In July of 2023, I was plotting my travel back to Seattle from Spain after leaving my son there for a semester abroad. We had developed an epic plan involving flights to London, the Chunnel, Paris, Bordeaux, and then an afternoon stop in Hendaye, and a train to Donastia, where he would be staying and going to school.
I had my mini-globe out thinking about my route back, and I noticed that Iceland was pretty much in the middle of the way, though a bit north. Why would I just fly straight home? I checked out the flights that left Spain and noticed that Icelandic Air was reasonable, and I could stop in Reykjavik, stay for a few days, and then continue on to Seattle. Brilliant! Ice, geothermal pools, volcanoes, ocean, hiking, and lots of must see destinations: is there a better way to make my way home? Now for some planning...
My go to travel companion in planning for anywhere in Europe is Rick Steves. He’s a Northwest guy, who made his name selling travel books and tours to Europe and he has a great guide that was easily available at the public library to peruse: Rick Steves Iceland. I could do some serious damage in a few days.
So I booked the flights, found the one hotel near the airport where I could crash after my late plane arrived, and then figured out an itinerary that covered some serious ground. I couldn’t do this ground travel plan without help, but I figured that a car rental would get me where I needed to go, and I could book an Airbnb for the second and third nights. I took a risk and reserved two nights with a shared space apartment with an elderly lady who lived right in the thick of things. Sometimes that site serves lemons, but this was a great find. She was awesome with tips and history and even made me some homemade Skyr, which was so delicious! I then set out on a tremendous adventure.
My first chore on Monday morning was to pick up my rental car. Little thing.
I took off driving in a counter-clockwise loop around the Reykjanes Peninsula finding some beautiful spots to stop and see the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and some cool geothermal activity along the way.
I stopped the car when I noticed this black river valley of sand running along the road. Turns out it was actually the edge of two continents that meet right across where I stood. North America to the West and Eurasia to the East…
The bridge crossed this line as seen at the right: the Mid Atlantic Ridge. I straddled two continents. It’s actually a wild experience, which reminded me of standing on the equator, one foot in the north and one in the south. The earth is this amazing and huge wondrous place… I felt small in the presence of such powerful tectonic plates shaping the earth all around me. This is the geology behind the volcanic wonderland of Iceland.
Next, I had to stop and take a look at the Blue Lagoon. This is the most famous tourist destination in Iceland and one of National Geographic’s top 25 Wonders of the World. I parked in the huge lot and walked past hundreds of cars to the resort. On the way, you get to see the public part of the lagoon.
The water has this amazing turquoise color and white deposits from saline along the shore’s rocks. It creates those other worldly feelings as you walk along the bank. The area seems so unsavory to humans but at the same time visually stunning. I went into the resort area to use the restroom, and realized that the prices, reservation requirements, and crowds were not to my liking. Time to move on…
I continued my drive and drove east, passing numerous volcanic parks turnoffs, and hiking trails. I stopped at one, paid a small parking fee and went on a rugged hike through some serious volcanic country. Turns out that one year later, this area would be in the midst of eruptions that poured out lava all over the very ground that I traversed. Wild. You can see the previous flows below:
I had a nice drive back to my apartment, stopping for dinner along the way. Folks in Iceland are amazing: hospitable and so many speak English better than I do…
The next day, I decided to complete the Golden Circle, a road loop that hits many of the top spots in West Iceland. I’ll summarize pictorially below with brief descriptions of my experience:
Pingvellir: a beautiful park showcasing more of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Geysir: A geothermal wonderland full of hot pools and geysers.
Gullfoss Falls: This was my favorite spot of the drive and you’ll see why in the pictures below. I love a good waterfall! This was one of my all time favorites.
This waterfall was seriously powerful and the mist was significant, as well as the temperature dip, so I was lucky to have read my guide book and brought warm clothes and a beanie!
More stops on the way back: a cool area of random rock formations around slowly flowing water, a dip in Secret Lagoon, and finally Kerio Crater. I totally wore myself out… but it was worth it. The hot pools are so relaxing: be careful to plan these on the tail end of driving, as they put you to sleep!
Finally I spent a day in Reykjavik just walking around and enjoying the sights.
My host was amazing and as I traveled, I ran into folks doing the same route as me, bumping into them over and over again. It is so fun to strike up conversation, meet people from all over the world, and share the love of travel and adventure with them. Iceland was a magical place, beautiful and lonely, rugged and hospitable, and warm as a geothermal hot tub. The people were amazing along the way, and I hope to someday return and do the South Coast drive, or make my way all the way around the island.
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