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I didn’t really like this area, not too much to do, and the landscape is very weird. It is volcanic rocks all jumbled up and covered in moss. It almost looks like another planet. Fortunately the entire island is not like this. I stopped at Seltun, which is a hot springs area. No bathing, the water is very hot and stinks with the smell of Sulfur. Drove to my hotel and had a nap. Drove to the Blue Lagoon in the evening. It is a very nice place, but is overpriced. Back to hotel to try to sleep. The jet lag combined with the sun that doesn’t really set at this time of the year is throwing me off. June 12, 2023 - Monday Golden Circle Iceland I was up early to drive to Pingvelur national park, specifically Siltra, where I went snorkeling. We had to wear dry suits which was a first for me. Lots of waiting around, it took about two and half hours to do this, but only about 20-30 minutes was in the water. The visibility was great, could see right to the bottom. No fish, but lots of square/cube shaped rocks and a bright green plant that was on some of them. After snorkeling I walked around this area, saw a small waterfall (almost pitiful compared to ones I would see later). I then drove further on the Golden Circle route to Geyser, where there is an actual geyser and climbed to a lookout over it. After this I went to Gulfross which a waterfall, and quite a large one at that. My final stop was the Katod crater, which is a volcanic crater (filled with water) that I walked around the rim of. I badly needed to piss and there were no facilities on site, so I found a secluded area to do so. June 13, 2023 - Tuesday Westman Islands Iceland My third day began with a tour of a lava tube tunnel, then I went to Seljalandsfoss waterfall. I then took the car ferry over to the Westman Islands. Once there I walked around the town and did the volcano museum, which was mediocre. Much better was a drive around the island, where I stopped multiple times to walk around. I did see puffins, but only at a distance. Finally, I hiked to the top of the volcano which had great views over the island. This would actually be a good place to spend an extra day and do more hiking, but I didn’t have the time. June 14, 2023 - Wednesday Fimmvorduhals Hike Iceland Returning to the mainland after spending the night, I drove to Skogafoss waterfall, which was impressive, but then I climbed the steps beside it to get to the top. From there is an 8km hike (each way) to a bridge that marks the turnaround point. Along the way I passed many other waterfalls and the views were spectacular. There was an hour or so when the light was perfect and made the grass and moss glow almost neon green and yellow, which really stood out against the black rocks. It was a long hike, but probably one of my favorite hikes I have ever done. The hike itself is called Fimmvorduhals. Back at the car, I had planned to continue east to Vik and do a couple of attractions along the way, but it would have added 2-3 hours to the day and I was getting tired, so I just drove back to my hotel near Reykjavik. June 15, 2023 - Thursday Reykjavik and Cruise Ship Iceland I drove into the actual city of Reykjavik to kill some time before getting on the cruise ship. The city itself is okay, but not much to do here and I can’t really see a reason to return. The best of Iceland is definitely outside of its cities. I returned my rental car and then walked to the cruise ship – NCL Prima. The ship itself is pretty good. I really like the food hall for lunch and dinner. Have not yet tried it for breakfast. So far the entertainment is lacking, but I didn’t choose the ship for this, I choose it for the itinerary. June 16, 2023 - Friday Akureyri Iceland Our first stop is Akureyri, on the north coast of the island. We were supposed to go to Isafjordur but for some reason we skipped it and spent longer in Akureyri. The way into the port is down a fjord, which is very scenic. Akureyri is like Reykjavik. Perfectly nice, but nothing special. We overnighted here, so tonight I walked around and visited the botanical gardens. June 17, 2023 - Saturday Akureyri Iceland National holiday in Iceland. Everything is closed. In the morning I did a three hour walk/hike along the river, which was nice. We sailed late afternoon for Norway. June 18, 2023 - Sunday At Sea Ocean Day at sea June 19, 2023 - Monday Alesund Norway Norway was nice. I really enjoyed cruising in the fjords, very pretty. The first stop was Alesund. Here I climbed a lot of stairs to a view point (Aksla), and then walked along the top of this ridge in the forest for a while, eventually emerging near the Sunnmore open air museum. I went to this museum, which was okay, but I wouldn’t go back. Then I walked back to the ship. Lots of walking today. June 20, 2023 - Tuesday Olden Norway The second stop in Norway was Olden, which is a tiny little village of only a few hundred people. What I did here was take a bus transfer to the Briksdalen Glacier and then walked the 3km (and back) to the actual glacier. It was a nice hike. Great views of the fjord when sailing out of Olden. I spent hours standing at the rail watching the scenery go by. June 21, 2023 - Wednesday Bergen Norway The last stop in Norway was Bergen. I walked around for a little bit here, but didn’t find much to do. The weather was overcast and drizzling. My legs and feet were also hurting from all the walking from the last week, so I returned to the ship and took it easy. June 22, 2023 - Thursday At Sea Ocean Another day at sea. The ship is pretty nice. It is a little under a year old, so everything is new and in good condition. I have eaten most lunches and dinners in the food hall, which is a great place. There are seven different food areas (Indian, a salad place, meat grill, etc.) and what you do is sit at your table and use a computer to order what you want. I really like the loaded nachos and pesto gnocchi. The buffet is okay. Most of the actual restaurants require extra payment, but I got one free dinner as part of my booking, which I used at the Japanese place, which was mediocre. Glad I didn’t pay extra for that. Entertainment on the ship is not very good, nothing I would enjoy. Even the live music is amateurish. They also wasted some space with the race track that could be better used as an enclosed 2nd observation lounge with library. On the other hand, the outside sitting areas on the top decks and around the concourse are great. The ship would probably be better in a warmer climate where one could enjoy the outside areas more. June 23, 2023 - Friday Rotterdam Netherlands The ship stopped in Amsterdam, but as I had already been there, I decided to take the train to Rotterdam. Here I did the Spido harbor cruise, which was roughly an hour or so around the harbor. It was okay. I then walked around a bit, and went to this large indoor market, before heading back to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam I walked around for about an hour. So many people here it was nuts. I ate some herring. Walked to the red light district, but it was even worse than when I was here last. Not many windows left, and those that are were populated by fat black women. June 24, 2023 - Saturday Bruges Belgium The final day on the cruise was at Zeebrugge Belgium, from there I took a bus transfer to the train station, and then the train to Bruges. I visited the two main churches, some windmills, and walked around the town. It is better than I remembered from eight years ago, but I still don’t get the attraction of this place. Not much to do here. June 25, 2023 - Sunday London England Leaving the ship early in the morning at Southampton, I took the train to London, dropped off my bag at the hotel, and then went to the V&A museum, which was one of my favorite museums. I walked around it for a little over an hour. The top floor was closed due to the heat. I then went to the National Gallery, which was partially closed last time I was here. Again, I walked around for an hour or so. Maybe it was because I had been to them before, but I found I wasn’t that interested in the museums. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right mood. June 26, 2023 - Monday London England Fly home. Overall a good trip. I need to return to Iceland and do the ring road. Norway would be a good place also to rent a car for a week or two and drive around and do some hikes.
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