Tracy goes to Iceland

This trip was a long time coming after a cancelled cruise in 2020. We booked through Murray Travel, flying from Glasgow as Aberdeen was no longer an option and after a two and a half hour flight and a 45 minute bus ride, we arrived at Reykjavik.

We returned to the same centrally located hotel, Center Hotel Plaza, as we had stayed there on our honeymoon. Our day trips were carefully planned to accommodate everything we wished to see and were booked through Viator.

Once settled in, the first stop was getting some food and we found a fabulous seafood grill on the main high street called Sjavargtillid – highly recommended. .

Then it was time to explore! Firstly we headed for the amazing church called Hallgrimskirkja. At 74.5 metres tall it is the largest church in Iceland and it dominates the Reykjavik skyline. It is free to look round downstairs and if you want to admire the views from the tower you can do this for around £7 per person.

There were E-scooters everywhere and they intrigued us, so we decided to find a pub and do some googling. Add an app and away we go! This is a great way of getting about to cover a few miles in no time at all and at about £10 for an hour it’s pretty cheap and a right laugh!

The other highlights of our first day were Tjörnin, the city pond where there is an abundance of ducks, swans and geese paddling; wandering checking out the architecture; the Sun Voyager Sculpture and just admiring the beauty of the city! For tea we went to Svarta Kaffid and had their amazing meat soup in a bread bowl. This cost around £18 each with a drink. After all this first-day excitement an early night was on the cards.

The next day was dedicated to a full 12 hour tour of the South Coast. Our tour provider was Hidden Iceland and we had an amazing guide/ driver called Robert. After an hour or so we arrived at our first waterfall Skógafoss. This waterfall is an impressive 60m high and 25m wide that you can stand right beside but be prepared with waterproofs on! If you want to view it from the top there is an eye watering 527 steps climb but 100% worth it!

The next stop was Black beach with its black sand and sea stacks. The rock formation at the beach has the look of the Giants Causeway in Ireland and Fingals Cave on Staffa. This beach can be very dangerous and you really need to stay safe when the waves are wild. After that it was the beautiful village of Vik with the stunning wee church on the hill, then on to the Lava show. The Icelandic Lava Show is a unique exhibition about the volcanic activity in Iceland, what happens when a volcano erupts and what the residents do to deal with it. Nothing can quite compare to seeing real lava. A quick stop for snacks and then off to our next stop!

After a somewhat misty stop at Dyrholaey Lighthouse beside the Black beach it was on to

Sólheimajökull, the glacier between the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull. The weather had improved by this stage so we could see the glacier in all its beauty and magnificence. There is a viewing area and there are companies that can take you hiking on the glacier.

In the evening we chose a lovely restaurant beside our hotel called Fjallkonan. We had been there before when we were on our honeymoon in 2016. The food is very good and very interesting: we enjoyed an amazing 7 course taster menu which included puffin, minky whale, lobster and lamb and it was as lovely as the last time we visited.

Next day was more a chilled day for us and after a longer lie it was scooter time and this time we headed along for a look at the Harpa concert hall and conference centre that opened on May 4, 2011. The building features a distinctive coloured glass design.

Then on to Hofdi House where a major world historical event took place in 1986 when the presidents of Russia and the US, Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan, met to end the Cold War.

In the afternoon we visited the Settlement Exhibition which was really interesting and well worth a visit, with admission at around £16 per person.

Our final place to visit that day was Magic Ice a super cool ice bar!

We had always wanted to see the Northern Lights so joined a Northern lights tour that came as part of our holiday package. We knew before we left there was a small chance of seeing anything but just went for the bus run. We were taken to a lovely location at a beautiful church called Kálfatjarnarkirkja but sadly no Northern lights to be seen. Maybe next time!

Next day was our last day and another early morning for a full day tour, with tour guide David from Nice Travel. First stop was one of Iceland’s National parks Thingvellir, the only place on Earth where you can touch with both hands the North-American tectonic plate and Eurasian tectonic plates. www.tracygoesoutside.com

Due to running ahead of time we managed to get a bonus stop to see where they bake the Lava rye bread as seen on Gordon Ramsay’s F word. Laugarvatn is a hot spring town with beautiful views across the water to the mountains. Here they bake rye bread in the ground.

Our next stop was Geysir to see the highly active hot springs. Strokkur geyser is the one that is most active and spouts water around 30 metres high every 4-8 minutes and is an amazing sight to be seen.

A few miles along the road was Gullfoss Falls. This waterfall I would describe as massive with 2 tiers and the force of the water is incredible. There are several viewing areas to view the falls and they should all be visited to get the full experience.

Our penultimate chapter was Kerid crater lake. A huge crater is thought to have formed when the magma in the centre simply depleted itself, and the empty chamber beneath caved in.

The last stop was the Blue Lagoon, possibly one of most famous places in Iceland and people come from all over the world to have a dip in the cloudy blue water.

After the Blue lagoon it was time to return to Reykjavik, say goodbye to our driver and get packed. We had one last meal out at the American bar because I just wanted a burger! Then an early bedtime as we were heading off early to catch our bus in the morning to the airport.

Just like that our holiday was over! Can’t wait to return - we still have so much to see!