OT: Iceland

[PittPharm2002]

Family and I just got back from a week vacation there , direct flights to and from pittsburgh .
Some incredible landscapes , incredibly friendly folks. Highly recommend
Can check off “ climbed a glacier “, “climbed a volcano “ off my bucket list
Puffins are rad.

 

[joeydavid]

Family and I just got back from a week vacation there , direct flights to and from pittsburgh .
Some incredible landscapes , incredibly friendly folks. Highly recommend
Can check off “ climbed a glacier “, “climbed a volcano “ off my bucket list
Puffins are rad.

Climbed a glacier.... while they still exist.

 

[Pitt_Boss]

Climbed a glacier.... while they still exist.

They are going to be gone by 2020

 

[Tanat]

Family and I just got back from a week vacation there , direct flights to and from pittsburgh .
Some incredible landscapes , incredibly friendly folks. Highly recommend
Can check off “ climbed a glacier “, “climbed a volcano “ off my bucket list
Puffins are rad.

Did you see A volcano eruption ? Done glaciers and volcanos, Went to Hawaii volcanoes National park a few years back but the there were no eruptions at that time

 

[PittPharm2002]

They are going to be gone by 2020

Actually the biggest glacier is retreated enormously . There is now a huge lake at the base now which didn’t exist 20 years ago
There is now a “glacier lagoon “ at the base of the smaller glacier

 

[Pitt_Boss]

Actually the biggest glacier is retreated enormously . There is now a huge lake at the base now which didn’t exist 20 years ago
There is now a “glacier lagoon “ at the base of the smaller glacier

Can you swim in the lake or too cold? Sounds like a beautiful enhancement

 

[Pitt1975]

I have a golf buddy on his way there now. On my bucket list, too.
Saw there was an area in Iceland where you snorkel between 2 tectonic plates.
Listed as one of the worlds most beautiful sights.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Can you swim in the lake or too cold? Sounds like a beautiful enhancement

It’s melted ice so too cold
But there is a bunch of public waters to swim since its all geothermal heated

 

[PittPharm2002]

I have a golf buddy on his way there now. On my bucket list, too.
Saw there was an area in Iceland where you snorkel between 2 tectonic plates.
Listed as one of the worlds most beautiful sights.

Yeah - near the Westman islands
There are a few parks similarly between the two continental plates
Very good to walk through .
There was a volcano eruption near the Blue Lagoon in May , the cooled and cleared lava is still smoking .

 

[ratking17]

My oldest is graduating high school next year and we were possibly looking at that as his graduation vacation gift. What suggestions would you have and also what would you all recommend for length of stay and maybe if we do iceland should we hop over to somewhere else for a couple days?

Also cost estimates...

Thanks all

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

That would be cool. (haha pun wasn't intended). But yeah would be a place I would like to go and flights are reasonable.

 

[PittPharm2002]

My oldest is graduating high school next year and we were possibly looking at that as his graduation vacation gift. What suggestions would you have and also what would you all recommend for length of stay and maybe if we do iceland should we hop over to somewhere else for a couple days?

Also cost estimates...

Thanks all

YouTube has a few good suggestions based on length on stay
Day 1 Reykjavík walking food tour And blue lagoon
Day 2. Reykjavik city exploring - we ended up going to zoo and park , since my 12. Year old wanted to see attic foxes .
Day3-4 Golden Circle road trip , multiple stops for waterfalls and hikes
Day 4- 5 westman islands , volcano hike and puffin viewing . We’d have done the boat tour but my wife and kid got seasick on the ferry .
Day 5 - southern end of island - glacier hike , few other stops
Day 6 - two hikes and more puffin viewing . Public pool around Vik.
Day 7 - headed back to Reykjavík -dinner and another pool, son wanted to go to the Whale museum .
Day 8 - breakfast at a bakery we liked and then return to the airport .

Iceland is very expensive , we mostly stayed at airbnbs
Book well in advance.
Its gonna run a few thousand just on the island

 

[Burgh15]

Iceland seems like a cool place to visit and glad you had a good experience! I just got back from a week and a half in Costa Rica. Definitely a place to visit if you like outdoor adventure activities. .

 

[joeydavid]

YouTube has a few good suggestions based on length on stay
Day 1 Reykjavík walking food tour And blue lagoon
Day 2. Reykjavik city exploring - we ended up going to zoo and park , since my 12. Year old wanted to see attic foxes .
Day3-4 Golden Circle road trip , multiple stops for waterfalls and hikes
Day 4- 5 westman islands , volcano hike and puffin viewing . We’d have done the boat tour but my wife and kid got seasick on the ferry .
Day 5 - southern end of island - glacier hike , few other stops
Day 6 - two hikes and more puffin viewing . Public pool around Vik.
Day 7 - headed back to Reykjavík -dinner and another pool, son wanted to go to the Whale museum .
Day 8 - breakfast at a bakery we liked and then return to the airport .

Iceland is very expensive , we mostly stayed at airbnbs
Book well in advance.
Its gonna run a few thousand just on the island

There's also expedition cruises that hit most of what you highlighted. They basically take a lap around the country from Reykjavik to Reykjavik.

 

[PittPharm2002]

There's also expedition cruises that hit most of what you highlighted. They basically take a lap around the country from Reykjavik to Reykjavik.

I’d suggest renting a car and traveling over land - it’s pretty remarkable varied landscapes .
But that’s more our vibe - we flew into Denver and drove through Utah to Nevada a few years back doing similar things .

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

I’d suggest renting a car and traveling over land - it’s pretty remarkable varied landscapes .
But that’s more our vibe - we flew into Denver and drove through Utah to Nevada a few years back doing similar things .

Utah west of SLC and northern Nevada is like an entirely different planet for us East Coasters.

 

[BurghGuy68]

Why are there direct flights to/from Iceland out of PIT? Seems random.

 

[joeydavid]

Why are there direct flights to/from Iceland out of PIT? Seems random.

Just added. It's a good , inexpensive route to connect to Europe as well.

 

[joeydavid]

I’d suggest renting a car and traveling over land - it’s pretty remarkable varied landscapes .
But that’s more our vibe - we flew into Denver and drove through Utah to Nevada a few years back doing similar things .

In a different climate but I think you might want to check out Domenica as well (if you have never been). Black sand beaches, rainforests, mountains and 5 volcanos all on a very small island. The hiking is pretty amazing but you definitely want your endurance up before lol. 0 to 1400' elevation change on a 29 mile long Island is no joke. I was there in 2021 and going back in the next couple of years.

 

[PittPharm2002]

In a different climate but I think you might want to check out Domenica as well (if you have never been). Black sand beaches, rainforests, mountains and 5 volcanos all on a very small island. The hiking is pretty amazing but you definitely want your endurance up before lol. 0 to 1400' elevation change on a 29 mile long Island is no joke. I was there in 2021 and going back in the next couple of years.

Sounds great to me.

 

[Seneca_Valley]

Iceland seems like a cool place to visit and glad you had a good experience! I just got back from a week and a half in Costa Rica. Definitely a place to visit if you like outdoor adventure activities. .

I concur. I returned from CR with my wife a month and a half ago and we both want to revisit.