Last night, the seas were pretty rough and we bounced around quite a bit. Because of that, the captain had to take it much slower through the night and so we arrived in the Akureyri port much later than expected.

Akureyri is set at the foot of the mountains and is nicknamed the “Capital of the North”. They had to cancel some of the tours due to our late arrival, but fortunately our Northern Iceland’s Natural Treasures tour was a go, albeit a few hours later.

And what a tour it was! We had a wonderful guide who originally hailed from Hong Kong, met and married a man from Iceland, and became a tour guide.

We boarded our motor coach and journeyed along the coast and saw the beautiful scenery along the the Myvatn volcanic lake area, named after ‘midges’, little flying insects that are usually found all over the region. They don’t bite and our guide said if they happen to fly into the bus, please don’t kill them, they are perfectly harmless. We didn’t see any midges since the wind was blowing.

Our next stop was the Godafoss waterfall. What a powerful and majestic site. The waters of the river fall from a height of 39 feet and over a width of 100 feet. We were able to take photos from many viewing platforms and our photos hopefully captured the awe of this beautiful place.

Next stop on our tour was the Namaskard & Hverarond Geothermal area – a geothermal region with boiling sulfuric mud springs and steam vents. The hot springs, mud pools, and mud pots looks like a desert and because of the hot surface, no vegetation can grow there. The area was where one season of Game of Thrones was filmed. Interestingly, they filmed in winter and the steam from the springs made it seem like snow was falling. The smell of the sulfur was very strong and our guide said it might stay in our hair for awhile.

We then visited Dimmuborgir and its towering lava castles, that were formed in an eruption that occurred in the area 2,300 years ago. As lava flowed across the area, it passed over a lake, causing it to boil. The lake cooled the lava quickly, causing pillars of rock to form.

I am so glad we decided to tour Iceland in the early autumn, because the fall colors are absolutely beautiful. The lava castles were unbelievably stunning, with sheep tucked into the niches, autumnal colors of yellow and red flora surrounding them, and the different lava configurations so unique.

According to folk lore, this area is known for horrible little trolls, Yule Lads as they are called, who dwell there. These lads were known to terrorize Icelanders 13 days before Christmas Eve. According to ‘The Guide to Iceland’ site, “like most frightening Icelandic stories, the Yule Lads were most likely created to keep children from going out into the cold Icelandic winter nights, where many disappeared without a trace for centuries. As the nation modernised, they became mischievous tricksters rather than devilish monsters. Now, they have been ‘Americanised’; rather than traditional Icelandic garb, they wear Santa costumes, and although they still steal ‘skyr’, they now also bring gifts.”

We went to a hotel, and had a lunch of salmon, boiled potatoes, and slaw, as well as a glass of wine, and then we went to see Skutustadagigar, where the pseudo craters are. The craters themselves are not magma-producing volcanic vents, but rather were formed by gas explosions when boiling lava flowed over the cool, wet surfaces about 2,300 years ago.

Iceland’s terrain and weather is so unique and diverse, that many movie studios film movies here. And incidentally, many of NASA’s astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, first came to Iceland as part of the Apollo geology field exercises to study the country’s geology, the idea being that it would help them understand the Moon’s geology when they visited.

The weather here can change on a dime and many Icelanders say, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes!” And it is so true.

Then it was back to our ship for a quick dinner and to bed. It was a wonderful day and even though rain had originally been predicted, it was another day of sunshine.

Myvatn lake area

Godafoss waterfall

Namaskard & Hverarond Geothermal area

Dimmuborgir and its towering lava Castles

Skutustadagigar Pseudo craters