Iceland and Norway

[tonysmith]

Hello All

I have decided to take a vacation in Iceland and Norway sometime next year. That's as far as my planning has got. My objectives are to have the opportunity to take some great photographs while making sure my wife, a tolerant non-photographer, has a wonderful vacation. I have started to look at travel guides and am overwhelmed by the choices, all of which I cannot possibly cover in two/three weeks.

I would very much appreciate your opinions/advice on the most important "must see"s, "must do"s and "when"s to meet both my objectives.

Many thanks in advance

Tony

[Lisa Nikodym]

I've been to both, but didn't care much for Iceland (unlike most photogs here in this forum, I know), so I won't comment on it.

Norway, however, I've been to a couple of times, and I love it.  The most photogenic part (by far, in my opinion) is the Lofoten Islands.   They're above the arctic circle, which is good because it adds to their allure, but is bad because it can take quite awhile to get there by plane or ferry.  Still well worth it, in my opinion.   (On my web site, see link below, I have a bunch of photos from there if you want to see how stunning it looks.)  If you go there, you should try to stay in a "rorbu": fisherman's cabin converted to tourist lodging, out on piers between the high tide and low tide mark - very cool!  The main tourist season there is high summer, and many of the lodgings and restaurants are closed most of the rest of the year, but there will always be a few open.  (I think there's also a tourist season in spring sometime, when recreational fishermen arrive for some sort of fish season.)  I was there in late September, and saw only one other tourist in my entire week there.

Link to my Norway photos:
http://www.stanford.edu/~melkor/lisa_pictures/NEurope.html

Norway's western fjord region is also very beautiful.  We rented a car and drove around various parts of it for a week.  No one part was particularly "don't miss" compared with the rest, except maybe Geiranger Fjord to Trollstigen.  We were there at the end of May, and the Trollstigen highway had just opened for the summer that week, with scenic bits of snow still on the ground; earlier in the season it's unlikely to be open yet.  Various other roads also close for the winter, so it's probably best to visit there in the summer.  I don't know if you're from the U.S. or elsewhere, but the roads are slower and twistier than one is accustomed to here in the U.S., so allow plenty of time to get from place to place (especially with all the roadside stops for stunning views that you're bound to make...).

So, those are the two parts of Norway I would recommend.  If you only have time for one, I'd choose the Lofotens if you can stomach the long travel time to get there.

We found the food in Norway and Iceland restaurants (outside Oslo, anyway) to be strongly bimodal - either quite wonderful or barely mediocre, depending on where you eat - almost all the good ones were in nice hotels, while other places (usually pizza, burgers, etc.) generally were mediocre.  Stick with nice hotel restaurants when you can!

Lisa

[tonysmith]

I've been to both, but didn't care much for Iceland (unlike most photogs here in this forum, I know), so I won't comment on it.

Lisa

Many thanks for your response. The area you suggested sounds beautiful, as evidenced by your great photographs. The distance is a challenge, but I will give this serious thought.

I would be very interested to learn why you did not care much for Iceland. Perhaps we are kindred spirits and your experience will help me avoid a mistake.

Regards

Tony

[Lisa Nikodym]

I would be very interested to learn why you did not care much for Iceland. Perhaps we are kindred spirits and your experience will help me avoid a mistake.

I'm not sure I can adequately describe why.  Norway, despite being "arctic-y", felt beautiful rather than desolate to me.  Iceland just felt desolate.  It  felt like a windy, damp version of the less scenic parts of Nevada to me.  Plains of ugly volcanic gravel, and difficult weather to deal with (either windy, or foggy drizzle, most of the week I was there).  Admittedy, I've talked with a friend who enjoyed Iceland much more than me, who said that the part I saw, Keflavik to Hofn, was a less scenic part than some others.  I get the impression that Norway would appeal more to straight-up nature photographers, while Iceland would appeal more to those who prefer more semi-abstract landscape photos.

Iceland did have some great waterfalls, though, with a variety of interesting features about them.  Norway has large waterfalls too, but mostly of a more standard variety.

Lisa

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Lisa,

I think you missed the best parts of Iceland, and probably the best times of year to be there. My wife and I were there once in 1974 for three weeks in late June and early July, and it was quite magnificent. Keflavik is truly ugly, but most of the rest we found quite beautiful.

We spent two weeks on a tour with a hiking club that took us around to some lovely places on or near the south coast. Among my favorites were Thorsmörk, a bit inland near the Myrdalsjökull, the village of Vik with its stunning black sand beaches and puffin colonies, the thermal areas at Landmannalaugur and at Geysir (where the younger one, Strokkur, erupts more frequently than the old, original Geysir), the Vatnajökull and Skaftafell National Park, the many waterfalls along the way, including Gullfoss, and an excursion to Thingvellir, where the mid-Atlantic rift cuts through Iceland.

After that tour, we flew to Akureyri, "Capitol of the North", and explored near Myvatn (the aptly named "midge lake"). This was at the height of good birding season, and we saw zillions oif birds of all sorts, close up and personal. I am just now finally scanning some of my Kodachromes from the trip and I hope to put them on my website soon.

In Norway I haven't been to the Lofoten Islands, but I have heard that they are great. Having driven the Trollstigen road, I agree with you about that and Geiranger Fjord. I would add the town of Ålesund on the west coast, together with the islands nearby. The view from the Aksla restaurant viewpoint is spectacular.

Eric

[joedecker]

I have decided to take a vacation in Iceland and Norway sometime next year. That's as far as my planning has got. My objectives are to have the opportunity to take some great photographs while making sure my wife, a tolerant non-photographer, has a wonderful vacation. I have started to look at travel guides and am overwhelmed by the choices, all of which I cannot possibly cover in two/three weeks.

I'm preparing for my first winter trip there, which will be my third trip.  late Jan-early Feb, it'll be an Adventure.  Don't start with that.  

Depending on what your wife finds interesting in a vacation (does hiking and natural sightseeing appeal), my answers might be different.  I tend to prefer being away from big civilization, most of the stuff within few hours of Reykjavik didn't appeal to me.  Along the South Coast I enjoyed Skatfafell NP and Jökulsárlón particuularly.  Jökulsárgljúfur National Park is remote and deeply desolate (I like that) has one of the most amazing river canyons I've seen, and is within close range of Myvatn (mentioned here elsewhere), some steam vents, a volcanic cone, etc, and is where I'd stay to explore Jökulsárgljúfur.  4WD rec'd for that trip.

Expect waterfalls everywhere, particularly in the East and South.

Half of my images from Iceland were taken on-the-fly as weather conditions changed, but that's very much the nature of my images, I like complex, changing light.  Expect some weather challenges, although from having talked to nniko here at length I suspect she had much worse conditions that I've encountered.

Iceland's major tourist season is early June to mid-September, we've been there sort of at the beginning and end but not in high tourist.   June is roughly speaking "spring" for flowers, autumn is mid-September to mid-October I'd guess.  I've circled the island but haven't really explored the interior, I've also been out to the Westfjords (for the Latrabjarg bird cliffs), but I'm not really a bird guy (still: http://www.rockslidephoto.com/gallery.php?gallery=20 )

In June, in North Iceland, you won't see dark.  Some of those puffins were taken near midnight.

There aren't a lot in the way of entertainment services, shopping, etc., outside of Reykjavik and to a lesser extent Akureyri.  

landscape linkage:  http://www.rockslidephoto.com/gallery.php?gallery=15

Hope this helps!

Joe

[tonysmith]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have a much better focus on this trip now. Here's what I'm thinking:

Fly (from Toronto) to Oslo for a couple of days, then train to Alesund and rent a car. Several days based in Alesund to explore Geiranger and other fjords. Then two days to drive up coast through Kristiansand to Trondheim. Couple of days in Trondheim then leave car behind and fly to Bodo and take ferry to Lofoton Islands. Few days in Lofoten then fly back to Oslo. Wife will return to Canada from Oslo via London to visit friends. I will return via Reykjavic so I can spend a few days on my own photographing in Iceland. I'm thinking June.

Would appreciate any further comments or advice on this plan. Am I too ambitious?

You all have some wonderful photographs.

Regards

Tony

[stever]

Great photos, Lisa.

Planning a Spitzbergen cruise mid-July and looking for things to see and do in northern Norway before the cruise.  

Is it best to fly or take a ferry to the Lofotens and rent a car?  How long would you reccomend staying there?

Having trouble getting good advice from travel agent.  Thanks

[Lisa Nikodym]

Fly (from Toronto) to Oslo for a couple of days, then train to Alesund and rent a car. Several days based in Alesund to explore Geiranger and other fjords. Then two days to drive up coast through Kristiansand to Trondheim. Couple of days in Trondheim then leave car behind and fly to Bodo and take ferry to Lofoton Islands. Few days in Lofoten then fly back to Oslo. Wife will return to Canada from Oslo via London to visit friends. I will return via Reykjavic so I can spend a few days on my own photographing in Iceland. I'm thinking June.

Would appreciate any further comments or advice on this plan. Am I too ambitious?

I'm not sure, but I fear you may be overestimating how far you can drive in a day and still have time to do anything else (regarding the Alesund to Trondheim portion).  It's been about ten years since I've been there, so I don't recall exactly how far we were going typically, but I do recall that driving from Lom to Andalsnes (via Geiranger & Trollstigen) was a very long day: including a stop for a meal at Geiranger and a stop for an hour or two hike, plus miscellaneous roadside photo stops, it took us something like 12 hours.  I suggest you compare that with how far your schedule assumes.

I think June would be a great month for it.

One more comment: in general, the more southwest you go in the Lofotens, the more scenic the landforms.  If you stay in one place, try to pick somewhere on the two most southwest islands if you can.  (We stayed a week, split between the biggest town Svolvaer and some smaller town closer to the southwest.)

Is it best to fly or take a ferry to the Lofotens and rent a car? How long would you reccomend staying there?

To the Lofotens, most people take the ferry.  We were already in the airline system, so we opted to fly between Bodo & the Lofotens, which worked out fine too; it was a pretty small plane, with stricter-than-usual limits on carry-on weight and size because of it.  (We wore our hiking boots on the plane to get them not subject to the weight limits. :-) )  You definitely want a car to get around there; just be warned that rental cars can be very expensive in Norway.

If you're the sort of traveler who likes to just get a smattering of the high points and then head to the next place, a couple of days would be enough.  I'd recommend something more like five days for everyone else.

Lisa

[tonysmith]

I'm not sure, but I fear you may be overestimating how far you can drive in a day and still have time to do anything else (regarding the Alesund to Trondheim portion).

Thanks, Lisa. Google maps gives me seven hours between Alesund and Trondheim, which I had planned to spread over two days. However I think you are right that there will be distractions along the way, and maybe some waits for ferries, so I will plan for three days.

Tony

[Lisa Nikodym]

However I think you are right that there will be distractions along the way, and maybe some waits for ferries, so I will plan for three days.

Yes,  I forgot to mention the waits for ferries.  That adds to driving time too.  Three days sounds better.

If you do Geiranger as a day trip from Alesund, that might be a very long day too.  I haven't done that particular drive, so I'm not sure, but hopefully you've checked google maps' driving time for that one too.  We went on a great short hike on one of the mountains overlooking Geiranger Fjord, starting from near the pass on one of the roads leading out of the fjord.  I don't remember where we found a description of the trail, unfortunately (but I remember the directions started with "start across the road from the blue cabin"!).  A web search, or hiking book, or asking the locals might help you find it.

If you're interesting in hiking, a note about Norwegian hiking trails (at least in my limited experience there):  There aren't very many.  In many scenic places, you just tromp cross-country wherever you feel like, as the Norwegians do.  There are a few "official" trails here & there, but most are poorly-defined "routes", not well-developed trails like you find in the U.S.   That's OK, just wear hiking boots and head in the right general direction!  (A map helps.)  If you have the right attitude and don't waste all your time looking for the "trail", you'll do fine...

Lisa