2019 Greece & Iceland - Iceland

Folks, We are now on our way to Edinburgh after 2 days in London. Iceland exceeded expectations, with its wide open spaces and mountainous terrain.
We arrived in Reykjavik on a Tuesday and picked up a almost new Kia Sorrento and headed out on our journey for 7 nights, traveling around the coast. First stop was the Tour office to get the tablet with our itinerary and maps working. Then it was time for lunch in downtown Reykjavik. 2 Bowls of soup with crusty bread, and a walk to the icicle shaped main city church and tourist shops.
We then routed the tablet to the Blue Lagoon Hot Spring. It took us back to the airport! A  helpful tour guide put us back on the right path, but by that time it was 4pm and with an entry fee of $140 each we decided not to enter the spa.  We were also 1 hour from the 1st hotel and due in by 6pm. We did manage to get to another hot springs /spa later in the trip.
Day 2 we visited 2 waterfalls and visited Geysir (where the name came from) and witnessed the real thing. A black volcanic beach with sneaky waves was also visited. We did see another tourist get wet feet!

Once outside Reykjavik there is a stark volcanic landscape with tidy red & white houses dotting the valleys. Small, well maintained churches are in every community, but these are now poorly attended as we found out. Every hotel was clean and the staff spoke English. Sheep and horses were everywhere.

The 3rd day we went for a Zodiac tour of a glacial lagoon at Jokulsarlon. Saw a piece of the Glacier calve and dodged icebergs at high speed in the Zodiac. Reminded us of Antarctic. It was quite chilly despite the heavy dry suits provided.

The 4th day was waterfalls everywhere as we drove between the sea and the mountains along the east coast. Here we went through our first tunnel under a mountain. It was only 5 kms long. A latter one on the last day was 7 kms, and went down under a fiord.
We were now at the top of Iceland. Here we booked a whale watching and puffin tour on a RIB. For 2.5 hours we stood in the open in a saddle seat on the boat in the mandatory dry suit and life jacket with 2 crew and 12 other tourists. It too was fast, and we manged to see (but not get many good photos) a sperm whale, a couple of minke whales, and a fin/blue hybrid. We also saw several hundred puffins, but again taking pictures of flying birds is an art.

Our hotsping visit included cold showers, sauna, and a silky feel to the sulphur water in the pool. A nude shower was required for everyone entering,and towels & bathing suits could be rented. We took our own and got a senior discount.

The 2nd last day we saw Dettifoss waterfall, the largest by volume in Europe,and went for a 3 hour hike around a horseshoe canyon at Asbyrgi. Myth suggests this canyon was formed by an 8 legged horse owned by Odin.
On the final day we visited a turf house over 400 years old. Food storage and preparation occupied most of the rooms with only 2 reserved for sleeping. Remember Iceland has little sunshine in winter. While we were there the sun rose at 03:06 and set at 23:26 in Vidhimryri.
Our last day in Reykjavik we got in early and had a nice vegan meal downtown near our hotel with all the other tourists who have taken over Reykjavik. With a population of only 500 thousand and over 2 million tourists visiting, apparently few Icelander can afford or bother to go downtown anymore!