Our tentative itinerary was:

Tentative Iceland Itinerary

Monday 11 März 2024 –

Breakfast at the bakery from Somebody Feed Phil – Braüd & Co.

Rock & Roll Museum

Self-Walking Tour of Reykjavik … shopping… maybe a hotdog from a food truck

Drive to second Air B&B

Tuesday 12 März 2024 –

Golden Circle Drive around the Island – this will be the entire day… we are gonna try to see geysers, waterfalls, horses, old architecture, hopefully we can find the time to drive North and see the Arctic Ocean or the two tectonic plates (N. American and Eurasian)

Dinner reservations at the Viking Restaurant are at 1830 (6:30 pm).

Hopefully see the Northern Lights – sky is supposed to be clear.

Wednesday 13 März 2024 –

We do not have definitive plans for the morning so if we did not see the Artic Ocean on Tuesday, maybe this is a good time for that if all parties are interested.

~ 1400 (2:00 pm) we are planning to go to the Perlan Museum. This museum is open until 2200 (10:00 pm) so there is no rush once there.

We will figure out food as needed. Maybe at least one day we can pack a picnic.

Thursday 14 März 2024 –

Saga Museum in the morning

Le Kok for lunch… this restaurant is owned by a guy who is ½ Icelandic but raised in Florida (his words not mine). He went to college in Florida and worked in restaurants in New Hampshire before opening his own restaurant in Iceland. The menu looks perfect for us… especially the donuts!

Depending on the time, we will either try to ride toward Grindavik past the Blue Lagoon before taking Brooke to the airport, or we will take the drive after taking Brooke to the airport.

Friday 15 März 2024 –

Early rise to get to the airport for the trip to Switzerland via Denmark.

We did change a few things around, but all in all we were able to check off most things on the list. I think everyone was pleased with the experience.

We did not get out to Grindavik.

The day we left (early Saturday) was the day of the latest eruption… we missed it by about 14 hours. The 2 things I wanted most to see in Iceland this trip was an eruption site and the Aurora (Northern Lights) … I did not get to see either. I guess that means I am not finished visiting Iceland.

Actual Itinerary

Our trip actually started on Sunday 10 März 2024. Todd and I arrived in Iceland in late afternoon/early evening. Our morning was a normal chaotic trip morning for us. We arrived at Zurich airport and followed the normal route to check-in. However, we were taking a different route this time and so when the board indicated that we were to chek-in at counter 3 instead of 2, we of course questioned the logic of that… we were headed to Iceland, but because we would not be geting on Icelandair until Denmark, we were supposed to check-in with Scandanavia Airliines (SAS) instead of Icelandair… so instead of going close to the front of the line, we went through Icelandair’s line to be told to go around the corner to SAS. Not to worry, this lost 20 minutes was not going to throw us behind schedule.

We got through security quite easily, but once we made our way through Duty Free we saw that our gate had not yet been assigned. Again, no worries… we wanted breakfast anyway and we knew there was not meal served on these airlines anyway, so we searched for breakfast. We had a lovely Swiss breakfast at a resturant in the airport, we took turns using the restrooms while the other stayed with the bags and coats, and then finally a gate was assigned… and we were not close at all.

We made it to the gate in time to board with not too many issues. We found our seats and prayed that no one had booked after us to take the seat in between the two of us, but of course that prayer was not fulfilled in the mannerwe had hoped and our row mate soon showed up and Todd gave up his aisle seat so she could sit not between the two of us. The legroom was not great. My personal item did not even completely fit under the seat in front of me (it was a freaking rucksack)… but alas we were one our way to Denmark where we would have an hour or so before boarding Icelanair to the island. The flight was nothing special until we attempted our first landing in Copenhagen, which was quickly aborted and we spent an extra 25 minutes in the air and we had already taken off late from Zurich so our 1 hour layover was fading away fast. In fact, we had no layover and had to run from B6 to B19 because the flight to Iceland was almost finished boarding when we arrived. We at least had time to run to the restrooms while taking turns watching the bags and we were very quickly in the air because of the quick turn around time in Copenhagen. Thank goodness the gates were not further apart. And hopefully the young lady who was learning to fly and land at our expense is improving with every flight she logs.

Once Todd and I were in Iceland we picked up the rental car and headed to the Fisherman’s Village to check in. This is another hilarious story about how we operate. We get to the village and look around, we see not office to check in. Todd reads an email and it says to check-in at The Viking Village (where we have dinnerreservations later in the week). We drive 20-25 minutesto the Viking Village and the receptionist tells us that we were to have received an email telling us which cottage was unlicked for us and there was no need to have driven so far to check in. By this time I am hungry and am struggling to be nice. Most of you know what I am like in thais state!

We decide to stop and get a burger and milkshake to take back to the cottage and eat. We sat in our “little” cottage and after we have eaten we look around and wonder, “where will Mason and Brooke sleep?” This cottage had a small table with two chairs to the right as you walk in the door. There was a door to a small bathroom, and two bunkbeds and that was it… a small refrigerator, microwave and TV mounted in the corner, but all of this was in a space smaller than the size of our walk-in closet in our house in Rolesville. It was tiny… but we were sure we had booked a room with at least three beds for this one night! Evidently we did not… Todd called the Viking Village again and explained what we needed and eventually we booked a second cottage across the parking lot from the one we had dinner in just 30 minutes prior. We looked at the other booking and decided we were definitely taking this one one and the 2 younger Lipman’s would take the small cottage.

It was now time to drive an hour to the airport to pick up Mason and Brooke. But, of course it could not be that simple… it turns out that Brooke and Mason were being held on the airplane because upon landing the door evidently would not open. They sat on the sirplane almost an hour until someone came and repaired the door so that they could embark, go through Passport Control and then pick up their luggage. Needless to say, it is rarely uneventful when we travel… it seems it is far more eventful when we have planned very carefully. We found an open grocery store to grab Mason and Brooke some food and headed back to the cottages. The sunset was spectacular that evening, so we showed Mason and Brooke our photos so that they could be prepared to take more pictures in the morning.

Monday 11 März 2024

We had stayed up a little late, but the sun woke us early and we spent time in the village taking photos, planning our day according to our tentative itinerary and then we were off. Our first stop was Bräud & Co. in Reykjavik. OMFG! This place is everything it is touted to be in the show Somebody Feed Phil. I chose not to eat a cinnamon bun because of the need to avoid sugar when possible, but Brooke gave me a little pinch of hers and it was divine. Mason and Todd both loved their cinnamon buns and so the day had begun successfully. We then parked the rental and started walking around downtown Reykjavik. We found Mason a beautiful dark green and black Iclandic wool sweater, we met a few stray cats, and we walked the streets of Reykjavik taking photos, learning the history through the statues, and then settling in for lunch at the Reykjavic Fish Co. It was delicious. After lunch we walked around some more and then decided to head toward our next home for the next three nights… a farm house near Selfoss. But before getting too far away, we decided to show Mason and Brooke the small village we stayed in our very first night in Iceland… Reykjanesbaer (the voice on the GPS sounded like she was saying, “Rick James Beer.”) 🙂 While in the village we walked around and entered a Troll’s house in the cliffside and took photos and group selfies. We had a lot of fun on this extra outing.

and Thingvellier National Park

From “Rick James Beer…”

Yes, we were having so much fun we forgot to go the the Rock n’ Roll Museum in Reykjavik!

We found the farm house with no problem, met our wonderful host, Trausti and would recommend to everyone visiting Iceland to stay there for a few nights. We were able to cook, shower, do laundry… most ammenities we need as a small group staying away from home. Also, the horses were there with us every day and night to keep us company. Brooke loved watching them play and eat every day. We packed so much into this first day even though we did not do everything on lur list. Brooke cooked dinner for us after she and her Dad went grocery shopping and then we all settled in hoping to see the Northern Lights from our dark corner of Iceland… no luck. Maybe tomorrow.

Tuesday 12 März 2024

After looking at the forecast the night before we decided to switch up our itinerary and do the Perlan Museum on Tuesday and the Golden Circle drive on Wednesday. This was a very smart decision. I highly recommend the Perlan Museum for anyone visiting Iceland (with or without kiddos). We bought tickets which covered everything the museum has to offer and we were there the entire day. We spent time in an Ice Cave, a Lava show, walking over “fissures” created by volcanoes while we learned how Iceland was formed, and walking around the outside of the museum on the observation deck which spans the entire dome near the top of the structure. We all enjoyed this part of the trip. We sat and had a cup of coffe/tea in the cafe at the top of the dome and realized we wanted to walk around the grounds of the museum to see what the trails lead to. Plus, we could see an airport that was not the big airport we flew in and out of, so we wanted to see if we could learn a little more about that. And we did!

Around the perimeter of the museum, there are several trails which interconnect and we began our journey. We had a few hours before our dinner reservation at The Viking Restaurant in The Viking Village, so we wanted to see what we could discover. It turns out, quite a lot.

We found a plaque telling us more about the airport (which Todd and Mason had already searched for on their phones). We walked along one trail and Brooke decided she would venture off to see what the deal was with a cement structure sticking out of the ground. She told us there were steps leading down under ground and of course she and Mason decided they should expolre more. This caused me quite a bit of angst. The structures are actually leftover remnants of World War II bunkers. Of course there was evidence of homeless having sought shelter from the elements and likely teenagers getting away from prying eyes to do whatever teenagers do when we are not looking. This find was much to the delight of Mason and Brooke. An unexpected/unknown extra on our trip. We eventually found our way back to the car and Todd and Mason found one more place to visit before heading to dinner.

We ended up climbing high above the town where the restaurant was located and learned about how many decades prior a glacier had begun to shift toward the sea from above the fishing village below. There was evidence of the shift on the rocks on which we were climbing and walking. Brooke again ventured offon her own and eventually Mason did as well, but we all ended up together at the car just in time to park, walk around the village, take lots of photos, and then go to the Viking Restaurant in Hafnarfjörour. Apologies for the misspelling of some of these towns, I do not have all of the special characters required to spell them correctly. After this adventure had eaten like a viking already… fish one day, lamb the next. We had wonderful waitstaff, good drinks and food, and enough to satisfy us on the journey back to the farm house to look for the Northern Lights. But we had no luck again.

Wednesday 13 März 2024

The areas we plan to see on the circle are:

Crater

Gullfoss

Geysir

Thingvellir National Park

We head out after having eaten breakfast at the farm house (which has been our usual these days). Todd is driving because I am not a confident driver. Our planned first stop is the Crater. To me, it looked liked an egg in the bottom of a hole in the ground. I hiked around the top of the crater, but I was gettingso annoyed with tourists (I know, I am also a tourist), that I needed to sit in the car for a bit while Todd and Brooke explored the crater from down in the hole. They took some photos and shared them while Mason and I took photos of the landscape surrounding the parking lot. All in all, I likely made the correct decision to stay away from pushy tourists and spend some time alone with Mason. It was a beautiful hike around the top of the crater and the drive further on twoard Gullfoss was equally stunning as far as the view of the landscape goes.

The next planned stop is Gullfoss. It is actually past the Geysir, but Todd had a plan and it worked out perfectly. We walked out to the falls. Absolutely stunning. However, it was cold and Mason and I decided we would again allow Todd and Brooke to discover a little more than we would and enjoy the photos and videos they would share with us. Mason and I went to the gift shop and purchased a few small items and waited as Brooke and Todd adventured on. We had eaten treats and drank coffee/tea ealier at this shop and so we were quite satiated at the time. We had packed a lunch before leaving the farm house, but it was not quite time for lunch, and as I said, we were satiated. Oncethe adventurers returned from the bottom of the falls, we gathered at the rental car and talked about the next stop, which would appear to be going back along the route, but somehow it did not really feel that way. It was bizarre.

So, we get in the car and head back to the geyser. Todd and I have been to Yellowstone, so we have seen pots and geysers before. On the way I told Mason and Brooke how I had been so pumped up about seeing Old Faithful, that when the geyser actually spewed out of the ground I was dissappointed. I had seen pictures as a young child of this huge water spout coming out of the ground, but having seen it in real time, I realized that the photos used a different perspective than straight on to make the geyser look much taller than it actually was, so instead of being facinated with the site of Old Faithful the first time seeing it, I was disappointed. Which is really terrible of me, but it is what it is… anyway, this field was not much different than Yellowstone, excpet that it is not quite the fortress Yellowstone has laid out and the pots and geysers are right along a path used by the visitors. We watched Strokkur spew and Mason and I headed back to the shop while Brooke and Todd explored more, even touching the water flowing from the side streams the waterflow makes after the geyser spews out. I probably would not have done that, but I was stupid enough to touch the water in Hot Springs, Arkansas while we were there, so there’s that! After shopping a while and using the restrooms, we head out to the car for our picnic. We were all having a good day thus far.

The last leg of the Golden Circle we had planned was the Thingvellier National Park. Again, Todd and I had experienced a little bit of this area, but nothing like what we were about to see and do. Instead of driving around and parking at the main entrance, we parked in a lower parking area and hiked first to the lower waterfall (which was a surprise find for us, by the way) and we then hiked the beautifully maintained paved (and in some parts wooden) path up to the main entrance of the park. The views were spectacular, the walk was not strenuous and it was nice to see Brooke and Mason taking it all in either together or sometimes with one or the other of Todd and me.

Once we made it back to the car we realized we were tired and planned to go to the restaurant recommended to us by our Air B&B host, Trausti. On our first day meeting him he recommended a restaurant in the town of Selfoss… Messinn. Before going to the restaurant we wanted to walk around the small town and take in as much as possible before the sunlight disappeared for 8 hours (the days were getting longer in Iceland at that time of year), so we shopped for a new Icelandic wool sweater for both Todd and me. Todd went with a pullover with hues of blue and I went with a pullover with the colors of nature. We were quite satisfied with our choices. The lady at the shop recommended we try the Cod Cheeks at Messin, but fortunately they were out of them so we did not have to put ourselves through that adventure!

Dinner was delicious. I would suggest to anyone planning to eat there to bring a hefty appetite if you plan to order one of the “pans.” Brooke and I ordered from the general menu, but Todd and Mason ordered a pan each . Their meals were brought to them in the skillet from which the food was prepared and placed on a wooden trivet at the spot where they were seated. This was not like a small skillet you see brought to a table with searing fajita mix in the US. These were 8 inch skillets we use to scramble eggs in on Saturday mornings! Not to worry, they were able to manage and left the restaurant satiated. We wandered around a little more, and just like Reykjavik, we petted the friendly cats who walk up to you immediately and become your friend.

The next day Brooke will be flying out, but we have a few more adventures before we send her off to Boston.

Thursday 14 März 2024

We wake early and have breakfast at the farm house. It is time to pack up and leave Trausti and the horses. We all work on our own belongings and I work on the kitchen stuff (clean the fridge, pack what food we can easily take with us, and wash the dishes). Our plan is to get to the Saga Museum in Reykjavik, lunch at Le Kock and then figure out getting Brooke to the airport.

First stop… bakery for coffee/tea. Evidently, we pick the most popular bakery in the village of the farm house on the road to Reykjavik! We took our number and tried to have a decision made by the time our number was called. Unfortunately, we were stutterers when it came to being asked to order quickly and efficiently so we were the ones who broke the flow of the bakery workers that morning. Apologies to all involved. However, the pastries were delicious and we left this small village with smiles on our faces that day.

We did not have to share the Saga Museum with anyone. We did the audio tour (in English) and learned the story of Iceland’s settlement from the perspective of the Viking Sagas. This is worth the price of the tickets. Brooke and Todd dressed as vikings and played around in that area for a bit. The tour through the settlement story was nice and the figures look very life-like. There was one figure that appeared to be breathing! The stories were gory at times, but we took that in stride and enjoyed the stories and the art. And as any good museum, the gift shop pulled us in and encouraged us to spend just a little more money as we made our way out.

From the Saga Museum, we walked around Reykjavik one more time for shopping and cat greeting. We found wool socks, story books, and trolls. Many things to take back so that we know for sure we actually did spend time in this beautiful country. We finished shopping and made our way to Le Kock for lunch and braced ourselves for once again not being understood as we muddle our way through a menu. So… in case you want to eat here because you saw this restaurant on Somebody Feed Phil, the staff is no where near as freindly as the owner appears to be in the show. We experienced an impatient person at the counter where you place the order… look… it could be becasue he was younger than me and many young people are impatient with older adults, but I was there as a guest and expected to be treated as such even if it meant he needed to act differently than his norm. That is all I will say about that. The food was good, the beer was even better and we had a very nice time with each other despite the staff.

We left the restaurant in search of something more to do before checking into the hotel three of us would need for the night and then taking Brooke to the airport. We collectively decided a bar was what we needed. We found a great bar on the waterfront. Unfortunatetly, I did not write down thename of this bar because I did not expect it to be as much fun as it turned out to be. Brooke ordered a cocktail named The Northern Lights… it was beautiful. The rest of us ordered beer and coffee. It was still quiute cold out! Our seats were located at a window which overlooked the harbor and it was a wonderful spot to spend our last few hours with Brooke in Iceland. As we were leaving the bartender asked Brooke for her opinion of the cocktail, evidently it was a recipe/design the bartender had created herself. They had a lovely conversation and Brooke told her that we would be back again some day. I agreed!

We left the bar and headed toward the hotel. We checked in and soon afterwards Todd and Brooke left for the airport. I settled in with a glass of wine and read my book that Todd and Brooke had picked out for me at one of the shops earlier that day. The book is an Icelandic fairytale written in German. Fortunatley, I was able to understand most of it and I love the illustrations. Hopefully all of the photos load onto these pages as I intend.

The last night in Iceland was spent watching Dune with Mason and finishing up the food we had from the refrigerator at the farm house. The next day would begin with an early flight out of Iceland to Denmark and then onto Switzerland.

Friday 15 März 2024

We get to the airport early, drop off the rental car and make our way to airport security. Evidently everyone in Iceland was taking the early flights! We grab some breakfast and eat quickly while Todd shops for one last gift for his colleague. We board, we fly, we land in Copenhagen. Todd had corresponded with an old friend who gave us a good suggestion for lunch… Kanal Cafèen.

The events of this adventure are a story in themselves, so hopefully I am able to tell it so that you enjoy it as much as we did.

We took the metro from the airport to an area Todd was a bit famililar with from a previous trip to Copenhagen. The stop was nearby the canal and the palace, so that was a perfect place to begin our walk toward the suggested restaurant. We took lots of photos, questioned Todd about many of the things we were seeing, and just enjoying the city. At that time the rain was not heavy and it was not a bad day to be out walking around exploring a new city. When we walked into the restaurant I was shocked at how many tables and chairs had been placed into this small place… you could definitely tell there were no fire safety seating standards (or whatever it is that controls the number of patrons a restaurant is allowed to seat in the US). The gentleman speaking to us was a little brash, but Mason said he was just efficient… anyway, I heard him say, “1 hour” and assumed he meant one hour before we could be seated and I started shking my head in the negative because I really needed to use the facilities. He then spoke a little harsher and said, “No, no… I give you 1 hour.” Todd then explained to me that the restaurant was supposedly fully reserved at 2:00 pm and we needed to order and eat in one hour. I agreed to stay and asked where the toilets were. Mr. Harsh Man pointed to the corner, but all I saw in the corner was an occupied table. So I pointed and gestured to ask if he was telling me to go around the corner and he told me no and pointed to the door which was within a foot of this couple’s table. As I walked by, the two gentleman working there said, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” I laughed along with them because I thought that was clever.

When I returned to the table, Todd and Mason began to explain to me how to order the sandwiches. I decided and the waiter asked whatever questions he needed answers to, we order beers and waited. In the meantime, the waiter keeps stopping by and every time he touches me on the shoulder as if we are good friends… it was odd. While we were still waiting for the food the waiter asks if we want to try “hot liquor?” He says it is a Danish tradition to drink “hot liquor” with a meal. I agreed… of course I want to do as the Danes do while I am in Denmark! But when he brings the bottle to the table with the Scnapps glasses I notice the bottle looked as if he had just taken it from the freezer. I said nothing, just thought it was weird. He pours each of us a glass and explains that it is a dill flavored liqueur. I asked were we supposed to drink it with the food? Before the food? What was the Dane way of enjoying this “hot liquor?” He said one sip before the meal and them with the meal. Fine… I can do that.

Food comes and I was not aware until that moment that the sandwich was open-faced. No problem… I had a big glass of beer and “hot liquor” so I was ready for this challenge. Then my friend comes back to the table with another bottle of liquor and one Schnapps glass and he leans down and says, “try this… it is cardamom flavor.” I did not say, “no, thank you!” He came over to remind me to use the mustard sauce for my salmon and many other times to tell us of his childhood and growing up in Copenhagen. He was great, but I honestly did not need that much attention from him. Needless to say, I was feeling great when I left the restaurant exactly 55 minutes from my entry. It is a lovely place to eat, everyone was kind, and it is great if you like a little nostalgia when you travel.

So, after we eat we walk around some more, take lots of photos but eventually the rain was becoming to heavy for us to enjoy walking outdoors. We headed to the mall which is also the area where we can catch the metro back to the airport. Once we were in the mall I asked Mason and Todd if they thought the “hot liquor” came from a frozen bottle. I explained that I liked the dill flavor and I did not consider it to be hot. I then told them that I thought the waiter meant the liquor would be hot… as in warm, which was what I wanted since we had walked a little in the rain. Todd said he did not know what I was talking about. He said the waiter did not say “hot liquor”… he said, “hard liquor.” I felt a little silly… I was sure he did not say hard liquor, but it does make a bit more sense that what I thought.

I want to go back to Denmark to explore some more. I love the look of the canal, I love the smells of the different restaurants, and I really want to experience a grocery store there. Almost everyone we encountered was kind, so I will definitely plan to go back.

Our flight was soon going to be boarding and we had to go through security again, so we had to leave. I am glad I saw enough to entice me back.