Q&A with the Flynns: Iceland
Kevin and Sue traveled to Iceland in February on a quest to see the Northern Lights. Despite some travel delays and cancelled flights due to high winds in Reykjavík, they had a truly memorable vacation with CIE Tours. Read on to see their thoughts on the experience!
Kevin and Sue
Q: What made you decide on a trip to Iceland?
A: Seeing the Northern Lights was on Sue's bucket list. CIE tours was recommended to us by a family member four years ago. Iceland was a test. We wanted to see how they preformed before committing a larger amount of time & money with them for a trip to Ireland.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Q: You traveled on a CIE Tours guided tour called "Journey on the Quest to see the Northern Lights". What did you like about CIE Tours?
A: These people really know their business. The tour was very professional & well organized. The accommodations were clean, comfortable & the provided meals were very good.
Thingvellir National Park. North America and Eurasia Tectonic Plates Meet
Q: How was the pace of the tour? Too fast? Too slow?
A: The pace of the tour was just right, not too fast & not too slow. Our tour group was divided between two busses . Our group had 28 people on a very large, warm & spacious tour bus that could seat 44 people. The other bus had about 35-36 people on it. The tour guides did an exceptional job of making sure both groups were not at a venue at the same time. That being said, there were large crowds at many of the venues do to increased travel with the relaxation of Covid restrictions.
We can't say enough how much we enjoyed our experienced tour guide Maria. She was awesome. Very organized & extremely knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. She was very free & open with information & never hesitated answering our many questions. A couple of situations came up that were beyond her control. Maria's ability to adjust & make quick decisions on the fly was impressive. Due to her efforts we experienced no down time & saw everything that was scheduled. You can tell she enjoys what she does & as a native, takes a lot of pride in her country. I would recommend her to anyone. Our bus driver, Gummi, certainly knows how to handle a large bus in wintery conditions. We felt safe at all times
Home Stead
Q: With CIE Tours, some meals were included on your tour and some were on your own. What were some of your favorite dishes you tried while in Iceland?
A: Favorite Foods : Artician breads, Skyr (Icelandic yogurt), cheese, butter, various types of salmon, Hot dogs (Really good. They put some kind of sauce on them with mustard & fried crispy onions . Outstanding! Who knew). And finally the lamb, don't miss it.
Q: Can you share one or two highlights of your trip with our readers?
A: We visited 2 thermally heated outdoor spas. One was the Blue Lagoon & the name of the other one escapes me. Very warm & very relaxing. Seeing the Northern Lights. While amazing they were somewhat underwhelming . With the naked eye you only see the color green. My suggestion would be to have a very good cell phone or high quality digital camera. These will pick up the various colors of the spectrum when you take pictures. Either way it's still an incredible phenomenon.
In land mass, Iceland is about the size of Kentucky. The entire Island is created from volcanic activity. From the glaciers & waterfalls to the black beaches & lava fields covered with moss & snow it's a completely different world. Like nothing we have ever experienced. We were surprised at the vastness of the county.
Secret Lagoon Spa
Northern Lights
Skogafoss Waterfall
Q: For others contemplating a trip to Iceland, would you recommend a guided tour or exploring the country on their own?
If you are going to Iceland in the winter season I would recommend a tour. Conditions due to extreme weather & high winds (30-40 mpr) can make driving a challenge. Icelandic weather can rapidly change at any given time. We saw the following in a 6-7 hour period. Rain, mist, sleet, snow, fog, clear skies & sunshine. Summer would definitely be the best time to visit if you intend to drive yourself. That's also the direction we got from Maria.
Skaftafell Glacier
Q: Iceland is a bucket list location for many. Now that you've been, would you want to go back, or do you feel like you saw all you wanted to see?
We found Iceland intriguing enough that I could see us returning someday. Only after we hit a few more of our "Bucket list" places. We'd go in the summer so we could drive to the more remote Northern & Western areas of the country.
Gullfoss Waterfalls
What an adventure the Flynns had! If you have been contemplating a guided tour, we have many recommendations of tours our clients have been on and loved, including CIE Tours. Reach out today to get started planning your own guided tour and get ready to see the world!
