“Pristine Iceland – February 24, 2020”
During our Viking ocean cruise in 2018, Jane and I booked another trip, “In Search of the Northern Lights” for this month and into March. We also booked a short pre-cruise extension with Viking, “Pristine Iceland,” which highlights some of the natural wonders of the southwest side of the island.
A year an a half later, and it was finally time for us to make the trip! We left Greensboro yesterday and flew into Reykjavik this afternoon (Iceland time), just short of 24 hours since we left home.
I watched out the window during our final approach to Keflavik Airport, and saw this massive rectangular mountain plateau just east of Reykjavik. I learned from our driver that it is Ingólfsfjall, named after Ingólfr Arnarson, the first documented settler of Iceland, who legend has it is also buried on the mountain.
The weather was cold but not bitterly so, at right around freezing. We drove through a few snow flurries as we crossed the plateau east of Reykjavik on the 90-minute drive to the hotel. The weather changed constantly. I couldn’t see anything out of a window, and suddenly the mists would part and you could see down to the ocean 10 miles away. Or it would be impossible to distinguish between clouds, snow, mountains, and fog in the dim sunlight of late winter.
Jane noticed a lot of steam rising from one area, which our driver identified as Iceland’s largest geothermal power station.
Much to my surprise, we drove along the base of Ingólfsfjall and then turned north toward Grímsnes and our hotel, the Hotel Grimsborgir. We passed several horse farms. Very shaggy Icelandic horses stood in the snow and munch on large bales of fodder.
The Grimsborgir consists of a dining and reception building at the entrance, and then a large circle of about a dozen buildings, each with 6-8 rooms and its own geothermal hot tub. The receptionist asked if we wanted a wake-up call. I said I didn’t know what time we needed to get up the next day. She said, “Not for that—we will call your room and wake you up for the northern lights when they appear.” Well, of COURSE I want that!
In contrast to our pre-cruise extension in Greece several years ago, in which there were at least 200 tourists at our hotel who were taking the Viking cruise, there are only four of us here in Iceland with Viking right now. It promises to be a much cozier set of excursions. Our intrepid guide is Ingolfr (who said we should call him “Ingo”).
After we unpacked a little, I took a 2-mile walk—several laps around the hotel property. I really enjoyed being out in the fresh air and tromping on snow after being cooped up in a plane. The startling changes in the lighting and clouds kept stopping me in my tracks! I had to take photos!
