Going A-Viking: Itinerary

A long long time ago, in a pre-Pandemic galaxy, we decided to join our friends Laurie and Maggie on a Viking cruise around the Baltic.

Fast forward.

Covid hit. Viking Voyages went into hibernation. Russia invaded Ukraine. Goodbye, St. Petersburg and nyet to the Hermitage. On the plus side, the delay allowed us to organize a 17-day driving tour around Iceland to kick off the trip. Below are the details on both itineraries.

Iceland: Lava flows, waterfalls, and rare gene pools

Other than active plate tectonics, volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, and other natural wonders, Iceland’s history is fascinating. Iceland was uninhabited when it was discovered sometime around the year 700. There was a rush of settlement in the 900s, mostly Norwegian adventurers, Vikings, and dispossessed younger sons seeking their fortune.

Oh, and slaves. Lots of slaves. Women and men, mostly captured from Ireland and England by marauding Vikings.

Pretty soon the limit on how many people the island could support was reached, and immigration ceased. Since then, the Icelanders have mixed chromosomes with almost no one but themselves. So in addition to tourists, Iceland welcomes hordes of geneticists prowling the highways and byways of this extremely rare gene pool.

We are doing a standard “Full Circle with Leisure” self-driving tour around Iceland’s ring road, with stops in 12 scenic areas. The tour is organized by NordicVisitor.com, who grab you at the airport, get you your rental car, book hotels for your entire stay, then dump you back at the airport to leave. They also have a lot of info on the attractions, so to save everyone time I’ve just copied their lists and links below.

1. Reykjavík – The capital of Iceland, Reykjavík or ‘Steamy Cove’, named after its geothermal location. We are hoping to see the latest geothermal event, the currently erupting volcano, as we fly in and out.
2. Gullfoss, Þingvellir, Geysir, Kerið
3. Hekla, Þjórsárdalur, Gjáin Valley
4. Seljalandsfoss, Fjaðrárgljúfur, Vík Í Mýrdal, Skógafoss, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Seljavallalaug, Skógar, Reynisfjara & Reynisdrangar, Dyrhólaey
5. Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Svartifoss, Diamond Beach
6. Egilsstaðir & Lagarfljót, Búlandstindur, Djúpivogur, Fáskrúðsfjörður
7. Borgarfjörður Eystri, Seyðisfjörður, Bakkagerði
8. Lake Mývatn, Dimmuborgir, Krafla & Leirhnjúkur, Námafjall, Mývatn Nature Baths, Krafla & Leirhnjúkur
9. Second Day In Lake Myvatn Area
10. Akureyri, Goðafoss, Skagafjörður, Hrísey, Siglufjörður, Dalvík
11. Hraunfossar & Barnafoss, Deildartunguhver, Borgarfjörður
12. Arnarstapi, Hellnar, Búðir, Dritvík Cove, Kirkjufell, Snæfellsjökull National Park
13. Reykjanes Peninsula, Hvalfjörður

Viking Homelands Cruise

This map was cribbed from the Viking website here.

1. Bergen, Norway – a historic city called the “Capital of Fjords”
2. Eidfjord, Norway – more mountains and fjords
3. Stavanger, Norway – historic cobblestoned town
4. Oslo, Norway – The capital city, home to many museums including the Munch Museum
5. Ålborg, Denmark – historic town with a castle. Marida has opted for a paid excursion to “A Day in the Life of a Viking”
6. Copenhagen, Denmark – home to the Little Mermaid statue. Considered “wonderful” by Danny Kaye. Marida will be spirited off by bus on a paid excursion to Roskilde Viking Ship Museum & Cathedral
7. Berlin (Warnemünde), Germany – OK, so Berlin is NOT a coastal city and we cannot access it by Viking Cruises. Nonetheless that’s on the itinerary to make up for losing St. Petersberg
8. Bornholm (Rønne), Denmark – old town with a medieval center
9. Gdańsk, Poland – this will be extra cool as Maggie is Polish so we’ll have a “local” guide! It will be short-lived, however, since Terri and I have opted for a paid excursion to Stutthof Concentration Camp.
10. This day was supposed to be Tallinn, Estonia, but was switched to Mariehamn, Åland Islands. Another fallout from Ukraine? Maybe
11. Stockholm, Sweden – we have a full day here and fly home the next day