Iceland - July 2025

Laura and I arrived in Reykjavik early in the morning of July 21 to stay in the capital for a week exploring Iceland by a series of day trips before boarding a cruise on July 28. This was an independent add on to a Reykjavik to Le Havre cruise which I will document in later posts.

We stayed at the excellent Reykjavik Edition hotel and rented a car to allow us to explore independently. We had a long todo list for Iceland:

• See an active volcano

• Swim in a municipal swimming pool (Iceland is famous for them)

• Hike

• Ride horses

• Visit the Blue Lagoon

... and we pretty much nailed the todo list!

The first couple of days we stayed in Reykjavik to get our bearings and get over the jet lag, which was worse than we expected despite breaking our journey in New York, thinking that would eliminate it. There is lots to see wandering around Reykjavik, which is a very compact and walker friendly city, and in July there is 20 hours of daylight available. You will notice there is a lot of modern sculpture in Reykjavik and very distinctive church architecture. We did get to swim at a local municipal swimming pool, where the locals were welcoming, but very prescriptive in how things must be done. Lap swimming is like a religious practice here.

Our first day trip out of the city took us to the Blue Lagoon, where we relaxed in a large volcanic heated pseudo-natural pool, with dozens of strangers, where the water feels a bit slimey due to the silica which precipitates on the sides. You cannot take photos in there, but of course they take them and sell them to you.

Next day was a wonderful hike to the Reykjadalur Hot Springs, which is a popular, roughly 4 mile round-trip trail near Hveragerði (40 km from Reykjavík), featuring a scenic, sometimes steep, uphill hike to a natural, hot, bathing river. We opted not to carry a towel and wear a bathing suit under 5 layers of hiking clothes, but lots of people did. The hike and views were amazing, especially being on a volcanic landscape with steam venting from the ground in multiple places. We were fine to skip the dip.

Next up was a morning of horse riding at Eldhestar. Icelandic horses are a wonderful breed - small, sturdy with flowing manes - and they have a unique gait called a "tolt", which is part way between a trot and a canter. This was a "must do" activity for Laura, and I am glad she suggested it. Only the one photo for this activity, since once aboard my horse I did not want to spare a hand for the phone!

Our final outing from the city was on Saturday July 26, when we drove the northen part of the Golden Circle to Gulfoss, which has some spectacular waterfalls. The photos tell the story of the day.

A final thing to mention about Iceland and Reykjavik is the food. We had amazing lunches and dinners in Reykjavik with honorable mentions going to Sumac, Apotek, Monkeys, Seafood Grille and especially Lola. Here is some evidence:

On Monday July 28 we left the Reykjavik Edition and boarded the Seven Seas Mariner for a 10 day cruise to Le Havre France. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Iceland and we will be back someday I am sure!