Category Archives: Iceland

Best of the Best

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The Adventure in Akureyri

The Adventure in Akureyri

During this contract, I was able to do and see some truly incredible things.  Since coming home, I’ve frequently been asked about my favorite places, and I’ve had trouble answering!  There were so many wonderful places, but I liked different ports for different things.  Looking back through my photos, I tried to break down some of the highlights of the past few months.  This is what I came up with…  The Best of the Adventure.

Best Hike

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Best Beaches

Paradise

Paradise

Photo doesn't do it justice!

Photo doesn’t do it justice!

Just look at that water

Just look at that water

Best tours

Tuk tuk tour

Tuk tuk tour

Camels at the base

Camels at the base

Magic at the top

Magic at the top

Best Place for Beer

  • Beer Wall in Bruges
    • I made a special category for Bruges, because I had such a great day there!  The beer is fantastic, but the whole city is worth visiting!
Beer Wall

Beer Wall

Favorite Landmarks

Amazing to see

Amazing to see

I could visit every day!

I could visit every day!

Best Museum

  • The Guggenheim Bilbao
    • The architect, Frank Gehry, also designed the Guggenheim Museum that will soon be built in Abu Dhabi.  There was an interesting article in the New York Times about the new museum.
Beautiful Gehry building

Beautiful Gehry building

Favorite City

Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas

Favorite Country

Sunset in Reykjavik

Sunset in Reykjavik

Northern Lights. Photo by: Daffodaleia Williams

Northern Lights. Photo by: Daffodaleia Williams

I knew the quality of the places I was visiting was pretty astounding, but I just recently added up the quantity!  I’ve now been to 39 countries.  I can’t wait to add more to the list in the New Year!

Casey’s Travel Map

Casey has been to: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, China, Curacao, Denmark, Fiji, France, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Sint Maarten, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, U.S. Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican, Vietnam.

Get your own travel map from Matador Network.

Walking in a Dream

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In Akureyri, we had a morning crew drill. From my emergency station, I was able to see waterfalls in the lush mountains across the water. When we were given shore leave, I set off on a walk with a group of skaters and musicians. It was slightly overcast and the temperature was cool, but the town was still amazing.

Akureyri

Akureyri

We walked along the water until we hit a major crossroad. We turned left onto the road and headed towards the mountains. We crossed a bridge, then took another left on a small highway. Eventually, we ended up across the water from the back of the ship. If I had binoculars, I probably would’ve been able to see friends on the back deck.

There she is!

There she is!

We stopped at a lookout point and tried to decide where to go next. The road was very slowly winding upwards, so making it to the top of the mountain seemed impossible. We’d already walked for 3 miles, so we decided to take a shortcut. We climbed straight up, through the shrubs, to the top of the next hill.

Waterfall on the way

Waterfall on the way

At the top, we were surprised to find a farm. There were some beautiful Icelandic horses grazing in a field. When they noticed us, they came running towards the fence. I was a little frightened, so I moved back from the fence, but many of my friends stayed close by to pet the horses.

Horses!

Horses!

Walking back down through the shrubs was slightly more difficult. The grass and rocks were slippery, so I ended up surfing part of the way down. We followed the road back into the main town and set off in search of food. We ended up at a small café advertising free wifi.

Beautiful walk back

Beautiful walk back

I was pleasantly surprised by my meal. My Danish friends had mentioned that open faced smoked fish sandwiches were traditional in Scandinavia, so I took advantage of the smoked salmon open faced sandwich. When asked if I wanted salad with it, I said yes, expecting some mixed greens. I was actually able to pick 3 specialty salads. The beetroot and apple salad, watermelon with coconut, and bulgur salad were delicious! I finished the meal with a beer, and was a very happy girl!

Statue by the water

Statue by the water

To end the day, we stopped in a highly recommended bakery for some donuts that I snuck back on the ship with me. They were fantastic. All in all, it was a great day. Good walk, good views, good friends, and good food… Who could ask for anything more?

Riveting Reykjavik

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Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagoon

For years, I’ve wanted to go to Iceland.  Particularly, to Reykjavik.  My ex-boyfriend went there for New Years two years in a row, and raved about the city and the sights.  Last cruise, I was finally able to go and see it for myself.

I signed up for a crew tour to the Blue Lagoon.  We boarded a bus right outside the cruise terminal and were on our way!  The bus ride was beautiful.  There were mountains, rainbows, lakes, and a surprising number of American chain restaurants.  KFC advertisements are much more amusing in Icelandic!

Welcome!

Welcome!

When we arrived, we quickly went in to get changed.  We had to shower before going into the lagoon, and were warned to keep our hair out of the water.  Apparently, the sulfur in the water leaves hair straw like.  There was a bar in the lagoon, so I enjoyed a strawberry champagne while floating about.  The water was warm, so it was like wading in a milky blue hot tub.  I can’t remember a time I felt so relaxed!

After returning to the ship, we got cleaned up to go back out and enjoyed the night.  It’s rare to be on land at night, so we were taking full advantage!

Sunset

Sunset

We took a cab to the Laundromat Cafe, a bar/restaurant suggested by a local friend.  We tried a local beer, Borg Brio, and had a shot of Brennivin.  The bartender suggested the shot since it is Iceland’s signature distilled beverage.  It is similar to vodka, but I found it slightly easier to drink.

Brennivin

Brennivin

ur next stop was The English Pub right across the street.  Half the crew was there!  The bar had live music, good beer, and tons of people.  We stayed until closing time, and then slowly made our way back home to the ship.  It was an incredible day and crazy night.  Reykjavik certainly did not disappoint!