Return to Reykjavik and the Golden Circle

Tyler Reporting:

Day 7

Reykjavik is only the third international city that I've been back to more than once (the other two being Paris and Santiago). There is something comforting about going back to a city you've been to before (international or not). You don't feel the pressure to "see it all" and instead are able to focus on doing what you'd like to do. 

I think, when initially planning the trip, Sarah and I had sort of presumed that we would spend the couple of days we had in Reykjavik re-showing the kids the city. But, with Stella still feeling under the weather, and Otto being a little burnt out from being drug all over Iceland, we decided to let them off the hook a bit and let them hang in the apartment while Sarah and I ran explored around a bit. 

Otto's default mode, when mom and dad weren't making him walk around Reykjavik. 

That said, Otto and I did start the morning by going to one of Reykjavik's community pools. We'd actually been intending to go to one that we'd been to the previous visit, but we remembered our directions wrong and ended up at a different pool. This one wasn't as fun as the previous day's pool in Akureyi, but with its waterslide, hot pots and large swimming pool, it was still a good way to start the day. 

When we got back, we did make one quickish trip up to the main cathedral. I'd gotten it in my head to recreate a photo that was taken on our original trip. In the original, Sarah and the kids stood hand in hand looking up at the cathedral, all jetlagged from the flight in. I thought it would be fun to show them all in the same pose today. I think it turned out well...

The original. 

...and today.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. After that, we lingered for a bit, taking in the crowds and sun, and enjoying some waffles from a nearby stand.

Rock star posing.

Just including this photo because it feels so cheerful and carefree. 

We returned the apartment, long enough to drop off Stella and Otto. Then, we headed back out to explore around a bit. First off The Icelandic Punk Rock Museum! The Icelandic Punk Rock Museum is an old public bathroom that has been converted into what must be one of the smallest museums in the world: Basically, three stalls worth of information detailing the Icelandic punk rock up through Bjork and the Sugarcubes. 

Punk Rock Museum entrance.

Some example text from inside the museum.

After that, without an agenda, Sarah and I just wandered for a bit. Like, "let's just go that way a bit" wandering. Away from the crowds of the main drag, and with the sun out. It was relaxing an dnice to just aimlessly explore. 

Me, at the pond, which lies at one end of the main tourist thoroughfare, with Reykjavik spread out behind me.

A typical piece of architecture. Icelanders love their corrugated metal. 

A mural, just off the main drag. Murals are a pretty common sight, which also helps keep the graffiti down. 

We then swung by the apartment just long enough to collect Otto for dinner at Reykjavik Fish & Chips Company. We'd been there on our previous visit, and remembered enjoying it, but also remember being really jetlagged. So, we thought it would be fun to revisit with our resident seafood connoisseur. It didn't disappoint. 

After that, we decided to hike down to a waterfront portion of Reykjavik we hadn't been to before, to get ice cream. It was neat to see another side of the city, and it was also nice that this portion both a) didn't seem to cater exclusively to tourist, and b) also had a number of small boutique businesses and restaurants. 

On our previous visit, our front Jody had introduced us to the owner of the Icelandic chocolate company Omnom. Since then, Omnom had opened up a storefront where they sold chocolate bars and ice cream. 

The Omnom storefront, with its rainbow wolf logo. 

The Panda ice cream that we got for Stella, and then had to try to race home with before it melted. Semi-successfully. 

Day 8

On the morning of the final day, Stella had begun to rally a bit... but unfortunately, I could feel myself fading a bit. My mantra was "just need to make it 19 more hours, and then I can fall apart at home."

We decided that, rather than linger around Reykjavik, we'd take the kids out to the Golden Circle. We'd been there on our first trip, and hadn't intended to do it again, but decide to call an audible, since it would involve less walking for Stella, and neither of the kids remembered it from the first time.  But first: Hot dogs!

Another thing that the kids didn't remember was the Icelandic Hot Dog stand, so we decided to do our early lunch there. Especially since Otto is a bit of a hot dog connoisseur, too. He maintains New York hot dogs are good... but is critical of pretty much any other dog. 

His verdict? Good. Not New York good. But good.

Hoping back in the Rifter for one last day of driving, we headed out to the first stop on the Golden Circle, Þingvellir. Þingvellir is both the site where the North American and European tetonic plates are expanding away from each other and it was also the site of the annual gathering of lawmakers in the settling time. I'm sure that Sarah or I detailed it in greater detail in our original entry, so I won't bore you with it again. Still, here's some photos of our sunny and relaxed visit. 

One of the other few pictures of the whole family, thanks to a friendly tourist. Not sure why my head appears to be put on crooked. 

Below the rocky rift that is the main tourist draw, there's a small wetlands, with a gangplank walkway. Here's Otto enjoying it.

The kids, on our walk back up the hill to the parking lot. 

After that, it was on to the geothermic area Haukadalur, the site of the original "Geyser" and Iceland's most spectacular geyser: Strokkur. When we'd been there, before, the area consisted of little more than a parking lot and dirt paths. So, we were amazed to find it now posted a fancy interpretive center complete with shop, restaurant and gas station. 

Unfortunately, as we pulled into the parking lot, we also realized we were already running behind schedule, and that not only would we have to skip revisiting Gullfoss, but would have to even hurry our visit here. Still, Strokkur didn't disappoint, and erupted several time while we were there. 

The kids enjoy the geyser, while I make awkward conversation with a tourist who thought it was really important to remind us that -if Yellowstone erupted- it would kill my whole family. 

Having watched the geyser erupt, it was back in the Rifter, and back the way we came. Back past Reykjavik. Dropping off and saying "Goodbye" to the Rifter. Navigating the airport. And, home to Seattle. 

Two days on the road

Tyler Reporting:

Day 5

Beyond Eskifjörður, the Ring Road heads away from the East Coast, and overland toward Iceland's Northern Coast. So, loading our car up that morning, we had some overpriced breakfast at the towns one open restaurant (really just the dining area for a hotel). then set off inland. 

I little over an hours' worth of driving, and a diversion down a a long dirt road brough us to Stuðlagil Canyon. Stuðlagil Canyon is a brilliant blue river cutting through a dramatic canyon of basalt rock formations. In an ideal world, we would have parked an hiked down the far side of the river, a several kilometer round trip that rewards you by letting you explore down to the rivers edge. But, because of my bum knee and our limited time, we limited our visit to just taking in the view from a precarious viewing platform on the main side of the river.

Looking one way down the river.

Some of the dramatic basalt formations.

Otto, who has a fear of heights, wouldn't come out on to this part of the platform, that hung over the river.

After a snack of Happy Wedding Cake and Kleine at a food cart, we climbed back into the Rifter, drove back down the dirt road and continued our trip into the interior of Iceland. While I'm not sure how high we were, the terrian had a definite altiplano feel to it, with little in the way of vegetation or landmarks. Then, rather suddenly, we found ourselves to be approaching a thick cloud bank that almost reminded us of a sandstorm out of something like Fury Road. Plunging into it, we were amazed at how deep and dense it was, turning the whole would claustrophobic and ethereal. 

"Nothing to see here, move along."

At other points, driving, we noticed rows of large cairns running roughly parallel to the highway. Knowing how comparatively recent the modern Ring Road was, Sarah and I hypothesized that perhaps -pre-road- people traveling overland would simply follow this trails of cairns to get to their destination. 

You can see the row of cairns on the left side of this image, which also shows what a lot of the terrain we drove through looked like.

Our next destination was Krafla. Krafla was a site of a string of volcanic fissures that opened and spewed lava between 1975 and 1984. Today it a blasted, alien landscape of twisted black volcanic rock and cracks which still vent sulfurous steam. 

This image gives you a sense of the size and scope. The hill in the mid-right part of the photo is a lava crater where you can almost picture the way the magma poured out.

Striking a pose on a viewpoint. You can see the lava field spreading into the distance behind me.

A surreal pale-blue pond. It's edges bubbled and sputtered as gas continued to vent from below. 

Thunder stomp! An example of the striking rock formations.

Also part of Krafla was this striking, if had to photograph, crater lake, You used to be able to walk all the way around it, but one side has collapsed a bit, making it unpassable. 

Back in the car, we headed another 45 minutes or so down the road to Goðafoss, or the Waterfall of the Gods. Purportedly, when Iceland converted to Christianity, around 1000, a local lawspeaker threw his idols of the old pagan gods off the waterfalls. 

The falls were large and striking, even from the highway, but after hours of driving (and many, many waterfalls... like a LOT of waterfalls), they ended up warranting only a brief stop. 

One of only, like, 2 or 3 photos of the whole family from the trip.

From there, it was only a short drive to Akureyi, Iceland's second largest city. But, first, we would pay our one toll of the trip, to drive through the 2nd most epic tunnel we'd drive through on the trip: 7.4km long!

Entering Akureyi and driving straight to our apartment, we got checked in, and then it was time to reward the kids with a trip to the pool. As I''ve previously mentioned, photos aren't allowed inside the pool areas, but Sarah snapped this photo from the outside, that gives you an idea of the waterslides, at what was probably the largest and fanciest pool we visited the whole trip.

Otto stares longingly at the waterslides.

After an hour and a half at the pool, we headed into town for dinner, but the kids were fading fast from a long day of driving then swimming. So, while Otto went back to the apartment fro some screen time, the other three of us walked to a 24-hour grocery store to stock up for breakfast, and tomorrow's day on the road. 

Day 6

The next morning, it was back on the road again. The drive to Reykjavik would be roughly 5 hours, so unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of time to linger in Akureyi. (Akureyi, we hardly knew ye!) Also unfortunately, Stella woke up sniffling and feeling under the weather. Stella has already struggled with allergies, so initially that's what we presumed she was struggling with. But, as we continued our drive, it became more and more apparent that she was struggling with some sort of head cold. Ultimaitely, she would spend most of the day napping in the backseat, as we raced across the Icelandic landscape.

The drive from Akureyi to Reykjavik isn't as loaded with natural wonders to stop and check out, but our first stop was Borgarvirki, a "volcanic plug" that had been converted into a fort during settlement times. While the fortifications themselves were basic (basic rock walls built to reinforce the plugs natural defenses), you could definitely see why the site was chosen. From the "walls" it was easy to see dozens of miles in every direction.

The kids in the parking lot. Unlike some of the main sites we visited, we largely had this to ourselves.

The epic view from the fortification's walls spreads out behind me.

From there, it was on to Grábrók: A striking volcanic cone and crater, with well-constructed gangplank walkways allowing you to explore around its edges. 

Climbing the stairs. My poor old-man knees.

A second, smaller crater next to the one we hiked around. 

Otto virtually skipping his way around the ring.

After that, it was on the Reykjavik. But, first, it was on to the most impressive tunnel of our trip: The Hvalfjörður Tunnel! At 5.77km, it isn't as long as the tunnel outside of Akureyi, but it goes under a fjord!! I mean, how often do you get to drive under a fjord?

The fjord we drove under. Apparently, the tunnel reduces the drive time from over an hour down to 7 minutes.

The tunnel entrance. Sarah also took a photo inside the tunnel, but really all you can see is all the bugs splattered on our windshield... we'd drove something like 1500k by this point.

Arriving in Reykavik after a week on the Ring Road, the city seemed comparatively crowded and hectic. But, despite some confusing directions, we managed to find our rental, the Ice Apartments, and get checked in. We looked forward to exploring the town a bit more, tomorrow, but the time being, we were happy to let the kids rest and veg in the apartment, while Sarah and I went out to dinner at a fancy food court. 

Sarah outside the Ice Apartments. Surprisingly quiet, despite being one block off from one of Reykjavik's busiest intersections.

Otto Matur & Rapscallion

 Tyler Reporting:

Our rental outside of Hofn, like our previous residence, was one of several small, identical pre-fab feeling cabins. This seems to be a common arrangement for Icelandic rentals these days, and as we continued around the Ring Road we noticed little clumps of identical cabins sprouting like mushrooms across the countryside. Presumably it is an easy way for people to make some extra money with their property, and help Iceland's rapidly developing tourist infrastructure. 

These particular cabins, unlike the previous ones, were clean and modern inside. In addition, they sat on a small bluff, overlooking scenic landscape that would only make itself visible a day later when clouds finally bean to lift.

Our second cabin rental, and the view on the last day we were there.

Day 3:

Since this was our first day where we didn't need to be on the road, we decided to use it as an opportunity to rest of up a bit and explore around Hofn. 

Our first destination saw Hofn's community pool. As people who read our previous Iceland entries might remember, one of our favorite parts of visiting Reykjavik was our near-daily trips to the local community pool. With a near unlimited supply of thermally heated water, pool culture is a central part of Icelandic culture. Pretty much every town larger than a couple hundred people has a community pool, generally featuring several hot tubs (hot pots) at different temperatures, a lap pool, kiddy pool and often a water slide or two. And Hofn was no exception. 

As we'd hoped and expected, the kids loved our visit to the Hofn pool. While Sarah and I relaxed and soaked in the hot pots, the kids played and tookk countless trips down the water slides. Ok, maybe I did the water slides, too. In fact, the pool was such a hit, that promised visits to community pools would become the carrot that we'd use to entice the kids to make it through a day of sightseeing. "If you just let us take a look at this boring lavafield, we'll go to the pool this evening."

Because cameras aren't allowed inside the pools, though, you'll have to just imagine what they looked like. Just imagine if the YMCA designed a water park.

After our pool time, we took a 15 minute drive down the coast to Vesterhorn Mountain. Located on Stokkes Peninsula, Vesterhorn's serrated peaks rising dramatically from the black sand beaches are the source of countless iconic tourist photos of Iceland. But, as had been the case on the previous day, the clouds hung low like some sort of wooly dropped ceiling. So, our photos looked a little more like this...

Still, even without the dramatic mountains as a backdrop, the dark sand beaches, with their green grass-topped dunes, and the steel-grey seas made for some striking, moody exploring.

Definite edge-of-the-world vibes.

In addition to the natural views, the Vesterhorn beach features a Viking village. Not an actual village, but apparently a movie set. The village had been built for a movie that was going to be filmed here, but was aborted at the start of the pandemic. Now it serves more as a tourist attraction, allowing for some striking photos itself; and apparently it was featured in an episode of The Witcher. 

Almost feels like stepping back in time... if you ignore the tractor parked just outside.

Soggy and cold, it was time to head back to Hofn, and warm up with dinner at Otto Matur & Drykkur. "Matur & Drykkur" means "food and drink." But, with Otto's name, and the opportunity to make "Otto mature" jokes... how could we pass it up.

Otto, looking very matur ...er, mature.

Sarah snapped this picture of one of the tables in Otto Matur & Drykkur which helps show the simple, yet considered, feel that was indicative of a lot of the places we visited on our trip.

We our bellies full of food, and fading quickly from a long day and lingering jet lag, we returned to the cabin to crash.

Day 4:

That morning, the clouds finally broke (see the cabin picture above), and it was time to hit the road again. Saying goodbye to our cabin, we climbed aboard the Rifter and hit the road, passing Vesterhorn and driving through what we thought was an impressively long tunnel (but at 1.3km long, it would only be the fourth most impressive tunnel), and began making our way up the East Coast.

This day's driving was dominated by one thing: Fjords. Lots of fjords. In and out of fjords. It wasn't uncommon to round a corner and the tip of a new fjord, look across at cars driving down the far side and think "well, there's where we'll be in 45 minutes or so." The whole time, dramatic mountains always rising to our left and ocean below us to our right.

Some of the striking mountain on the first half of the drive. 

Sarah (and a distant Stella) with some of the coast spreading out behind them.

The Rifter and I, striking a dramatic pose to match the dramatic scenery.

While researching Iceland on Atlas Obscura, I remembered seeing and entry on a mysterious red chair mounted on a rock on a remote stretch of highway, so I probably surprised Sarah and the kids a bit when I suddenly announced "oh look! The chair!" I think that, ultimately, its a bit of tricky advertising by a nearby guesthouse, but it still makes a fun photo op.

The chair!

The East Coast of Iceland is dotted with this modest and brightly colored lighthouses. Needing an excuse to stretch out legs, we decided to hike out to this one.

Then it was time to drive through the third most impressive tunnel of the trip (5.9km long), before making the final push to our destination town of Eskifjörður. Arriving a little early to town, we decided to reward the kids with a trip to Eskifjörður's community pool. Then, refreshed, we checked in to our super cute, little red cabin which sat right at the fjord's edge. Quaint, clean with a stunning view, and a hot tub that looked like a boat, it may have been my favorite place we stayed in Iceland. It even had a semi-tamed artic fox living on the property.

Our cabin. You can't beat the location.

Never one to say no to a good pool, Otto tries out the hot tub boat.

The artic fox, which the kids named Rapscallion. It's not often you have a fox run up to greet you, when you arrive at a guest house. 

Dinner that evening was just a quick walk down the waterfront to an old fishing building turned restaurant and museum, Randulf's Sea House. They specialized in locale cuisine, like reindeer and puffin, and provided Otto with a chance to try Hákarl (fermented shark). The Hákarl wasn't as pungent as I remembered it from my previous time trying it, but Otto definitely was more a fan of the dried fish flakes (think fish jerky). 

Otto with a piece of Hakarl. Definitely skeptical.

With dinner in us, it was off to bed. Tomorrow would bring another day of driving, this time crossing inland and headed to the Northern coast.