From Vikings to Kings: Reykjavik

Gullfoss Waterfalls

Let's Try another Cruise!
In the fall of 2025 I received a flyer for an NCL Iceland cruise.  Yeah, they've got my number LOL.  We had such a good time on the Virgin Voyages cruise, and it seemed like a pretty good deal, and Iceland was recently added to the Travel Wish List, so why not?  

Well there's a joke that you shouldn't let anyone talk you out of spending $3,000 on a cruise...your $5000 cruise is the best $7000 you ever spent. Ha Ha.  But it's true!   Once we added on pre-cruise stay in Reykjavik, and after discovering that the ship disembarked in Southampton, a mere 90 minutes from Stonehenge, we had to add on a few days after the cruise.  Wow.  It adds up fast.  And we soon discovered that Reykjavik was just named the most expensive city in the world. Fact. Oh well, the last I checked you can't take it with you.

As with any of our trips to other countries, we tried to learn a bit more about Iceland, and it's quite interesting.  Iceland was officially settled in the late 9th century, near the end of the Viking Age. According to historical sources, the first permanent Norse settlers arrived around 874 AD, led by Ingólfur Arnarson, who is traditionally considered the founder of Reykjavik.   And only a few centuries later, Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer, is widely held to have been the first European to reach the shores of North America. Yeah just a few hundred years before Columbus.

On to the trip.  First, we flew out of Minneapolis on Iceland Air, direct to Reykjavik, with an estimated landing time of 6:30AM.  The sunrise I saw out of the window is one of the craziest I've ever seen.  The photos below have not been edited/colorized.

Since we had such an early arrival, we scheduled a shuttle to the Blue Lagoon, on the south side of Iceland, between the airport and Reykjavik.  Is it touristy?  You bet!  Is it worth it?  Yeah, I mean where else can you walk around in chalky blue water sipping a blue cocktail with 1000 of our best friends? 

After a shuttle to Reykjavik and checking into our hotel, we then walked around Reykjavik for the rest of the afternoon, one of our favorite things to do.  It's a very walkable city, and definitely expensive.  We enjoyed the unique architecture including the famous Hallgrímskirkja church with a gorgeous statue honoring Leif Erikson, the city center with it's rainbow street, amazing people watching, and plenty of pubs.  You can even get a $25 White Russian at Lebowski's.  Tim said his are better.  

The next day we had a Golden Circle tour booked, and boy did we luck out on weather, and our guide.  I opted for a smaller group tour, and that allowed her to be more nimble and take a non-standard route, avoiding crowds and some construction.  I mean, the road is the ONE road.

Our first stop was the Kerid Crater - interesting view, and we took the opportunity to walk around the entire rim.  Next up was the Efstidalur Diary farm,  a historic family-run dairy farm nestled in the picturesque countryside, with a legacy that dates back to the 1750s. The ice cream was great, and the view was even better.  

We then stopped at the Geysir Geothermal Area, which features bubbling hot springs, mud pots, and the reliable Strokkur geyser, erupting every 7-10 minutes.  Yep, we played the game of trying to time the recording just when the Geysir erupts.  It's no Old Faithful, but pretty cool.

Next was the Gullfoss Waterfalls,  known as the “Golden Falls,” where the Hvítá river drops in two dramatic tiers into a canyon.  And it's by luck that the falls still exist.  In 1907, English investor Howell sought to harness Gullfoss for hydropower. Landowner Tómas Tómasson refused to sell, but later leased the land. His daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, walked to Reykjavík many times to fight the lease in court. She lost the case, but the project collapsed anyway when the lease was voided for unpaid rent.  A plaque at the falls today honors her as Iceland’s first environmentalist.  The first photo below is looking north from the falls, at what I believe is the Langjokull glacier, the second largest in Iceland. 

Next up was the Fridheimar Tomato Farm - another family farm we were glad to support.  After a brief talk about the technology used to cultivate tomatoes year-round by integrating natural geothermal water for heating with intensive artificial lighting to combat dark winters. Additionally, the farm employs sophisticated computerized climate control and biological pest management to maintain a stable, eco-friendly microclimate.  Oh and they use bees too. And breed Icelandic horses. Is the $25 bowl of tomato soup worth it?  Yeah, to support family farming for sure!

Last stop of the day was Thingvellir National Park, where we stopped to take a short walk to the  Oxarfoss Waterfall.  Thingvellir National Park is a rare destination where you can stand, walk, or even dive directly in the visible gap between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.  The photos below show the gap, whereas in the southern part of the park you can actually swim between them.  I 'borrowed' some photos of that since we didn't do that LOL.  The other cool fact is that in 930 AD, Iceland's Althing at Thingvellir represents the world's first national parliament, where early settlers gathered annually to settle disputes and recite laws from the Law Rock. By choosing to govern through shared democratic law rather than a monarchy, these early clans forged a unique national identity right in the dramatic rift between two continental plates.

We ended our day sharing a bowl of lobster soup and an amazing plate of fish & chips (the first of many on this trip!) on the Old Bay.  Whew.  Tomorrow, we board the ship. 

Have you ever been to Reykjavik?   Leave your comments below!  Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.