Visit Iceland: Get ready, get set… get wet! (Part 1)

Iceland is a land of fire and ice.

Fire melts ice.

Ice is frozen water.

So, when you visit Iceland…

… you will get wet!

Where are all the tourists?

The Icelandic people are welcoming and want their visitors to immerse themselves in Icelandic culture and activities,

But…

… immersion somehow always involves visitors getting wet!

My visit to Iceland was on board Cunard’s Queen Victoria and consisted of 4 days in 3 different ports – Akureyri, Ísafjörður and Reykjavik – so my husband and I had to pack a lot in to this short visit.

Even the signs are wet!

Our first port was Akureyri, the capital of the north of Iceland.  This city sits on one of the longest fjords in Iceland, Eyjafjordur, which holds quite a bit of water.

Due to overcast weather – and my head cold –  we were having a quiet day; wandering the streets and browsing.  We found a cafe for food, drinks and free wifi, searched for the perfect Icelandic jumper (sweater), chatted with local trolls, and popped into the Hof, the centre for performing arts.

Ready for adventure in Akureyri?

These locals have become frozen stiff whilst waiting to greet cruise ship passengers.

The beauty of the place shines through even on a dull day.

I hope you like fish for lunch.

Nice, but do they come in any other colours?

When someone is having a worse hair day than you.

Then as we headed back to the ship my husband was lured over to a Midnight Sun tour bus by the driver.  They struck a deal and I, ever sceptical about these things, reluctantly hopped on for some sort of tour.  On board we found 3 other Queen Victoria passengers who had also been reassured that we’d be back in time for sail away.

Still not convinced we’ve done the right thing here.

And then we were all whisked away to God-Knows-Where!

It turns out it is actually pronounced Godafoss,

or Waterfall of the Gods; one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country, falling from a height of 12 metres (39 feet) over a width of 30 metres (98 feet).

The Icelandic countryside is pretty but the gentle undulating movement of the bus, combined with my head cold, had me snoozing for part of the journey.

When we arrived at our destination, the bus dropped us off as close as possible and then we walked to where the falls were hidden, behind car park construction works.

You have arrived at your destination.

Most waterfalls are generally awe inspiring but we weren’t expecting the majesty and might of Godafoss.

There’s a whole lot of water in there.

We clamber closer to the falls.

This seems to be the cause of the commotion.

The Gods sure know how to pick a good spot.

I almost held my breath when taking in the beauty of this spot, and had to take lots of photos in case I never get to return to these falls of the Gods.

I will not be getting wet today.

As visitors, we naturally wanted to stand as close as we could to the water while trying to stay dry.

But then we saw the trio of crazy kids with kayaks, who were intent on getting wet!

You bet they’re going to get wet!

Suspense builds as they get closer to the falls.

Get ready, get set…

… get wet!

Have a look at the video I shot of these guys going over the falls, in a spectacular fashion – crazy kayaking kids

 

(Don’t try this at home!)

After all that excitement (and unexpected water sports) it was time to return to the bus in order to get back to Queen Victoria in time for departure to the next port.

So it was farewell to the falls and the Gods of fortune who favoured us on this unexpected excursion,

Still not wet!

and we hopped back on the Midnight Sun bus for the 35km drive back to Akureyri.

One last photo for the road.

And maybe time for another short snooze…?

Country road, take me home…

And we made it in time.

All on board for our overnight sailing to wake up in our next Icelandic port, Isafjordur.

(Read about Ísafjörður – Part 2 in the series)

Have you been to iceland?

can you share any of your adventures with us?