The Iceland Cruise sailed a total of : 1,013.5 nautical miles or 1,877 kilometers or 1,166 miles around Iceland; not a complete circumnavigation. The total distance may not have been long but the amount of tours and sights passengers enjoyed on a one-week cruise was amazing. And now, the time is near, and as we face the final curtain…it was time to disembark in Hafnarjordour where the cruise began.
Tauck Tour guests were given color-coded baggage tags. Red for Grand Hotel guests, Blue for Hilton Nordica guests, and Purple for those going to the airport.We received purple tags. Our suitcases would go along with those flying out this afternoon and the B&B Keflavik Airport Hotel would pick us up from there. All suitcases with tags had to be outside cabins by 6:00a, and all passengers had to vacate cabins by 8:00a, no time for lolly-gagging around.
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ports of call on L’Austral Iceland cruise
roomy cabins on L’Austral ship
One last busy day with a few last tours planned. All passengers disembarked the beautiful L’Austral where the trip began one week ask, in Hafnarfjorour Port. I was very impressed that Captain Lemaire stood at the foot of the gangway and shook hands with every passenger; one of the first (if not only) times I’ve ever seen that!
L’Austral Captain Lemaire saying goodbye to all passengers, Iceland
lake in a lava field, Iceland
cotton grass in Iceland
Our Tauck Tours bus left at 8:15a, stopped somewhere for guests to take photos of a lake in a lava field and then made a longer stop at Seltun Geothermal Area about 30 minutes from Reykjavik. The area got its name from the old mansion and church site of Krysruvík which was abandoned in the Eleventh Century after lava ran over the area. Sulphur mining began in this Geothermal Area and was exported abroad from Hafnarfjordur in the Eighteenth Century. There is a definite egg-y, sulphur smell.
map of Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
TravelsWithSheila on boardwalk at Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
Boardwalks and trails lead around a cluster of hot springs, steaming vents, mud pots and solfataras (volcanic vents) that are so beautifully colored. Absolutely do not leave the paths at Seltun; it is a highly unstable area. Heat coming from the magma chamber below is 1200℃/2192℉. Can you imagine? Cool ground water seeps down to where it is heated by magma. On its way up to the surface again, the hot water dissolves various substances in the rock (I should think so at that heat), begins to boil and releases hot spring gases. Sulphur then forms at steam vents and where gases rise through surface water, sulphuric acid is produced (wow) which dissolves rock, and produces mud pools.
Marked hiking trails lead from here but let me give a shortened version of what todays guide said about Iceland walking and hiking, “Icelander’s use all their senses when out for a walk. Iceland’s clear air makes distances look closer than they actually are; Always carry water, cell/mobile phone for emergencies, and warm clothing; Listen to the sounds around and underneath your feet. The volcanic ground is unstable, a hot spot can give way just like that, and Iceland is prone to earthquakes and eruptions.”
steam, hot springs and mud holes, Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
steam vents in Sulfurous Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
Seltun Hot Springs is both impressive and beautiful and being so close to Reykjavik is definitely worth a trip.
bubbling mud pool at Seltun Geothermal Area, Iceland
While driving to the Blue Lagoon, today’s local guide passed around two small pairs of shoes; one pair made from fish skin, the other from cow skin and told a few interesting facts about how they were used. Neither shoe had inside padding so people had to knit their own and stuff shoes with different materials to make them more comfortable. And fish skin shoes get slippery when wet and must dry on feet or they will lose their shape.