It looks like Mom and I are now committed (at least as far as air tickets) for the Norway coastal voyage in October. I am very interested in any information on Bergen and the surrounding areas. It looks like we'll have 3-1/2 extra days and a rental car to explore the Bergen area at the end of our trip. We are flying to Bergenon Northwest from Dulles via Amsterdam. Does anybody out there have any suggestions?

Anyway, the real reason I am writing is that I took a 3 day layover in Reykjavik compliments of Icelandair about 3 years ago (the Sept. that Hurricane Fran hit eastern NC). We had a rental car and stayed at the Hotel Esja -- although the airline would have provided a transfer as part of the package. There were 4 of us (Mom, cousin, cousin's friend, and me). We really enjoyed getting out and driving some of the Iceland countryside. We were there Labor Day weekend and the mercury never went over 58 degrees F. The hotel was peasant and had a very substantial European style buffet breakfast included -- cereal, cheese, meat, flat bread, yogurt, juice and fruit. There was plenty of American fast food -- MacDonald's, Kentucky Fried, Pizza Hut (that one adjoined our hotel). We ate in Icelandic establishments. I don't remember anything particularly spectacular. The best thing I had was the fish roll-ups (rolled, breaded, fried, and served with a mild cheese sauce) at a truck stop on the west coast north of Reykjavik. The worst thing I had was a hamburger in a diner on the south coast, west of Reykjavik -- grass fed beef, maybe??? It seemed to me I had the best luck with the fish dishes. I tried skyr, the traditional Icelandic dessert sometimes compared to yogurt. I think yogurt is much, much better. Skyr is very tangy (sour). Iceland is fairly expensive -- food included. It is likely that your hotel will include a sustantial breakfast with the room. You will make out OK if you stick to the diner type establishments and the food will be about as good as it is at the more expensive establishments. Our most disappointing meal was our most expensive.

Have fun!

Kristy in NC