Land of Fire and Ice

Flying into Iceland at a reasonable time has its challenges. We had the option of getting in around midnight or 6 in the morning. With check-in not until noon, we opted for the latter. Having not slept on the flight (neither of us are good at this) we were exhausted by the time we landed. We rented a car and drove to Reykjavik with 3 hours of kill time. I was exhausted and could barely mumble directions as Trent drove. Without knowing what to do during that time or having the energy to figure it out, we pulled over on the side of the road next to a sports complex. Eye masks on and ambient noise playing, we settled in for a 3 hour siesta. Ahhhhh.

 

We woke up laughing. Car naps and farts. Great start.

 

Later that day we met up with Joe, a childhood friend of Trent’s and his family. They were just wrapping up a week-long tour of Iceland and flying out the next morning. Joe showed us the affordable hotdog stand (where we would inevitably end up at least once a day from there forward), shared a few drinks and some insight of their adventures with us. It was nice to connect with someone from the get-go. One of things we cannot thank Joe enough for is introducing us to the $4 hotdog stand. The hotdogs were amazing, and about the only reasonably priced thing. Don’t get me wrong, everything we had was great… but $30 American for bagels and coffee was a little much. That night, the sun was still up when we went to bed around midnight, that didn’t stop us from sleeping like dogs until noon the following day.

 

So there you have it. First day of international tour and we slept in a car, met up with another American and ate hotdogs.

 

The people of Iceland are extremely kind and helpful. They are extremely proud of their country and it shows. While they’re shy and won’t necessarily be looking to exchange pleasantries with you, they’re very happy to give you advice, answer questions, or tell you a little bit about their homeland.

This was a great start to our journey. The interesting thing about Iceland is that it kind of sneaks up on you. The capital Reykjavik is small, if not even sleepy. If you’re not careful you could even get bored after walking the town for a day or two. But, then you get out and see some of the most amazing sights in the world all within a relatively short drive. We highlighted some of favorite things below with pics and descriptions and such, we hope you enjoy and put this high on a place to visit if you can.

 

Landscape

First off, the landscape in Iceland is irresistible. Depending on how you far you plan to drive, the landscape can change rapidly. One minute you could be driving along rolling hills of feathery grasses, home to simple barns backdropped by fierce mountains and the next thing you know you’re on Mars! Not really. However some of the places you’ll visit might have you doing a triple-take thinking, “Where the hell am I?” It’s otherworldly, believe me. There are miles of land filled with rocky rubble draped in vibrant green moss and appears to be a debris field from a nearby volcanic eruption. In truth, it’s hard to tell how the land was formed. Sure, I could Google it, but I prefer to imagine it instead. Oh, and there are waterfalls, like, everywhere. They get boring after a while. PSYCH!  Additionally, there are field on top of fields on top of fields of Nootka Lupin, an invasive purple flower that has blanketed the island. We would have gushed about the blue skies here; however, we were far from sunshine during our trip. The weather in Iceland is finicky and I imagined it to be a cloud factory! All sorts of clouds. Today’s Icelandic Special: a heaping of whipped clouds, covered in cloudy sauce, served up with fingerling clouds and a side of cloud. And like everything here, the special is friggin’ expensive! We of course enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

Vestmannaeyjar

We drove to the port of Landeyjahöfn from the Black Sand Beaches to catch the ferry to this often-overlooked island (known to English speaking folk as the Westman Islands). Be warned: once the ferry departs the tiny harbor the waves hit the front like a ton of bricks. If you’re a lightweight like myself, I strongly suggest Dramamine or post yourself mid-ship and keep your eyes to the horizon. I was dancing at one point to keep from blowing chunks overboard. Coming into this little island 35 minutes from shore was amazing, huge rocks jetting out of the sea with a cozy little, almost Mediterranean looking town, sitting in the middle. While you’re there, the Eldfell Volcano hike is an absolute must. It’s free, easy to get to and has the most remarkable views we’ve seen yet! While on top of the volcano you can find little vents and hotspots that can get pretty warm, be sure to spit in some to see if it sizzles… or at least that’s what we did. Also, visit Café Varmo near the marina. The owner, a sweet older lady was kind and generously allowed us to wait for our ferry there after she had closed up shop. The food was great and relatively inexpensive by Icelandic standards. The pie was excellent and the locals regard her as “Momma”, and I can see why.

 

Black Sands Beach

Wow! The rock formations here were amazing. This place is undeniably beautiful. I had an inner struggle of trying to decide if I take a couple dozen photos or if I just BE. I chose the latter. This was one of Trent’s favorites. Something about the negative photo effect of having the black sands against the grey sky was incredibly serene.

 

 

Golden Circle Drive

This short drive (300 km or 190 miles), highlights some of the larger attractions in Iceland. You can drive this easily in a day and there are lots of optional things to check out along the way.  It was dumping rain on us pretty much the entire day.While this made us very wet, it also made for some great pics. So, we won’t complain. 

 The highlights here were the national park of Þingvellir, Gullfoss waterfall, and Geysir (the original mac daddy geyser). See our pics below for a better feel, but each stop was extremely different. Þingvellir was a sprawling area with waterfalls and scuba diving in pristine glacial melt water. Fun fact, some of Game of Thrones was filmed here. We’ll leave this as homework for motivated students to figure out which ones. 

 

Gullfoss was next, and was an awesome waterfall. Equal parts powerful and beautiful. And then Geysir, a geyser within a hot geothermic area that “goes off” about every 10 minutes. One thing that caught us a little off guard was the sulfur smell, it’s definitely strong.

Myvatn

After a few days in Reykjavik we called an audible and decided to head to the “capital of the north”, Akureyri. This was a great call. We stayed 2 nights in an old farm shed. Don’t let the “shed” part fool you, while it was rustic, it was a great place to call home for a couple nights. Away from everything and with spectacular mountain views.  We used this as a launching pad to explore the north. This part of Iceland is very different than the rest of Iceland that we had seen to date. “Like being on another planet” is a phrase we kept hearing, and let me tell you it’s spot on. We visited lava caves (where Jon Snow and Ygritte Got. It. On.), saw more geothermal areas that this time looked like lunar landscapes with boiling mud pots and piles of rocks that had jets of steam coming from them making them look like they were on fire. We also stopped by a volcano crater that had been filled with crystal blue water. All the while driving around an area that literally looked like there had been an explosion and had boulders and rocks scattered haphazardly about… until you drove a little bit further and then there’d be a beautiful mountain sitting on the other side of a huge lake with purple flowers. Kinda crazy.

 

 

Favorite Quotes

• “Ok Google: Hot dogs near me.”
• “Please do not leave this on when you sleep, I don’t want to find you dead in the morning”
• “Am I saying this right?” “Not even close.”

 

Helpful things to note:

-They take credit card everywhere, even the toll roads.

-Local community geothermal pools are the norm, inexpensive and well worth the stop, not to mention the free shower you get out of it.

-There are lots of spots to pull over to snap a photo. We recommend using the pull offs and not simply the side of the road for 1) your car adds to the erosion of the shoulder which is frowned upon and 2) you’re bound to get hit by distracted drivers.

-Cafes are great, more affordable and are perfect for nesting for a bit and planning your next adventure

-Grocery stores, while still pricey for fresh produce, are your friend if you’re on a budget like us. May we suggest a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, and oh I don’t know, some pepperoni? No joke. It was delicious and thought up during a sleep-deprived state.

 

 

 

 

Population: 330,000
Currency: króna
Timezone: Denver + 6 hours

(Click images below to enlarge)