My First Adventure With Road Scholar: A Long Weekend in Iceland
- Lorrie Davis discovered Road Scholar through a chance encounter and soon found herself in Iceland. Lorrie was initially a little nervous about traveling solo, but she quickly found her groove within the comfort of her group.
- Together, they explored sites like the Blue Lagoon, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and the city of Reykjavik. Along the way, they learned about Iceland’s geothermal features, which create fascinating natural wonders as well as sources of energy.
- The adventure was full of new experiences, including new weather conditions. A Los Angeles resident, the cold and ice weren’t something Lorrie
Several years ago, on my way home from a trip to visit family, I sat next to a woman on the plane who was on her way home from a Road Scholar program. Her enthusiasm about the experience motivated me to look into Road Scholar. I had recently retired and was interested in traveling more, but I didn’t always have a partner to travel with, and I was intrigued by Road Scholar’s solo travel options. When I browsed through the programs on the website, one in particular caught my attention: A Long Weekend in Iceland: From Reykjavik to the Golden Circle. I had heard a few things about Iceland, but I didn’t know much about it. I thought of it as a mysterious but beautiful place. So, I signed up.
Not only was this my first program with Road Scholar, but I was also a bit nervous about traveling solo. My nervousness subsided when I arrived at the airport. When leaving the customs area, I saw our Group Leader Sigrun Jonsdottir standing there with a Road Scholar sign to greet me. Sigrun was born and raised in Iceland — it was great to learn about the country from someone who knows it so well.
Once everyone arrived, we boarded the coach and the adventure began. I felt comfortable right away. Everyone was friendly and excited about the experience.
Viking World and the Blue Lagoon
Our first stop on our whirlwind adventure was the Viking World museum, which celebrates and preserves Iceland’s Viking heritage. We had breakfast at the museum and started to get to know each other. I was pleased to find that I wasn’t the only solo traveler in the group.
Due to the weather, we were delayed a bit before moving on. It was cold and icy. Being from Los Angeles, this is not something that I was used to. But Road Scholar was very helpful in providing clothing and packing recommendations, so I was prepared. I particularly appreciated the suggestion to bring traction devices such as Yak Trax for our shoes. They were perfect for walking on the icy surfaces. I had never even heard of them before.
After our breakfast at Viking World, we traveled to the Blue Lagoon, a very popular geothermal spa.
Waterfalls and Volcanos
My favorite parts of the program were the inspiring views of the volcanoes and waterfalls. All of them were snow- and ice-covered at the time.
As an introduction to the volcanoes, we explored the LAVA Centre. It has fascinating high-tech interactive exhibits depicting volcanic activities, earthquakes and the creation of Iceland. We then caught a view of the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which is known for several major eruptions, including a series in 2010 that caused disruption of air traffic throughout Europe for almost a week.
Iceland has many stunning waterfalls. Our visit included two of its most popular waterfalls: Skógafoss, one of the largest in the country, and Gullfoss.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
One of the most interesting places along our journey was Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. We have beaches here in California, but none like this one.
Iceland has many black sand beaches, but Reynisfjara is considered one of the most noteworthy. It has amazing basalt column formations along with the Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks just offshore. The black sand is the result of past volcanic activity. It comes from lava that cooled down after hitting the cold Atlantic waters. Over time, the lava turned into small volcanic rocks, which eventually weathered into tiny particles of sand.
Although Reynisfjara is beautiful, our Group Leader warned us before we got off the coach that we shouldn’t go near the water because of “sneaker waves.” At Reynisfjara, sneaker waves come in much further than other waves, are incredibly powerful and can quickly sweep an adult out to sea.
Reykjavik, the Capital City
Our program ended in Iceland’s capital and largest city, Reykjavik.
On the way to Reykjavik, we visited Thingvellir National Park, site of Iceland’s original parliament, established in 930. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is located on the meeting point of the North American and Eurasian continental plates.
The next day, we went to the Hellisheiði power plant, the largest geothermal power plant in Iceland and the second largest in the world. We learned how geothermal energy is used throughout the country.
While in Reykjavik, we made a brief visit to Hallgrímskirkja, the large church that is often seen in photos of the city. We also visited the observation deck of the Perlan museum. It has beautiful 360° views of Reykjavík and the surrounding area.
Our last stop was the National Museum of Iceland. We explored the museum with an expert, who explained the nation’s history and culture to us.
Thingvellir National Park
Farewell to Iceland and New Friends
The program ended with a farewell dinner before our flights back home the next morning. The dinner was an opportunity to enjoy the company of our new friends, and to look back on our adventure in Iceland. We came away with fond memories and lots of new information about its history and geology.
This program made a solo international adventure possible for me and gave me the chance to meet new people in a place like nowhere else on Earth. I, for one, will always remember the program and the magnificent sites and experiences of Iceland.
Lorrie Davis is a retired engineer and now spends as much of her time as she can traveling and playing golf. Since her first program to Iceland with Road Scholar, she has traveled on nine more Road Scholar adventures.
