When traveling, a direct route to your destination isn't always the cheapest option, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Coming from Phoenix, it is difficult to find reasonably priced airfare to Europe, and unless your destination in that part of the world is London, you will HAVE to make a connection somewhere. Where exactly though? Making the decision to connect in Reykjavik, Iceland, turned out to best part of my 2013 "European" vacation.
In case you were not aware, Icelandair flies from several cities in the US to many destinations in Europe - but all of these flights connect through Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik. Also, travelers have the option to include a stopover in Iceland at no extra charge. So if you're looking for a way to add some adventure to a European vacation, this is the way to go!
You can learn how to speak Icelandic on the plane.
First glimpse of Iceland!
Icelandair is pretty much the only airline that flies to Iceland.
I did not know much about Iceland prior to my trip, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I spent a total of 4 days there, though I was probably only lucid for the equivalent of 3 days. (Jet lag.) The best way to explore the country is to rent a vehicle, which will most likely be some sort of boxy-mini-Jeep-looking SUV. The roads in Iceland are very smooth though, so four-wheel drive is really only necessary if you will be traveling on ice/snow or off-roading.
In Iceland, they drive on the right side of the road (same as the US.) Outside of Reykjavik, I think every road I saw was two lanes (one lane for each direction of traffic.) This was no problem at all though because there was hardly any traffic outside of the capital city. It's just you, the open road, and mountains as far as the eye can see. Luckily, I was just a passenger, not the driver, so I could look all around at the wonderful scenery while heading down the road.
The country is so scenic that you can do tons of sight-seeing just from the car itself. There's also plenty of room to pull over and stop to get a better view too.
Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest peak in Iceland (covered by clouds) at 6,923 feet, and its glacier.
Zoomed in view of the glacier.
Four different views of the same rock formations near Vik:
As a rainy and windy storm rolled in while driving along the southeastern shore past Höfn, the white caps of the ocean waves seemed to blow away in the wind. A photo just doesn't do it justice, but here you go anyway.
One of the amazing things about Iceland is that it's national parks are free. Also, you can literally park your car and be within steps of a glacier. That's exactly the case with Svínafellsjökull. I was quite astonished at how little effort it took to be right next to the glacier, and there are no fences or guard rails to protect it or the visitors. (Two German tourists "disappeared" here in August 2007.)
Far away view of the glacier.
Similar view, times two.
Unfortunately, the drive up to the glacier was super slow because I was stuck behind this tractor.
Getting closer.
I'm there!
I didn't dare step on or touch the glacier itself.
Look out for quicksand!
Signs of life near the glacier:
You can also park your car and be within steps of a floating glacier. One of the most amazing sights I have ever seen was broken pieces of glacier floating down a river and then out to sea. It was so serene and beautiful, but also sad knowing that the crystal clear ice, which had been frozen for thousands of years, would be completely melted forever within a few days. Some of these ice blocks got caught on the shore of the black sand beach, so it was really cool (no pun intended) to be able to see them up close, touch them, and climb on them. (FYI: I just want to point out that this experience was right along the path of the main southern road. It was unbelievable to not have to travel to a secret nook or pay a guide to find something as amazing as this.)
Looking upstream.
Looking downstream.
Looking upstream from the other side of the bridge.
The ice chunks looked like huge diamonds on the black sand.
Bye, bye!
Touching the freezing water.
Such a difference in colors and clarity in each of the ice chunks.
I was surprised by the amount of waterfalls I saw during my journey. It seemed that every mountain had a waterfall. And if it happened to rain, that number quickly multiplied.
I could get used to having a backyard like this!
One of the larger waterfalls cascading over a mountain is Skógafoss. You can get a great view of the falls from the bottom, or you can hike up for a few from the top. Either way, there's no charge!
I hate steps.
Not an activity for those who are afraid of heights.
Looking down.
View looking out from the top.
And as I'm sure you know, Iceland has volcanoes too. I stopped at a Visitor Center with details on one of the recent eruptions, Eyjafjallajökull in May 2010.
Photo of what it looked like during the eruption.
View of it while I was there. So peaceful that you would never know.
Iceland has natural geothermal pools, and the most famous one is the Blue Lagoon. I chose not to go there though, partly because it was quite expensive (at least $40, if I am recalling correctly) and I like avoiding big tourist crowds if possible. The good thing was that nearly ever small town in the country seemed to have it's own thermal pool. So for a much better price (around $5), I relaxed on a chilly and drizzly afternoon for an hour or so at a steaming community pool...and this one had water slides!
I tested out the water slides too. They were fun.
After exploring the southern and southeastern part of the country, which is fairly remote, it was time to head back westward to visit some of the main tourist sites along the drive known as the Golden Circle.
Kerið, a crater lake. (There are volcanoes and their remnants literally everywhere is this country)
One of the most popular sites is the geothermal valley of Haukadalur, which is free to visit. It contains "Geyser," the original geyser for which all other geysers are named. The ground was actually steaming all over, and there are more geysers here than I could count. It's definitely worth a visit, but there's no need to spend more than 30-45 minutes here since you're basically just watching stinky water boil.
Strokkur, the star of the show. It goes off about every 5-10 minutes.
One of the other geysers.
The water temperature is between 80 to 100 degrees Celsius. Crazy!
Another top tourist attraction which is nearby is Gullfoss ("Golden Falls.") Rather than being a waterfall flowing over a mountain like the other ones I previously saw on this trip, this one is located in a river canyon. As with all of the other natural wonders I came across, there was no fee to view the falls.
For a lesson in Icelandic history, you can also check out Þingvellir (Thingvellir) along the Golden Circle. This spot is the first meeting location of Iceland's parliament in 930, and it remained here until 1798. Be prepared for a lot of walking. (I wasn't and I was freezing!) While it was an interesting and pretty site, I don't recommend stopping here unless you have time to kill, already have researched the history of the place, or have a strong interest in learning about it.
My flight to Europe left at around 1am, so on the way towards the airport I took a few hours to explore Reykjavik before leaving. The town is quite small compared to any other capital city, but huge compared to every other city in Iceland. I was surprised by how much character the city had too. In the old part of town, there were lots of cute historic buildings that seemed to be a mash-up of Nordic/Scandinavian, American Colonial, and European architecture. And there were a few neat-looking modern buildings mixed in too. I wished I had more time to explore because there were interesting shops and restaurants up and down the streets as well. Next time for sure!
Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran church, the largest church in Iceland.
Statue of Leif Ericson. (I think the inscription is written in Englandic.)
Looking out from the harbor.
Harpa concert hall and convention center, one of the most futuristic, expensive, and controversial buildings in town.
Icelandic Tidbits and Oddities:
- This trip was the only time I have not taken out cash in the local currency because I was able to pay for everything with a credit card. It was kind of weird not touching or even knowing what the local currency looked like. But since I had a credit card with no international transaction fees, it was a no-brainer to go the plastic route.
- The horses here are really cool. They are all quite burly, perhaps because being "thicker" makes it better for them to handle the cold weather.
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So cute! I want one!
- Because of the wind, there are very few trees, especially in the remote, wide-open areas.
- The churches here were very simplistic, but so cute!
- The groundcover varies throughout the country. Some parts are grass or rocks. Others are this mossy stuff:
I wondered if it was soft. (The answer: Yes.)
- The country seemed to be equally influenced by the US and Europe. For example, at the grocery store you could find peanut butter from New Jersey and honey from Belgium. Oh, and there's this:
- Communicating in English was not much of a problem at all. Most signs had English translations.
- Are these not the cutest traffic lights you have ever seen?
- I wanted so badly to see a puffin, and chances were good since this trip was technically during puffin-viewing season. But alas, my wish did not come true. This is Priority #1 on my next trip there someday!
Got excited, but it was NOT a puffin.
Some splendid Icelandic views:
Not bad for a late day snack in the middle of nowhere.
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