ICELAND ON MY MIND October 10, 2025
Recently, Carolyn and I spent two weeks in Iceland. We went with Overseas Adventure Travel, which takes small groups almost everywhere. Our main guide Begga was fabulous!
We met two main objectives and enjoyed many more experiences. Objective one: See puffins.
We went to the Westman Islands, volcanic outcroppings 40 minutes by ferry off Iceland’s south coast. (FYI: All Iceland is volcanic.) Westman Islanders live on a single island, Heimaey—five square miles, population 4,400, all in one town. Other, smaller islands emerged at different times from a fissure between the Eurasian and North American plates when lava rose and cooled.
Heimaey’s fishing harbor was saved during the eruption in 1973 that covered half the town in lava. The U.S. military supplied water pumps for spraying sea water on the encroaching molten lava, which cooled and hardened. Stories told by our guides and local people demonstrated a close-knit, determined population responding heroically, sending most residents off to the mainland and preventing loss of life.
Outside Heimaey, a lookout point exposed to wind and rain—common Icelandic weather—enabled us to observe puffins which, fortunately, hadn’t left the island with winter oncoming.
Puffins are cartoony-looking birds with rounded black-and-white bodies; prominent beaks in black, gold and red-orange; and large, webbed feet—also red-orange.
We saw many dozens of puffins emerge from their nests burrowed into the hillside. They dove into the ocean and returned with small, silver fish—likely herring—in their beaks. Amazingly, some posed for photos.
Larger birds—white, long-beaked gannets—tried to steal the fish. But puffins, maneuvering in the air like Star Wars fighters, easily eluded their pursuers.
Our second objective: the northern lights (aurora borealis). Carolyn had seen them in Alaska. I never had.
In Akureyri, “capital of the north” and a wonderful coastal city of 20,000, we were on call to be wakened by our hotel if the lights appeared. Our phone rang after midnight. We rushed out. Nothing. We returned to bed. The next morning, some of our travel mates told us that the lights appeared about two minutes after we went upstairs. They had photos.
Given all the wonderful things we saw and experienced, the trip would not have been a letdown having not seen the aurora. We put our feet on the ground to see volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, hot-water pools, black-sand beaches, horse farms and terrific towns with terrific people. Also, terrific food—great cod and lamb. And, great ice cream and licorice/chocolate bars.
Carolyn lived a dream and rode an Icelandic horse.
On our last night in Reykjavik, the capital, the phone rang. We rushed outside. We saw the northern lights over the horizon, lines of green with red at the bottom. Not as spectacular as in Reykjavik’s planetarium but thrilling.
Iceland was crowded with tourists and is very expensive, but our trip was wonderful. We loved meeting Icelanders on their turf—or lava. Connecting with others if even for a few minutes boosts your faith that people can understand and appreciate each other, and so live in peace.
Many Americans in powerful positions would do well to explore foreign soil beyond palaces, legislative buildings and embassies. They could speak with “ordinary” people. Such experiences might create a United States, whose citizens live more peacefully with one another.
I’ll provide thoughts on the Israel-Hamas agreements—such as they may be carried out—next Friday.
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