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Iceland: scenic driving advice?



 
 
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  #21  
Old December 16th, 2015, 11:20 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Giovanni Drogo
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Posts: 811
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On Tue, 15 Dec 2015, Dan Stephenson wrote:

Starting northwards from the capital, eastward on the northern side of
the island, etc..


We did the opposite, not by our choice. I am trying to reconstruct by
memory ...

Landed at Keflavik (Reykjavik international airport) and slept at
an hotel near the smaller in-town Reykjavik airport. Spent half a day in
town, and half a day in the surroundings (I think the main Geyser and
Gullfoss waterfall ... anyhow "-foss" is a waterfall, but could have
been Thingvellir),

Next day Thingvellir (if it was not the previous day), which is the
place where around 900 aD the first icelandic "parliament" met. It is a
plain on a rather impressive fault which separates the american and
european tectonic plates. Then continued east, reached the coast,
stopped to see a waterfall, and the puffin nests, and slept near Vik.

Next day along the ring road, stop in Kirkjubaejarklaistur (nice name
meaning church-farm-cloister) to see the volcanic Kirkjugolfid (?),
something like Giant's Causeway but smaller. Crossed a volcanic sand
area, stopped in national park to see Svartifoss (the black waterfall,
also with basaltic pillars), then the ice lagoon of Jokulsarlon, and
reached Hofn

Next day morning along the see to watch birds (our tour guide was an
ornitology fan), then continued to Egilstadir, partially in the
interior, Stops for lunch, to see an amateur rock collection, and a
whaling museum.

Next day along the ring road, which here runs inland. Stopped for a
coffee in Modrudalur, the most isolated farm of Iceland (the road is now
at some distance, but it is a must to stop there). I believe it was that
day (or was it the day after) we left the ring road towards the northern
coast, to see a waterfall and a natural "sport in the landscape" (a
horseshoe shaped closed valley where small trees can grow). Reached lake
Myvatn area.

We had a hot shower with the water smelling of sulphur. Some other
guests were having a bath outside in the hot pools with an air
temperature around 10-15 C.

Next day toured aroung lake Myvatn (it means "midges lake", we were
lucky with the weather and there were no midges, only a few at
Thingvellir, but we had mosquito nets to wear (and they are on sale
there too). Dimmuborgir, thermal fields with faults filled of water
(there is a road all around the lake but part may be closed during the
nesting season). Eaten smoked trout of the lake with bread cooked on hot
rocks.

For the evening moved to Akureyri, with some detour towards the coast, I
am not sure if it was this day or the next we visited Glaumbaer, which
is a museum of an old settlement (turf covered huts).

Last day was just back from Akureyri to Rejkyavik, for me the less
scenic part. Unfortunately we did not go to the Snaefellnes peninsula
(the location of Jules Verne's trip to the centre of the Earth), had a
nice fish supper where they served for the brave also the famous rotten
shark (did not try it).

Very last day, we stopped at the "Blue lagoon" spa on the way to the
airport (rather touristy, but the landscape is interesting)

About the quality of the roads, good, narrow with passing places,
usually paved except some hills where they prefer to leave it unpaved.
The coach driver was washing the coach at almost each stop.

We did not try any of the interior paths (those marked with an
F-number).
  #22  
Old December 16th, 2015, 05:51 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Don Wiss
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Posts: 176
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On Tue, 15 Dec 2015 13:35:52 -0800, poldy wrote:

I think the one thing I don't miss about carrying guidebooks is carrying
guidebooks, vs. a few printed pages.


If the guidebook covers more area than where I am visiting, I rip out and
take along only the relevant pages.

I like the history that guidebooks cover but a lot of the hotel and
restaurant listings are out of date.


I make sure I have the latest edition.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).
  #23  
Old December 19th, 2015, 04:17 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dan Stephenson
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Posts: 591
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 2015-12-16 05:55:23 +0000, Mark Brader said:

Dan Stephenson:
The generally plan is to circuit the island, close-wise...


"Tim":
um, clock-wise?


Dan Stephenson:
Starting northwards from the capital, eastward on the northern side of
the island, etc..

I bring this up because there are other circumstances when I've
travelled where one direction is better than another...


I believe Tim's question was not why you mentioned a direction, but whether
"clockwise" was the direction you meant to mention. (Apparently it was.)


oh, ha, yeah

typo

--
Dan Stephenson
http://stepheda.com
Travel pages for Europe, USA, New Zealand and Japan

  #24  
Old December 19th, 2015, 04:21 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dan Stephenson
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Posts: 591
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 2015-12-16 10:20:51 +0000, Giovanni Drogo said:

On Tue, 15 Dec 2015, Dan Stephenson wrote:

Starting northwards from the capital, eastward on the northern side of
the island, etc..


We did the opposite, not by our choice. I am trying to reconstruct by
memory ...


Thank you Giovanni, I am really looking forward to this!

--
Dan Stephenson
http://stepheda.com
Travel pages for Europe, USA, New Zealand and Japan

  #25  
Old December 21st, 2015, 03:07 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
W. Wesley Groleau
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Posts: 36
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 12-14-2015 18:52, Don Wiss wrote:
The Lonely Planet one:http://www.amazon.com/dp/1743214758
Is only $15.70. A pretty minor expense considering what the entire trip
will cost. And if you want to be cheap, you can preview most of the book on
Amazon.


I've never used a guidebook and I've never been bored.

--
Wes Groleau
  #26  
Old December 21st, 2015, 03:20 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
W. Wesley Groleau
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Posts: 36
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 12-16-2015 03:48, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
No idea, but Iceland is sparsely populated


AirBNB.com shows places all along the ring.

BeWelcome.org shows them around Reykjavík, one in the north, and one
southeast.

Found a map of hotels, but it only showed five.

http://www.visiticeland.com/plan-you.../accommodation
lists lots of places but I didn't see a map.

--
Wes Groleau
  #27  
Old December 21st, 2015, 01:49 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
tim.....
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Posts: 1,591
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?


"W. Wesley Groleau" wrote in message
...
On 12-16-2015 03:48, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
No idea, but Iceland is sparsely populated


AirBNB.com shows places all along the ring.


But they are usually just rooms in peoples house

And that's all the more likely in location where hotels are sparse

Usually, you can't just turn up at an AirBnB place on spec

tim



  #28  
Old December 22nd, 2015, 04:40 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
W. Wesley Groleau
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Posts: 36
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 12-21-2015 03:29, Martin wrote:
On Sun, 20 Dec 2015 20:07:54 -0600, "W. Wesley Groleau"
wrote:

On 12-14-2015 18:52, Don Wiss wrote:
The Lonely Planet one:http://www.amazon.com/dp/1743214758
Is only $15.70. A pretty minor expense considering what the entire trip
will cost. And if you want to be cheap, you can preview most of the book on
Amazon.


I've never used a guidebook and I've never been bored.


OTOH you don't know what you missed :-)


Doesn't matter. To "not miss" anything else, I would have had to stay
longer. And some of the things people told me wee must see were
interesting but didn't live up to their hype.

People, food, language, history, and architecture are very interesting
to me, and I don't need a guidebook to find them.

--
Wes Groleau
  #29  
Old December 22nd, 2015, 04:45 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
W. Wesley Groleau
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Posts: 36
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 12-21-2015 06:49, tim..... wrote:

"W. Wesley Groleau" wrote in message
...
On 12-16-2015 03:48, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
No idea, but Iceland is sparsely populated


AirBNB.com shows places all along the ring.


But they are usually just rooms in peoples house

And that's all the more likely in location where hotels are sparse

Usually, you can't just turn up at an AirBnB place on spec

tim


True. But if you have cell data, you can often go with a day's notice.
I was just thinking that since I couldn't find a hotel map, AirBNB
would give an idea of places that had people, which might also have hotels.

I prefer "rooms in peoples house" myself. But I carry a tent and
sleeping bag just in case. I've had to use them four days out of four
months traveling.

--
Wes Groleau
  #30  
Old December 22nd, 2015, 12:56 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Don Wiss
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 176
Default Iceland: scenic driving advice?

On 21 Dec 2015, "W. Wesley Groleau" wrote:

Doesn't matter. To "not miss" anything else, I would have had to stay
longer. And some of the things people told me wee must see were
interesting but didn't live up to their hype.


That's why you use a guide book and not reply on amatuer travel's opinions.

There is the saying "ignorance is bliss."

Don. www.donwiss.com/pictures/#travel (e-mail link at page bottoms).
 




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