Lava and ash spewing from Iceland’s Bardarbunga Volcano (circa September 2014) interspersed with scenes from “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” filled my head as my husband, Forest, and I touched down at Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport just after dawn.
Despite my active imagination, as the media had accurately conveyed there was no evidence of the eruption on pretty much any part of our Icelandic adventure. However, peering across the vast, treeless landscape, we were acutely aware that the entire island, with its glowing green moss and fiery red and ashen black rocks, was formed from the volcanic processes that rumbled beneath its glaciers.
The Icelandic landscape was out of this world. We could not get over the beauty of the country. We understood why Icelanders are said to be more likely to believe in supernatural phenomena (like elves) than other nations, and how hundreds of people could be convinced to wait for aliens to land on Snaefellsjokul, one of Iceland’s sub-glacial volcanoes, one cold evening in November 1993. It was completely plausible to us.
Driving
Our trip involved a lot of driving, so, before I continue, I’d like to point out that Iceland did not have a lot of police cars on the road, but they DID have a lot of speed cameras. And, in case you might have thought that a sign depicting the image of a camera signifies a scenic viewpoint (um, we might have thought that), think again.
As we painfully discovered months after the fact, speeding is not common, and extremely expensive. If you see signs like the one pictured here, please ensure you are driving the speed limit. And don’t assume just because the road is completely empty, that you are not being watched.
Trip Itinerary:
- Day 1: Arrive Reykjavik at 06:15. Drive to Vik, overnight Hotel Katla Hofdabrekka
- Day 2: Hike around the falls, drive to Hotel Budir in the afternoon. Overnight at Hotel Budir.
- Day 3: Hike around Snanefellsjökull. Return to Reykjavik in evening. AirBNB on Raudararstigur
- Day 4: Reykjavik
- Day 5: Thingvellir, Geysir
- Day 6: Reykjavik museums, Blue Lagoon
- Day 7: Early flight to Switzerland
Favorites
Skogafoss
Hiking above Skogafoss, back towards Thorsmork was one of my favorite activities. The weather changed every five minutes so, while one moment I was stripped down to a long-sleeve thermal, the next I had my rain pants and jacket on, with the hood cinched so tight that my eyes were barely visible.
But the colors were amazing. The greens, mixed with hints of red autumn hues, were mesmerizing and we only ran into a few fellow hikers along the route. The most difficult part of the hike was ascending the 527 stairs to the top of Skogafoss, so I would say that if you are able to make it up those stairs, you’re in for a nice walk along the numerous falls for the first two hours of the route towards Thorsmork.
Snaefellsnes
Many locals believe that Snaefellsnes has mystical powers. We had a hard time finding a solid argument to suggest otherwise. Forest and I parked the car after searching for a “trail head” but realized that, despite the fact that the volcano and its glacier are a popular hiking destination, there’s really no need for marked trails, anywhere, ever. Aside from the weather that alternately narrowed and opened our line of sight, we could spot our car from most points of our journey up to the glacier.
Our hiking conversation was curated by Snaefellsnes. After discussing how completely rational it was for astronauts to have training missions in Iceland (it felt as though it should be mandatory), we threw in a few of our best impressions of aliens from old movies, before taking it to the dark side to ponder the question of how fast lava flows and what we would do if the volcano erupted during our hike. We both have a fair amount of glacier climbing and rescue training, but it turned out that neither of us know anything about what to do when a volcano erupts. Lucky for us, Snaefellsnes remained dormant for the duration of our hike.
Hotel Budir
We could only afford to splurge for one night, but Hotel Budir had been recommended to us by our friends over at Fiercely Curious and Fiercely Made. We wished we could’ve stayed longer. The rooms, the setting, the food and the people were all amazing. I can’t recommend it enough if you have a budget that allows for it.
Reykjavik
Who couldn’t fall in love with the colorful homes aligning Reykjavik’s streets, brightening up the landscape on the many grey, dreary days in this seaside home to over 60% of Iceland’s entire population? We caught up on journal entries and general writing projects at the Laundromat Cafe. There, surrounded by framed photographs of laundromats from many Brooklyn neighborhoods, we bumped into our local Brooklyn bartenders who, not surprisingly, decided to turn their three-week tour into a semi-permanent one, visas allowing.
For food and drink, we sampled as many local places as time allowed, but our two favorites were Reykjavik Fish (the arctic char was delicious), and Ölstofan for sampling Icelandic brews.
The Blue Lagoon
I’d be remiss if I didn’t chime in on the tried and true tourist destination. As a lover of the Japanese onsen (hot spring) tradition, I booked the premium package for Forest and myself to spend half of our last day in Iceland at the lagoon, complete with all of the necessary locker room amenities, algae mask, and a dinner reservation at the Blue Lagoon’s Lava restaurant.
Despite reviews suggesting that the attraction is overrated and you should go to the local thermal pools instead, I loved this part of our trip. The mud masks, sauna and varied temperatures throughout the outdoor pools were amazing. And, again, the colors! The milky blue hues of the water enticed me to soak long past my pruning point. It was worth every moment. (I’ll skip the restaurant on our next trip.)
What we’ll do differently next time
- Drive the speed limit, always
- Activate the chip and pin on my credit card (it was nearly impossible to get gas for the car at odd hours without a working chip on a Visa or Mastercard)
- Spend more time hiking, less time driving
- Arrange transportation to Thorsmork so we can hike all the way to Skogafoss
- Travel to Iceland before the bus services shut down post-season
- Get further north
- Allow for more time!
Photo Journal
