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General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: johnralphcarpenter on February 02, 2016, 05:27:30 PM

Title: Iceland January 2016
Post by: johnralphcarpenter on February 02, 2016, 05:27:30 PM
Had a 26 hour stopover in Iceland en route to Canada - highly recommended. Here are a few pictures of Reykjavik taken from the top of the cathedral tower.
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2016, 06:08:10 PM
Clay and Lila  Koplin from Alaska  did the Iceland stopover when they visited  Scotland last year - they thought it had worked out very well too.   Ian is doing the same when he goes to Alaska later this year  for speaking engagements there. 
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: David Nicholson on February 02, 2016, 07:05:59 PM
Looks nice Ralph. Is it an expensive place to be?
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: johnralphcarpenter on February 02, 2016, 07:49:46 PM
Looks nice Ralph. Is it an expensive place to be?
Relatively expensive David - beer is quite pricey! But the transatlantic flights are much cheaper than direct flights, so swings and roundabouts. If you can spend a few days there (you can spend up to seven nights on a stopover before travelling on to Canada or the US) it is well worthwhile for the scenery, excellent food, and friendly people. Check out the Icelandair website.
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2016, 08:16:22 PM
Also, there appear to be a  wide range of very fine Icelandic-made chocolate bars available in Duty-Free !
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: johnralphcarpenter on February 02, 2016, 08:39:34 PM
Also, there appear to be a  wide range of very fine Icelandic-made chocolate bars available in Duty-Free !
They are yummy, Maggi! Even my mother-in-law liked them, and her critical facilities have not been dimmed with age.
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2016, 08:43:41 PM
Clay and Lila brought a big bundle  and we tested one  or two each evening, to see which ones they preferred and would buy more of on the way home!  Purely a scientific experiment, of course .... :D
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Yann on February 02, 2016, 08:55:26 PM
Ralph you had a fantastic view, it looks very colder than kentish bocage!
I hope you'll enjoy the  stay in your wife's family.
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Gabriela on February 03, 2016, 02:36:20 PM
Also, there appear to be a  wide range of very fine Icelandic-made chocolate bars available in Duty-Free !

The scenery looks very nice but I have to say Maggi that the 'very fine chocolate bars' are far more attractive for me   :D
Might be worth giving it a try next time I have to cross the ocean.
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: johnralphcarpenter on February 03, 2016, 03:10:28 PM
Do. Less then five hours from Pearson, stopover from 2 hours up to seven days, then less than three hours to UK.
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Hoy on February 03, 2016, 07:53:36 PM
I can't say anything about Iceland in wintertime but the country is well worth a visit during the summer! I hitchhiked with 3 friends around the whole island in my youth. An unforgettable journey :) The landscape is spectacular (very different from Norway). We tented where we wanted and had not a single night in a house. We bathed in hot springs and fished in the sea. A great time!
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Gabriela on February 04, 2016, 12:25:37 AM
Do. Less then five hours from Pearson, stopover from 2 hours up to seven days, then less than three hours to UK.
My final destination is not UK unfortunately, I would have to take one more flight, but I will look into it. If the price is right, and with the added bonus of the chocolates, it may be worth.

I can't say anything about Iceland in wintertime but the country is well worth a visit during the summer! I hitchhiked with 3 friends around the whole island in my youth. An unforgettable journey :) The landscape is spectacular (very different from Norway). We tented where we wanted and had not a single night in a house. We bathed in hot springs and fished in the sea. A great time!

Trond, the way you recall the trip from your youth sounds like a good subject for a book! One of those rare, precious moments someone has in life, if lucky.  :)
Title: Re: Iceland January 2016
Post by: Hoy on February 04, 2016, 09:09:20 PM
...

Trond, the way you recall the trip from your youth sounds like a good subject for a book! One of those rare, precious moments someone has in life, if lucky.  :)

Gabriela, it is at least one problem - I don't like to write ;D Not a whole book anyway ;)
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