Final Day on the Road

As I said previously, we got up and out of that campsite before the ranger showed up so we didn’t have anyone to pay. The Snajfellfoss waterfall and another cave were RIGHT there, so we visited both, walking behind snajfellfoss, and then walking into the cave where the other waterfall is. We were only about 1.5 hours from Reykjavik, so quite early on the tourist hoards came in, and we got a taste of what the middle-class in China looks like. The photo-shoots that were happening were out-of-control – I’m talking outfit changes in front of the waterfall, action shots of someone splashing a droplet of water in a river – the poses were incredible. There should be a tumblr dedicated to photos of these people taking photos.

As we got on the road the weather was pretty clear and although we were tired, we decided to look for the “hot river hike” that we had read about in the lonely planet, and a friend of mine had mentioned it as well. We arrived at the bottom of the hike – it was meant to be about an hour (obviously, it was longer – 1.5 hours I would say), but when we finally did arrive at the hot river we were SO happy. This was definitely a lot better than the nasty hot pot we had visited the previous day. There were boardwalks and areas for you to leave your things, and then we got in the river and lied down and just let the warm water stream over us – it was perfect. Although it was fairly busy, it really didn’t feel like it, as the river was broken down into natural sections where there were small (1 foot) waterfalls. We had a section to ourselves.

We got back to Reykjavik around 4pm and after failing to hit the famous hot dog stand, we were back at Kex hostel where we had the private room + private bathroom – it was actually very luxurious and we were feeling like we got our money’s worth with that one. We popped our bottle of prosecco and relaxed in the room for the rest of the day and had dinner at the KEX kitchen (it is actually delicious – maybe our favourite meals were had there). We were early to bed because our next day we had to be at the Blue Lagoon for 8am!

At first we were a little distraught about the 8am start – it was the only booking we could get for that day (you should definitely book it in advance), but it actually turned out really well. 8am is when it opened, so we definitely were the closest to getting a serene experience (it was so busy by the time we left at 11).  We unfortunately had a decent amount of time to kill before our flight, so we grabbed lunch at a thai spot in Keflavik (really random, nothing to write home about), and then hit the airport and spent a couple hours at the airport bar. Before hopping on our plane, I spotted (from across the store) MORI beer for sale! We cleaned them out and got the last 6 to take home to Mike’s family. Woah, on the plane and this trip is over – what a blast!

Day 8 – Hike and Short Driving Day

We were in the final stretch – Vik to Reykjavik can be done in a day (its about 3 hours of driving straight), but we had 2 full days left, and it looked like the weather might clear up in our little Thakgil campsite heaven, so we decided we would wait 30 minutes, see what it’s like and if it looks nice, we will go on a hike. We actually started on our way (well I lead Mike on our way) and after about 5 minutes, Mike asked “How long will this hike be?” My reply: “Well…the whole hike is 6 hours”. We hadn’t eaten anything, we hadn’t packed any snacks. I don’t really know what I was thinking – that we would just turn back when we got hungry? Anyways, we had a couple lolz about it and went back to the car to get properly prepared. We also visited the campsite hut and asked the woman there for any tips. She pointed us towards a path that would be about a 4 hour hike in total – sold!

This was actually the one thing our trip was missing so far – a big hike! Even though for the first hour it was straight uphill and I was dying, the slope lessened after that, and it was a beautiful hike for the full 2 or 3 hours that we spent going up. We actually passed the end of the trail to get closer to the glacier, and as we walked up to it, a massive chunk came off and crashed into the valley below – it sounded like thunder it was so loud. We were still a good kilometer from the glacier – which to me was fine – we had a perfect view and we were all alone. This area is also an area of incredible volcanic action and in teh last few centuries the volcano has erupted once per century. The last eruption was in teh early 1900s so the eruptions is actually well overdue so I was a bit nervous that we would get stuck up there (luckily we made it back without any eruptions).

We made our way back down the hike and to our car where we got to have lunch – salami sandwich with BBQ chips (you have to get creative when you are eating salami sandwiches everyday) and we started the drive back to Vik.

When we got back into Vik, we visited the black beach (the west side which we hadn’t seen the day before), where there are also some incredible rock formations and caves. The weather was perfect and sunny, but this was also pretty touristy. We moved onwards and visited the abandoned airplane crash. It seems that everyone goes to this place, and I sort of just felt like we needed to too. Mike called it in advance “it’s going to be underwhelming”, and he was right. There were so many tourists there and there really isn’t much left of it anyways. In my opinion, you can definitely skip this.

We drove onwards and took in the view at Skogafoss – walk in, take a few pics, walk out (getting pretty quick at the whole waterfall thing), and then we visited another secret hot tub/lagoon thing. This one we had to walk in about 15 minutes to, but it was easy enough to find. There are change rooms, but they are disgusting, and a warm swimming pool – honestly it is fucking disgusting. Had we not been in Iceland, I would have never even put my toe in this thing, but being on vacation in an other-worldly location, we hopped right in. It was full of algae and writing about it/thinking about it is making me feel sick right now/causing concern that I have gotten an infection from that cesspool. The surroundings were cool, but I would probably recommend you try to find a different hotpot if that’s what you fancy.

We drove onwards and got to Snajfellafoss, which was beautiful in the evening light (this is the waterfall that you can walk behind and look out) and there was a campsite that we made dinner at (one pot pasta again) and spent the night – for free! There was no one to take our money in the evening and no one in the morning – we were feeling prettttty good about it.

On the Road Day 7 – Vik

Okay, so I’m really banging out the Iceland blog posts this morning. When we awoke on day 7, it was raining. Oh well, we were optimistic about the luck we had had so far, and we didn’t think it would rain for too long. We met a couple at the campsite that needed a ride to the airport in Hofn, so we volunteered (it was on our way), and after leaving them, we decided to try and find some ‘secret’ hot tubs that our campsite neighbours had told us about. We reached the end of a deserted road and instead of finding hot tubs, we found the edge of a glacier – only in Iceland. We walked around for a bit (not on the glacier) but it was so miserable and rainy that we turned back fairly quickly. We spotted the hot tubs on our way out, but again, considering the weather, we decided to move on.

It rained for most of the morning from Hofn to Skaftafell. Along the way we got drenched while visiting the Jokulsarlon glacier beach where parts of the glacier (aka ice sculptures – they are beautiful) are washed up on the black beach (it is absolutely breathtaking) and we came along the edge of the massive glacier a few times. There are some hikes you can do from the base at Skaftafell, but considering the foggy weather, we decided we were better off on our way. Within 30 minutes of driving past Skaftafell, we could see sunshine in the distance. As you’ll always hear – the weather can change so fast in Iceland.

Soon we were stopping at one of Mike’s favourite spots – Fjaðrárgljúfur (yeah I just copy and pasted that becuase I’m pretty sure one of those letters doesn’t even exist). It’s a canyon in the south about 2km long with a river running down it. It was eroded over millenia by glacial and river activity and it is insane. We walked up and down the upper edge of the canyon (of course no guard rails) and then looked up at the canyon from a bridge over the river at the bottom. I even spotted a big fish in the river! And I did so before my fisher-fanatic-boyfriend! He was very proud of me.

We drove onwards to get to Vik where we grabbed a couple things at the grocery store since our Lonely planet book said that the city campsite had a kitchen facility – skunked again, just a room where people could cook with their own materials. We walked along the east side of the black beach and grabbed dinner in town. The city campsite in Vik looked pretty shit, so we decided to drive 30 minutes up a dirt road to Thakgil campsite – this is TOTALLY worth it. The drive up is phenomenal and you get an incredible view of the glacial drainage rivers over black basalt sand heading south to the ocean. I wish I had the photos to post here because it is actaully unbelievable. When we arrived at our campsite we were so pleased with our decision. It was set in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains on all sides. There was a cave with a BBQ and candles and tables to hang out in and there were various trails accessible from the campsite for day-long or half-day hikes. We decided that if the weather was nice, we would do one the next morning. We went to bed hoping that we would have our first clear night and a chance to see the Northern lights, but no. We had a good view of the stars and Mike even spotted a few shooting stars, but by midnight the sky clouded over and we even got a bit of rain. We would have to continue relishing in the first night’s northern lights experience with dom’s in hand.

On the Road Day 6 – Hofn

On the road again (obviously), we drive back to Egilsstadir in hopes of stocking up on groceries. Of course we forgot that Iceland has the most insane hours of operation EVER and the grocery store is only open for about 4 or 5 hours from 11am-4pm. There are some places that only have operating hours from 4pm-5pm – it is actually insane, but I guess with city populations under 1000 they don’t really see the point. So instead of waiting for the grocery store to open, we grabbed two subs from subway and we were on our way to drive south towards Hofn.

This was a very foggy drive on a one lane rural road with no guardrail – it was sketchy to say the least. There were numerous waterfalls along the way (standard Iceland) and a few spots where the fog cleared up a little and we could actually see the valley we were driving down. When we were out of the East Fjords, we stopped at a big black beach and went for a walk. We had a lol at me doing a river crossing by foot and essentially jumping right into the middle. What can I say? Don’t have much of a long-jump game. Further on, we stopped at Halnes Nature traverse where a black beach isthmus connects two peninsulas across. We got out and walked along the beach where we had clear skies and sunshine as well as massive waves. Mike was loving it, a little too much when a big wave caught him by surprise and soaked him from the knees down. Good thing he had his high performance sweatpants on, but too bad he was wearing his vans. I don’t think these shoes got dry again until the end of the trip.

We arrived at the city campsite in Hofn, which had basic cooking facilities (hot plates, pots, plates and cutlery), so we did one pot pasta (which I absolutely loved), watched the sunset (red sky at night sailor’s delight? Not the case in Iceland where the weather changes every few minutes), and went to bed. We awoke to our first rain since day 1 and although it wasn’t very pleasant, we were optimistic. We got on the road and made our way along Route 1 towards Vik.

On the Road Day 5 – To the East Fjords

Before leaving the Myvatn area, we visited the Krafla geothermal plant and viti crater. Another day being pummeled by wind as we summit a crater – just a regular day in Iceland. Onwards we drove to Dettifoss (the beast). There are two sides that you can visit, and we took the first turn-off after seeing the sign. If you are visiting Iceland and don’t have the extra time to do both sides, I highly recommend you go up the east side of the river to visit Dettifoss. The road is more rural, and that side is less touristy. You get a better view of the valley and you can stand right next to the waterfall – it is nuts. Anyways, we were on the more touristy side first.

When you get to Dettifoss, you can visit both Dettifoss and Selfoss, so first we walked up to Selfoss. At this point we already had envy of the other side, seeing that there were paths leading you right up to the edge, which we could not reach. We decided we had time and it was important enough that we would drive around to that side as well. We cruised down to Dettifoss and took some photos before getting in the car so we could get to the other side (probably about an hour detour). Before leaving I almost got blown away in an extreme sandstorm. Mike sent me out of the car to get some toilet paper to blow his nose and as I entered a port-a-potty to get some the sandstorm emerged and unraveled the entire roll of toilet paper and blew it away. I then had an entire piece of the port-a-potty break off and blow away. Mike said the entire show was hilarious (unfortunately no go pro footage).

Afterwards, we made our way to the other side where there are absolutely no barriers and you can imagine yourself just toppling over and down the 45m to the bottom of Dettifoss. Mike was right there taking photos and throwing his Go pro over the edge, while I held on for dear life to the cliffside 10 meters back – it is so scary!

On our way to Egilsstadir (biggest town in the East Fjords), we stopped at the beautiful Jokla river and had a snack. With no campsites with kitchens, we got dinner at a local restaurant, got some more beers, and then made our way to Borgarfjordur Eystri where we camped on the edge of a mountain pass with glaciers and mountains out our back window and views of a massive bay out the front. On our way, I was overjoyed to see the green coloured hut with solar panels along the upper edges – the solar powered vending machine in the middle of nowhere that one of Mike’s friends had told him about it! I was bouncing in my seat with excitement – a local eccentric does the upkeep and apparently there were snacks and drinks to be had in there!

And then…it was out of order…womp womp. I was saddened to open the door and see a handwritten ‘Out of Order’ sign on the door. No snacks for us. Oh well…still got to see it I guess. Further along our way towards the mountain where we would spend the night, we saw tons of geese in the fields, the usual spottings of sheep, and we even saw a seal giving a wave close to the bay! The east fjords are beautiful and there is a total absence of tourists (and people in general) – we only had about 2 or 3 cars go past us the entire night on the mountain. Another windy and cold night in Iceland, but we were happy to spend it in the most beautiful surroundings, and together 🙂

On the Road Day 4 – Askja!

After a sulfur shower (did I mention most of the hot water in Iceland smells like sulfur?), we were on the road again for what we knew would be a big day. The Germans had said it is 3-3.5 hours of driving in and then out again. On our way, we stopped at the Hvelmar vents, which was our first taste of other-worldliness – it looks like Mars! Steam coming out of holes in the ground, leaving behind deposits of sulfur, reddish-brown landscape and some bubbling ponds of gunk, we were amazed by this stop. Onwards we went, however, to experience our first “F-Road” – F88.

We started our journey through lava pits, isolated sand fields, river basins, craters and mountains that would ultimately lead us to Askja – a crater from a prehistoric eruption. By the way, this area was used for training astronauts in the Apollo program – if you go, or see photos, you’ll understand why! The entire journey feels like you cross through about 10 different countries and 3 or 4 different planets – the fact that you can see so many landscape changes in one day is mind boggling.

So there we were, on our way, the Germans did it in their Rav4 rental car, and so could we. We weren’t insured for river crossings or travel on F Roads, but like I said, the Germans in a Rav4 did it already – we were good. We were told there were two main river crossings – the first one is easy, the second one is a bit sketchy, but do-able. When we arrived at the first one, I was, in a word, floored! The river was MASSIVE. There was a WATERFALL about 10 meters up from the “road”. We got out of the car and walked across first to check the depth – icy, cold, Icelandic, glacial water. I was screaming in agony of the intense cold when I got to the other side – luckily I could wait there while Mike walked back and drove the car through. No problem – we made it across the first river.

Onwards we drove until we arrived at the second river. The wind was blowing and we knew that this was the more difficult river. As we were scoping it out, an American in a dodge rolls up. Without even getting out of the vehicle he drives through, and it definitely looked sketchy. He didn’t really follow the wide curve that the sign instructs you too, but he did make it across – however, the clearance on his car was a lot higher than ours. Mike walked the river to check it out for himself. From walking, he could tell if we took a wide arc around, we shouldn’t have a problem. In we went, and out we came! Not without some beeping going off in the car – whatever that was, we were across! The American watched us and as we came out the river on his side he said “that looked a lot smoother than me” – yeah…we know.

Onwards we drive, one of the landscapes we agreed looks like a parking lot has burped – just black hardened magma that had opened up in mounds. We drive for what feels like FOREVER, we have a beautiful view of the mountain – Mt Herdubreid. The landscape seems to change every few minutes and at one point we even see a fellow tourist dressed in a space suit jumping through the field! This drive was taking forever – a German 3 hours is more like a 4 hour ride for us. We FINALLY reached the Askja base.

Now to experience the strongest winds of my life. We walk across a black and red sand lava field with snowpack to the crater with icy blue water and a massive lake behind it. It was beautiful, but the wind almost blew us away (not kidding). We had heard that some people go swimming in the crater, but there was no way the wind would allow us to get down to it nor would I be able to take off any layers of clothing. It was absolute madness. Anyways, the crater was beautiful, but it was more the journey to get there. Apparently there is also a hot river that you can walk to and swim in (created by the 2014 eruption), but honestly, the wind conditions had us just wanting to get safely out of this place, so we turned around, walked (with the wind at our backs) back to the car and we were on our way back to those river crossings – 2 big ones and we were out of there safely.

I’ll skip the details – the river crossings on the way back were sketchy, and there was silence in the car until we reached the other side safely, we were happy when we got off the F road and back on Route 1 – we wouldn’t be purchasing a new Rav4 before leaving Iceland – that was a relief. We grabbed hot dogs from the gas station and stayed at the same campsite on Lake Myvatn again. A couple Mori’s (the beer) and we were off to bed.

On The Road Day 3

Everyone is up early in Iceland. There’s no point sleeping in when you really need the whole day to get from A to B regardless how long the actual drive is (because you stop everywhere!) So with the sun, and the rest of the campers at our campsite, we were up. This campsite, fortunately, had free showers, so we both indulged. Campsite facilities in Iceland are great and most of the bathrooms are heated. On our way out, we reloaded at Bonus (discount grocery store) as you never know when you will see another one (seriously, you can drive many miles before seeing gas stations, food, grocery stores etc.).

Although we only had about 2 hours (I think less) of driving, it was still a full day. We first stopped at Godafoss (the beauty), a waterfall outside of Akureyri. Onwards we went to Myvatn, where there is tons to see and do. We went through the Dromkigur lava field, and then hiked up the Hvelmfjar crater while being pummeled by extreme wind – this turned into a theme for the next 3 days: craters and wind. We visited a cave with warm water where apparently Jon Snow was deflowered in Game of Thrones (we weren’t allowed to swim in it though), and finished our day at the Myvatn Nature Baths. These are lovely and a very relaxing finish to our day.

After a few hours at the baths, we went to the Myvatn campsite on Lake Myvatn. Our lonely planet guide said there was a kitchen tent, so we were excited to make some real food (after seeing our last campsite, we loaded up on items to make one pot pastas for dinners). We were disappointed to reach the kitchen tent and realize that although it was a facility for cooking, it did not have all the cooking utensils required and most people were using their personal stoves, pots and cutlery in the tent. Womp womp, out for dinner we went (too tired and hungry to try to remedy the situation). The restaurant we decided to visit was The Cowshed – a restaurant right on a farm and with cows all around. We had beautiful lake views and the food was actually really good, so we were both satisfied.

On this day, we also started inquiring about a trip to Askja – a mountain and crater in the highlands that can be tricky to get to. We were worried if our Rav4 would make it, as most locals said “it’s possible, but it’s sketchy” (or something along those lines). As we were settling into the backseat of our Rav for a few beers and an evening watching the sunset, another Rav4 pulled up beside us and 3 people hopped out and ran to the shore to take photos. I joked that they might have gone to Askja in their car and I should go talk to them – in a few moments I was out there asking them about their trip. Believe it or not, these 3 Germans (so many Germans in Iceland it is crazy), had been to Askja and back that day. We started talking in detail and they told Mike and I everything we needed to know. If their Rav4 could do it, surely ours could do! Tomorrow we would be off on an adventure!

On The Road Day 2

Mike and I were up early – or what probably happened, I was up early and then by default, Mike was up early – and we were on our way to have breakfast in a more scenic location. We drove along some beautiful seaside towns before pulling over at a bay to have breakfast – peanut butter and banana on our Icelandic Rye! Too bad the wind was too strong for us to exit the car – at least we had the nice scenery beyond our windows. We stopped at Bluonduos where the land connects to an island and we walked along the “beach” for a bit. Bundled up, wind blowing – this was the romantic beach vacation of our dreams! Further on we stopped at the River Blanda, which Mike knew all about the record number of salmons being pulled out. On our way we went. Since we were skipping the West Fjords, we decided to take the Trollaskagi coastline detour (the guidebook said it is somewhat reminiscent of the West Fjords). Like most drives through Iceland, it was beautiful. It can be summarized by beautiful cliffscapes, wild blueberry-covered hillsides and very long and often one-way tunnels (we were lucky to be in the lane with the right of way phew).

Along our way, we stopped in Siglufjordur for a late lunch. Mike was getting cranky (hangry) and we ended up getting gauged out of $50 for soup and a beer. This is one of those things you sort of just have to deal with in Iceland. If you are in a pickle and have to eat out, be prepared to spend at least $50 on the most basic meal and most likely a lot more than that. I honeslty stopped being concerned about saving money because it is impossible.

Our day ended in Akureyri where we camped at the Hammar campsite in the forest which had both mountain views and a full kitchen! We were stoked on these facilities and really treated ourselves by making instant noodles and a raw pepper on the side. That night, we got to test out my refrigeration idea of sticking things on the roof (this night it was Skyr that we had purchased for an easy no-cook dinner. Skyr is like Greek Yogurt but apparently is more of a cheese in way of production). In my opinion, a night on the roof of our car in Iceland is enough to counter an entire day inside our car. Mike wasn’t as convinced, but believe it or not, we kept the Skyr for 3 or 4 more days before chucking the very small amount that was remaining.

At this campsite, we also set our tent up for the sole time of the entire journey. It was up for an hour before (like clockwork in Iceland), the sun set and the wind started roaring. We knew we wouldn’t want to sleep in it, so we packed it in before things got worse and spent the night in the back of the Rav again.

Iceland Part 2 – On the Road Day 1

Despite being up late, we were able to get an early start – about 8am I think, and we headed to the Sandholt Bakery which we had passed the previous day and thought it looked good –a lot of others must have thought the same because there was a lineup out the door! You actually have to grab a number and wait your turn – I think it took over 30 minutes! Whatever, it was worth it. We got pastries and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, mini quiches to have for lunch and a loaf of “Icelandic Rye” (basically the heaviest, seediest and most delicious loaf of bread ever) which we would use to make sandwiches along the way. We also went into North 66 to get Mike some warmer pants – it was raining and all he had was denim. Goodbye thousands of kronas, but hello high performance sweatpants!

Within an hour of driving, the weather had cleared up, and we actually saw an incredible rainbow on the side of the road going across a field – I think it is the first time I have seen a full semi-circle rainbow, so naturally Mike and I stopped for about 50 photos. Further on, we climbed the side of a mountain and stopped at a waterfall – this is sort of what Iceland is all about. Of course there are the main stops and sights, but most of our trip was stopping at random pullovers and just taking it in. We also discovered about 1-1.5 hours into driving that I am an excellent (see: terrible) navigator! Statements like “ohhhhh….we were supposed to turn like 45 minutes ago” and if we are lucky, “turn right…….here…..back there” (I say it as we pass the turn). In my opinion, this was a good source of lolz, but you might have to talk to Mike to find out how he felt about it.

The missed turns didn’t matter too much, before we knew it we were going into Snaefellsness (or something like that) National Park on the peninsula. We stopped off in Hellnar and walked along the boardwalks and by the water there, and took a random dirt road to the end for one of our highlights of the day (no one was there and we scaled black and red rock hillsides). We drove the perimeter of the peninsula and then stopped in Samskeyti to get a bit of food and continued on to Buodaladur to spend the night. This was a big day of driving. We set up the backseats for sleeping and then prepared some dinner in the car — we used Mike’s North 66 reusable bag as a countertop and made salami, camembert, tomato and pickle sandwiches on our Icelandic rye. Afterwards, I found the only other people camping in the site and started talking to them about their trip. They were traveling the opposite direction as us so they were actually finishing up their trip, while we were just getting started, so they started giving us tips. It was at this moment that we changed our whole itinerary and we decided to skip the West Fjords (often skipped because it is just so much to cover for people who aren’t in Iceland for so long). These guys had been to Askja (in the highlands) and it sounded epic so we started thinking about if it would be possible for us to go. There would be a few river crossings (we aren’t insured for river crossings), and it is an F-road in for 3-4 hours and the same road back out – it would be a big day. We thanked them for their suggestions and packed it in for the night.

Before leaving Reykjavik we had (smartly – Mike’s thinking) visited the liquor store and got some beer for the trip. While in the store, we spotted a beer that was called ‘MORI’ so naturally, we had to get it (Mike’s last name). We opened up our first Mori that night, and it was DELICIOUS! Turns out it is made by one of the best breweries in Iceland. We loved it. We had a good first night camping in the car, but we did have one visitor – a local cat! He was crawling all over our car all night, meowing, and sticking his paws through the cracks in the windows that we had open. He badly wanted in – poor guy.

Iceland Part 1 – Reykjavik & Thingvellir National Park

So I have been home for 2 weeks now, and writing about my trip has just felt like such a feat! We saw and did so much, and it was all so incredible that I’m not sure I can put it into words, but I am going to try – I started this blog in February 2014, and I don’t want to end prematurely (although maybe my very creative name “jennywoodberlin” should be altered at this point). Anyways, I’m going to give it a shot – Iceland 2015.

As our plane flew over Iceland to land in Reykjavik, we were already wowed by what we were seeing out our window – snow-topped mountains, lush green fields and meandering river systems – Mike and I would be in our heaven. We landed at Keflavik International airport, picked up our car from Blue Car Rental (recommended as the cheapest — you MUST book in advance, they sell out first), and we were on our way to our hostel! Mike had taken a screenshot of a map from the airport to our hostel – 6 minutes, but since the names of the street are something like “Fluorouodour” I decided I would also get our GPS going to give us instructions – 40 minutes…hm…I decided we should just follow the signs to Reykjavik and then figure it out from there, but Mike wasn’t convinced. It was getting dark, we were tired and hungry (therefore cranky), and tensions were high in that vehicle. Iceland is also a place where you have to drive 20km just for your next turnaround point — we did this a few times before ultimately deciding to follow the signs and the GPS to bring us to our hostel. This might have been our only “fight” of the trip, although it was hardly a fight as I was still looking at him with a huge smile on my face as we drove around in circles – so happy to be here with him.

When we finally arrived at our hostel, checked in and dropped off our bags, the kitchen was closed, so we went outside and got our culture on with a $30 Domino’s pizza. As we walked back to our hostel, greasy dom’s in hand at about 11:00pm a crowd of people outside the hostel forced us to look up into the sky where we saw our first (and only) instance of the northern lights. A green stripe danced across the sky for a few minutes before fading and disappearing entirely. We were tired and hungry, but it was still amazing and I don’t think we will ever forget that domino’s experience.

The next morning, we had the day planned to stay in Reykjavik and prepare for our road trip starting early the following day. We got breakfast at the Grey Cat, did laundry at the cool Laundromat Cafe and then walked around the town visiting the Harpa Performance Centre (beautiful and a must-visit) and the church. With the sun shining, and most of the day left, we had lunch at our hostel – KEX (food is incredible), and planned a day trip to Thingvellir National Park where the continental plates of North America and Europe meet. We drove all over, past the ION hotel, the geothermal plant in the area, and then walked around the park seeing some waterfalls and the big canyon forming due to the two plates. This was our first taste of Iceland outside of Reykjavik and we were definitely getting excited for our trip – also, the weather was perfect! Sunshine all afternoon.

Before the day was up, we also visited Bonus (the discount grocery store) to stock up on snacks for our trip – we basically bought chips and crackers and somehow spent $65 – we were often asking ourselves “How many crazy kronas can we spend and seemingly buy nothing at all?” The answer: a lot. That evening we went to Dill for dinner – another 7-course tasting menu and although special, they are certainly not on the same level as Relae. The price was a lot cheaper than Relae, and we got more food, but the beer menu had beers costing at minimum $18 and some over $50, and this is for about 30ml – not a pint. We found out it was the same owners as our hostel and I think we decided that we preferred the food at our hostel restaurant to this – although it is a totally different experience. Again, the photos are on Mike’s phone.

Reykjavik is meant to have great nightlife, but we were both tired by the end of our meal and decided to pack it in so we could get an early start the following day and get on the road.