My hotel is at the domestic airport and the control tower is attached to this building. Appropriate.

At every breakfast I have been served, there is a bottle of caster oil. I thought, ok, I’ll go for it. I’ve had a shot every morning I’ve been in Iceland.

I watched this plane take off. It sure looks like a DC3 to me.

Since I’ll be traveling for 22 hours tomorrow, I decided to walk the city.

I started at the beach up the road. I was disappointed it was closed on Sunday’s. I guess it’s open year round and hot springs feed the baths. You can see the round one in the photo, and there was another up closer to where I’m standing.

Next, I went to the Ice Skating center. What a place! It was packed! I skated for about 20 minutes, which was plenty. The kids were zooming around and I was sure I was going to be taken out. First the Zamboni.

I then, took a bus to the beautiful Harpa (The Opera House). Beautiful architecture on the waterfront.

Next, I returned to the hotel to warm up and chill out. Bali in the early morning. Can’t wait to be warm!

We started the day with a hike up a volcano. The sun came out and we could see for miles.

Next, we visited an Icelandic horse farm. It was an active farm where they breed icelandic horses, compete in horse competitions, and take tourists on horseback rides. They were so friendly. They kept saying “we would love to……”. At their farm, they heat strictly with thermal power.

There is a tradition of rye bread that is baked underground, in the thermals. It’s less rye, and more sweet than I expected. Delicious! This farm bakes their bread in milk cartons, and they mentioned you can bake it in a cast iron pot as well. They shared thier recipes.

Below is a photo of their power plant.

Next we went to a thermal power plant (with a hot spring bath near by) that powers an entire town.

And lastly, we were dropped off at our hotels in Reykjavik. Our tour guide was a big softy. He was very stoic on the exterior, but he did a great job and drove hours and hours a day. His name is Jo-i.

And for dinner, we decided we must go to the famous hot dog stand. The hot dogs in Iceland are made from lamb. I have to admit, it was delicious!

I get a down day today, and then I’m off to Bali. I have an early flight, so need to leave the hotel at 4am tomorrow. Ouch.

The morning started off so nice, I went out for a long run, and then the blizzard moved in. Our whale watching excursion was cancelled, so we drove to our next hotel, stopping at a couple of interesting sites along the way.

One was a small village from about the year 900, the Viking days.

The next place was where the last execution took place in Iceland. It happened in the 1830. A man and a woman were decapitated. The story is here and is Hollywood material.

Our hotel was once a Sheriff’s office with living space. It’s large and has 4 hot tubs outside in the blizzard. Perfect for an after dinner soak.

And at 11:20 PM the Autora showed up! We all ran outside to see the show. The Northern Lights in all their glory is a thrill.

Our last day is tomorrow. It has gone by fast!

You probably know that Iceland is famous for it’s thermal features. They are everywhere. Today we drove by a thermal power plant, which I have never seen before.

This little building in the middle of no where was SO cool! I love the tree climbing spikes.

We hiked around an huge lava flow. The last eruption was in the 1960’s and they expect the next one any time. This place was where people believe their 13 Santa’s live. They are called Julelads and there’s a funny story about them.

Of course we visited a waterfall (they are everywhere).

The highlight of the day was the Forest Lagoon. It’s actually a hot spring where they have built a beautiful facility around it. The hallway leading to the locker room is a lava stone wall. The springs are outdoors, there are swim up bars, a hot (very hot) sauna and a cold plunge pool.

The town of Akureyri is a ski/college town. It has a great vibe and we found a washer/dryer in town! I get to have warm, clean clothes for the rest of the trip here in Iceland.

Next up: Whale watching. We will see if the trip is a “go”. The weather was brutal yesterday, so it’s likely to be cancelled.

We saw many herds of reindeer today as we headed into the remote North Eastern part of Iceland. It was a long drive, but wow, it was worth it!

Then the beach

And the Wilderness Lodge. So cool! It’s an old farm that the company we are traveling with purchased a couple of years ago. They have a museum telling the story of life here, over the last century or so. It’s quiet, beautiful, and they even have a hot spring and a sauna!

Next, we journey to the Forest Bath and more.

We had a fabulous day! We visited huge glaciers, drove around in monster vehicles, and saw icebergs on the beach. It was a whirlwind that finished in the local pool hot tub!

The glaciers and ice cave were breathtaking. The best way to describe it is with photos.

On to the north coast!

We landed in Rekjavik within a half hour of each other, and whisked to our hotel, who kindly allowed us to check in early.

We tried to stay up all day, and did a pretty good job. We walked the downtown tourist district before giving in to sleepiness. We were down by 6 pm.

Day one around the Island

It was a whirlwind of a day! The rift between the N American and European plates was cool!

There were also some beautiful waterfalls

And some geysers!

It rained, it snowed, and we endured and had fun!

More today.

Thank you Michael, Mark, John, Randy, Shannon and Blythe for inspiring me to get back to my keyboard and to start logging my travels.

I am about to launch a 68 day trip to Iceland and then onward to Indonesia.

My travel companion in Iceland is Debby, my sister in law. We have committed to each other to travel together every year. Our last trip was more than a year ago…but anyway. We are going now! We are doing the “6 Day – Around Iceland Adventure Tour”.

This 6-day tour around Iceland’s Ring Road will give you a fantastic experience, showcasing a stunning
variety of landscapes in a short time. You’ll see majestic waterfalls, black sand beaches, immense glaciers,
and picturesque fjords, along with geothermal hot springs and dramatic volcanic terrain. From serene
fishing villages to vibrant northern cities, the journey lets you experience Iceland’s raw, unspoiled beauty.

You will get a chance to see everything from the famous Golden Circle to black volcanic beaches, the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
and some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. You’ll visit charming fishing villages, historical sites,
rugged lava fields, and enjoy stunning glacier views. Depending on the season, you might see the Northern
Lights in winter time, or witness sheep round-ups and bask under the midnight sun beams in summer.

Then, from Iceland, I say goodby to Debby and fly onward to Indonesia for a Goddess Retreat in Ubud. Here is a brief description of our retreat and it’s focus:

I fell hard for Croatia, again, for all the right reasons: Great people, great food, incredible places, joyous fun with wonderous beauty. I’m at a loss for words to capture the magic of this charming little country, so I’ll just share a few photos. It’s a place that I know I’ll return.

It happened. I did it! I went sailing in the Adriatic. I promised myself it was something I would do and 38 years later…….here I am! Wow!

We cruised the islands, swam the waters, hiked, met locals in the quiet villages, and ate the most delicious meal of our trip.

Captain Mario is a 28 year old Ocean Biology student who has been sailing since he was 4 years old. His skill and precision with his boat (his grandfather’s, actually) was a delight to experience. He was beyond kind to us oldsters, and made our trip fun and informative. We would have never found him without the help of our cycling guides. Knowing someone local helps a ton.

Now we’re cooling our jets for a couple of days in (crazy busy) Dubrovnik before heading back to the same waters, this time in Kayaks.