A Memorable Trip
Time of the travel: August 21 through September 1, 2019 Number of travelers: 3 couples - all seniors Custom made itinerary: Worked with Kjartan to fine tune my itinerary with his knowledge and experience. He patiently worked with me to answer my countless questions to come up with an itinerary. Transportation: The van was big enough to accommodate all 6 of us with adequate luggage space Flexibility: Kjartan was flexible and we left each morning after sufficient rest. Some days we left @ 9, 9:30 or even @ 10 AM. He stopped for a break at any time we requested, never rushing us. Sightseeing: All the sites that we had agreed upon and a few more, the ones he thought we should see. We saw beautiful waterfalls, Glaciers, Lakes, Craters, Rock Formations, hot springs, Landscapes, Museums, a Stone Museum. Did a Glacier hike, had a Glacier Lagoon boat ride, whale watching, visited a tomato farm. Took a dip in the Blue Lagoon..... Hotels: Him and I had come up with the hotels to stay in. All of them were clean, comfortable with decent breakfast. Some of them had small rooms and small bathrooms/showers, which I think is a norm in Europe. Lunches: We stopped for lunch whenever we wished. Some of the restaurants we stopped at were on my selected list, some he picked to cater to the need of vegetarian food of my fellow travelers Dinners: Kjartan was kind enough to join us for dinner in Reykjavik even though he had not seen his family for more than week. Northern Lights: On Aug 31st night, Kjartan picked us up at 10 PM, drove about an hour out of Reykjavik to show us the Northern Lights. We could see waves of very faint very very light grey formations.with naked eye. He adjusted our cameras for appropriate time exposure and took pictures. These pictures were able to capture the different color lights. He dropped us at the hotel around 1 AM and then went home. The bottom line: Kjartan kept his promises - I had asked that he be the guide and the driver - He did that. He showed us everything we had agreed to and more. He was personable, never impatient, always answered our questions, had sense of humor, knew the history and geography of Iceland, never got lost, took the alternate route when required depending on the weather and wind conditions. It truly was a memorable trip.