Iceland

Iceland is a land of natural beauty, dramatic landscapes and extreme changes in weather. We spent nearly two weeks here and covered 2400 kms across most of the country in our yellow camper van, and I still feel as though we just touched the surface. The long roads allowed for plenty of time to think and admire. When we stopped we would go hiking, sit in hot pots, eat all the foods, play cards, make pantings and photographs and laugh. There is something great about driving around with all you need and a sense of being subject to the elements; of which we experienced snow, rain, wind like I've never seen, and sunshine. This journey is one I will never forget and hope that some day I will get to venture back for both familiar and new adventures.

Hot pots

“Rain drop, hot pot. Smoking up pasta in a happy camper”. Hot pots were the best part of Iceland, without a doubt. We made it a mission to hit a hot pot every day, and I'm very happy to say we succeeded (with much research and a handful of failed attempts). Here is our journey in hot pot form.

Day 1 - This day we got lucky and had two hot pots. Well, one hot pot and one fairly chilly pot. The first, Reykjadalur Hot Springs, was a steep trek to a thermal river. The second, Seljavallalaug, is one of the oldest in Iceland.
Day 2 - Probably the best hot pot I will ever visit. Ideal visit in the East Fjords of Iceland after a long day on the road.
Day 3 - A neighborhood hot pot, nothing fancy but it did the trick. The name is Ostakarid.
Day 4 - This was definitely a cold pot, and I’ll admit we were pretty miserable, but in retrospect it makes for a good story. It took some time to find as nothing is marked and it is a small puddle that happens to have a natural spring next to a gushing river. Well it was freezing outside and dropped trouser in the gusty wind and jump in only to find 4 people can’t stay warm from a single spring.
Day 5 - A hillside hot pot next to the cutest little cottage at the Hotel Edda Laugar Saelingsdal (we didn't stay here but camped on the property).
Day 6 - Another hard to find hot pot. The first pool of water turned out to be boiling water, I literally mean boiling, good thing we didn’t go in there. After searching the swamps around a lake, Max finally located the gold – a deep hole in the ground filled with just enough water for four human bodies.
Day 7 - The Blue Lagoon is everything it’s made out to be. The water is a glowing blue that fills huge pools for soaking. Definitely take advantage of the package and get a drink (champagne, duh) and two mud face masks. You could easily spend a day here.

Ring Road, Sites to See

Foss – Waterfalls. They are literally everywhere you look and some more majestic than the one before. And although I’ll admit we were a bit jaded by all the fosses by the end of the trip, they must be some of the most amazing in the whole world. Some worth stopping on the way include Seljalandsfoss (walk behind the fall), Skogafoss (walk all the way up the stairs, I promise it's worth it), Godafoss, Kirkjufellsfoss

Fjords - A long, narrow inlet with steep cliffs, created by glacial erosion. Iceland is filled with fjords and all of them are a site to see, so be sure to plan some time exploring. We all agreed the East Fjords was the most beautiful parts of the island, the roads are windy with views of tall snowy mountains and cliffs plunging into the ocean. It's also to best places to see animals, like Puffins and Reindeers! The towns are few and far between, and when you finally reach one it is really just a small village. Of course this is where our car broke down, it felt like the middle of nowhere, but the 360 degree view made everything ok. The drive was amazing and essentially just outlines the fjords. A few locations to visit here- Borgarfjordur Eystri (drive to where the road ends to see the puffin hill), Egilsstadir (biggest town around, stop at the restaurant in the Icelandair hotel for a reindeer burger), Djupivogur (and all the fjords surrounding).

Other places that I would recommend a stop at...

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach - The beach here is beautiful, but it's really the rock formations that are worth seeing. The big grey pillars of varying heights form patterns and good scrambling grounds.
Jokulsarlon Glacier - Be sure to see both the lagoon and the beach. The glacier literally rolls into the lagoon water and giant pieces break off and eventually make their way to the beach. It is an unusual site to have cubes of melting ice splashing in the waves. Oh, and the glacier glows blue, for real.
Namafjall (common name: Peanut Butter Shit Storm) - I don't even really know what this was, but there are mud pits bubbling (yes, literally bubbling) from the earth with absurd colors, and a big teepee mound of rocks that blows mass amounts of steam into the air. And it smells a lot like sulfur everywhere. It really feels like Mars or something here.
Grjotagja cave - A hot pot in a cave that unfortunately cannot be entered because of extreme temperatures. It is worth climbing into the cave to see the water though, especially if the light is shining through.
Akureyri - One of the bigger cities in Iceland that is a good stop for lunch (try fish and chips) and a short walk around. If you feel like doing a tour (boat, city, etc) this is the place to do it, but we continued on our way instead.
The northwestern part of the island is another beautiful place for hiking and driving. It is the least visited area by tourists which is ideal, but because of this there are less defined landmarks for visiting. Just the drive itself is a great way to experience the landscape and if you have the time, drive out as far as you can to the West Fjords for some alternative hiking and camping views.
Erpsstadir Cottage - This place was amazing. It is a local dairy farm that makes ice cream, cheese and skyr. It was closed when we visited but as we pulled up the farmer said he'd show us around and open up the shop for a quick visit anyways. The big barn is filled with (smelly) cows and fancy new machines that allow for self-regulated milking. The cows milk is then turned into those various dairy products on the site. We tried the cheese and ice cream, both delicious.
Snaefellsnes - This is a peninsula on the west side of the country that is popular for tourists because there is much to see in a small area and it is a day trip from the capital city. We spent our last full day exploring the sites below.
- Helgafell - A hill (called "holy mountain") that provides a grand view with only a short walk. Legend has it if you walk up without looking back or talking (yes, this was hard for me) until you reach the top, you may face east and make three wishes for others and they will come true. We tried it of course.
- Stykkisholmur - Small fishing picturesque village.
- Grundarfjordur - Another small town with a main church and friendly hangouts.
- Kirkjufell - Probably one of the most photographed hills in Iceland.
- Skardsvik Beach - Supposedly a white sand beach, but to be honest it didn't feel a whole lot different than a beach at home. It does, however, face west and there is no other land in that direction for a very long ways so it feels like it could be the end of the world.
- Fjoruhusid Cafe - This little cafe is a popular local destination that provides not only the most delicious waffles (with cream and jam) and hot chocolate, but also a view over the ocean. After your afternoon snack here, take a walk along the cliffs until Gatklettur and Arnarstapi for some more views.
- Vatnshellir Cave - A series of deep caves that one can take caving tours to. We just stopped quickly and peeked into the most shallow cave. The darkness and depth is mind-blowing.
- Hotel Budir - I would like to stay here one day, but given our timeline we only stopped to photograph the gorgeous black church.
- Olkelda Mineral Spring - this is a strange one, it's literally just a natural spring next to a local farm that anyone can stop at and fill up their water bottles. The thing is, it's mineral water, like really super minerally (iron) water. And as we were pulling up I read somewhere it tasted like blood, so that ruined it for me, but Max loved it.

Where to stay / Getting around

Happy Campers all the way. We rented a four person sleeper van and drove around the Ring Road. It took us 6 nights to do so, and we could have easily made it a longer journey as well, especially to fully explore the West Fjords. The van has everything you need for a comfortable week long camping trip. The only downside of the camper vans is you can’t go on the "F roads" (four wheel roads) through the middle of the country, so we will have to do that next time. Other than that, we used the Happy Campers campsite blog to find which was closest to us at the time - all were fine and provided what we needed.

Reykjavik

Kex Hostel – A trendy and popular hostel that is definitely worth the stay. Get breakfast included to take full advantage of the delicious local morning treats. Also try happy hour at the hostel for cheaper (still so expensive) beers and snacks, Kex brews their own beers too.
Hallgrimskirkja - This is a big church on top of the hill in town. The structure itself is unique and the view on top is absolutely worth the ticket and elevator ride to the top. We sat inside for a while and listened to the organs be played too. After your visit walk down the diagonal street for some cute shops and cafes.
Kaffihus Vesturbaejar - Probably the cutest neighborhood cafe and coffee shop. The building itself has lots of character and the people watching is superb (with a snack and coffee of course).
Holavallagardour - I really enjoy visiting cemeteries, maybe because they're nice for walking and also reveal a bit about the locals. For example here the tombstones, with many gnarled trees, taught us the Son and Dottir naming convention used historically. So my name would be Heather Joannsdottir and Max's would be Max Harryson.
Bergsson Mathus - Go here and get the breakfast tray, it comes with all the local delicious goodies.
Baejarins Beztu Pylsur - For a reason unknown to me hot dogs are really popular here. Be sure to visit this stand and get a dog with all the toppings, yum.
Icelandic Fish and Chips - A local favorite, so you have to try them.
Grotta Island Lighthouse - It's a bit of a long haul walking to here, but made for a nice half day with views of the sea and distant snow peaked mountains.
Kirsuberjatred - A little art gallery filled with local art and craft.
Museum of Photography - There is a free exhibit in this museum as well as many old photography books to look through. My favorite was a man who drove the Ring Road and stopped something like every 20 kms and took a photo of whatever he saw then compiled it into a book. I just love this idea, maybe I'll do it one day.
Burid - Cheese and local goodie shop down by the water. The whole row of buildings down here is filled with little places worth visiting.
Marshall House - An old warehouse turned art gallery. The exhibition was admittedly strange, but the glass walls and afternoon sunlight combo were the perfect pair for an afternoon wander.
Hverfisgata 15 - This little cafe in the lobby of a museum serves cake, coffee and of course some champagne. It's a newer addition to town and a nice place to stop for a rest.
Islenski Barinn - This restaurant has a long menu specializing in the local foods (like puffin and whale fine for example). It's a good place to come if you want to try some of these nibbles.
Mokka Kaffi - One word, waffles. Delicious, delicious waffles. Max and I spent an afternoon here watching an Icelandic family with young kids enjoy their waffles.
Braud & Co - Bread and bread and bread, of all varieties. Definitely try the various sweet rolls. We also brought a loaf of the thick nut bread with us for the camping trip and loved every minute of it.
Reykjavik Roasters - Locally roasted coffee beans in a fully hipster hangout. Spent a morning painting and sipping here, definitely recommended.
Micro Bar - Stop here to try local brews. I would recommend the tasting tray for a variety. Apparently they serve skyr sour sometimes, but we weren't lucky enough to find it on tap when in town.
"Pizza with no name" – I guess this place doesnt have a name, or the name is pizza with no name, it's unclear. But the pizza is delicious with unique flavors.
Matur og Drykkur - Max and I had a fancier night out here and it was oh so wonderful. I have to say that I love Icelandic food a lot and at this meal we were able to share a wine and try many different local flavors.