Cruising Greenland and Northern Europe: Idyllic Iceland!

Map of Iceland with our cruise ship stops

Iceland is located midway between the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The island of Iceland has always been a fave of ours, and we feel we know it fairly well since we’ve been here several times. But while we’ve explored the area in and around Reykjavik (in the southwest), we have never been to the outer, more remote areas of Iceland. On this trip, our cruise ship made an almost complete circumnavigation of the island and delivered us to three places we’ve never been to before.

Eskifjordur, Iceland

At the fjord in Eskifjordur

Our first port of Eskifjordur is located on the far eastern side of Iceland and is accessible only by ship. The fjord on which Eskifjordur is located is the deepest fjord in all of Iceland. Our tour guide Daniel informed us that the population of this town was a mere 1034 people, and that the name “Eski” means whale. As we were chauffeured around the island, Daniel had us keep vigilant for whales in the fjord. Of course, we saw none – as the expression goes, ‘a watched pot never boils.’

At the War Museum near Eskifjordur

WWII really did touch so many parts of the world, even this isolated town in Iceland. The Nazis had designs on occupying Iceland, but luckily, the Brits and Americans got here first. The Brits established a base in this tiny town, and American forces built a massive hospital complex which locals assumed was in preparation for an attack on Norway. However, that attack never occurred and many believe the hospital was built only to distract Germany during the planning for the Normandy invasion. We visited the War Museum with wartime artifacts, including German helmets, guns, radios, and other war memorabilia.

Akureyri, Iceland

The MS Rotterdam docked in the harbor at Akureyri

On the north side of Iceland, we visited Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland. Although with a population of only about 19,000, we're not sure it even qualifies as a city. Our guide Steven was proud to show us the one-and-only traffic light in all of Akureyri, installed in 2008. What a hoot! No traffic problems here!

Outside the hot springs of Myvatn

Iceland is all about outdoor adventures, and today we were bussed about an hour’s ride outside of town to the hot water mineral springs called Myvatn. In an interesting contrast to the hot springs, we could see patches of snow in the surrounding mountains, and there was a chill in the air that made immersion in the warm spring waters a welcome prospect. We donned our swimwear and raced through the frosty air to take a dip in the warm blue waters. Iceland has lots of these thermal baths, all warmed by natural geothermal heat.

Soaking in the soothing waters at Myvatn

These waters reminded us of the famous Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik, where we’ve spent some time in the past. Myvatn is less crowded. Of course, there was that putrid smell of sulfur (rotten eggs smell) as the steam of the lagoon belched its odor skyward, but the skin of our bodies felt smooth and refreshed when we stepped out of these special waters. The water felt slippery, soft, and soothing to the skin. Some skin specialists now prescribe a trip to these Icelandic springs for medicinal purposes in combating skin afflictions such as psoriasis and eczema.

Gasoline sells for about $7.62 USD per gallon

Life in Iceland is expensive. Everything here costs more – gas, ice cream, a cup of coffee, wine, and even a loaf of bread, etc. But not energy. The natural geothermal activity here makes energy an exception to the high cost profile. Energy costs practically nothing, and over 80% of the homes in Iceland use geothermal heating exclusively.

The roaring Godafoss waterfall

Our tour made one more stop at Godafoss, God's waterfall. Iceland is famous for its waterfalls and this one was fabulous, wide and powerful, reminding us in some ways of Niagara. The tundra is also fascinating. It looks barren at first glance, but if you look closer, you can find tiny flowers and yellow reindeer moss which is actually a cross between an algae and a mushroom.

Isafjordur, Iceland

The fjord at Isafjordur

Isafjordur has a population of only about 2600 inhabitants, but it is the largest town on the Westfjords Peninsula. It was quite picturesque with lots of flowers, but because of a subarctic climate, the rays of the sun don’t reach the town for weeks on end during winter. This was a great “walking town," best digested with a slow stroll thru the streets to absorb the abundant local beauty.

Yummy treats at Iceland's most famous bakery

Isafjordur claims to have the most famous bakery in all of Iceland. Naturally, we needed to verify this claim, so we bought a few goodies for “test” purposes only – heh, heh.

The 749 clay birds of the main church in Isafjordur

Anne had a hankering to visit the main church with 749 clay birds "flying" across the wall behind the altar. These handmade birds were created by members of the congregation, and everyone in town participated.

Close up of birds made by children

Closer inspection revealed many birds were beautifully rendered with artistic care while others were pretty rough, probably created by the children. What a sweet project.

Poor Magnus unfortunately and
typically only survived for 20 years

Frank found the cemetery surrounding the church to be a far better place of interest. The tombstones were very telling with many a short lifespan as a result of the tough, unforgiving demands of life here in northern Iceland.

Enjoying beer with our shipmates at the Dokkan Brewery

On the way back to the ship, we happened to pass by the Dokkan Brewery, and it provided a final highlight. Friends of ours from the ship joined us in some camaraderie & merriment, and we had a wonderful time, slurping delicious Icelandic beers and recanting tales of each of our one-day adventures here in Isafjordur.

Reykjavik, Iceland

The Rotterdam docked in Reykjavik

We found it unusual that our ship would dock in any particular city for a full two days, but that is exactly what happened when we reached the capital city of Reykjavik. Perhaps after all the small towns, Holland figured we were ready for some "big city" action. Frank thought it might have been an opportunity for restocking ship’s provisions. We never knew, but at least, we had no worries about getting back to the ship before it left for our next destination.

Anne with our Distinctive Voyages host, Helen

Something unusual happened to us on this cruise. Somehow through our travel agent, we became part of the Distinctive Voyages Program. We had our own contact person throughout the cruise, met our group of eighteen for a free cocktail hour, and best of all, we got a free excursion! The other nice thing about this excursion was that our little group of 18 had a big old tour bus all to ourselves.

Volcanic black sand beach on the Reykjanes Peninsula

Our freebie excursion took us to the Reykjanes Peninsula at the very southwest tip of the island. We spent a considerable amount of time here in this very volcanic area, and our tour guide Helga gave us endless and interesting data. Helga was a “nature gal” at heart as she told us, and she knew all about the flora and fauna of the Reykjanes.

Steam from beneath the earth's crust powers
Icelandic electric plant

Visiting Iceland gives you an idea of how the planet was formed. The Reykjanes Peninsula is covered with lava fields, old volcanic craters, and puffs of steam escaping from under the earth’s crust. With all this churning going on under the surface, there are tiny earthquakes almost daily here, so most homes and buildings here are put together with solid concrete, rather than block, brick, stone, and mortar.

Frank stands near tectonic plate fault

Iceland is a hub of geothermal activity and tectonic plate movement. The theory is that the Earth's outer shell is divided into nine plates that glide over the inner layer of the planet. As the plates move, gaps are created -- almost like the seams on a baseball. These gaps are usually hidden under the oceans, but in Iceland, we got to walk across one of these faults!

Anne on the Bridge between Continents

The Reykjanes Peninsula lies on the gap between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, and Helga took us out to a place where the separation is most obvious. Somebody actually constructed a bridge across this chasm and dubbed it “The Bridge between Continents.” Incredible to walk from one side to the other across a gorge filled with black volcanic sand.

Depiction of the tectonic plate movement

Scientists keep a focus on this island, taking frequent measurements of the changes as the North American tectonic plate moves west, increasing the separation. As a result, the Atlantic Ocean grows wider, and Iceland stretches and gains real estate all the time -- actually growing bigger at a rate of one inch every year. Not a lot of movement, but projecting forward over the eons, these minute changes will show a significant size change in Iceland, and ultimately prove the point.

Frank climbs a volcanic hill

We continued on, traveling through lava fields of varying ages. The volcanos here erupt very slowly, and spew lava from their core in a slow-mo floe fashion, much like the volcanos of Hawaii or Sicily. 60% of Iceland is uninhabitable because the land is covered in lava rock and ash. These lava formations made our coastal stops delightfully fraught with jagged picturesque beaches and cliffs.

Surf Cauldron at Brimtekill

In the area called Brimtekill, we saw seaside pools of water called “Surf Caldrons.” These pools, circular in shape, were formed thousands of years ago when a crack pierced the underside of the lava, and sea water pushed in, swirling in a violent fashion to create these circular-shaped sea-pools. Each pool measured about 30 to 50 feet in diameter.

Hiking through the boiling mud pools of Krysivik

Helga also took us to Krysivik, an area of gurgling mud pools spitting boiling mud and puffs of steam out of the ground. And of course, the delightful smell of rotten eggs (sulfur) again permeated the air. This was a great tour and the beauty and uniqueness of the Reykjanes Peninsula is an authentic natural look at an Icelandic sight that should not be missed.

Having a good time at the Islenski Barinn

For our second day in Reykjavik, we decided to wander the downtown area, revisiting old favorite sights and soaking up the sunshine on the nicest day we've ever seen in Iceland. Signs of growth are sprouting up all over the downtown with major building and street construction on almost every corner. We returned to a good ol’ fashioned pub called the Islenski Barinn (Icelandic Bar) for traditional lamb stew and fish and chips washed down with cold, fresh Icelandic beer. What a delightful farewell to this friendly but forbidding land that we’ve grown to love!

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