ICELAND

The most beautiful country we have been to outside of Canada, and a place we hope to return to again and again. The draw to Iceland is clearly all about the scenery, and the feeling we get from it. There is an overwhelming sense of freedom here. We visited in September and found that it was very cold in places, but mostly absolutely perfect weather. You certainly need a heater at night though! 

We arrived in Keflavik at the very southwestern corner of Iceland and picked up our rental vehicle. We rented a camper van from Lava Rentals and the pick up process was a piece of cake. Lava sent a shuttle to the airport and brought us to their office. The process was quick and easy and we were on our way. 

Our first stop was in Reykjavik to check out the coolest church, called Hallgrimskirkja. It was designed to mimic the basalt columns you find around the country and looks like it is made out of Lego! Next we headed downtown to grab a famous Icelandic hot dog at the Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stand. This stand is supposed to be the best in the country and it certainly did not disappoint! 

We didn't waste much time in town (aside from a quick beer at  Hressó  Sports Bar) before heading north out of the city and into the countryside. We were in awe from the get-go. The drive from Reykjavik to Grundarfjörður was just over two hours and it was a preview for what we had in store for the rest of the 7 day drive ahead. 

When we arrived in Grundarfjörður we stopped at the famous Kirkjufell mountain for a perfect photo op under the angry skies before finding a farm across the bay that welcomed campers for a small fee. We of course stocked up on local beer and snacks and set our camper van up on the field with a perfect view for the sunset over the ocean.

The next 7 days were spent driving the entire 1332 km ring road that showcased some of the most incredible and jaw dropping  scenes we had ever experienced.  The east coast drive is very green, with deep valleys giving way to wide open vistas that go on forever.

The northern parts of Iceland are quiet. Very quiet. The wind is the only sound you hear and there are so few people that you can be forgiven for forgetting for a second that you are not alone in the universe. There are several must stop at locations along the northern highway including Grjótagjá Cave and Godafoss waterfall. We also recommend doing the steep but short hike up to Litlanesfoss waterfall. The hike offers terrific views of the valley below.

On our way from the northern road towards the east coast and without realizing what we were in for, we took a turn off of the main highway and followed our GPS onto route 939 (past a sign that said tow trucks ain't coming for your dumb tourist ass, well something to that effect). Unbeknownst to our GPS, this was an unpaved mountain pass through some seriously sketchy switchbacks and into some very unpredictable windy weather.  Our little camper van did just fine dodging potholes and loose cliff sides and we eventually made it to the other side with grand views of the eastern coast. The east coast is probably the most beautiful part of Iceland, with jagged black volcanic mountains falling straight into the sea and crumbling cliffs broken by tiny colorful fishing villages. 

The east coast drive scenery is as dramatic as the weather. Eventually you reach the outer tendrils of glacial ice flowing between mountains out of Vatnajökull National Park. The massive volcano under all of this ice creates a peak that towers over the mountains in the foreground. The glacier flowing from it is the largest in Europe. After driving past glacier after glacier you eventually reach the crown jewel and this volcano's gift to tourists, Jökulsárlón. Also known as Glacier Lagoon, Jökulsárlón is the point where glacier meets sea water and the result is terrific photo ops! Massive chunks of the glaciers break away and very, very slowly make their way through the lagoon and out to sea. Often the larger chunks drag on the bottom and get stuck. The photos speak for themselves.

Our next stop was another hike to a waterfall, this time Svatifoss. This basalt columns around this waterfall is the inspiration for the church we visited in Reykjavik. It is a very easy and rewarding hike, best done early in the morning. 

The south coast of Iceland is, again, stunning. The south coast is the most accessible to tour buses and therefore sees a majority of Iceland's tourism industry. This is the only place in Iceland outside Reykjavik where you can expect crowds. The archetypal Icelandic town of Vik is the last refuge for peace before braving the masses. Beyond Vik is the black pebbles of Reynisfjara Beach. Famous for scenes in both Star Wars and Game of Thrones, tourists flock here and to the basalt cave at the end of the beach. To get a stunning view of this beach and to avoid the tour buses, there is a very easy hike to the cliff overlooking this beach that begins right in Vik. It is an easy hike but be careful at the viewpoint as the cliff is slowly giving way.

The next stop for anyone willing to do a 7 km walk is a small parking lot along route 1 and in the middle of a vast expanse of perfectly flat lava rock. At the end of a 3.5 km trail you come to the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck. This is a US Navy DC-3 that went down in 1973 and was never recovered (everyone survived). For whatever reason, the plane was not recovered and has become no more than a silver skeleton of its former self. It provides an intriguing and unexpected site in absolutely perfect contrast to the black rock all around it. It is worth the walk.

The next sites along the south coast are the waterfalls of Skógafoss which towers over the river below and has a grueling staircase to a lookout at the top, and Seljalandsfoss which is absolutely massive and has a trail you can take to walk into a giant cave behind the waterfall. If you make it to a single waterfall in Iceland, make sure it's Seljalandsfoss.

The route now takes us inland slightly to check out the famous Geysir which is now unfortunately, dormant.  There is another active geyser on the site which still blasts every 6-10 minutes. I don't suggest spending the time to drive here unless you really want to. The next stop is at Thingvellir National Park where you can walk a path between two slowly separating continental plates. On one side of you, the North American plate is slowly moving away from the Eurasian plate on your other side. This also happens to be the site where ancient Icelanders held their parliament. Leaders from all over Iceland would make the trek to this spot to hold parliamentary sessions.

Our last stop before leaving Iceland is the obligatory one... the Blue Lagoon. We were nervous that this attraction would be over-rated and hyped up to be more than it is. The reality of it, is that the Blue Lagoon is everything it is billed as, and more. Wading around in the hot tub temperature waters of the Blue Lagoon under the cold yet clear blue sky turned out to be one of our favorite experiences ever and we expect to return over and over again!

The one thing we have not found in Iceland, aside from hot dogs, is really great food. We shall have to keep looking!