REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The Blue Lagoon, with its geothermally heated soaking pool and spa, is Iceland’s top tourist hotspot.
Yet, I may be the only person to have visited the island nation who never set foot (or other body parts) in the famed healing mineral water. I had too many other things I wanted to do and see, like seeking legendary elves and trolls who live in the moss-covered lava fields. (OK, I may have had some angst about baring my torso in a bathing suit.)
The small volcanic island in the North Atlantic formed from fire and ice should be a no-brainer destination for outdoors-obsessed Coloradans, who will find three national parks in which to roam. Iceland offers hiking, biking, ATV or Jeep tours, snowmobiling on glaciers, walking on glaciers, ice climbing, amphibian boating on a glacial lagoon filled with icebergs, cross-country skiing, bird watching, whale watching, fishing and riding Iceland’s special-breed horses. Vacationers also can soak in hot springs, watch spouting geysers and explore lava-tube caves.
Plus, there are so many waterfalls that my fellow travellers and I joked whenever we saw one: “Oh, nooo, not another waterfall!”
About two-thirds of Iceland’s 320,000 population is centred in Reykjavik, which means visitors are apt to see more sheep than people on a drive around the island. Tourists might go for miles without encountering an oncoming car (at least that was the case when I was there in mid-September). That’s a good thing on some roads off the main drag leading to nature’s wonders because they are single lane.
But there’s urban fun to be had, too. Reykjavik itself, dubbed the world’s “greenest city” because of its use of geothermal power, is a hip place with good coffee shops, bars and restaurants (you get used to seeing horse, whale and puffin, along with seafood and lamb, on menus). It also has a serious theatre, art galleries and museums, where you can learn about Vikings, volcanoes and northern lights.
Harpa, the city’s eye-popping landmark concert hall home to the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, anchors Reykjavik’s old harbour downtown. Its exterior of glass blocks were designed to resemble the basalt columns formed from lava and found throughout Iceland. Beams of light from the sea and sky dance through the outer layer of glass cubes, changing colour. Harpa, which cost an estimated $250 million to build, houses four concert halls and conference space. Construction was started shortly before the country’s financial collapse in 2008 and then halted. It eventually was completed in 2011 and, to Icelanders, represents the boldest symbol of the country’s economic recovery. “People reckon that the bottom has been reached, and we’re slowly climbing out,” said one local.
Since May 2012, Icelandair has been flying nonstop from Denver to Europe’s northernmost capital city, Reykjavik (if you think that’s not easy to pronounce — RAY-kya-Vick — don’t even try with some other Icelandic names. And, please, someone, explain why the town of Höfn is pronounced Hup. I know, I know. It has something to do with two little dots over the “o.”)
The flight from Denver International Airport to Keflavik International Airport (daily from June 2 to Sept. 9 and six days a week from Sept. 9 until the following June) takes about seven hours — tolerable. And to entice visitors to Iceland, the airline allows its passengers flying to one of more than 20 destinations in Europe to stay in Iceland for up to seven nights at no additional airfare cost. So, say you planned to fly Icelandair to Barcelona, you could stop off in Iceland for up to seven nights for the same airfare.