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Iceland and Greenland 2026

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2026-07-17

The group went to the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, but I stayed in Reykjavík to explore more. I visited the Settlement Exhibition, which explores the settlement of Reykjavík. Information comes largely from archeological research because Iceland does not have a lot of recorded history. I also visited the Whale Museum, which I do not much recommend, but I did learn that sperm whales’ blowholes spray to the left rather than straight up.

Then I walked south from the city center, in search of more chocolate at Melabúðin grocery store, then the National Museum of Iceland, where I only had time to visit the gift shop, and then I met the group for lunch at Plantan Bístró.

In the afternoon, I had ice cream at Omnom and visited Flyover Iceland, which was not a bad experience.

Some observations from the trip so far. “Vík” means bay. “Reykjavík” means smoky bay. Iceland is expensive. More so than Norway, I think. The weather is unappealing. The street atmosphere in Reykjavík is placid. I did not see many pedestrians, outside of tourist streets. There is definitely activity, but it is not thronging, especially compared to US cities of similar size.

In the evening we had a farewell dinner and presentation for the main tour. The presentation was largely a recap of the tour. Our trip leader had been photographing and videoing and doing a pretty good job of that without being noticed.

Reykjavík.

Settlement Exhibition.

The remains of a hall in Reykjavík (underneath a modern building), inhabited about 930 to 1000 CE.

Settlement Exhibition.

Entrance to the hall. There is a turf wall nearby that was built before 871±2 CE, which, if my memory is correct, they know from volcanic eruptions laying down residue.