Trip Report! ABD Iceland Saga of the Midnight Sun 9/18 COMPLETE!! - Day 7 River Rafting & Farewell

If someone from ABD reads this and does NOT add those Viking pics to the itinerary they are making a mistake! Those look awesome and I want one!

28 hours on a bus with long lines for bathroom breaks = a hell no from me. I'm glad I'm going to be able to see the trip through your eyes because I can't do that. I hate road trips.
 
If someone from ABD reads this and does NOT add those Viking pics to the itinerary they are making a mistake! Those look awesome and I want one!

28 hours on a bus with long lines for bathroom breaks = a hell no from me. I'm glad I'm going to be able to see the trip through your eyes because I can't do that. I hate road trips.
That's actually not a bad idea in regards to the Viking pics! What a fun idea!

And it *was* long. Really long. I'm happy I can share it with you and spare you the actual experience of it...

Sayhello
 
So excited you started your trip report! We loved Iceland when we were there on our DCL cruise in 2015, and it's definitely on the list of places we want to visit again. You already know how I feel about large group sizes, so we won't be doing the Iceland ABD, unless they do cap the trip size at a reasonable amount of guests. But there is a Nat Hab Iceland trip that looks amazing, so if we can ever afford it, lol, it might be the winner. But we are absolutely going to do that Viking photo shoot if/when we go back. Your pictures are fantastic! And your food tour looked really cool. We have never done a food tour, but it is going on the list of things to consider when we have pre- or post-days around some of our trips. It really does seem like a great way to both sample the local cuisine and see a bit of the city or town you are in. Looking forward to the rest of your report...
 


So excited you started your trip report! We loved Iceland when we were there on our DCL cruise in 2015, and it's definitely on the list of places we want to visit again. You already know how I feel about large group sizes, so we won't be doing the Iceland ABD, unless they do cap the trip size at a reasonable amount of guests. But there is a Nat Hab Iceland trip that looks amazing, so if we can ever afford it, lol, it might be the winner. But we are absolutely going to do that Viking photo shoot if/when we go back. Your pictures are fantastic! And your food tour looked really cool. We have never done a food tour, but it is going on the list of things to consider when we have pre- or post-days around some of our trips. It really does seem like a great way to both sample the local cuisine and see a bit of the city or town you are in. Looking forward to the rest of your report...
I took a look at that Nat Hab trip, and I agree, it looks amazing. The pricing is :eek::eek::eek:, however, their single supplement is only 12.5% vs. ABD's 40%, so the price difference is not *quite* as huge. I doubt I'll be going back any time soon, but it does look like a phenomenal trip.

And I do highly recommend doing a food walking tour. In my experience, not only do you sample the local cuisine and see a bit of the city, but you get a great view into the local culture, as these trips are almost always run by locals, who like to throw in a lot of commentary about life in that city. I'm definitely hooked!

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The first food tour we ever did was in Reykjavik -- the same one you did. Now we do it in every new city. It is such a great way to get to know the place and people. Also, I LOVE your Viking photos. I would not have thought they would be so great but you look amazing!!
 
The first food tour we ever did was in Reykjavik -- the same one you did. Now we do it in every new city. It is such a great way to get to know the place and people. Also, I LOVE your Viking photos. I would not have thought they would be so great but you look amazing!!
Thank you! :)

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I took a look at that Nat Hab trip, and I agree, it looks amazing. The pricing is :eek::eek::eek:, however, their single supplement is only 12.5% vs. ABD's 40%, so the price difference is not *quite* as huge. I doubt I'll be going back any time soon, but it does look like a phenomenal trip.

And I do highly recommend doing a food walking tour. In my experience, not only do you sample the local cuisine and see a bit of the city, but you get a great view into the local culture, as these trips are almost always run by locals, who like to throw in a lot of commentary about life in that city. I'm definitely hooked!

Sayhello

The cost of that Nat Hab tour is a bit shocking!! However it is a bit longer than ABDs, includes all meals and gratuities and is a max. of 10 people. I'd probably rather do a private tour for that price. Not sure. Iceland is not in my radar at this point. Dd is a junior now (I have no idea how that happened!) and sadly our summer trips will likely be slowing down. When I travel solo I'm likely to book Backroads in shoulder season because I would much rather take an active vacation (my kids are not into them).
 
The cost of that Nat Hab tour is a bit shocking!! However it is a bit longer than ABDs, includes all meals and gratuities and is a max. of 10 people. I'd probably rather do a private tour for that price. Not sure. Iceland is not in my radar at this point. Dd is a junior now (I have no idea how that happened!) and sadly our summer trips will likely be slowing down. When I travel solo I'm likely to book Backroads in shoulder season because I would much rather take an active vacation (my kids are not into them).
See, for me, a private trip, as a solo, just doesn't hold that much appeal. Plus the exorbitant cost for one person! The only thing that makes this trip even close to plausible is that the single supplement is so much lower. I have gotten to a point in my life where serious active vacations just aren't my thing any more. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, body not going for it any more. :) I like trips that are a mix of cultural and active.

Sayhello
 
We LOVE doing food tours and thought the one in Iceland was excellent. It's a great way to get oriented to the city when you arrive.
 
See, for me, a private trip, as a solo, just doesn't hold that much appeal. Plus the exorbitant cost for one person! The only thing that makes this trip even close to plausible is that the single supplement is so much lower. I have gotten to a point in my life where serious active vacations just aren't my thing any more. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, body not going for it any more. :) I like trips that are a mix of cultural and active.

Sayhello

I don't think I'd enjoy a private tour solo either. Although we met a solo traveler in South Africa over the summer who had a TA in S. Africa arrange the trip, then she paid for him to join her. She was in Rwanda, Tanzania and Sabi Sands and I think she may have had security concerns. We shared an internal flight with both of them (as well as a short layover) and both were lovely. I got the name of her TA because he was very, very impressive and quite personable (he even scored us some reservations at a very popular restaurant in Johannesburg at the last minute!). But as a soon-to-be solo traveller, I think I'm going to give Backroads a try. I am an avid cyclist and would love to do a cycling tour in either Croatia or south of France.
 
I don't think I'd enjoy a private tour solo either. Although we met a solo traveler in South Africa over the summer who had a TA in S. Africa arrange the trip, then she paid for him to join her. She was in Rwanda, Tanzania and Sabi Sands and I think she may have had security concerns. We shared an internal flight with both of them (as well as a short layover) and both were lovely. I got the name of her TA because he was very, very impressive and quite personable (he even scored us some reservations at a very popular restaurant in Johannesburg at the last minute!). But as a soon-to-be solo traveller, I think I'm going to give Backroads a try. I am an avid cyclist and would love to do a cycling tour in either Croatia or south of France.
Backroads started as a cycling tour provider. They really excel at that.

Sayhello
 
Great trip report so far! Iceland is on my bucket list. I briefly considered it for next year but decided to wait a few years so my youngest will be able to do all the activities. In my short time researching it, I found some local companies that arrange self-drive tours and day trips from Reykjavik. We'll probably go that route since all the fully guided tours will be very expensive for 4 people.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!
 
Great TR! I was in Iceland for 2 days on the August DCL tour and I'm looking forward to seeing all the things you had time to visit that we just didn't have in our short stay. :)
 
We LOVE doing food tours and thought the one in Iceland was excellent. It's a great way to get oriented to the city when you arrive.
It really, really is. I'm glad that they are a "thing" now. :)

Great trip report so far! Iceland is on my bucket list. I briefly considered it for next year but decided to wait a few years so my youngest will be able to do all the activities. In my short time researching it, I found some local companies that arrange self-drive tours and day trips from Reykjavik. We'll probably go that route since all the fully guided tours will be very expensive for 4 people.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!
A lot of people do self-drive tours. It's very common for folks to rent a camper van and drive the entire ring road, stopping along the way & spending the night in campgrounds. I'm not sure how the hotels along the ring road are if you want to do it that way. But it's obviously doable!

More Trip Report soon!

Great TR! I was in Iceland for 2 days on the August DCL tour and I'm looking forward to seeing all the things you had time to visit that we just didn't have in our short stay. :)
Thanks! I was glad to do a lot more than I did in my 1 1/2 days there in 2015!

Sayhello
 
Day 2 – See You Later Alli-Crater – or our Golden Circle tour day

I forgot to mention in Part 1 that there were 2 women on this trip that I’d been on an ABD with before (Scotland). This is only the second time that someone I’d traveled with before was on an ABD with me (first time was when a couple from my first ABD – Southwest Splendors – was also on my Greece ABD).

Anyways, Day 2 covered a *lot* of territory! We did the popular “Golden Circle” route of Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Geysir and Gullfoss (the Golden Waterfall). Plus a few extra add-ons. Although we did a lot, it was not one of those exhausting days. It actually kind of flew. My previous trip to Iceland, I’d done a Golden Circle tour, but I didn’t mind seeing these places again. Plus, as I said, this day had way more to it than the typical Golden Circle tour did.

After breakfast at the hotel, we started out the day at Gullfoss Waterfall. The weather was wet and rainy on and off, and at times it was hard to tell if the water was rain or just the tremendous spray being blown off the amazingly powerful waterfall. I took my waterproof camera, because I was pretty sure it was going to be too wet for my regular camera. And boy, was it! Apparently the date stamp on that camera got turned on somehow.

It’s hard to remember, but it seemed to me that they’d expanded the viewing area near the parking lot. We started out at that area, and got some family pics. There was so much spray that photos of the waterfall look a bit softened.

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We then walked past the area where there’s a deep drop, and an amazing amount of spray coming back up. It’s almost like a reverse waterfall!

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Most of us were bundled in waterproof gear and hiking boots, but it was crazy to see what some people were wearing out there, especially on their feet! There are warning signs about how slippery it is, but I saw people in Keds and rain boots and Uggs! I can’t imagine going out there without hiking boots, but I guess people do crazy things.

Gullfoss is so powerful, and just so beautiful!

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After we were done at Gullfoss, we continued to Þingvellir. The previous time I went, our bus driver dropped us off at the bottom of the crevasse, and we walked up. This time, we started at the top and walked down. It was actually very cool to see it from this opposite direction!

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We stopped to take photos of the valley and of the crags, and for a little sing-along.

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This area was so pretty. But then Stebbi told us that many years ago, some women had been drowned in this pool as a form of execution! They actually called it the Drowning Pool! It was still pretty, but it kind of made me look at it differently.

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From Þingvellir, we headed to Efstidalur II, a family-run farm that had a restaurant/ice cream shop as a part of their business. We headed to an upstairs area, where one of the siblings running the farm told us about the farm.

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We also got some of their home-made ice cream, which was really good, although a bit melted by the time we got it.

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Afterwards, we had a chance to hit the bathroom (yes, it took a long time, because there were only 2) and then could look around at the cows or check out their small gift shop. I never made it to the gift shop. Stebbi and Drew also passed out metal water bottles for us, filled with fresh Icelandic water.

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After the farm, we headed out to Geysir. The actual main geyser there (Geysir) hasn’t erupted in a *long* while. But there is a second geyser there, called Strokkur, that erupts every 5 to 8 minutes. You just have to wait a bit, and you *will* see an eruption (or two, or three!) I believe it was @SCFamily4’s DH who was taking a video, and counted down to zero, and Strokkur actually erupted right as he hit zero! And there is video proof! Pretty crazy!

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We were given some time to wander the area and take photos, and then all headed back to the bus. From there, we headed to the Friðheimar Greenhouse Farm, where they grow amazing tomatoes. We had a short lecture about how they grow their tomatoes (it was funny, because the light didn’t look this yellow to the naked eye, but something about it was out-of-sync with my camera -- the lights actually flickered when I looked at it through my camera! I was a bit worried something was wrong with my camera until I realized it was the lights!)

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It was interesting to see how the vines were planted, and then suspended so that they grew vertically.

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Our guide also brought out a box of the bees they used to pollinate the vines, so that we could get a look at them.

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After that, we headed to the dining area, where most everyone had tomato soup, bread, pizza and a ravioli salad of sorts. Unfortunately, I can no longer eat tomatoes, but they fixed me some ravioli with pesto instead of tomato sauce, and I had some of the seriously excellent bread. I’ve always heard that the water can really make a difference in how bread comes out, and that must be true. Because the water is amazing in Iceland, and so is the bread!! It was truly scrumptious!

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After we finished up our leisurely lunch, we headed out to Kerið crater. Drew told us they’re not really certain if it’s a crater or actually a caldera. (I believe a crater is from a volcanic explosion, and a caldera is from a volcanic implosion. Or something like that.)

It’s a pretty area, and the water is a really crazy shade of green. We were given some time to either walk around the rim of the crater or walk down to the bottom. I chose to walk the rim.

This was *supposed* to be a jumping shot, but my hiking boots were a bit heavier than I realized, and I didn’t get much air. I like this shot anyways!

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We had a fairly long time at the crater, then headed back to the bus for our last activity – horseback riding on Icelandic horses! I’d been torn all along as to whether or not I was going to do this activity. I’d read that the Icelandic horses have a very gentle gait, and was encouraged by @kristilew and others to go for it. But others had said it caused them back problems.

When we got to the horse farm, it had started raining. We were split into 2 groups. One for experienced riders, and one for the rest of us. First they suited up and started out the experienced group, and I hemmed, and hawed. We had one woman in the group who was an experienced horsewoman, but she wasn’t riding because she’d hurt her back just days before the trip. She told me that if she hadn’t just hurt her back, she’d totally be riding, and encouraged me to do it. So I finally figured what the heck, I’d give it a try. Plus, one of the other women in our group said she’d been told to hold herself up and not rely on the horse to hold her up, and that actually really helped me find my balance, and ride more steadily. Plus it *really* gave my abs a workout!

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This is the experienced rider group.

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As we started out riding, the rain stopped, and it actually turned into a gorgeous afternoon. It was a really pretty area, and a very pleasant ride. And I’m happy to report, it did not hurt my back at all!

I didn’t get any pictures while actually on the horse ride, as I had my camera in my travel purse, which I realized I was not going to be able to wear while on horseback (I was having issues with my balance, and the purse just made me too lopsided.) So Stebbi took it to put it back on the bus. Plus, I was holding onto the reigns and the front of the saddle for dear life, because I never did feel totally centered on that saddle! So I probably wouldn't have been able to manage the camera anyways! Despite all that, I *did* enjoy it, and was glad I’d chosen to participate.

After that, we headed back to the hotel. Tonight was what would normally be the Junior Adventurer night. So we all had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Slipbarinn. It was included, but at your leisure. I ended up joining SCFamily4 and her DH at the best seat in the place, alongside a very large window looking out over the harbor. The food was very good and HUGE portions!

Another rainbow at dinner.

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After that, I headed back to my room to pack up and then head to bed, as the next morning we were heading out on our marathon day to Vik and Southern Iceland.

Up next: Day 3: I Only Have Ice for You.
 
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Oh my goodness, your horses are all saddled up and ready to go! That was a learning experience for ABD, I think. We got there, and they then saddled the horses one by one. Much better to have them ready and waiting. I did LOVE this day though, and I'm so glad you were able to ride. I was totally enthralled with those horses, and my younger son was as well. Here he is with his, after the ride:
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Oh my goodness, your horses are all saddled up and ready to go! That was a learning experience for ABD, I think. We got there, and they then saddled the horses one by one. Much better to have them ready and waiting. I did LOVE this day though, and I'm so glad you were able to ride. I was totally enthralled with those horses, and my younger son was as well. Here he is with his, after the ride:
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Well, it's good to know they are learning! :) I'm glad I was able to ride, too! I'm not sure I would say I was enthralled with them, but they were pretty cute.

That's such a sweet shot of your son!

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