August 16, 2023 Reykjavík, Iceland Day 2
This was the second day in Reykjavík. We were up before 7 a.m. to have breakfast in Lido Market, which was not crowded. There were four different tours leaving between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Then just our tour at 8:30 a.m. and another at 9 a.m. Temperature 11° C, wind south at 11 km/hr and cloudy, low cloud by the mountains. As we finished breakfast, a fog quickly moved in, taking visibility down to about 1.5 kilometres for half an hour. We talked to Cee Kaye and Brad who were also having breakfast in Lido. They did not return from their eight hour tour yesterday until around 10 p.m. They had rain, which was quite heavy at the Gullfoss waterfall.
There were different cruise ships in port today: Norweigan Prima (3,215), Viking Saturn (928) and Island Princess (2,214) at the Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal.
We met the excursion team, as usual, in the World Stage to obtain our excursion stickers and, as it turned out fortunately for us, we were on the first bus of the tour. Cee Kaye and Brad were the second bus with a guide who did not speak much or have the correct itinerary. Our group took the tender with the second group to the pier to get on the waiting busses. There was a light drizzle as we boarded the tender boat but it ended by the time we got to shore.
Our bus was a smaller one that could hold 32 passengers. There was only one empty seat. The bus left the parking before 9 a.m. with a brief break of sunshine. Our guide gave us some information about Iceland. The tour will be around the Reykjames peninsula which is to the southwest of Reykjavík.
Reykjavík and its suburbs has a population of 230,000. In the 15th century the fishermen of Iceland traded dried stock fish, mainly with England. The Danish king in 1602 decreed that they could no longer trade with the English and Danish Merchants took over the trade. One of the leading industries of Iceland is aluminium smelting. The raw aluminium is shipped to Iceland because the geothermal energy is cheap it is economical to process it in Iceland.
The Iceland horses were introduced in the 13th century by settlers. The horses were any kind that the settler owned. Soon no more horses were allowed to be taken into Iceland and the horses interbred and the Iceland horse was created. Today we saw horses in pastures. They are sold to many countries, but none are allowed back to eliminate any possibly of a horse disease coming with an imported horse. There were also cattle and sheep in the fields. Within a twenty minute drive from the outskirts of Reykjavík, the moss covered 2,000 year old lava fields made up the scenery. Carved into the landscape were several golf courses. There are over 600 species of moss in Iceland. The last major volcanic eruption in the Reykjames peninsula was in 1151. Although a 900 meter fissure opened in early July where lava bubbled up, it had stopped in the first week of August, however more fissure openings are expected in the next few years. Reykjavík sits on the Teutonic plate ridge where the Eurasian plate and North American plate meet. Most of Iceland’s beaches have black sand from the erosion of the cooled lava.
We asked our guide about the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island. It only illuminates after dark for two months each year, from October 9, John Lennon’s birthdate, to December 9, the date he was shot and killed.
The name of today’s tour is Moonscapes, Hot Springs & Lobster Tails. Travelling through a countryside scattered with lava rocks and mountains of lava rock, the first stop was Lake Kleifarvatn which has a 40 year cycle where water levels can change by 20% during that time. It is the largest lake in southwestern Iceland and at its deepest point is 90 meters deep.
After a photo stop, in less than ten minutes, ours was the first of four busses to pull into the parking lot of Krysuvík Geothermal area. The group had 40 minutes to wander on the wooden boardwalk watching the hot mud bubble and pop. The sulphur in the water and mud added colour to the rock. Even though the air temperature was 15° C, steam could be seen floating above the bubbling mud.
Next we drove in a bit of light rain and drizzle to Fjöubordid restaurant in Stokkseyri. En route we drove through the fishing village of Eyrarbakki, established in 1756, where many of the houses have been restored to their traditional exterior from the 19th century. It is also home to a prison which employs a large number of the residents.
Fjöubordid restaurant’s speciality is langoustine, Icelandic lobster. The two Holland America bus passengers converged at the same time to a banquet room of long tables set to receive 150 people. There was already homemade bread arranged in baskets on the tables and jugs of ice water. Shortly thereafter bowls of marinated cucumbers and salad were placed on the table and the piece de resistance, a brimming metal bowl of lobster tails and small potatoes. The tiny lobster tails were a bit of challenge to eat. After lunch there was a few minutes to explore the sea side of the restaurant and discovered that it was low tide in the Atlantic Ocean. As we were leaving two Princess busses arrived for their langoustine.
It was time to return to Reykjavík. We passed the Geothermal plant that produces most of the heat for Reykjavík home. We had toured it the last time we visited Iceland. We entered the city and drove through the city centre and passed historic buildings before being returned to the Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal.
We walked over to the City Shuttle bus stop to go to Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Center from its free Wi-Fi. The bus was packed and standing room only for the 15 minutes ride. The line to catch the bus back to the terminal was long, so we opted to walk to the Reykjavík Botanical Gardens from Harpa. We took a three kilometre route of different streets than yesterday, but still slightly uphill. The Langardalar Recreational Area is right next to the Botanical Gardens. It is a complete Sports Center. We walked by the Aquatic pool toward the garden entrance.
The Reykjavík Botanical Gardens are an outdoor collection of plants which were established in 1961. There are over 3,500 different species of plants. There is a rose garden, but it was past its prime, as was the Rhododendron collection. There was Icelandic Flora displayed and Alpine perennials labelled in several rock gardens. There were more gardens of colourful perennials, collections of woodland plants and an herb garden. The Arboretum showcased trees along a tiny creek. Hidden away, we found a café in a greenhouse called Flóran, and ordered coffee and carrot cake before walking back to the ship. On the walk through the rest of the garden we encountered an odd fountain of two tall black rectangular stones, it was called Eyssa.
As the path crossed a meadow about 500 meters away was a great view of the church, Áskirkja. Then we wandered in to a grassy area with several dozen tents of different colours and sizes. In the centre was a toilet and shower building. The campers had to bring their tents and equipment from their vehicles that they left in the parking lot. There was another separate area for RVs and trailers. This is relatively close to the city centre. The walk back to the ship was less than two kilometres. In total the walk from Harpa to the Botanical Gardens and back to the tender pier was 7.27 km.
It was 4:30 p.m. when we reached the pier as a tender boat was approaching. It waited about 10 minutes for people to board the boat. When the next tender boat was ready to dock, our boat returned to the ship. It was about a 15 minute ride. We had time to change for dinner.
Cee Kaye and Brad told us about their guide on bus two who did not instruct the driver to go to the fishing village or drive through the city centre on the return to the pier, since the guide and driver had a different tour description than described in the shore excursions booklet or that we had. They and many others complained to Shore Excursions about the wrong information to their guide. They also said the guide mostly talked with the driver and gave little description of what they passengers were seeing.
Tonight’s entertainment was comedian Sid Davis. We discussed whether there was any show at dinner since the Navigator app, not for the first time, neglected to have any mention of a show for this evening. Larry asked Guest Services and they confirmed that there was a show and that “technology had failed again”.
Total steps were 17, 842
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