iceland: fire, steam and ice! -...
TRANSCRIPT
passports.com 389 Main St., Spencer, MA 800.332.7277
Investment
Enroll Today!
Tour Includes
Iceland: Fire, Steam and Ice!
Group Organizer: Ms. Kelly Lovelett
Departure Date
July 6, 2016
Overnights
Reykjavik 7
Accommodations
Accommodations in centrally-located
three-star or four-star hotels. Rooming on
a double basis.
Transportation
Round-trip transportation on scheduled
airline.
Meals
All breakfasts. Four lunches. All dinners.
Guides
Special arrangements as noted.
Included Travel Insurance
The benefits package conveys high-option life,
health, and accident insurance, baggage loss
and delay, trip delay and trip interruption
coverage.
Tour Cost $3889
-$100 until Oct 15, 2015
Total $3789
Tour cost includes estimated airline taxes and fees
of $729. Final payment is due 3/18/2016 or, with E-
Z Pay, 6/6/2016. Tour cost is based on a combined
enrollment of 15 participants. Departure from New
York City, NY.
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KLOVELETT2016-4
Iceland: Fire, Steam and Ice!
Departs: July 6, 2016
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Internal Transit
Airport departure transfer on Day 9.
Days 1-2: Home - Reykjavik
Local Guide in Reykjavik, Reykjavik
Day 3: Reykjavik
Half-day city sightseeing in Reykjavik: Local
Guide, Hallgrim's Church, Bessastadir,
Bessastadir Church, Hafnarfjorour
Day 4: Reykjavik
Excursion to the Golden Circle: Local Guide,
Hverageroi, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir,
Thingvellir National Park
Day 5: Reykjavik
Excursion to the South Shore: Local Guide,
Eyjafjallajokull, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall,
Skogafoss Waterfall, Dyrholaey, Vik
Day 6: Reykjavik
Excursion to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula: Local
Guide, Budir, Arnarstapi, Djupalonssandur
Day 7: Reykjavik
Excursion to the Reykjanes Peninsula: Local
Guide, Lake Kleifarvatn, Krisuvik, Grindavik
Day 8: Reykjavik
Optional ($85) Whale Watching cruise
Day 9: Departure
passports educational travel
800 332 7277 Iceland: Fire, Steam and Ice!
Ms. Kelly Lovelett
Detailed Itinerary
Days 1-2: Arrival, Blue Lagoon,
Reykjavik
A dream comes true as your wide-bodied
jet thunders off the airstrip, Europe-
bound. Scarcely a wink and a movie later
you're in Reykjavik, Iceland. Europe's second largest island is a
little-known land of contrasts shaped by
flowing glaciers and active volcanoes,
where Jules Verne set his Journey to the
Center of the Earth. This young nation
(independent since 1944) was the first
republic to be created north of the Alps,
back in AD 930, when feudal lords ruled
the rest of Europe. It inherited the Old
Norse language of its early settlers, which
flourished in the Middle Ages and in the
illuminated manuscripts of the sagas.
Local Guide • A half-day local guide,
well-educated and specially-trained on the
history and culture of Reykjavik, will
accompany your group. Travel to the
Blue Lagoon • Travel to the Blue
Lagoon, a geothermal wonder with
steamy, blue water that is set within a
black lava field (and surrounded by snow
in the winter!). You may opt to bathe in the hot mineral
springs of the Blue Lagoon. Get a first-
hand experience into the mysteries of this
natural resource that Icelanders have
harnessed as a source of heat for their
buildings and habitations. Reykjavik •
The world's northernmost capital city
dates back to AD 870, when Norsemen
settled on the island. It became a Danish
trading post in the 1750s. Nowadays,
Reykjavik is still the only city in Iceland,
home to more than a third of the country's
population.
Meals included: Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 3: Reykjavik City
Sightseeing
Discover Reykjavik during a coach tour of
the city. On top of Oskjuhlid Hill stands
Perlan (The Pearl), a dome built in the
1980s which rests on water tanks and
houses several attractions (viewing
platform, winter garden, museum and
revolving restaurant). It affords great
views of the city and is splendidly
illuminated at night. Other landmarks include the University
district, Tjornin Lake and Austurvöllur, an
attractive square with the Alping
(Icelandic Parliament) and the New City
Hall. The city's center is full of little
cafes, shops, art galleries and museums.
Local Guide • A half-day local guide,
well-educated and specially-trained on the
history and culture of Reykjavik, will
accompany your group. Hallgrim's
Church • See the crown of the city,
Hallgrim's Church, a striking modern
sanctuary with a 244-foot-high steeple
which was consecrated in 1986.
Bessastadir • Stop at Bessastadir, the
residence of the President of Ireland,
which is located on the Alftanes
Peninsula, on a historic site settled before
the year 1000 and occupied since then by
Iceland's rulers. Bessastadir Church •
Visit the small church located on the
Presidential Estate to view its stained-
glass windows. This church, which dates
back to the year 1200, is the oldest stone
church in Iceland. Hafnarfjorour •
Enjoy a sightseeing stop in the suburb of
Hafnarfjorour, a harbour set on a
picturesque lava flow. It is rumored that
"Hidden Folks" inhabit the Old Town,
which is famous for its wooden buildings
and narrow lanes. See if you can spot any
of the elves, gnomes, ice trolls and Yule
lads who normally dwell in Icelandic
legends.
Free time in Reykjavik • This
afternoon is free to plan as you wish. Stroll along the shop-lined Laugavegur
Street.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 4: Excursion to the Golden
Circle
Today's guided excursion explores some
of Iceland's best-known natural
phenomena. Hverageroi • Visit the
greenhouse community of Hveragerôi,
where geothermal energy is harnessed to
grow vegetables and other exotic plants.
Learn about this extraordinary natural
resource and its endless possibilities.
Gullfoss Waterfall • View Gullfoss, the
impressive Golden Waterfall formed by
the River Hvitá as it plunges in two stages
down a deep canyon. Geysir • Stop at the
site of the Great Geysir, the geyser
(currently dormant) which gave its name
to all other gushing hot springs. Nearby,
you will see the spectacular show
produced by a younger geyser, Strokkur,
which spews boiling water every five to
ten minutes. Thingvellir National Park •
Enter Thingvellir (or Pingvellir) National
Park, which lies at the junction of the
American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
There, you'll see Iceland's most significant
historic site, the lava plain where the first
Icelandic parliament (Alpingi) convened
in AD 930 around the Rock of Law.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch during the
excursion, Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 5: Excursion to the South
Shore
Today's excursion takes you across the
stunning scenery of Iceland's South Shore,
east of the 2,1450-foot-high Hellisheidi
mountain pass. Eyjafjallajokull • Travel
through small villages and farmland on
your way to the mountain range that is
home to the 6th-largest volcano in
Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in
2010. Its 5,466-foot-high summit covered
by a 39-square-mile ice cap,
Eyjafjallajökull is once again tranquil,
having spewed its fine ash all over
Europe's airways. Your coach takes you towards the
coast, through the region where the Njals
Saga, one of Iceland's most famous sagas,
is set. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall • Stop to
admire Seljalandsfoss, one of the most
famous waterfalls in Iceland with its 200-
foot drop. Skogafoss Waterfall • Get a
close up look at one of Iceland's biggest
waterfalls, Skogafoss, 82 feet wide. Look
for the double rainbow its mist often
creates. Dyrholaey • See Dyrholaey, a
rocky headland with arches carved out by
the waves. Vik • Stop in Vík, the
southermost village in Iceland, which is
known for its black sand beach and for the
jagged Reynisdrangar rocks that jut out
from the sea, looking like giant trolls.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch during the
excursion, Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 6: Excursion to the
Snaefellsnes Peninsula
Get set to discover the Snæfellsnes
Peninsula, a region north of Reykjavik
that has been called "Iceland in
Miniature" as it is home to many of the
geological features for which Iceland is
well-known: lava fields, hot springs,
passports educational travel
800 332 7277 Iceland: Fire, Steam and Ice!
Ms. Kelly Lovelett
volcanoes, glacier, black sand beaches
and spectacular rock formations. The most famous of its natural wonders
is the Snæfellsjökull Glacier, a cone-
shaped strato-volcano set at the tip of the
peninsula. The heroes of Jules Verne's
1864 novel Journey to the Center of the
Earth make their way in and out through
Snæfellsjökull. Budir • Stop in the
hamlet of Búdir to view a landscape of
exceptional beauty, with yellow beaches,
black lava fields, green hills and blue sea,
all crowned by the white summit of the
Snæfellsjökull glacier. Arnarstapi •
From the small port of Arnarstapi, set at
the foot of the Snæfellsjökull volcano,
you may want to follow footpaths laid
along the sea cliffs. The unusual coastal
landscape features rocks shaped like
columns, where seabirds nest.
Djupalonssandur • Set foot on
Djúpalónssandur, a black-sand beach
where a stack of four stones weighing
from 50 to 340 pounds was used by
fishermen to test their strength (think
twice before giving it a shot!).
Free time in Reykjavik • The
remainder of the day is free to plan as you
wish. Walk through the landscaped gardens
outside of the Perlan (the Pearl), a
spectacular glass building. Enclosed is the
Saga Museum, where multidimensional
displays describe Icelandic history from
the 10th-century settlement of the island
to the Reformation period.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch during the
excursion, Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 7: Excursion to the
Reykjanes Peninsula
Today, the focus is on the Reykjanes
Peninsula, which straddles a fissure zone
of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, west of
Reykjavik. Lake Kleifarvatn • Stop to
view Rykjanes' largest lake, Kleifarvatn,
which lies amidst a lunar landscape.
Krisuvik • View the Krisuvik geothermal
area, which is one of Iceland's hot regions,
peppered with jet streams, sulphur
springs, hot springs, mud spots and
boiling pools. Grindavik • Stop in the
small fishing port of Grindavik, which
provides more than 40% of Iceland's salt
fish production. On the outskirts of Grindavik, visitors
may walk from Europe to America by
crossing the Leif the Lucky Bridge,
named in honor of Leif Eriksson, who
reached the New World 500 years before
Christopher Columbus. Stretched over the
narrow Alfagja Rift Valley, this
footbridge connects the Eurasian and
North American continental tectonic
plates, which move away from each other
at the rate of 0.8 inches per year!
Free time in Reykjavik • The
remainder of the day is free to plan as you
wish. If looking for Icelandic sweaters, check
out the store of the Handknitting
Association of Iceland
(Handprjónasamband Islands, which
offers the best of the best, along with
hand-spun yarn).
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch during the
excursion, Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 8: Reykjavik, Optional
Whale Watching Cruise
Enjoy some free time in the city or
consider an optional excursion.
Optional Whale Watching cruise • Enjoy a whale-watching cruise to view
whales commonly sighted off Iceland's
coast, such as humpback whales, minke
whales, harbour porpoises and white-
beaked dolphins, as well as myriad of sea
birds.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner Overnight: Reykjavik
Day 9: Departure
Most good things must come to an end.
Your suitcase full of memorabilia and of
photos ready to be processed, you'll arrive
home later today, eager to share your
discoveries with family and friends.
Meals included: Breakfast