Lots of hiking
Lava fields make interesting surroundings
View of Greenland and icebergs.JPG)
Our cozy cabin with an amazing view
Adventures filled the past two weeks as we traveled through Iceland and Greenland. Several times, Ken and I mentioned how it felt as if we were driving or walking on a set of Star Trek. The scenery was like nothing we had experienced before with volcanic rocks sitting right next to gigantic glaciers.
A highlight of the trip included a visit to the family farm of one of Ken’s IMD classmates where we stayed for 2 nights. Their land extends from a black sand beach on the ocean up to a glacier covered mountain. We hiked one of the days up to the glacier and then followed the glacial stream through a deep gorge back down the mountain. Talk about amazing scenery! We also took advantage of the beach for Icelandic horse riding. This was a much different experience than our other horse riding experiences as Icelandic horses are very small and have a unique trot used instead of galloping.
While visiting the northern part of the country, we stayed several days in a charming cottage overlooking the ocean and mountains. The coziness of this location begged us to just sit, read books, play cards, and enjoy our surroundings…which we gladly did! We also took advantage of the great whale watching in the northern region where we saw Minke and Orka whales as well as dolphins. We actually reached a point in which we could see whales or dolphins in every direction. Fantastic!
The best thing about Greenland was the flight back to Iceland a day early. After learning that the plane had only 1 extra spot available due to weight restrictions, Ken sucked in his stomach, and we somehow convinced the pilot to allow us both on the flight. I have to say that in spite of our frustrations with Greenland, the large icebergs floating around the bay and ocean next to Greenland were pretty spectacular.
Great scenery, lots of adventure, and time with friends…what more could one want on vacation!