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Svalbard travel news with photos from Svalbard after fine weather forecast

To travel to Svalbard has been a big wish for me and my wife for several years. To refresh your memory of Svalbard it is the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago lying up in the Arctic far north of Norway (74° to 81° North,).
Svalbard is a rough country with much of the land surface covered by glaciers, [...]

Sailing on the Icefjord in Svalbard in beautiful weather, towards the glacier giving fine Svalbard photos. Photo Copyright

To travel to Svalbard has been a big wish for me and my wife for several years. To refresh your memory of Svalbard it is the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago lying up in the Arctic far north of Norway (74° to 81° North,).

Svalbard is a rough country with much of the land surface covered by glaciers, see Svalbard map below. Other parts of Svalbard is lying as barren slopes and hillsides with very little vegetation at all. The artic climate here is far too cold or at least the summers are too short to give trees a chance to live.

We had our travel to Svalbard just recently with a cheap travel possibility as we could use some SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) bonus points that otherwise would be lost. The beauty of this travel arrangement was that you only use a minimum of SAS bonus point when you as we travel from Denmark to other Scandinavian countries.

Svalbard map showing the full Svalbard Archipelago with glaciers and fjords and straits in the Artic Ocean.

In fact the drain in our stock of bonus points was very little as a SAS bonus travel from Copenhagen to Svalbard is only the same as a bonus travel from Copenhagen to Oslo. Oslo (the capital of Norway) is situated in the southern part of Norway, and Svalbard is as said far north to Norway in the Arctic Ocean. As SAS is a member of The Star Alliance cooperation you might be able to combine such a cheap artic adventure to one of your more traditional flights to one of the Scandinavian countries, for example from Germany, France, Italy or The Netherlands.

Just to finish these travel tips I should also mention that it was possible for us to go for a fine travel to Svalbard just with an extended weekend. We left Copenhagen (Kastrup airport) on Tuesday evening the 18. June and returned from Svalbard Sunday evening the 21. June.

Part of the island Spitzbergen of the Svalbard Archipelargo in the Arctic Ocean with the Icefjord.

We thought that we would be regarded as crazy travellers to go to Svalbard just for a weekend, but we learned in Svalbard that a lot of other visitors were going there in a similar way.

What we had expected though was that many people go to Svalbard for several weeks of discovery, by boat, hiking or otherwise. As you can see from the map the countryside of Svalbard isn’t that easy to around, and ships and boat cruises are the most convenient way of travel in this arctic archipelago.

As we stayed in Svalbard over the Midsummer days we had bright sunshine all night long and extremely wonderful sunshine during the days. The weather forecast for Svalbard isn’t really trustworthy, the locals underlined, but in our case the fine weather forecast I had found from home online kept its promise.

As you can see from my photos a sunny day in a ship on a calm day sailing at the Icefjord delivers unmatched beautiful views of the artic natural scenery.

When you arrive to Svalbard you will arrive to Longyearbyen with the international airport just nearby. Longyearbyen is the main settlement from old time and where most tourists will stay for a shorter or longer period. Longyearbyen has a number of hotels in all price categories; even the general price level isn’t cheap, dispite the fact that Svalbard is a tax-free zone of Norway. Due to the high transportation costs far out to Svalbard and probably low demand; the prices are as they are.

Snow scooters lined up for the summer in Longyearbyen in Svalbard

Svalbard is a magnet for bird watchers and other nature lovers, not to mention that Svalbard is one of the best places in the world to experience polar bears in true natural surroundings.

I should also mention tha Svalbard has an interesting history about miners, whalers and internatinal politics.

Find travel guides and travel book among many other books about Svalbard /Spitzbergen here.

In future posts I will go through many of our fantastic experiences during our short stay in Svalbard.

Travel to Iceland overview video – quick Iceland travel guide

See this video about what you can expect to experience when you travel to Iceland.
At our trip we didn’t see and experience everything shown in this video, but this is what you can manage to see in iceland in a two weeks trip with travel around on Iceland, and dwelling in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. [...]

See this video about what you can expect to experience when you travel to Iceland.

At our trip we didn’t see and experience everything shown in this video, but this is what you can manage to see in iceland in a two weeks trip with travel around on Iceland, and dwelling in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. Hope you can make a trip to Iceland this summer as Iceland is a cheap travel destination at the moment due to the financial crisis in Iceland.

Read more about Iceland (in Nordic languages ‘Island’) here.

Birding in Iceland – enjoy special birds

Iceland is a Mecca for birding.
Birdwatchers come from far away countries to enjoy the special birds of Iceland and the impressive landscape. You don’t need to leave the capital of Iceland Reykjavik to experience some interesting birds. The lake in the city, Tjörnin, is a good starting point for birding. In Tjörnin you will [...]

Iceland is a Mecca for birding.

Birdwatchers come from far away countries to enjoy the special birds of Iceland and the impressive landscape. You don’t need to leave the capital of Iceland Reykjavik to experience some interesting birds. The lake in the city, Tjörnin, is a good starting point for birding. In Tjörnin you will find a number of bird species you might not be used to observe in your own country.

For me, I have always enjoyed observing the yellow billed swan the Whooper Swan (Cygnus Cygnus) very close at this city lake. The lake holds plenty of whooper swans and you can easily observe their courtship behaviour and other aspects of their behaviour at the springtime.

When I visited Iceland last time in early spring (3.-7. April) the Tjörnin lake was full of wildfowls: swans, ducks, cormorants and gulls, all to be seen easily. I have during earlier visits enjoyed seeing the Icelandic speciality (a speciality from an European perspective) the diving duck Barro’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) but I wasn’t lucky to see it this time.

You are well helped to go to different birding localities if you buy the ‘Birdwatchers’s Map’, ‘Fuglakort’. This Birdwatchers’s Map’ is an overview of the birds of Iceland and includes some oversight maps of the best bird localities. The price of this birding in Island map was 1.290 Icelandic kroner.

I also bought the very detailed topographic map of Iceland ‘Naturturufarskort’, called ‘Gródurkort 1:500.000 that is also a vegetation map and therefore very useful for bird tours, too. The price of this Island map was 1.290 Icelandic kroner, too.

Birding in Iceland is really rewarding and I will post more about where to go bird watching near Reykjavik in future posts at IslandVacationTips.com .

You can buy these Icelandic maps at the rather large bookshop in the centre of Reykjavik.

Here, I also bought:

Icelandic Birds Guide of J´0hann Óli Hilmarsson with color photos of the Icelandic birds. Price 3.990 Icelandic kroner.
And
Birdwatching, in the series of books Iceland Nature Guides. By Helgi Gudmundsson and Jón Baldur Hlidberg. A fine little book, called a concise guide to the areas of Iceland of interest to the birdwatchers with brief descriptions of all Icelandic breeding birds. Price just 460 Icelandic kroner.

PS

Remember the Icelandic currency is very cheap at the moment – take advantage of it going to Iceland this spring and summer.

Iceland Island on stamps from Iceland

The title ‘Iceland Island on stamps‘ of this post might sound strange, but my recent travel to Iceland reminded me about my confusion as a little boy about names on Icelandic stamps and names of other islands. You can see the name Island on these old stamps beside.
In Icelandic language the name of Iceland is [...]

The title ‘Iceland Island on stamps‘ of this post might sound strange, but my recent travel to Iceland reminded me about my confusion as a little boy about names on Icelandic stamps and names of other islands. You can see the name Island on these old stamps beside.

In Icelandic language the name of Iceland is ‘Island’ and it is the same in Danish language. When I was a boy in Denmark in the late 50ties and early 60ties I liked to collect stamps like many other boys were doing.

As Denmark had a long connection to Iceland the stamps from Iceland were of cause much in my mind. From older collectors of stamps I was told that especially stamps from Iceland were valuable, like stamps from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands. These all came from countries and territories with very small populations.

On the stamps from Iceland the name of the nation was named ISLAND – of cause in their own Icelandic language. So for me ‘Island’ became the signal word for me when I was browsing through piles of used stamps from different sources.

It took me some time to learn and be acquainted with the reality that I found many other stamps from different parts of the world with ‘Island’ printed on the stamp – simply from some of the many other countries and territories that were ‘islands’. – And funny enough I still have these associations in my mind with ISLAND.

The meaning of Iceland and Island is exactly the same, the land of ice – even this isn’t any good description of Iceland, as the winter climate of Iceland is rather mild due to the passage of the Gulf current bringing warmer water up to the Northern Atlantic Ocean.

The old stamps from Iceland were quite boring to look at, but they are expensive now. The modern stamps from Iceland are of the kind of modern stamps we know from most other countries of the world, they are in a commercial marketplace for attractive stamps with specific motives to attract stamp collectors like the dog stamp here.

Their value for collectors is low, but the information value of such stamps can be rather high. Even I stopped collecting stamps long, long time ago; I still have to control myself when I find attractive and informative stamps when I visit islands and other countries of the world today.

More Icelandic dog stamps here at http://www.dogstamps.dk/iceland.htm

Read more about Island / Iceland here.

Gullfoss one of the most impressive waterfalls of Iceland

Gullfoss waterfall of Iceland – visit in daytrip from Reykjavik

Gullfoss is a most spectacular waterfall, not that far from the capital Reykjavik of Iceland. The river Hvítá sends during some periods 200-300 cubic metres per second of water over the rocks and down at this must see tourist destination of Iceland. The height is [...]

Gullfoss waterfall of Iceland – visit in daytrip from Reykjavik

Gullfoss is a most spectacular waterfall, not that far from the capital Reykjavik of Iceland. The river Hvítá sends during some periods 200-300 cubic metres per second of water over the rocks and down at this must see tourist destination of Iceland. The height is 34 metres, not a fall competing with some of the highest water falls of the world, but high enough to be really worthwhile seeing.

For good reasons tourists are coming to Gullfoss not only in the light summer season, but also during winter when ice makes Gullfoss to a very special view. Gullfoss is also known as the Golden Waterfall and many tourist agencies offer coaches to visit Gullfoss waterfall all through the year.

The tour packages are often including a number of sights from daytrips from Reykjavik, as the following tourist destinations can be on the way when tourists visit Gullfoss: Geysir, Þingvellir National Park, tectonic rifting at Thingvellir and other interesting tourist attractions.

My wife and I visited Gullfoss waterfall in a hired car from the airport of Reykjavik without any problems.

Tourist attractions in Iceland near Reykjavik

Most tourists will think of nature and the Icelandic landscape as the main attractions for visiting tourists in Iceland. And it is true that the wild landscape with glaciers, geysers, vulcans, mountains, lakes, the ruff coastline and islands etc. are really attractive to experience, not to mention the birdlife and life in the ocean around [...]

Most tourists will think of nature and the Icelandic landscape as the main attractions for visiting tourists in Iceland. And it is true that the wild landscape with glaciers, geysers, vulcans, mountains, lakes, the ruff coastline and islands etc. are really attractive to experience, not to mention the birdlife and life in the ocean around Iceland.

But the history of Iceland and Icelanders is as fascinating and unique as anything else. Did you know that Iceland hosted the first parliament of the world, Althing, that was established in year 930 in a beautiful area not far from the modern capital of Iceland Reykjavik with the name Þingvellir and now saved for the future as Þingvellir National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remark the special Icelandic letter Þ, expressed ‘th’. Icelandic language is a very original version of the Nordic language family that has been preserved on Iceland as a rather isolated island far out in the Atlantic Ocean. The Althing was an annual functioning judiciary and legislative parliament, founded as the political hub of the Icelandic Commonwealth.

During our short travel to Iceland in April my wife and I visited the Þingvellir National Park in a hired car.  The Þingvellir National Parkthat has many interesting attractions for the tourist. Besides the historical sites nature is showing some impressive signs of the moving geology as Iceland is situated on the moveable zone between the two huge continental tectonic plates of the North Atlantic Ocean. See the location of the Þingvellir National Park at the map below:

List of travel guide books for Iceland – Island added to Island Vacation Tips

A very long list of Iceland travel guides and other books about Iceland has just been added to our pages of Island Vacation tips, check for yourself before planning your next travel to the oustanding North Atlantic island of Iceland CLICK HERE.
More information about Iceland – a cheap travel destination at the moment because of [...]

A very long list of Iceland travel guides and other books about Iceland has just been added to our pages of Island Vacation tips, check for yourself before planning your next travel to the oustanding North Atlantic island of Iceland CLICK HERE.

More information about Iceland – a cheap travel destination at the moment because of the drop of the icelandic economy linked to the international recession in the economy.

Fine dining in Reykjavik in Iceland

One evening we went to a restaurant in Reykjavik in Iceland to have a common dinner with some Icelandic good friends (on April the 2.). The restaurant that was recommended was called Sjávarkjallarinn that is a seafood restaurant in a cellar in the central part of old Reykjavik.
Our common choice went to what in the [...]

One evening we went to a restaurant in Reykjavik in Iceland to have a common dinner with some Icelandic good friends (on April the 2.). The restaurant that was recommended was called Sjávarkjallarinn that is a seafood restaurant in a cellar in the central part of old Reykjavik.

Our common choice went to what in the menu card was called the exotic menu. And in came a stream of small delicious dishes as starters, later several rounds of sophisticated main courses and finally a round of outstanding deserts.

Together they formed an extravagant dinner and the delicious dishes and their arrangement became an unforgettable tasting experience for all of us.

With the present days currency of the Icelandic kroner this was also a very good value for money taking into account the outstanding level of the cooking and the extravaganza of the many courses.

The chef Pétur Örn Pétursson deserves the highest recommandations for his outstanding professional skills and results.
You will find the restaurant website here: http://www.sjavarkjallarinn.is/index_en.html

An added charm is that the restaurant is situated in the oldest cellar of Reykjavik with a very nice atmosphere.
(I was without my camera during the dinner, but I will get some pictures for later inclusion here from my wife’s little camera that she is always carrying with her).

Travel to Iceland for a short holiday in Reykjavik

A short holiday in Iceland
I got a chance to travel to Iceland for a short holiday with my wife.  Iceland is a rather big island in the North Atlantic Sea and together with the early time of the year I was a little sceptical about the value of the travel.
But here are just a few [...]

A short holiday in Iceland
I got a chance to travel to Iceland for a short holiday with my wife.  Iceland is a rather big island in the North Atlantic Sea and together with the early time of the year I was a little sceptical about the value of the travel.

But here are just a few notes from our short holiday trip to Iceland. I can expand later on many of the issues and bring more island vacation tips for your consideration. Please give the post a comment, and I shall do my best to answer it.

As earlier mentioned the people at Iceland suffer from their own downturn of their economy together with the bad world economy. So they have a lot of trouble.

For the tourist to Iceland this is in our favour, as the currency – Icelandic kronor – is much cheaper to buy and your credit card will perform much better  in this situation.

Earlier, Iceland was by many regarded as a rather expensive travel destination but that isn’t the case any longer.

Hotel in Reykjavik in Iceland

We stayed the 4 nights (3.-7. April) in Iceland at the Radisson SAS Saga Hotel in Reykjavik.

This isn’t a cheap hotel but the rooms are nice, they serve a very fine breakfast, and the hotel is situated conveniently for many things.

Especially if you hire a car you will enjoy the easy connection to the old city centre, and to the many interesting places of Reykjavik. You find a map of the location of Radisson SAS Saga Hotel in Reykjavik here

You can come to the Radisson SAS Saga Hotel after a 45-minute drive from the international airport. From the domestic airport Saga Hotel is only a 5-minute drive away.

Car parking is easy and bus connections are available directly to the hotel from the airport.

Nearby you find attractions like:
•    The National Museum.
•    The National Library.
•    The Nordic House.
•    Open-air, geothermally-heated swimming pool.
•    The University of Iceland.
•    The University Cinema.

The weather in early spring in Iceland

The weather in early spring in Iceland is like all seasons in one day. I experienced very nice sunshine, especially one unforgettable morning with the eider ducks courting each other in a shallow bay and allowing me to approach them quite close for photos. This area is called Seltjarnarnes and is the north western narrow peninsular of Reykjavik. Part of Seltjarnarnes is a nature reserve, part of it a golf course.
Find more information about Iceland for travel here.

I will return with more travel tips about what to see in Iceland and where to go.

A few more fresh pictures from Reykjavik in mixed weather:

Easter Island, Rapa Nui, a recent travel to the stone heads

Travel to the stone heads at Easter Island – Rapa Nui
Having just returned from my first visit to Easter Island, or Rapa Nui that is the official name nowadays, I am full of the impressions of the marvellous stone heads and the story behind.
This post is the first in a series of posts about [...]

Travel to the stone heads at Easter Island – Rapa Nui

Having just returned from my first visit to Easter Island, or Rapa Nui that is the official name nowadays, I am full of the impressions of the marvellous stone heads and the story behind.

This post is the first in a series of posts about Rapa Nui that I will post to condense my experience from our stay at Easter Island and our travel around the small island far out in The Pacific Ocean.

Like most tourists to Easter Island we stayed in the small town Hanga Roa that functions as the main town or capital of Easter Island. As the only town of Easter Island the smallness of the population is obvious. Easter Island has a total of around 4000 inhabitants.

On excursions with a clever local guide we travelled to the most impressive sightings of Easter Island and developed our understanding of the history of Easter Island and of the amazing stone heads.

Since childhood when I read Thor Heyerdahl’s widely published book Aku-Aku I have been fascinated by the stone heads at Easter Island and all the mystery around their history. The cultural heritage not only in the form of the stone heads and other historical artefacts but also in the form of the stories of Easter Island is outstanding.

For good reasons Rapa Nui National Park is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I list some helpful resources below and will soon return with my personal experience and advice concerning travel to Easter Island.

Big list of guide books and other resources about Easter Island – Rapa Nui culture and nature.

Here are some useful links about Easter Island – Rapa Nui, – Rapanui (opens in new windows)

• Easter Island Foundation
• Wikipedia about Easter Island
• Rapa Nui – Easter Island home page
• Information about Easter Island from a fan of Chile
• Easter Island excursions
• Extract about Easter Island from the 8th edition of Moon Handbooks South Pacific by  David Stanley,

Read more about Easter Island – Rapa Nui at our sister site.