I am into the touring phase of my life, meaning I want someone else to do all the research, booking and planning work. I’ve had pretty good luck with Road Scholar – the old Elder hostel – especially loving the educational component. Also I love someone else feeding me for 6 to 10 days.
Well last January the winter weather was getting to me and I realized I’m getting closer to increased illnesses that come with old age and need to start making a dent in the IRA money. So I booked some trip with Road Scholar and decided to do a ‘tour’ to see the northern lights with the local public TV group.
The public TV station was using Collette Tours for their Iceland trip. I just had to get me and my suitcase to Grand Rapids and relax. I had some apprehension about the trip as I knew it would be a West Michigan group (there were reasons I moved from Grand Rapids to a more liberal, less religious environment). After the pre trip event I realized many people on this tour had never been out of the country, were naive about foreign cultures. Also we weren’t given details about the trip until 2 weeks before departure. I had no ideal about the air route and only vague generalizations about our activities. I was used to Road Scholar’s detailed itineraries found on their webpage.
When I got the details I discovered we were flying Grand Rapids, Detroit, JFK, Iceland. and I first day we arrived at 8 am but couldn’t check into the hotel till 3. Breakfast was on our own, city tour, lunch on our own, some afternoon time, and a welcome dinner with the group after hotel check in. I did research ahead of time and realized this was the only time we would be where there were plenty of stores. Icelandic yarn and licorice were my purchase needs. Need I say it was a long exhausting day after endless walking through several airports. The evening boat trip to see northern lights cancelled due to clouds.
The first day we received detailed itineraries from our tour leader, a fresh-faced Indiana girl. Lots of driving, lots of stops. Our Reykjavík Hotel couldn’t accomodate the bus in front for unloading so it stopped a few blocks away and suitcases were loaded into a small van and driven to the hotel. We walked.
Next day off to see half of the wonders of Iceland and to our next hotel on the outskirts of Vik.
We had been instructed to bring waterproof overpants and yaktraks for slippery walks. That was in the pretrip instructions. Luggage was now in the bottom of the bus and we weren’t given guidance the night before about trail conditions. So we didn’t have the right stuff to wear for the walk to Gullfoss. It was downhill and slippery. I’m terribly afraid of falling and breaking anything – when you get older it means the downward decline starts.
Lots of time spent in the bus, not much time getting the feel of the land.
I knew the Vik hotel was 5 kilometers outside of town so no chance to walk around that little town. The evening program was a short introduction about the hotel from the new owner, meh. Then out for a drive to see northern lights. We did this each night and the best we got was a sort of white haze on the horizon. In retrospect not sure why we had to drive out when our hotel was pretty much in the dark. We never found a spot with total darkness as there were always bus lights, another bus, vehicles coming and going, the lights of the restroom building. Think it was done so we would feel better about their efforts.
Next days had a lot of bus time, 30 minute stop here, 40 minutes to go see the glacier which was only enough if you speedwalked, and photo-op only stops. Note how I want to see a place. Well I saw it, but didn’t experience it.
Breakfast and dinners were buffet. I knew I wouldn’t have a problem with food as I like northern European food. Being a vegetarian I wasn’t going to eat the horse meat anyway. Loved the dense rye breads and crispbreads just bursting with seeds.
A bit about the group. My apprehensions were confirmed and worse actually. It was a rather immature group with loud women just like junior high. And the driver stocked the bus with water and beer. For the first time in his experience he ran out of beer; two couples couldn’t seem to go without. And they were all too open about their politics going on about the immigrant problem. Couldn’t get them to shut up. Not the sort of people who I associate with public TV, you know fake news liberal media.
There was an odd incident that happened to me. At one stop I was standing speaking with our tour leader when I get smacked in the chest with an icy snowball! I was incredulous! What the f?! It was from a middle age guy in our group. What could he have been thinking as to why this would be a good idea? I’m not sure whether till this time I had even spoken with him at all. I told him he was an asshole (my fallback position). He started to apologize and tried to put his arm around my shoulder! Don’t these people pay attention to anything in the news? You keep your smarry hands off other people!
Tour is not going well. One evening the adventurous entertainment for the group is eating fermented shark with a shot of schnapps. Of course now the tour guests ham it up taking lots of cell phone videos. Gives the group something exciting and outrageous to post on Facebook.
More long bus rides. Blue Lagoon is very, very nice even if it does seem to be full of tourists. Reached Reykjavík and same song and dance unloading the bus and walking.
Had our final dinner and this night was the boat cruise searching for northern lights. Along evening…especially when we have to have our luggage outside our room door at 3:30 am, leaving for the airport at 4:30 am.
One member of our group seemed prone to accidents. On on black sand beach where we had a close up of the troll stone formation we were told about surprise waves and not to turn our back to the sea. Well Barbara, a professor of history and women’s studies, apparently didn’t listen, She walked past the wave line, turned around, and a big, big wave came crashing in a knocked her over. Some of our group ran to get her and keep her from being hit by another wave. She was drenched; it was cold and windy. Then on the boat cruise we got suited up in our what were like snowmobile outfits that made us very warm so we tried to get on deck. Top deck closed off due to an accident. They needed to clean up the blood! Whoa! Turns put Barbara tripped on the steps and injured herself. The boat had to turn around, head back to shore to have her taken to the hospital. I wondered about the safety of flying home on the same airplane as her.
It was an even longer trip home: Iceland, JFK, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids. Miles of walking through airports, long layovers. Really? That was the best Collette could arrange for a group of 43 people?
Iceland is very scenic. Very healthy looking inhabitants even though fruits and vegetables are relatively new dietary additions. It is expensive; t-shirts were running $40, breakfast that first day was $14 for skyr with a sprinkle of granola and blueberries. Reading a book now about an English woman, Sarah Moss, whose moved her family to Iceland for a year-long teaching job. Filling in a lot of info that I didn’t get on the tour.
Oh yeah, I managed to get to Cafe Loki for some rye bread ice cream – delicious but $8 for a truly small size scoop with whipped cream and honey drizzle.
Might consider going back with Road Scholar. No more Colette trips. Oh yeah, never really saw northern lights other than a whitish cloud on the horizon.
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