Fam Trip – Icelandair to Iceland and Edmonton (part 1 of 2)
The first part of my journey was from Belfast City to Keflavik on an Air Iceland Bombardier Q400. Air Iceland is the sister airline to Icelandair and as well as flying from Belfast City they also fly from Aberdeen and handle all Iceland’s domestic flights and those to Greenland. Unfortunately this aircraft does not have seat back entertainment systems but all passengers are offered a mini iPad with entertainment already pre-loaded for the flight. Icelandair service is similar to a low-cost airline with only tea, coffee and water provided complimentary and all meals, snacks and drinks paid for on-board (using credit or debit cards as they operate a cashless system).
Connections at Keflavik are handled very efficiently and quickly and with almost the entire Icelandair fleet arriving and then departing soon after, missing a connection is almost impossible. One huge advantage in travelling transatlantic with Icelandair is the opportunity to stopover in Iceland (this is included in the cost of all tickets). I was fortunate that I was able to spend around 24 hours in this fascinating island.
On arrival at Keflavik I quickly passed through passport control and collected my luggage. The pre-arranged transfer took me straight to the famous Blue Lagoon. This huge geothermal pool complex is one the major attractions in Iceland, with the water always lovely and warm despite the season it is easy to see why. There are also a whole host treatments available. I settled for liberally spreading some of the volcanic mud on my face to help clear my pores and a local beer from the pool side bar. After an enjoyable hour or so in the Blue Lagoon, I then transferred to my hotel for the night – Hilton Reykjavik Nordica. This lovely modern hotel is slightly out of the city centre but has some super views out to sea as well as being super hotel. After checking out my room it was time to visit the city centre for dinner at Caruso. This Italian restaurant was just the start of what was an epic few days for me in terms of amazing food experiences.
At this time of year (June) Iceland does not really get dark “the land of the midnight sun” really does exist! Unfortunately without using blackout curtains it makes it difficult to get a full night’s sleep, and it felt like I had none before heading out to see the real Iceland outside the capital.
My Golden Circle tour offered me the opportunity to maximise my short time in Iceland and see some of this island’s unique character. My tour first of all took me to Pingvellir National Park. It is here that you can see the two huge continental plates (Eurasian and American) slowly moving apart and it is here that the Icelandic parliament first met in 930AD. After a short time walking through this park, and discovering the history it was on to see the erupting Strokkur Geysir, where every few minutes you are rewarded by this fascinating eruption. Nearby is also the amazing Gullfoss and its Golden waterfall – very impressive indeed!
All too soon it was time to leave this fascinating island and head onwards to Canada. I was dropped off at the airport and quickly checked in for my six hour flight to Edmonton. The airport at Keflavik is compact and easy to navigate and even with all the flights arriving and leaving at similar times it did not feel as busy as other large hub airports like Heathrow. On the flight to Edmonton I took full advantage of the onboard entertainment system, watching a movie, listening to some music as well as keeping progress on the journey using the ‘moving map’. I was also able to contact home using the on-board WiFi which is available for a small fee.
On arrival into Edmonton I collected my luggage and made the short walk to the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel where I was staying for my first night in the city. Here I also met my hosts from Edmonton Tourism who were to show me their fabulous city over the next few days. After a super dinner in HALO bar and bistro in the hotel, where I also had my first pierogi it was time to catch up on some sleep for a busy first full day.
Our first full day in Edmonton also coincided with our worst day weather wise on the trip. It is important to plan what clothes to bring for visiting Alberta as the weather can be changeable, just like here at home! Fortunately I had waterproof shoes and long trousers for the first visit of the day (in the rain) to Elk Island National Park. This park has been key in the successful prevention of bison extinction – from there being only a few thousand left at one point there are now healthy herds throughout North America, much of which is due to work here at the Bison Handling Facility. After a great tour by a wonderful enthusiastic Park Ranger I was then off to visit the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. Much of this part of Alberta was colonised by immigrants from the Ukraine and this open air museum highlights their settlement from 1892-1930 and gives the opportunity to interact with ‘real characters’ from these times. Whilst here I also had lunch which included Ukrainian delicacies such as borscht, perogies, and kovbasa.
After lunch I headed downtown and checked in to my hotel for the remainder of my stay the lovely Chateau Lacombe. This downtown centrally located landmark hotel is celebrating its 50th birthday this year (coinciding with Canada’s 150th Celebrations). My room on the 21st floor had impressive views of downtown Edmonton.
My next adventure was a Segway tour, and having recently done this in Rome I was really looking forward to another super experience and I was not disappointed. Following this it was out of the city visit Prairie Gardens Adventure Farm. This working farm is becoming a major attraction for many miles around including as a wedding venue. I had an amazing dinner here beginning with Fire Roasters Tasting and all accompanied by great Canadian wines.