20260620 Saturday, June 20, 2026 Reykjavik Disembarkation

20260620 Saturday, June 20, 2026 Reykjavik Disembarkation

The ship was slowly making its way to its berth on the Reykjavik waterfront as we had breakfast in the buffet.  We disembarked at 8:15 a.m.  There were no customs or immigration procedures for us on arrival in Reykjavik.  It did take a while for some of our bags to show up in the baggage hall, but we were then promptly escorted out to a waiting bus.  

Unloading luggage a bag at a time.

We had taken our luggage to the bus and saw the bags loaded into the bus luggage compartment, but we sat in the bus for at least 20 minutes, and then noticed them taking our bags out and moving them back to the terminal.  Before we could speak up, someone came on the bus and announced that our bags would be transported to the hotel in a separate truck, and would be delivered to our hotel rooms.  Janet was a bit concerned because she had some things she wanted to give to our excursion guides and horses that were in our small suitcases.  We had counted on being able to grab those things out of the bags once we had arrived at the hotel so we didn’t have to carry as much on the bus.  

We did arrive at the hotel at 9 a.m., but there was no early check-in for us.  We were told our luggage would arrive at 11 a.m., and that we could check into our rooms at 3 p.m.  

Ben and Janet were the only ones who used the Viking Transfers.  Everyone else did self-transfers from the cruise ship terminal to the hotel, but after calling a van, they had to wait nearly an hour for the van to show up.  They also disembarked about an hour later than we did. 

 
Ben and Janet set off on foot to find the location where the horse ride transfer van would pick us up.  This was literally just a 2-minute walk from the hotel to City Hall. 

There was a large pond behind City Hall with gardens and a landscaped walkway, so we walked around the pond and could see the Reykjavik Cathedral up on the hill.  We ended up walking to the cathedral and touring it. 

 

After visiting the cathedral, we headed back to the hotel via the main shopping street, which basically connects the city central square, near city hall, to the cathedral.  
There are lots of tourist shops, restaurants, and bars along this street.  There are lots of murals and urban art in Reykjavik.

One restaurant featured a seven-course Icelandic culinary experience featuring puffin, whale, horse, and lamb.  We had our eyes out for lamb soup and fish and chips.  Icelandic hot dogs are also supposed to be unique and a point of Icelandic pride.  We had our eyes out for Icelandic lamb soup herbs but could not find them in the shops along that street.  The only herbs were intended for use or blended with teas, rather than as culinary ingredients.

We met up with Mark, Jan, Doug, and Sandy after our walk and gave them the lowdown before finding some comfortable chairs in the hotel lobby to rest up a bit before our horse ride excursion.  

The luggage did arrive at 11am so we were able to unload our backpacks into one of our luggage bags so we would have less to carry to the horse riding excursion.

At the 12:45 p.m. recommended time, we were waiting at the City Hall bus stop, but the van for the horse ride excursion didn’t actually show up until 1:20 p.m.  There were 4 other women in the van from other hotels that were also doing the horse ride excursion.  Our stop was the last pick-up site before the van headed to the suburbs where several stables for different companies are located.  There are networks of gravel trails/roads laid out through an extensive ancient lava flow.  

Upon arrival at Íshestar stables, we viewed a safety and orientation video in a room with about 20 other riders.  We were then fitted with helmets and led out to the horses.  This is quite a large stable operation.  We were paired up with horses and mounted up.  

They did not have a mounting block, so with Janet’s bad knee, it was awkward and difficult for her to mount her horse, but it was managed.  Her horse was named “Gangster”.  This was apparently to do with the horse having a blue eye, and not for a nasty disposition.  Ben’s horse was Aisha.  

The Icelandic saddles were kind of like western saddles but without horns.  
Our ride was pretty much all at a walk.  The group of over 20 riders included a little girl who was probably 7 or 8 years old.  She was put in the lead with one of the staff taking the reins and walking the entire route.  

After about 15 minutes, we were given the opportunity to separate into beginners and advanced riders.  They said if you wanted to join the advanced riders, you would have to be able to mount and dismount independently and be good at maintaining your balance.  Ben could barely get his horse to follow directions, so he was definitely destined for the beginners.  Janet, being the dutiful wife, followed.  Actually, out of the large group, only 3 women, all with extensive riding experience, took the more advanced route, and afterwards, they said they got to trot a little, but did not experience the unique Icelandic horse gaits beyond walking and trotting. 

 
The ride lasted 90 minutes and was through a scenic ancient lava field where much of the lava was covered with moss and lichens and there were scattered bushes, low trees, and lots of purple lupins.  The path was gravel and dirt.  The wind did kick up some dust, but it was not too bad.  

Janet’s horse was very responsive to her commands, and she could have easily joined the advanced riders except for her inability to mount unassisted.  Ben’s horse was very stubborn at the beginning, but became more responsive as the ride continued, allowing both horse and rider to get familiar with each other.  

We were very lucky to have perfect weather for the ride with temperatures in the mid-50’s, light wind, and partly cloudy skies.  

After returning to the hotel, we were able to finally check in to our room.  Our bags were waiting for us.  

We got together with everyone and walked into town for some Icelandic Fish and Chips.  These were basically indistinguishable from Fish and Chips anywhere else in the world, but since fishing was so integral to survival in Iceland, it was pretty much mandatory.  

We personally hope to find some good Icelandic lamb soup before we leave Reykjavik because that was what we really remembered as unique from our last visit to Iceland 10 years ago.  

After dinner, we all walked up to the Cathedral, and then back to the hotel.  
Tomorrow we have a full-day Private Golden Circle Tour booked for our group of 6.