walk to our hut, which was probably the nicest one we stayed in. We had our own little unit down the wooden walkway with a scenic porch.
Relaxing before looking for my "missing" sock.
This one had bigger mats we had to share – I slept on mine with Natalie. It was lovely out, and we sat on the porch and talked. I looked around and found the structure over the sinks to be adequate for pull-ups and did 10 while Sarah was nice enough to film me, then a few more sets before paying for a hot shower. Jana had taken a shower the day before and didn’t get hot water. This day she preceded me and said it was too hot. I talked to the woman about that and she said she’d fixed the problem. I was able to control the temp well and did enjoy the warm water. I also had time to shave, which was nice.
We were able to eat inside and Solvi made some excellent grilled salmon in foil and the young Swiss chopped up a nice salad. We were talking when I took advantage of a lull to ask Solvi about the Icelandic peoples’ thoughts regarding elves, which our guide the last trip had entertained us about. Solvi gave a very entertaining discourse on the topic before people started to get ready for bed. We resumed Rummy, this time with Sarah maybe as the 4th. We went to bed late, and though I didn’t sleep well – worried too much about moving around on the mat and bothering Natalie – I didn’t have to get up to pee due to better hydration management ;-).
DAY 6, Thursday, June 21:
Today was supposed to be the worst weather day of the hike, and it pretty much lived up to it, though it was never terrible. It was different terrain, steeper but shorter ups and downs, with smaller canyons, lovely valleys and interesting mountains.
We stopped by a stream for lunch a little early to beat the rain, and then it started about 30 minutes later, pretty steady, sometimes with a lot of wind. I didn’t get very wet, and it faded after about 45 minutes. Now there were trees, and we saw a ptarmigan, a bird Solvi had said he would name my group after. I had been joking there weren’t any and he was making it up, but then there was one sitting right near the trail and not bothered much by us. It was about that time my Achilles started to ache pretty bad, and it was annoying the rest of the way, which still had some ups and downs. We moved through much heavier foliage, and I recall hearing childrens’ voices and wondering if someone was watching a video when a family of 4 moved quickly past us on an uphill with two blond girls less than 5 years old chattering and singing as they climbed effortlessly past us.
We entered a clearing and I could see the hut ahead and instantly started looking for a place to swim or at least take a dip. Julie was gung ho, too. Just then it started to rain, not too bad, but annoying. We quickly changed and went to a place where the stream going through the camp was a little deeper before a bridge. Corinna, in a bikini, was in there with lightning speed, lying in the water and expressing great joy. Julie followed her and nearly fell back in when she tried to get up. I was the slowest to be ready, fussing with my camera, and Richard filmed me, noting my knees had not gone under, a situation I quickly corrected. It wasn’t super cold, but cold enough, and it served as my shower for the day (Jana finally had a good proper shower there later).
Here we had a back room all to ourselves with the tables right in it. I scored my own bunk (!), the top, next to Jana. I tried to dry my towel and swimsuit outside, but there was little hope in the cold rain and I ended up putting them in the trash the next day rather than carry them back. Tonight’s meal was roasted lamb and potatoes. I had been chipping in here and there with help, but this night I said I would do the dishes and Jana helped. She was super nice and very funny – it always impresses me when someone can be funny in their second or third language. It didn’t take too long, but while we were working in there the rest of the group shared their highlights of the trip. I missed them all. I said my scenery highlight was the special place, the canyon, but the real highlight was how well we had all worked together and gotten along. There was no drama, and I credited Solvi with setting a nice, relaxed tone right off and doing a great job cooking and guiding us.
We had to study group dynamics a bit in the Air Force, and it is very common to form strong bonds with people when you are taking on a challenge together. I definitely felt it with this group. They had all treated me well and it made it a most memorable experience. Some went to bed soon, Julie memorably saying she was a surgeon and could sleep anywhere, even in a room with people playing rummy and also the French speakers playing a special game of Scrabble Sandrine had made for the trip (it had a different letter combination as well). That day I played a prank on Corine, putting a soccer ball we’d found in her sleeping bag, and we got a good laugh when she finally found it. Those two were also a lot of fun, and Richard really liked to pick on them. Abby won our only rummy games we kept score on, and then we got ready for bed. I walked to the sinks and brushed my teeth and peed, read my Kindle briefly in the kitchen, and when I got back to the room the tables had been pushed aside and the French couple was asleep on the floor in the middle of the room. I couldn’t have been gone for 15 minutes! I climbed up into the bunk, trying not to wake anyone up. Even on my own mat I didn’t sleep well, but I didn’t mind. It was still just nice to be there.
DAY 7, Friday, June 22nd:
We got up around 7 and got ready. Today was a short hike and then a bus ride back to civilization. Breakfast was nice, with sour milk in addition to everything else. We headed out on some local trails with the goal of climbing a nearby mountain. It was cloudy, but not bad, and we made it to the top pretty quickly. It was a pretty spot, with the flat glacial plains around us, crisscrossed by streams and occasionally a vehicle trying to make it out there through huge puddles and crossing streams. We all posed for many photos, both individually and as a group.
As we walked back, Solvi acted a bit indecisive and then said we might want to take a trail along a stream. That took us back into another great little space, where first Sandrine climbed a rock wall, and then into a little cave/canyon with high walls opened at the top and a stream of water running into it. We dropped our bags, but I was busy taking photos while everyone moved into the cave area. Richard then pointed out we had Sandrine’s bag right there and pointed to some wet rocks we could put in it. I chose some drier ones instead and then we went to find them.
While we were wandering around, Solvi sang some traditional Icelandic songs and we tested the echoes. It was a sweet little end and we were all in good moods as we walked to our lunch spot, which was a set of tables at another campsite nearby. They had a warm pool there that really tempted me to get in, but I resisted. It was here Sandrine found her rocks! We took another trail back and got ready to leave eating a few more snacks as we waited for word about the bus. During this time I tried to move a thermos of coffee and couldn’t see a small plastic lid behind a plastic bag on the table and it spilled spectacularly over Abby’s playing cards and onto her leg. I said my new nickname would be “Kaffefoss” or coffee waterfall, but it all made me feel terribly guilty.
Anyway, the time finally came and Carine gave Solvi our tip before we headed out to wait for the bus, which was in sight, but took forever to get to us. We loaded up and realized why when we left – one stream after another to cross. There was enough room to sit alone, which was great. It took about 20 minutes to get to the camp we were just in, and about that time Julie realized her phone had fallen out of her pocket. She was distraught, but we kept going. Solvi was eventually able to call and see if someone found it. No word.
It was a pretty but rough ride with lots of crossings. I suddenly was unable to stay awake or think straight. We finally reached more civilized areas and switched to a road bus. It still seemed like the ride took forever. Suddenly, though, we were in Reykjavik and the bus transition was super hectic. Jana was catching a different bus but I definitely wanted to spend more time with her, so we hurriedly exchanged information and planned to meet to watch the Germany-Sweden game in the World Cup the next evening. Sandrine and Corine had to keep the driver from leaving, even though it only took a minute or two.
He dropped me at a spot I wasn’t anticipating and rushed me off the bus before I could say a proper good-bye to Sarah, Abby, Corine and Sandrine, and there I was.
I found my hotel and checked in. At least I would be staying two nights. I got on email and sent emails to Sandrine and Corine offering to take them out to dinner, but they didn’t get them until they were back home. I waited a bit, cleaned up some and went out for dinner alone for the first time in 5 days. I was super tired, and my cognition was definitely off. I went to a place called Sumac and ate at their bar. It was a place known for its ovens, which I sat near and could see the cooks baking everything. I got some really good flat bread and then a salad and another liquid nitrogen enhanced date cake before going back, showering properly, and hitting the sack.
DAY 8, Saturday, June 23rd:
I got up at 7 after a fairly good sleep and was able to run 5 miles with only a little bit of pain. I was very happy, going up and long the water’s edge on the west side of the city. I had hoped also to find some pull-up bars but didn’t see any – the waterfront in that area has changed a lot in 5 years. I was running late for breakfast so I ate quick before showering (it was chilly, so I didn’t sweat much). I decided not to do any trips and would just wander about and go to museums. The first was the National Museum of Iceland. It was raining lightly as I walked there. The building itself was nondescript and appeared to part of a university campus. It was nice inside and I had a great start to the tour, which emphasized the early settlers and their lives, including some of their bones. Then religion came to Iceland and that was what most of the rest of the exhibits were about, which was disappointing, thought the later history, with fishing ground disputes and their liberation from Norway and then Denmark was also intriguing.
I wandered downtown for lunch, hoping to eat at a Pakistani restaurant that had a lot of vegetarian options, but it was closed. So I ate at a place that looked like a tourist trap but it was really good, with an excellent hummus sandwich. From there I walked to the National Art Gallery, which wasn’t easy to see. It was relatively expensive for such a small collection, but I found much to amuse me, including a photo exhibit called “Cars in Rivers.” I took a few photos on my phone to show Jana. I looked for souvenirs, getting a reversible hat with Gulfoss on one side and a volcano on the other, and an Iceland buff for my brother for helping me move (an Iceland soccer jersey was over $100, so I didn’t buy one since I wasn’t sure about the size).
Jana and I were to meet in the small plaza where they had a big screen TV showing the World Cup. When I arrived there was a guy dressed as a Viking talking for far too long, but then the ambassadors to Iceland from Sweden and Germany started to get ready for a Viking fight. The Swedish ambassador memorably said into the mic, “Who thought this would be a good idea?”
The actual fight was more intense than I thought and went on far longer than it should have, so we left to try to find a pub in which to sit and watch the game. After the Irish pub disappointed, we were able to get a table in the English pub, sitting near some other Germans, who were very fun. Three Swiss joined us in the corner It was an interesting game, coming down to the very end when Germany, a man down, scored on a perfect free kick. MY hands went up high as I shouted, “He did it!” Jana and I high-fived, but then she got ready to leave quickly and turned down my invitation to dinner. We walked back towards her hostel, which was on my way home, and she left me with a hug by the Hallgrim Church. I went to my hotel and got my Kindle and went back for more Thai food, which was again delicious. I was too lazy at that point to try to get dessert, so I bought a candy bar at a grocery and went back, doing a bit of internet stuff before bed.
DAY 9, Sunday, June 24th:
I didn’t have much time to get things done today, but I woke up really early and couldn’t get back to sleep. I finally gave up and went for a run, which was really nice. I tried a different route but ended up on the main road east and then through parks and the waterfront on the way back. I did find some pull-up bars after about 2 miles and only did a few, dedicating them in my head to Julie and her lost phone. Foot still didn’t bother me much. I got breakfast and then went on a walk around the city for another 75 minutes until it was time to catch my bus to the airport (it is cheaper to schedule online than through the hotel).
The bus trip was uneventful, and then I entered back into my reality check with WOW. I cannot express my disgust for their operation enough. I was told to check in at a kiosk, but it wouldn’t let me check my bag, so I had to wait in a line. Then they told me it was another $65 to get my bag back! $130 for my bag round trip! At least I didn’t pay for my backpack. Security line was long but endurable, and then, after trying to spend most of my leftover cash in duty free on chocolate, I took the gamble on an airport salad and waited. The announced for us to report to the gate, but then we all stood in a line for about 20 minutes while nothing happened, with two adjacent gates also having lines waiting for flights at the same time. Then they started letting people into the gate, which was on the other side of some doors. As I got in there after a fairly long time, we were yelled at to move in farther, which would have screwed up the line. We waited, jammed in that room (it did have seats, but only a few people sat down), for another 20 minutes while the crew arrived outside and one young man in a yellow vest seemed to be the whole ground crew, running all around and inside the plane. Finally they allowed us to board, so we had to walk outside in the cold blowing rain and traipse across the tarmac slowly while only one jet way was in use, though a second was in place. Then they shouted we could board through the back, but I was halfway up the other one at that point and then had to wander slowly to the back while the usual fussing about bags and seats went on. Finally seated, I had the middle seat again, but was able to shift to the window when no one took it. It was an uneventful journey, with my butt less sore.
Now the fun began. I got to the hotel and on the way noticed my phone wasn’t working right. Still, I counted on it for directions out of the parking lot, but it wouldn’t work, and I ended up squirming around Newark until I found a way to get on 78, with many false starts and missed turns due to broken or missing signs. Turns out there was a mistake in my billing and my phone service was shut down the day after I left, so all those calls were lost to the ether. But I got home safe and wasn’t too much worse for the wear at my 9pm arrival time.
The Trip Summary: Iceland is a don't miss country: lovely people, beautiful scenery, fun things to do, and really good food. WOW airlines sucks, but they will save you money over most others. Traveling with a group can be fantastic when everyone works together and gets along, even when you are all crammed into tight quarters at night. It was a bummer my achilles hurt so much as running puts a cherry on top of anything I do, but I still got some runs in Reykjavik, some pull ups, and some pleasant walking. If you want to do a trip like this, cut out the middleman and contact Iceland Mountain Guides.
Regrets: I didn't swim in the cold water of Reykjavik or make it to any hot spring or the community pool, which were highlights of the last trip. I am supposed to say not swimming in the lake the second night out, but that would have been hard. I am not averse to hard things, so bit of regret, but not that much. The biggest is the not running part, but that was ok.