Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.10.2010, Síða 37

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16 — 2010
Travel | Close to Reykjavík
You can do some of these trips on your own by bus or car (The Golden Circle,
Hveragerði, The Blue Lagoon). Otherwise you can book transportation/tours through
Reykjavík Excursions, Iceland Excursions or Arctic Adventures.
Odds are that you’re here for the Iceland Air-
waves festival—but you just can’t come to Ice-
land without venturing outside of Reykjavík. So
we have compiled a short list of great things to
do, while keeping the following in mind: you
have limited time, you prefer not to miss any of
the one million bands playing in Reykjavík, and
you probably partied pretty hard last night (in
other words, there are no strenuous hikes or
whale watching trips on the list).
1. THE GOLdEN CIRCLE – This is a golden oldie.
Everyone who has been to Iceland knows the golden
circle. The three main attractions on this trip just
never get old. The first stop is Þingvellir—a natural
and historical phenomenon. There are few places
where you can walk between the North American
and Eurasian continental plates and this is one
of them. It was also once home to Europe’s oldest
parliament, Alþingi. The second stop is Gullfoss—
a beautiful waterfall, enough said. The last stop is
Geysir—a geyser. The original Geysir actually doesn’t
do much anymore, but Strokkur is full throttle. Don’t
stand too close! The water is hot! By the way, the
word, geysir, is one of two Icelandic words that have
been adopted by other languages (the other is jökul-
hlaup).
2. HORSEBACk RIdING – Admittedly this can be a
rough ride and you might have to endure a sore bot-
tom for a couple days. Sill, do it! Icelandic horses are
one of a kind. As Icelanders are a very proud nation,
you’ll probably hear that about a number of things,
but it is really true about the horses. Although they
are a little bit smaller than the average horse (careful
not to call them ‘ponies’), they can do more than just
walk, trot, canter and gallop. They can also tölt, and
if they are real superstars, they can skeið as well.
Horseback riding is also a fantastic opportunity to
get out into Iceland’s nature.
3. HVERAGERðI – This is a little bit more off the
beaten track. Hveragerði is a small town about thirty
minutes southeast of Reykjavík. The town itself is not
exciting per se, but just above town there is a path
that takes you on a forty minute walk up a mountain
to some natural hot springs. And, this is exciting. Re-
member to bring a towel and warm clothes because
it’s cold when you get out of the water. If Iceland’s
protestors haven’t cleaned out all the eggs from the
grocery stores, you might want to pick some up so
that you can make hard boiled eggs up there. Please
don’t burn yourself though!
4. THE BLuE LAGOON – Let’s face it, you wanted to
do the whole hike up Hveragerði to bathe in all-nat-
ural hot springs and eat hard boiled eggs, but you’re
not feeling up to it. The Blue Lagoon is an alternative
way to sit in Iceland’s famous geothermal waters. It’s
nice and relaxing and you can cover yourself with
the silica-rich mud, which is supposed to be good
for your skin, but always seems to have a bad effect
on your hair. Do not be deceived though, the Blue
Lagoon is actually man-made even if it is geother-
mal. In fact, most swimming pools and houses in
Iceland are heated by geothermal energy. Also, note
that there’s an official Airwaves event going on there
during the festival, so you can combine your love for
music with your love for uh... hot water.
5. SNORkELLING IN SILfRA – If you are up for
a little more action, you should go snorkelling. It’s
incredible. Glacial water flows through this crevice
called Silfra before emptying into Þingvellir Lake.
You’re not going to see any fish, but you are go-
ing to see some of the Earth’s youngest rock while
you float above the Mid-Atlantic Rift. And if you’re
tall enough, you can even touch two continents at
the same time. If you are thinking that glacial water
sounds far too cold, you’re right! But the trade-off is
that you get exceptionally clear water and high vis-
ibility. And don’t worry, you will be wearing a warm
jumpsuit and a dry suit, so won’t even really get wet.

Get Out of Town!
Five great things to do just outside of Reykjavík
Always best price online.
Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations.
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
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KEFLAVÍK
BORGARNES
STYKKISHÓLMUR
SNÆFELLSJÖKULL
DRANGAJÖKULL
FLATEY
NESKAUPSTAÐUR
BLÖNDUÓS
SIGLUFJÖRÐUR
BOLUNGARVÍK
HRÍSEY
NARSARSSUAQ
Greenland
FAROE ISLANDS
REYKJAVÍK
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN
HÚSAVÍK
GRÍMSEY
KULUSUK
Greenland
Blue Lagoon
AKRANES Geysir
Gullfoss
Jökullónið
Kárahnjúkar
Kraa
Hallormstaður
NUUK
Greenland
ILULISSAT
Greenland
www.airiceland.is
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland