On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Elma
In June 2023, I was two weeks away from a trip to Iceland with a tour company that had taken me all around the world over the years, when I got the email declaring that the trip was canceled. As it developed, the company had not successfully come out of the pandemic and was bankrupt. At least I was still at home when I got the news, unlike some unlucky travelers that got stranded in foreign parts. After a period of anger and depression, I started to look for a replacement trip and found a similar excursion offered by the Smithsonian Institution. Assuming that it was not likely to go bankrupt, I booked it for June 2024. The tour is actually operated by a French company in partnership with the Smithsonian. “French” made for some interesting cultural experiences.
Some Hawaiians might beg to differ. Not sure it is really a pitch most visitors’ bureaus would choose to make.
This is the Harpa, the concert hall for the Icelandic Symphony. Smithsonian had set up a hospitality suite for us there while we waited to board our ship. I took the English language tour lead by a vocal musician who demonstrated the perfect acoustics by singing for us. The main hall is all done in shades of red and black to simulate the interior of a volcano.
The singing guide told us the story of the building of the Harpa and creation of the surrounding entertainment district. It was the first time, but not the last, that I got a feeling for how catastrophic 2008 banking crisis had been for Iceland. They actually sent some of their banksters to jail. This is the lobby ceiling.
This is our ship, La Bellot, 119 guests and 125 staff. We were well looked after. The French chef may have been showing off for the mainly American passengers. There were some Aussies and an Argentine lady who asked me confidentially, not to seem ignorant, “What was a Smithsonian?” The ship also has a small contingent of singer/dancer/musicians, who put on very professional little reviews in the lounge each evening, except for one night when the sea was too rough.
We did not circumnavigate Iceland. Rather we stayed along the west coast, sailing south, then north, then south again, calling in at various points of interest along the way. Our first stop was at Heimay in the Westman Islands. I did circumnavigate Heimay.
This is the car ferry coming into the harbor. In 1963 a volcano suddenly began erupting in the tiny village. The lava was threatening to close off the harbor. To prevent it, they sprayed sea water onto the encroaching lava and succeed in stopping the advance. The hook shaped projection on the right side of the harbor is that lava flow.
A view of that lava flow from the water. Our guide for the boat tour around Heimay was a local girl who told us about living on the tiny island. She said she wanted her babies to be born on Heimay, but since all the men were either relatives or the exes of her friends, she was going to Denmark for three months. Hope those Danish boys are easy going.
This is the only real Elephant Rock.
Puffins are a huge deal all over Iceland. Our Heimay guide told us about the annual rite of saving the pufflings. Apparently puffins are not particularly attentive parents and leave the pufflings unattended. The pufflings leave their nests and head into town, maybe distracted by the lights, maybe looking for a party, who knows. The locals go out at night and collect the wandering babies and take them to a wildlife rehabilitation center until they are deemed fit to go back into the wild. Then the people take the pufflings and hurl them off the cliffs into the sea. You have to be tough to live in Iceland.
Public art is everywhere in Iceland, even in a windswept harbor.
Ramalama
Lovely narrative and details…including “What is a Smithsonian?”
Liminal Owl
Glad you got to have your trip, and thank you for sharing 5he stories with us. Especially the pufflings!
Falling Diphthong
In fairness, in ’99 we went to Hawaii’s Big Island and the lava flow that had been continually erupting at a low level for the past many years promptly stopped. It was disappointing to not check that off the natant geology nerd checklist.
West of the Rockies
Super interesting narrative details and photos! Thanks for sharing. I hope your guide found a suitable mate.
stinger
Fascinating photos and entertaining commentary — thank you!
Dorothy A. Winsor
Great pics and explanations.
Elma
Good morning Jackles. I’m traveling again and will loose connectivity at about 1 pm EDT, maybe able to check in on Friday. I’m glad you are enjoying this series so far. Hope to have interesting pictures and stories from this trip for a future OTR.
Winter Wren
Thanks for sharing – brings back memories. Our family visited Iceland about 6 years ago (also in June). One of my sons and I took a day trip to Heimay using the ferry and we walked around the island and up Eldfell. The vistas of the cliffs, volcanoes and the other smaller islands are incredible – definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Looking forward to the next posts.
JML
I went to Iceland in June on a cruise with mom, absolutely loved it. Would go back in a heartbeat, so much more to see! Waterfalls there are absolutely stunning.
(mom passed away about 3 weeks later)
Dagaetch
Great stories and pictures, looking forward to the other parts. I really want to get to Iceland some day, I just haven’t made it happen yet.
eclare
What great stories! That symphony hall is gorgeous. Looking forward to the upcoming posts!
pluky
Well Hawai’i and Iceland have different volcanic sources: magma plume hotspot versus mid ocean rift.
Elma
@JML: So sorry for your loss!
twbrandt
Your story about the Heimay guide reminded of what our Icelandic guide told us when I was there last year. There is an app (of course) where every Icelander can find out the degree of relationship they have with every other Icelander – 2nd cousin once removed, whatever. Our guide was of the opinion that World War II, which brought an influx of American and British servicemen, probably saved the Icelandic gene pool :)
sab
I had no idea there were Iceland cruises. That just went to the top of my bucket list. Northern lights were already there. A twofer.
MelissaM
Oh, Iceland! It’s on my “return!” list, and higher than many first travel destinations.
Harpa is just stunning! The light really plays on the building. Looking forward to more!
Elma
@sab: Don’t go in June. It never gets dark. No chance of seeing northern lights. Fall might be better, but it will be cold
SkyBluePink
Lovely travel guide! Thanks, Elma!
Steve in the ATL
So jealous….
Yutsano
Iceland is definitely on my bucket list of places to go. But that symphony hall! Especially the way it backs up to the water. Definite Suzanne bait there!
Interstadial
I’d lava trip there. :-)
Seriously, Iceland is on a hot spot and on a mid-ocean ridge. They’re not always mutually exclusive.
Kayla Rudbek
@twbrandt: yeah I remember one of the museums there had something about 1/4 of the modern Iceland population is descended from a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic bishop