After our cruise with the Regal Princess where my wife, Trini and seven other couples celebrated their 50th Anniversary of their arrival in the U.S., Trini, Oya and Tommy Holgado and myself flew to Reykjavik, Iceland.
Nicknamed the “Land of Fire and Ice,” Iceland is home to volcanoes, glaciers, geothermal hot springs (like the Blue Lagoon), and lava fields. Reykjavik is the only capital city in Western Europe without a McDonald’s franchise, as the last one closed in 2009. The entire population of the island is less than 500,000. According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world and has no army, navy, or air force.
Our travel agent from California, Cesar Gatchalian, booked us this Iceland package. Cesar has been really very diligent with our bookings, the reason why we kept going back to him. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel in the capital city of Reykjavik. The weather was gloomy, windy and cold. That night we were booked to “try” and see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) which we’ve seen before (hazy) during our cruise in Norway and vacation in Maine. We were hoping we’d be able to see a more vivid display of this phenomenon. At 9:00 pm we were picked up from our hotel and driven for about an hour and a half outside the city where lights are minimal or non-existent. We waited and waited freezing under the stars but the elusive Northern Lights refused to appear. Again, we were disappointed.
The following morning after breakfast, we were picked up from our hotel by a mini bus along with 14 other tourists from the Unites States, Spain and Australia. We drove along the southern coast of the island toward Kirkjubaejarlaustur. The rain was on and off and the temperature was heading south. We stopped in a small town called Vik (much shorter than Kirkjubaejarlaustur). From there, two monstrous off-track jeeps took us to one of many glacier areas in Iceland.
Our group of 16 were divided in two groups of 8. The tour guides gave us the mandatory safety lectures and provided us with hard hats and crampons (a shoe contraption with spikes to help your footing on slippery trails).
Around this time, it was again drizzling and getting windy. Our guides led the way uphill with a gradual slope. Then I realized why we were wearing crampons! We were actually treading on ice! Thankfully, they had small ropes to hold on to during the ascent. Our group had to stop occasionally to let other groups going the opposite way pass as the trails were narrow.
I was worried that Trini and Oya might not make it to the Ice Cave, but they did! The tour guide’s great sense of humor immensely helped our morale. The guy was funny constantly cracking jokes up to the very top. And our efforts eventually paid off, the view from the cave was amazing and the cave itself was something we’ve never seen before. The shimmering bluish walls and the roaring river underneath us was too beautiful to describe.
On our way back to our vehicles, the guides stopped and started breaking ice from the ground. They each gave us a plastic shot glass and one of them pulled a bottle of their traditional alcoholic drink called Brennivín, a clear, unsweetened schnapps nicknamed “Black Death“. This was to celebrate that the group made it to the cave safely.
After the quick celebratory toast Skàl (pronounced like scowl), we went back to our vehicles to warm ourselves up. By this time, we were soaking wet and shivering like wet kittens! We headed for Reynisfjara, one of the most famous beaches in Iceland known for its black volcanic sands. When we reached the beach, the rain started to pour! Our enthusiasm was slightly dampened and we were hesitant to leave the warmth and dry environment of the jeep but we got off and were glad we did!
We saw the most beautiful black beach being pummeled by the angry ocean waves. From a distance were two stone figures jutting out from the roiling and turbulent waters. The walls of the cliffs seemed to have been sculpted by a maestro. We didn’t stay very long since the rain was getting stronger. Grudgingly we went back to the our hotel rooms where I immediately took a very hot shower! Our group met at Magma Hotel‘s cozy dining room and enjoyed the sumptuously prepared Icelandic cuisine!
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