Iceland Trip Report - June 9, 2024. 10 nights. Ring Road (clockwise) with concessions!

Iceland Summary (Part 1):

Though Iceland is unique, beautiful and a must see, there is not a lot of diversity of scenery so driving the Ring Road felt like a chore after a bit. I also found the driving slower than expected, mostly due to the large number of sheep, including so many lambs, literally on the side of the road (no or inadequate fences) or even on the road. My husband did a lot of the driving and he did not feel he was able to take in much of the scenery for this reason. Also I felt like every stop, whether for gas, bathroom or food, took longer than you'd expect. Just planning for sit down meals eats significantly into your schedule.

Our priorities were to see the Westman Islands and spend time in the North. Both exceeded expectations. Our time in Iceland was enough to use the Ring Road to accomplish seeing both, but with too many wasted hours in the car. We found ourselves stopping at sites to break up the drive, not really because the sites were necessary to see. We stopped for a lot of hot beverages along the way!

The pervasive guidance on a minimum of 13 nights for the Ring Road (not counting Westman Islands) is solid. Also, no matter what you see, it will be cool! Very early on I regretted not buying a local detailed road map or atlas of Iceland. As we drove, particularly on one of our detours, we'd see some land formation that I wanted to identify and look up. The travel book maps were inadequate. We rented a 4WD and in hindsight, though we were only on a few F roads, I do think we made the right choice (I had resisted but mikliz97 convinced me). In some parts of the north and east the road would inexplicably change from gravel/dirt to paved and back. It seemed to correlate with a large and well-kept farm in the vicinity.

Side note: My 17 year old daughter loved the car time, she used it to read 9 books. She preferred the stops at museums. My 13 year old daughter listened to music and podcasts and would accompany my husband and I on more of our excursion stops (hiking to waterfalls, etc).

Though we took the proper steps to combat jetlag, we never did fully get over it. Having multiple overnight stays was as disorienting as the 22 hours of light. Both my husband and I had difficulties going back to sleep after waking after midnight needing to pee, which for me happened frequently, which is extremely unusual for my overnight routine.

In Iceland I don't think we ever had a waiter bring a bill to the table, I don’t remember reading about this, so it was a surprise and took a bit to get used to. We experienced slow service frequently. It was not clear to me if it was cultural or a factor of a tight labor force. Several times we would have ordered dessert if a waiter had returned to take it. Other times we opted for car snacks rather than stop to eat and "eat up" precious time.

There was also a stark difference in the amount of people in the north and east versus the south and west. We felt more connected to the locals in the north and east, less like tourists, such that we were surprised by the crowds that grew steadily as we drove west toward Reykjavik.

And one bit of silliness, the doors do not consistently open one way or the other (i.e. push vs pull). Every door seems to be different, especially into a building. I once tried to go a bakery right when they opened and believed the door to be locked. I waited and waited, tried the other door and then we realized you had to push, not pull the door open. It seems such a silly thing and I felt very dumb! This is a great challenge to your own culture, when you find yourself assuming basics, you experience embarrassment and then broaden your set of assumptions!

Iceland Summary (Part 2):

I loved the people of Iceland and learning about the history of the country, which I find fascinating. I fell in love with the turf houses (Glaumbaer Farm and Museum was quite striking) and common sense efficiency of the Icelanders. We listened to Egil Bjarnason's "How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small Island" while driving and that made me want to stay longer and see more. The Settlement Center and Thingvellir are essential sites to "get" Iceland. In hindsight, a tour of Thingvellir would have made it even more impressionable. Seeing the Settlement Center first would be ideal!

June 9th - Golden Circle / Arrival Day (Part 1)

Sights: Hagkaup, Hellisheidi Power Station, Gullfoss, Strokkur, Laugvarvatn Fontana
Eats: Kökulist Bakery, Efstidalur II
Sleep: Héraðsskólinn Historic Guesthouse (family room with beds for 8, shared bathrooms at end of hall)

Our flight landed on time at 9:25am. Despite the fact the airport is not very large, it took us a long time to make it to Blue Car via bus…I had understood it is very close, but did not know which exit/direction (later on, once we had our bearings, we walked and it was super simple). We rented a manual used 4WD and received a falling apart and smelly (obviously previous renters had been fishing) automatic 4WD. I'd rather have the manual. We didn't complain since we got the full insurance and figured whatever as long as it makes it around and through, and it did! The fish smell also dissipated over time.

The weather but for the last few days of our trip was wonderful. It was 50s and sunny, not windy, color or rainy until towards the end. We really lucked out as the week before Iceland had some really cold and snowy weather.

We were wanting a coffee and snack, so we found a great bakery not far from the airport by chance (was not on my pre-trip researched list) which was excellent. Highly recommend - Kökulist Bakery. They introduced us to a Swiss Mocha café, which is available at all coffee shops in the country - it's a hot chocolate coffee drink. Delicious.

The driving differences and all the roundabouts were more impactful than we expected, in hindsight I wish I had read up on some of the nuances more. We got the hang of it, but continued to experience little surprises even after the first couple days (see the post about the tunnel into Siglufjordhur). Google maps was a life saver, but drained the battery on the phone. It was a couple days in before I remembered I had added WIFI to the car rental and found the device. That may have been worth the price. Definitely more convenient and saved the battery. My daughters certainly appreciated it!

Just east of the airport we could see the smoke from the magma eruptions in the Sundhnukur volcanic area to the south. The landscape reminded me of a moonscape, but with sparse plants and snowy mountains in the background in almost every direction. We saw a bird everywhere that looked like a quail. My daughter mentioned it and at the first gift shop we visited, we consulted an Iceland bird book to find it was a type of loon, the Heidloa. The roadways were thick with the deep purple of the lupine. We debated the pluses and negatives of this non-native plant, but it certainly is beautiful.

We stopped at a Hagkaup in a mall to get car snacks/drinks and a cooler. Hagkaup is higher end and not just a grocery store - it was like a mini department store. We were able to buy a cooler there, which we left at our hotel (Aurora) upon check out, so I imagine a good idea upon arrival in country to drive the Ring Road, is to stop by Aurora which is right next to Blue Car, and see if they have any left-behind coolers!

We started for the Golden Circle and stopped first at The Geothermal Exhibition at Hellisheidi Power Station to educate ourselves a bit about the thermal energy in the country. We did not pay for the audio guide. We should have. Though there were several films in English, I had a lot of questions that the English info signs did not have the answers for. I was intrigued by an exhibit explaining a process of returning the seltzer water (H20 with CO2 from the geothermal process) back into the ground. The seltzer water reacts with the calcium in the basalt making calcium carbonate in the form of calcite. As they asserted, this is locking up CO2 into the ground.

June 9th - Golden Circle / Arrival Day (Part 2)

Sights: Hagkaup, Hellisheidi Power Station, Gullfoss, Strokkur, Laugvarvatn Fontana
Eats: Kökulist Bakery, Efstidalur II
Sleep: Héraðsskólinn Historic Guesthouse (family room with beds for 8, shared bathrooms at end of hall)

We went onto Gullfoss (waterfall), which I had planned to skip if we were too tired or the plane was late, in an attempt to avoid the crowds (Dettifoss planned for the north). I am so glad we went. It was magnificent and really was a brilliant "Welcome to Iceland" moment! We were all really struggling with jetlag, but the waterfall perked us right up! We had rain pants, we did not wear them, we should have. I really would have liked to stand in the mist a bit longer! Even though I anticipated it, I was still surprised by the number of people there. I can't imagine what it is like in July or August! The surroundings, too, as you drive up do not prepare you for the scene. It's like opening up a gift wrapped in plain brown paper and being stunned by the beauty within. Your first view is impressive, but as you get closer, you notice there are two levels and register the depth of the gorge. And the sound, the roaring. The lower view was magnificent.

On our way to the farm to table restaurant Efstidalur II we saw Strokkur blow in the distance, it was very high and quite longer than I expected. The ice cream at Efstidalur II was quite good and I very much enjoyed the soup and bread buffet. My youngest had a hard time eating with the view of the cows in the barn below (glass windows).

Later, we stopped at Strokkur and the area was closed off, so we only saw one of the smaller geysirs blow. However, I was taken with this rock bowl in the ground that had roiling boiling water. I watched it for quite awhile. It was about this time that I had the repeated thought that I couldn't think. Time to call it!

We made it to Héraðsskólinn Historic Guesthouse around 5:30pm. I would not normally choose to stay in a hostel where the bathrooms are shared (at the end of the hall). Either I missed that detail (or purposely forgot it) because the location was great. It was a 3 minute walk down to Laugvarvatn Fontana, the thermal pool for which we had a reservation. We took our shower stuff and showered there (before and) after our soak.

Laugvarvatn Fontana had the hottest pools of the three we visited in Iceland. It has multiple pools at different temperatures plus the lake for a cold dip, and saunas. It also was the most "local" we attended, as evidenced by the guests showing proper pool etiquette (shower before and strict adherence to the wet and dry areas in the locker room). The tourists mix was less American. I particularly enjoyed sitting in the hotest pool sipping on a slushie (cherry and blue raspberry). They call these "crap" in Iceland and we all really enjoyed the cold non-alcoholic option.

The hostel was very loud - not because of disrespectful guests, but the doors are heavy and loud, the walls thin, etc. And there were inadequate window covers. We all had sleep masks, but it was still very difficult to sleep. I would have liked to learn more about the historic building which was once a school, but I was just too tired.

June 10th - Settlement Center, Hvammstangi (Part 1)

Sights: Thingvellir National Park, Settlement Center
Eats: Héraðsskólinn, Erpsstadir farm (ice cream), Sjavarborg
Sleep: Airbnb (2 bed, 1 bathroom, laundry machine)

The breakfast at Héraðsskólinn was early, abundant and diverse. It may have been the best breakfast we had in all our lodging. If I was 30 years younger, this guesthouse would have been stellar. It had a pretty view, wonderful location and a great vibe.

We drove about 30 minutes to Thingvellir National Park. Later, after the Settlement Center and listening to the book on Iceland, the depth of historical significance of this place sunk in more. I wish we'd spent more time here (we didn't visit the visitor center), but the crowds were overwhelming, so we just took in the space and read the informational plaques along the way. The RS guidebook was very helpful/informative, of course. Physically being where you knew two tectonic plates were pulling away from each other is almost a tangible impression. It's hard to wrap your mind around; the evidence of the significance of this place inherent and making it a natural meeting place!

Seeing Drekkingarhylur (the drowning pool where the Oxara river drains down to the lake) was really impactful for my eldest and I (my husband had stayed back with my youngest who was sketching the landscape from above). This pool is so beautiful and tranquil and knowing the violence that occurred there was unsettling. You wanted to take a picture, but also felt wrong about doing so.

If we ever come back to Iceland, I would visit Thingvellir again. It is so multifaceted I don't think you can take it in for all that it is in one visit. You need to process and have some perspective and take it in again!

From Thingvellir we departed for Borganes and the center of the Icelandic origin stories. I read a bit about the sagas before coming to Iceland, but didn't quite understand what a saga was until the Settlement Center. I was fascinated by the organization of this group of settlers and how they were all dispatched to different locations in the area for resources (fish, wood, etc) and would come back together regularly to trade and make decisions. I wish I had seen the Settlement Center before the Thingvellir. I was also taken by the art woven into the exhibits. All of us enjoyed the exhibits, even though my daughters were initially resisted the audio guide (the staff insisted, which was the right call!). You simply are wasting your time if you don't follow the audio guide. I often listed more than once as I found myself getting lost in thought about one of the topics mentioned or some detail that was fascinating.

I wish I had planned to spend more time in Borganes, as the area around the Settlement Center was lovely and had interesting sights, especially after learning about the early inhabitants! We were all taken with the story of Egil's nanny and her sacrifice, so much so that we seek out the memorial for her nearby.

June 10th - Settlement Center, Hvammstangi (Part 2)

Sights: Thingvellir National Park, Settlement Center
Eats: Héraðsskólinn, Erpsstadir farm (ice cream), Sjavarborg
Sleep: Airbnb (2 bed, 1 bathroom, laundry machine)

We started for the north via 1 and although we did not stop for Grabrok Crater, it was fun driving past because we could see people on the rim. We detoured off 1 at highway 60 to stop at Erpsstadir farm. The detour was magical and memorable. Magical because of the scenery as we drove through the mountains pass which looked and felt a lot like the alpine areas of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the almost complete absence of other cars. This area was the most surprisingly scenic of our drives. I found myself wanting to know more about this area such as what the name of the very tall cone shaped mountain was that we drove around. Many parts of the road were gravel or dirt (we had a 4WD). As we descended we became more acquainted with the enormous population of sheep in Iceland and their newest members - lambs everywhere! We were there in the Iceland spring as evidenced by the baby wildlife everywhere. What a great time to be in Iceland when you see wildlife, there's almost always a baby in tow.

Highway 60 was a memorable detour as a result of our 8 year old tour guide at the Erpsstadir farm. I'm sure some folks may have not have appreciated the tour or been entertained, but we like odd and surprising and this tour guide brought it with a straight face! We still laugh thinking back on it. It was probably the most memorable interaction we had with a local, the whole time we were in Iceland. The ice cream was pretty good too! Although none of us tried it, they had dandelion ice cream (I found the extremely large size of the dandelions in Iceland surprising), which our tour guide said was his favorite. I won't share the details of this unorthodox tour, in case it was a routine. We couldn't decide if the kid does this all the time or if he just had a wild hair and we were the appreciative beneficiaries!

We detoured off 1 again to Hvammstagi via 72. We were pleased with the area around as beautifully green with many farms and the sea inlet (I don't think it was a fjord). Our Airbnb was on the edge of town, but still only a 15 minute walk to the Seal Center in the middle of town. It was so quiet, had a beautiful view and very comfortable. We arrived later in the day and opted not to go to the Seal Center for such a short time before it closed.

I had made reservations at Sjavarborg Restaurant (located above the Seal Center) not having any idea of how busy this area would be. At 6:30pm, it was not, but steadily gained new diners as we were there. We received a wonderful table in the corner, with a window on each side looking out to the ocean. Despite the population of seals in this area, we did not see one (here or anywhere along the north). The food was wonderful. We stayed overly long not realizing we needed to pay at the bar.

June 11th - Vatnsnes and Trollaskagi Peninsulas (Part 1)

Sights: KIDKA Wool Factory Shop, Skardsviti Lighthouse, Hvitserkur, Glaumbær Farm & Museum and Grafarkirkja
Eats: Siglunes
Sleep: Siglunes Hotel (family room - four single beds, 1 bath)

One of the reasons I picked Hvammstagi to stay overnight was the KIDKA Wool Factory Shop. I was determined to purchase a high quality wool sweater in Iceland and this shop opens early (8am!) and has a great selection of items, not just sweaters. The sweater I purchased was my go-to the rest of the trip when it was colder and/or windy. I also bought a hat which was a staple for all the coastal areas. I would put it on before getting out of the car. At the factory store you could observe seamstresses piece the sweaters together in a glassed work area in the back. The saleswoman offered to complete the VAT paperwork (I had forgotten this was an option, so appreciated the reminder).

There was not an open café or coffee shop in town so we had to go to the grocery store for some baked goods. In hindsight, the cooler was not as handy as it required continual ice hunting/restocking, not to mention the packing and unpacking. It was easier to stop along the way and buy snacks, drinks and such. I had been under the impression there were not a lot of grocery stores, but they were more plentiful than expected. On the other hand, when we drove some of the remote areas, it was helpful to have snacks to not have to plan around where there would be restaurants or small towns. We ate car snacks for many a meal.

Rather than driving south back to 1, we drove north on 72 around the Vatnsnes peninsula. The road was quite rough until the turn onto the fingertip of the peninsula. There was very few cars at all. We stopped for pictures at the Skardsviti Lighthouse; it did not look open for visitors and we respected the fence and kept our distance. However, there, my husband and I saw an artic fox dashing through the tall grass, wearing his summer coat and almost blending in. That is the only one we saw in our time in Iceland and it was so quick we couldn't get a picture.

We continued to look for seals, though I admit we did not stop at many overlooks, we did pay close attention on the coastline while driving past the identified seal populated areas. We only saw birds. I noted that we were not driving at the prime time to see them (within 2 hours of low tide). We started to see more cars as we approached Hvitserkur, the 50 foot tall basalt "island" that resembles a rhino off the coast of the east side of the Vatnsnes.

There are two paths from the parking lot at Hvitserkur. One leads to the overlook and waterfall and is quite close and fairly flat. The other is a long route down to the beach for the lower view. We did both, though once on the beach, we chose to climb up to the overlook than go the long way back up.

The beach was black sand, had long rocky areas and had hordes of nesting artic terns. We were able to keep enough distance so that they were not overly aggressive, but they were certainly quite busy and very loud with their warning calls. Closer to Hvitserkur the seagulls were nesting in the small grassy cliffs. It did not seem possible that there was any nesting on Hvitserkur, but the seagulls were definitely perched everywhere on it and there was a lot of seagull traffic to and from. We passed several dead seagulls along the beach, in the rocky areas.

June 11th - Vatnsnes and Trollaskagi Peninsulas (Part 2)

Sights: KIDKA Wool Factory Shop, Skardsviti Lighthouse, Hvitserkur, Glaumbær Farm & Museum and Grafarkirkja
Eats: Siglunes
Sleep: Siglunes Hotel (family room - four single beds, 1 bath)

After Hvitserkur we got onto 75 and headed for Glaumber, a farm museum showcasing the turf house architecture. This sight has reportedly been continually inhabited since the settlement around 900AD. Archeologists have confirmed the remnants of an early Viking long house just east of where the turf house; it looks as if they may start excavating based on the wood markers that are positioned in the field. Our audiobook reported that a famous female Viking (Gudridur Porbjarnardottir), related by her 3rd marriage to Red and Leif Erikson, once lived at this location.

The turf house (mid-1700s); it was really a compound, was one of my favorite sights. I was completely fascinated and could have spent another hour there but for my impatient and hungry teens. The practicality was admirable. And it continues today - the very small gift shop had postcard stamps, hooray!

We turned onto 76 to head north on the Trollaskagi Peninsula en route to Siglufjordur. We made one final impulse stop on this final leg of the day, to see what is claimed to be the oldest church in Iceland, "Grafurkirkja". It has, apparently, been built and re-built (most "recently" by local woodworkers) on the same site, even back to "pagan" days. It is closed to the public but you can walk out to it from a small parking lot. The walk is gorgeous with a bright green meadow and the gorgeous mountains as a backdrop. Very picturesque. The church roof is sod covered with a circular cemetery surrounding it, which I understood to be an ancient tradition. It is very tiny, perhaps only seating 30 people and all wood. Walking back to the car, the view was of the fjord and Dragney island in the distance. Dragney island is like a fortress in the middle of the bay, complete with it's own saga story (see Grettir the Strong). If I ever came back to this area, I'd want to experience more of Dragney island.

Driving into Siglufjordur we became acquainted with our first very long one way tunnel. We did not know how to navigate the pull offs, though in hindsight the protocol is intuitive. The local drivers were courteous and considerate of our ignorance! We fell in love, immediately with Siglufjordur. It reminded me a bit of Juneau Alaska. It was charming and cozy with beautiful mountains surrounding it and a peaceful quiet harbor.

Our hotel was a treasure, decorated with antiques from the houses of the once wealthy population (during the peak herring era) and art on all the walls. We'd never eaten at a Moroccan restaurant, but we enjoyed it and can see how the cuisine fits with the Iceland natural resources (lamb, minimal water used in cooking). In the morning, at breakfast I met the owner's wife who I mistook for another guest. In a sense she was on holiday as she explained her son was in town to be married and she was babysitting her grandson while the family was preparing for the wedding. She commented how smart we were to find Siglufjordur. She said it is a bit of an Iceland secret. They mostly have Iceland guests due to it being off the beaten path. She herself, earned her PhD at Princeton, so we was very familiar with Americans.

June 12th - Vatnsnes and Trollaskagi Peninsulas (Part 1)

Sights: Herring Era Museum, Ólafsfjarðarvatn lake, Námafjall, Dimmuborgir Lava field, Myvatn Nature Baths
Eats: Vogufjos farm
Sleep: Skútustaðir farmers guesthouse (apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath; laundry services)

Our primary sight slated for Siglufjordur was the Herring Era Museum which did not open til 10am. Although the town is unbelievably charming, there is a pervasive smell of fish such that my daughters couldn't call it a favorite of theirs and were not hip to walking around before the museum. The museum itself is extremely well done and ambitious in its depth of the topic. It really put the work in perspective to physically tour the boats and the "Herring Girls" living quarters. I found the pictures and all the artifacts quite engaging. It really brought home that the primary reason Iceland is as "advanced" today is due to the herring industry and sadly, the overfishing.

Siglufjordur is one of the places I would return to should I have more time to hike and explore the mountains. In fact, I was quite taken with Olafsfjordur, the next town (after several long tunnels and a mountain pass), which my eldest said she preferred although it was not as picturesque, because it did not smell of fish. Though we do not and did not fish, this town features a special lake, Ólafsfjarðarvatn lake, that has a wide variety of fresh and sea fish as it is regularly flooded by sea water. In downtown Olafsjordur we drove past a (of course) swimming pool, but with a swimming troll mural along the side and a ski jump! We should have stopped. I regret that. There's got to be a story behind the ski jump!

Overnight the fog had rolled in and as we drove south toward Akureyri, the scenery above the fog was phenomenal, though we had no idea what scenery was below (presumably the ocean). We stopped in Akureyri only long enough to mail some postcards, verify the existence of heart shaped stop lights and use the bathroom at the art museum. I would be happy to go back someday, did not feel we were missing anything by not visiting on this trip.

On our way to Myvatn, with a bit of unexpected extra time, we detoured (but did not properly call ahead and had been warned they may not be available) to see a snow dog "ranch", so we did physically see it, but didn't tour/experience it. I noticed that none of the dogs barked when we drove up. If I were to come back to this area, I would arrange a tour as I can imagine it would be interesting. We did not want to be a burden or upset the dogs, so we did not get out of our car after trying to call. That might be one of the hardest things to juggle with a ring road trip, is the timing. If you have tours or other time-based reservations, it introduces an anxiety that you want to eliminate with more time, but then you often end up with too much. I don’t really have a recommendation, just an observation.

Upon arriving in the Myvatn area, we drove past our lodging, Skútustaðir farmers guesthouse, noticing the pseudo craters in the area. They are so intriguing, looking just like an enormous bubble popped in a mud bath. The landscape in the Myvatn area is so unusual, besides the psuedo craters, I was most intrigued by the sod growing over lava fields making miles of ground look like fabric - lumpy, fuzzy and foreign. Sheep everywhere as well, they would be tucked into the many crevices. Occasionally you'd see a cleared field and it was disconcerting, and immediately you'd feel exhausted to even imagine the amount of work it took to clear the land. It was on our list to find moss balls in the lake, but we did not make enough time to do so. I tried to find which part of the lake they grew, but found nothing specific in my research.

June 12th - Vatnsnes and Trollaskagi Peninsulas (Part 2)

Sights: Herring Era Museum, Ólafsfjarðarvatn lake, Námafjall, Dimmuborgir Lava field, Myvatn Nature Baths
Eats: Vogufjos farm
Sleep: Skútustaðir farmers guesthouse (apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath; laundry services)

We headed for Vogafjós Farm Resort for a late lunch / early dinner. Although the service was not to our liking, my husband and daughter ordered and both loved the beef goulash. The Myvatn area was very warm while we were there, especially in comparison from where we had just come. Unfortunately, at Vogafjós, we opted to sit inside (I was worried about the midges and eating beef with a farm smell) and were seated next to the windows in the sun and our waitress completely disappeared for at least 40 minutes after bringing our food. We finally had to go to the bar to inquire about dessert; it was hands down the slowest meal we had in Iceland. Or it felt like that with the service and the heat. It was in actuality very pleasant outside, I went out several times to cool off! There were no midges! I suspect it was a little too early in the season. We did encounter some midges, but nothing like I had feared which was fortunate since I was unable to secure midge nets, despite inquiring for purchase at every stop between Keflavik and Myvatn. So, tip, if you think you'll need midge nets, buy them online and pack them in.

After our meal we went to the "mine" Námafjall geothermal area with teaming/bubbling pools and mudpots. The smell was horrendous, but pushing on, my husband I found the worst was the overlook area, with the wind bringing it to you. Once we started off along the trail, it was bearable, although never pleasant, with scents ranging from wet dog to long overdue cleaning for a porta potty. Our youngest did not even make it past the parking lot, our eldest was more determined until the full frontal assault at the overlook and went back. It is hard for me to say whether I'd skip this in hindsight. On one hand, if you've been to these type of areas at Yellowstone, you don't need to see it again, but in a weird way, the terrible horrendous no good smell of the place was an experience in itself that I can brag about. If you've never been to Yellowstone, the geothermal area in the Golden Circle is probably a better bet.

Our final stop was Dimmuborgir Lava Field. We were tired and the girls chose not to come, so we opted for a short hike there. I was impressed by the trails and the different levels and distances you could select. It was very evident, once you knew, that the area was created by underwater lava eruptions and had many consistent tower structures and interspersed some fun statue like structures. Looking at the very rough and jagged rock structures was like picking out shapes in the clouds. Lots of trolls and funny faces! I saw a very clear gorilla face.

Our lodging was a cottage and was pleasant, albeit the smell of sulphur was quite prominent, as our hosts had warned (I appreciated the advance heads up). This farm is known for their ice cream, but alas we did not have any on site. Funny enough - it was later on in a different town we ate the ice cream. They have quite a regional distribution.

After settling in a bit, I decided a good soak would help my sleep so my husband, youngest and I went to Myvatn Nature Baths. I don't think we had a reservation, but we were able to go in . It was very busy. Much more touristy, less diversity in the baths. I was actually dismayed that most the guests did not pre-shower before going in, or dry off in the wet area before moving into the lockers area. I can see why the locals have the customs and I much prefer it! Myvatn was very much a "scene" rather than a relaxing soak.

June 13th - Myvatn / Húsavík (Part 1)

Sights: Not Dettifoss, Húsavík Whale Museum, Húsavík Wooden Church
Eats: Skútustaði farm, Salka, Gamli Baukur
Sleep: Gamli Skólinn Húsavík Apartment Hotel (apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath; laundry facilities)

On the docket for this day was Dettifoss. I had been looking forward to it and had been willing to sacrifice a large chunk of time to see it. In fact, I had reconfigured our time in this area to make it easier to see Dettifoss by staying two nights in Husavik and one in Myvatn.

We were at breakfast by 7:00am, and our lodging offered an option to pack sandwiches (extra charge) for our day trip to Dettifoss. But I did not check the roads. Rookie mistake! Especially because my husband had been tracking Iceland weather the week before we arrived (and I had been tracking the volcanic activity) and we'd had conversations about how cold and snowy it was the week before we arrived. There was a huge storm in this area. I guess the nice weather we'd had made us forget the preceeding bad weather!

We left for the east side of Dettifoss (another reason for the 4WD car as 864 is an F road) and were stopped by a road closure. Sure we saw snow fields, but there was quite a lot of areas without snow. But we came upon a gate - the road was closed! So, now, of course we checked the road status and learned it was deemed unpassable with heavy damage. We found that the road to the west side of Dettifoss was open, so we turned around and went back to the main road and took the west road (862) north, but were denied access at the turnoff. The poor Park Ranger was having to explain over and over the trail was under water. Yes, the snow had mostly melted, but the trail was unpassable, under water in many places and even still drifts of snow in others. The National Park only provides current news/status on their Facebook page (we do not have Facebook), so it was quite difficult to track down current and complete information. The Park Ranger said the trail was not expected to open for a few days, so we went onto Húsavík via 85.

When we arrived in Húsavík, it was too early for lunch. With our unexpected extra time we toured the Whale Museum. Although small, it has quite a lot of information and all the whale skeletons are interesting, and each seem to have a well researched back story. We opted to skip the film on whaling, but appreciated they have included all aspects. We lunched at Salka, right next door to the museum and were underwhelmed. Afterwards we walked across the street to the Húsavík Wooden Church. We were the only ones there. The ceiling was worth seeing, very pleasing to the eye and with a beautiful blue painted between the wood rafters. We walked around town and stopped into a local crafts shop in the harbor area.

At three we were able to check into our lodging - Gamli Skólinn Húsavík Apartment Hotel. We were on the top floor, family apartment. The building felt like it may have been historic. Iceland does not, in my taste, have very beautiful buildings, they are primarily functional and modern, but the inside of this one was beautiful. Our apartment had a very large and bright kitchen/living area, two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bedrooms were small and difficult to navigate with the slanted ceilings. One could not walk upright to the window side of the bed in either room, but it was quiet and otherwise comfortable. There was a washer and dryer in the downstairs foyer for guest use which was handy.

Húsavík is very small, everything is walkable, so we walked over to an old cemetery, peaked into the municipal pool, continued around town and through neighborhoods and by Jaja Ding Dong which would have been a nice place for a drink mid-afternoon as it was not busy. I enjoyed walking the neighborhoods and trying to imagine life there in the winter.

June 13th - Myvatn / Húsavík (Part 2)

Sights: Not Dettifoss, Húsavík Whale Museum, Húsavík Wooden Church
Eats: Skútustaði farm, Salka, Gamli Baukur
Sleep: Gamli Skólinn Húsavík Apartment Hotel (apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath; laundry facilities)

We then went to Gamli Baukur for a later afternoon snack/dinner. We did not have the restaurant on our list to try, but we loved it (so much we went back the next day). It was a great space and wonderful food (they offer Skútustaðir farm ice cream!). Funny enough, they have real candles on the tables and a woman at a table close to ours accidentally lit the menu on fire and the waiters were totally unconcerned. The surrounding diners joined the woman in her laughter and upon leaving (paying at the bar), I made a comment to the bartender about the occurrence and she almost rolled her eyes, not at all surprised and said, it happens every day. I love the Icelanders!

June 14th - Húsavík (Part 1)

Sights: Whale Watching Tour (North Sailing), Húsavík Lighthouse/Geosea Geothermal Sea Baths
Eats: Gamli Baukur
Sleep: Gamli Skólinn Húsavík Apartment Hotel (apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, laundry facilities)

Our reservation for the Whale Watching Tour was originally for the electric motor ship, which I was really excited for, since it would be more peaceful, but we were offered the regular tour or no tour. So we had to go with the regular tour. My guess is they did not sell out either tour and combined them, but they said there was a mechanical issue with the electric ship. We did receive a small compensatory discount, but the "silent" tour was already more expensive, so not sure we came out ahead. Otherwise we had no complaints with the company.

Upon boarding, we inquired and were advised that the least rocky part of the ship was the back, so we found spots there as my youngest gets motion sick. We all took off-label Dramamine just in case and no one experienced seasickness. It was a very nice and sunny day, not much wind and still it was cold enough to wear the ship supplied overall parkas, at least on the bottom half. I had decided against long underwear on my legs and would not have liked to be out without the overalls. I did not wear the top - my long underwear top, wool sweater and light down jacket was adequate (I run cold). A hat was a necessity and gloves certainly helped. Though I was taking so many pictures I kept taking them off and then would need to warm up my hands. I can't imagine going when it is cold or windy! The crew, on our way back to the harbor, helped us warm up by serving hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. That was a nice touch and if it had been colder, even more appreciated!

Contrary to my assumption, we did not go north, out to "sea", to find the whales. We stayed in the bay. The reason is that the whales are coming to feel on krill, which come into the bay to feed on nutrients that are brought to the sea from the freshwater draining into the bay from the mountains/glaciers. The ship had several guides, which were educated in biology and would provide excellent and timely information. They also explained how we could aid in looking for signs of the whales. Artic terns also feed on krill, so we looked for them as an indicator of feeding grounds. On the water, I saw quite a few puffins, which I first mistook for ducks the way they would float. They have a unusual water skimming flight which I noticed right away and in doing so, recognized them for their white chest and bright orange feet (and the beak!).

We first found a large (12 or so) pod of white beaked dolphins and followed them for quite a bit. Perhaps to get rid of us, they finally gave us a bit of a show - with one after another leaping out of the water, twirling and flopping on their sides back into the water for maximum water displacement. It was exhilarating. We had learned at the Whale Museum and dolphins are technically toothed whales! This species does not migrate to warmer waters in the winter, so their summer eating is important to have enough energy (blubber) to make it through the winter in the subpolar waters.

June 14th - Húsavík (Part 2)

Sights: Whale Watching Tour (North Sailing), Húsavík Lighthouse/Geosea Geothermal Sea Baths
Eats: Gamli Baukur
Sleep: Gamli Skólinn Húsavík Apartment Hotel (apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, laundry facilities)

We first found a large (12 or so) pod of white beaked dolphins and followed them for quite a bit. Perhaps to get rid of us, they finally gave us a bit of a show - with one after another leaping out of the water, twirling and flopping on their sides back into the water for maximum water displacement. It was exhilarating. We had learned at the Whale Museum and dolphins are technically toothed whales! This species does not migrate to warmer waters in the winter, so their summer eating is important to have enough energy (blubber) to make it through the winter in the subpolar waters.

We saw three different humpback whales, but one was in the distance and already had several boats observing, so our ship did not approach. I was able to see quite a lot of activity through binoculars. The first humpback we came upon was feeding, which involves deep dives of 5-10 minutes, so it's a lot of waiting and not a lot of seeing. Plus, when they resurface, they are often quite far from the ship. However, when the whales dive deep for the krill, their tale breaches the surface so we saw quite a lot of whale tails! The last humpback we saw the best as it was not actively feeding. Overall much of the time of our tour was not getting to the area to look for the whales, and that was pretty awesome. It was said you can't miss seeing a whale in the summer in Húsavík. I believe it. This tour was hands down my eldest favorite thing in Iceland.

After our tour (we arrived back around 12:30), we ate at Gamli Baukur again as it's right there in the harbor area. They also have a buffet lunch, it looked like, for the harbor / ship workers. I enjoyed seeing this slice of normal life. We ordered off the menu; no fires, at least at lunch!

After lunch we were pretty tired. My youngest and I went to GeoSea to soak. GeoSea is right next to the bright yellow Húsavík lighthouse, which we were excited to see, although you can't go in. GeoSea was the nicest of the three thermal pools, but the water was not hot enough (only two pools) for my liking (but they did have crap!). What was great about it was, or would have been the view. It was still very cool as we watched fog roll in and surround us.

We snacked for dinner in the apartment kitchen/dining area. I really enjoyed the large table, it would have been perfect for a game night on a cold snowy evening!

June 15th - To the Highlands (Part 1)

Sights: Stuðgil Canyon
Eats: The Wilderness Center
Sleep: The Wilderness Center (Family room with two full beds and 1 bath)

At this point I got quite sick and feverish for a good three days, and then several more where I felt better, but still not great. Incidentally, Iceland is a good vacation spot to be sick with all the car time, I took many car naps. The illness progressed through the famliy, everyone having it at some degree at some point (and explains some of the days where one or both of my daughters did not frequently leave the car for sights/hikes).

As we left Húsavík, since we were going south anyway, we decided to try for Dettifoss (west side) again. We drove 85 and stopped at the Gljúfrastofa - Ásbyrgi Visitor Centre for news. We learned the trail was still closed and additional information regarding the large amount of snowfall (7 feet at Dettifoss!). I guess that's a good excuse to miss it.

Another reason for the desire to see this more remote area of Iceland was Stuðgil Canyon, so we detoured 1 at 923, then forked to the left at Jökuldalsvegur, and left again at a no name road where you see a bridge to cross the river to access the east side parking for the hike in. Although we arrived later than I had hoped, I can't recall exactly when, maybe close to 10am, we did get find a parking spot. It may have been the last one. There's no bathrooms, but there was a small food truck there (from a nearby farm). The roundtrip hike to Stuðgil Canyon is just over 3 miles with a flat wide gravel trail. The trail and canyon was much busier than I expected, although I still found it peaceful being down, next to the river. It was definitely cooler in the shade there. The other side of the river had an observation deck that looked down upon the canyon. There is no access to the river that I could see, from the west side. The advice to go to the east side was solid. This canyon was on my must see and it did not disappoint as far as the geology. It was quite fascinating. My youngest was bubbling with delight by the canyon, so take it from a mopey teen!

Our next destination was the Wilderness Center - in the highlands. It was noticeably cooler and much less trafficked. My intentions for this location was to access the highlands area and take a 3 hour horseback riding tour inland. My youngest loves horses and this was a special treat for her. The Wilderness Center is about an hour southeast of Egilsstaðir via 931, past the far end of the long thin lake, Lagarfljot. It is very remote. We had a family room in the bunk house above the museum. The tiny room had two full beds with a bathroom. The bunks were adorable, very much in the fashion we saw at Glaumbaer, but obviously much newer and nicer. Luckily no one was staying in the bunk house with us that night, as I can imagine it's a good choice for school or youth groups which could have been loud (we would have managed, but I do prefer quiet). There were two bathrooms with showers downstairs in the museum area, so we really had three bathrooms available.

Meals at the Wilderness Center are family style traditional Icelandic dishes. Although my kids were not thrilled to be sitting with strangers, my eldest was quite charmed by the French couple we sat with. The French husband spoke very good English and I spoke passable French, so we were able to converse. The conversation was lovely. The food was very good. My eldest and my husband ate the lamb, which I found very brave considering how many lambs we'd been seeing and fawning over throughout our travels.

June 15th - To the Highlands (Part 2)

Sights: Stuðgil Canyon
Eats: The Wilderness Center
Sleep: The Wilderness Center (Family room with two full beds and 1 bath)

After dinner we took the audio tour of the museum. It was no Settlement Center, but it had some character and was interesting enough to spend some time there (plus free since we were staying there). I appreciated seeing this museum after Glaumbaer as I could put this farm and area in context. We had been warned that they had a group visiting that were served dinner in the museum. By the time we go to the room where the tables were set, they had left, but nothing was yet cleaned up. We could see here more acutely, as most places in Iceland, they did not seem to have enough labor for the demand of the summer tourists.

June 16th - the longest day (Part 1)

Sights: Hengifoss, Seydisfjordur, Petra's Stone Collection, Hvalnes Lighthouse
Eats: The Wilderness Center, Nordic
Sleep: Lambhus Glacier View Cabins (cabin with full bunk beds and 1 bath)

At breakfast, we met another visiting couple - residents of Reykjavik, but Polish! They were a young couple and it was fascinating to hear how they came be in to Iceland. Iceland has a labor shortage, and so many Europeans are immigrating to Iceland. The husband has been working at the airport - supervising one of the construction crews. He has been in Iceland for about 4 years and he loves it. He still hasn't learned Icelandic well, as he said most the people he is around are immigrants too and they all speak English as the common language. His wife has only been in Iceland for about a year and she too said she's primarily around immigrants. She said the winters are very difficult, it has been hard to integrate, but that it is very easy to go "home" to Poland to visit as the flights are cheap and short.

We had so far resisted stopping to see Icelandic horses along our travels, though we saw so many, due to our plans for the riding tour. The Icelandic horses are truly picturesque, my youngest would comment how the horses knew it too and seemed to flip their mane in vanity. We were disappointed that our detour to the highlands would not be as hoped - the tour was cancelled in the morning due to illness of the guide. As we were leaving, there was a small pod of the horses near the road, so we stopped off, to finally meet some. They were likely the ones we would have been riding as they were friendly, immediately came up to us and were expecting treats. I'm not sure if it was just that group, but though sweet enough with us, they were crabby toward each other. I'd be interested to know more about the disposition of the Icelandic horse after our observations!

Another stop on our way back to 1 was to Hengifoss, one of Iceland's highest waterfalls, as in the water falls 420 feet. It was a 3 mile round trip hike and somewhat strenuous, being fairly steep, though gradual, uphill on the way there. The entire trail along the roaring river was breathtaking and the waterfall itself left an impression. If you miss Stuðgil Canyon, some of the same basalt pillar geology is also on display here. I was on the lookout for orchids that one of our fellow forum members (Tim) had advised me on, but I was unable to find one. Perhaps it was too early in the summer season.

Due to the horse riding tour and our tight schedule, I was not able to schedule a visit to the highly recommended Seydisfjordur on the eastern coast. However, with the extra time, we were able to detour there for lunch. Driving down into Seydisfjordur is stunning; it's green and steep and waterfalls line the valley walls all along the way, with the picturesque fjord and town below. My husband pulled over to get a picture, not realizing we stopped right in front of a fairly substantial waterfall we hadn't seen due to it's position. When we got out of the car, we saw it right there behind us! It was a very short hike up to that one, which I looked up later, is called Gufufoss.

June 16th - the longest day (Part 2)

Sights: Hengifoss, Seydisfjordur, Petra's Stone Collection, Hvalnes Lighthouse
Eats: The Wilderness Center, Nordic
Sleep: Lambhus Glacier View Cabins (cabin with full bunk beds and 1 bath)

Seydisfjordur is as quaint as advertised. We weren't quite ready for lunch, so we found the "Hvernig gengur?) ("How are things…") sculpture by Guðjón Ketilsson commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Iceland's first international telegraph cable which was pretty cool. We also hiked up to the Tvísöngur, another art installation, close by but up hill. I'd guess it was a mile roundtrip. From here, and in other areas in our travels, we noticed large roped off circles in the ocean. I'm guessing they are fish farms or fish storage, but never saw anything that told us that definitively. I'd be interested in learning more about this. After I had returned to the US, I heard a story about the way Iceland fisheries use all parts of the fish, which I found very interesting and would be a good thing to investigate on a subsequent trip.

We lunched at Nordic, the fish and chips were excellent. There were only four choices for meals and we've found at restaurants in Iceland, there is always a lamb choice and a fish choice. With your meal, you get a hot beverage, so we took teas for the road on our way out. We needed a boost for our long driving day. I told my eldest to be on the lookout for reindeer in this part of Iceland.

We made it to Petra's Stone Collection before they closed. I might have skipped it but that I needed to use the restroom. Boy am I glad we stopped! I went straight to the bathroom (there are many, great place to stop…also hot beverages too) and therefore missed the instruction to start on the inside (where my husband and kids were). Instead, I had the outdoors practically to myself and was overwhelmed by the collection and the absolutely gorgeous gardens. It amazed me the diversity of plants - and ones you couldn't believe could live in such a cold environment (like the bright and deep blue flowers that looked like poppies). Personally, I think you should start in the garden as the house was beyond overwhelming. To see what she had outside and then to go in and see even more, it was almost outrageous. But what I loved about the inside were all the bird and mammal specimens. After a week in Iceland I had seen many of them and, thanks to the displays, could put a name to them. I also enjoyed seeing Petra's bedroom, as she left it, without a single rock, just pictures of family. It was especially poignant. My favorite thing was the 74 handkerchiefs she had received from her dear childhood friend - one for every birthday since they became friends. To be in this intimate place of Petra's you truly felt like you knew her and you came to love her with all the stories. The love poured out of that special place, I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Not long after we left Petra's my eldest spotted reindeer, so we pulled over to get a better look (we stayed about 100 years away). They were all on the ground, resting, their antlers very dark and pronounced where as their bodies blended into the landscape. In Iceland, often you stop before you know why you're stopping, you see someone else has pulled over and you find, for good reason! There was another car stopped, which was a clue for my daughter, and after we stopped, several other cars stopped! We saw groups of reindeer at two other areas as we drove the southeast glacier part of Iceland.

June 16th - the longest day (Part 3)

Sights: Hengifoss, Seydisfjordur, Petra's Stone Collection, Hvalnes Lighthouse
Eats: The Wilderness Center, Nordic
Sleep: Lambhus Glacier View Cabins (cabin with full bunk beds and 1 bath)

Our next stop was at Hvalnes lighthouse (exterior only), overlooking a black beach. The weather had turned and after all our good weather, the cold was coming in. It was extremely windy and cold at the lighthouse with fog building and misty rain surrounding us, but I couldn't make myself leave with all the tiny smooth black pebbles scattered everywhere (I collected a small handful). We were high above the coast, and yet these pebbles were as if they had been under a roaring river for hundreds of years. They looked like miniature skipping stones. There were also succulents scattering the ground and wild pansies. I was so unbelievably cold by the time I got back to the car (I only had my wool sweater, no gloves or down jacket), that it took until the next morning for me to realize I was no longer cold. Needless to say, with our long day and my low core temp, we did not stop for the black beach.

Our lodging for the night was near Vatnajökull National Park, and as we approached the area it truly was shocking to realize what you were seeing were one after another glacier tongues reaching down toward the coast. And each were enormous! We stayed at Lambhus Glacier View Cabins and had a small family cabin (2 full bunk beds, kitchenette and bathroom) with fantastic views of two glacier tongues and friendly Icelandic horses on site! We had tried to have dinner at Jon Riki, but it seemed to be closed permanently. This was a long, rough, (but not unplanned) day. All in all, we were in the car at least 5 hours, but enjoyed lots of stops along the way. The cabin was very serene, the beds comfortable and warm so we were able to sleep well and recharge.

June 17th - Iceland National Day (a holiday!) (Part 1)

Sights: Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach, Skaftafellsjökull, Seljalandsfoss, Vestmannaeyjar
Eats: Gott
Sleep: The New Post Office (apartments managed by Hotel Vestmannaeyfar) (1 bedroom, 1 pull out couch, 1 bath; laundry facilities)

The Iceland holiday of National Day celebrates their "independence" from Denmark (by way of Norway) at the end of World War II. I had expected closures, but luckily our plans were for outdoor sites, hiking and getting to the ferry in time to sail over to the Westman Islands, so we forgot about it until the next day when we saw evidence of festivities and remembered. Another time, it would be fun to be in "town" for festivities. I'm thinking of some great local Fourth of July traditions in different towns in the US I've known.

Our cabin was about 40 minutes away from Jökulsárlón (glacier lagoon). We left our cabin around 8am in an effort to beat the crowds. If we beat them, we couldn't tell. From this point on, we experienced a dramatic increase in the size of crowds and number of tourists.

We were fascinated by the icebergs of various sizes and colors at Jökulsárlón. The Vatnajökol glacier in the background was beautiful and felt so far away, and yet, here were pieces of it floating by! I read the lagoon is as deep as 900 feet in some parts; that's hard to wrap your brain around! And at the lagoon, we were delighted to finally see seals! There were several in the lagoon. We watched them for quite a while before moving our car to the parking lot for Diamond Beach.

The parking lot and path to Jökulsárlón is, driving from the east, the first stop and you can't access Diamond Beach due to the lagoon connection to the ocean (I wish I knew the name for this, river does not seem correct). You therefore need to drive across the bridge over the lagoon connector to park on the opposite side of the connector (but same side of the road) to access Diamond Beach. Incidentally, there is no access from the parking lot at Diamond Beach to the Jökulsárlón lagoon, at least that I could see.

It was a good day to visit Diamond Beach, as the farther we walked along the beach, the consistency of the ice changed. At first, it was large chunks, occasional small "gems" but later it was small gems all over. As we were walking down the beach, away from the crowd, I noticed something long and white-ish further down. It looked like it could be a very large tree trunk, though not that long (maybe less then 5 feet) and as this is Iceland, the assumption of a large tree trunk washed up on shore did not compute. I said, let's go see what that is, and as we got closer, we saw it move slightly and realized it was a seal! A very large seal. We couldn't figure out if it was alive or sick, or not. I had forgotten my binoculars in the car. We did not want to stress it, so we walked all the way back to the car and again towards that part of the beach, but from a different direction. We were the only humans in the vicinity, no others were even close, so the seal was a nice little secret find. We observed it for quite awhile at a distance. It did not seem to be in any distress, but also, not looking like it was going to be doing much of anything any time soon, so we blew it kisses and departed for our next stop.

We drove about an hour to the Skaftafellsjökull Trailhead. Due to our short time in this part of Iceland, we picked this glacier tongue as the quickest/easiest to see up close. My husband and I hoped we could at least touch it! By this time both daughters were done and stayed in the car. We had originally considered stopping off after Skaftafellsjökull to see the Reynisdrangar Cliffs, but if you can't get a teenager out of the car to see a glacier up close, we didn't think we could entice them with these basalt pillars, after seeing Hvitserkur.

June 17th - Iceland National Day (a holiday!) (Part 2)

Sights: Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach, Skaftafellsjökull, Seljalandsfoss, Vestmannaeyjar
Eats: Gott
Sleep: The New Post Office (apartments managed by Hotel Vestmannaeyfar) (1 bedroom, 1 pull out couch, 1 bath; laundry facilities)

The hike to the Skaftafellsjökull glacier tongue end is flat and easy, but further than we expected at 3.5 miles. Skaftafellsjökull also has a glacier lagoon with icebergs floating and a rushing streams filling it. It's much smaller and less impressive than Jökulsárlón, but it's the full package, so I think this is a good alternative option for someone that wants to try to get to the end of the glacier and experience the glacier lagoon. The weather was now quite cool and windy until you made it to the protection of the glacier valley. With the break and our exertions climbing over debris hills and around water obstacles, we quickly were pulling off layers. It was surreal to be there, right there where ice has existed for thousands of years. And it was also a little unsettling as you knew you were looking at ice, but in parts it was so black with sediment and rock you couldn't convince yourself it wasn't the ground. The pull to touch it was irresistible, though I should have known better than to think we could find access to do so!

Facing the glacier tongue, it looked as if there might be a way to touch the glacier on the left side, next to the mountain wall. The obvious hurdle was the quickly running creek that ran between the mountain and the greater glacier. There were trails between the wall and the rushing creek. I was a bit nervous seeing all the boulders that obviously had fallen from the mountain, but for the most part, there was access closer to the creek so we stayed to the right. We were also limited on time, so although we probably could have taken additional time and risk, we decided to call it where we were able to stand on a foot sized rock in the creek (near the edge) and reach toward the glacier body, but still be a good 3-4 feet from touching it. Water pretty much blocked direct contact and the water was either rushing and frigid or deep and frigid. If you really want to take the risk, bring hiking poles, warm socks, thermal gear and hip waders!

As previously indicated, we sacrificed seeing many sights along this route to spend time in Westman Island, so we settled in for a 3 hour drive to the next stop - Seljalandsfoss waterfall - the one you can fully encircle. On our way, however, we stopped to use the restroom and experienced our first "pay" toilet. I knew Iceland had them and planned for them with some Icelandic coins, but we just hadn't seen one in all the places we'd been.

We were pleased, but not surprised at this point by how very practical and easy to use they our, despite our nervousness. If we had slowed our roll, we could have figured out how to use it more economically. It was large enough to hold quite a few people, so we saw a family of four (two parents and young children) go in together, then the mother and kids came out, while the father stayed in and finished his business. We didn't have our poop in a group, so we paid 3 times. Luckily, it is not expensive considering the ease and level of cleanliness ($2 / 300kr to open the door).

When we arrived at Seljalandsfoss, it was a madhouse. Definitely worth the stop, but very busy and along with the crowds, very touristy. We could see our rain gear (including the pants) would be a necessity at this one! I am very thankful we had it. You can see this sight very quickly. It was easy to enjoy but also relief to leave.

June 17th - Iceland National Day (a holiday!) (Part 3)

Sights: Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach, Skaftafellsjökull, Seljalandsfoss, Vestmannaeyjar
Eats: Gott
Sleep: The New Post Office (apartments managed by Hotel Vestmannaeyfar) (1 bedroom, 1 pull out couch, 1 bath; laundry facilities)

The Landeyjahöfn ferry terminal to Westman Islands is only 15 minutes from Seljalandsfoss and so we arrived early and were first in line to board the ferry. We were not quite sure we were doing it right. I did not research the ferry protocols, but here they were intuitive enough. The Vestmannaeyjar terminal in Westman Islands is less intuitive, due to the limited space, but we were still able to figure it out, especially after seeing the loading in action once. The ferry boat was smaller than I expected (having taken ferries in Washington and Alaska), but nicer in terms of seating (way more comfortable reclining chairs than IcelandAir's miniscule padded airplane seats), bathrooms, food service, etc. The ride was very quick - 30 minutes. The loading and unloading of the cars was efficient and easy.

Do NOT miss being on the deck or near a window on the ferry as you near Heimaey as the entrance to the harbor is narrow and you come very close to the tall volcanic wall. Learning about this sheltered access point (a result of the 1973 eruption which also increased the size of the island while also destroying a third of the town) later at the Eldheimar Museum was fascinating. The harbor was dangerously close to being closed off! These islands are a treasure trove of interesting history, for instance the Turks invaded in the 1600s! That is not something I'd ever heard or would have believed.

When you arrive in Heimaey, you quickly feel closed in once you leave the harbor; you're on an island after all! Everything is close by; roads are small, space in town is a luxury. For this reason it felt primarily functional, but it was not without charm. In fact, I found it endearing. The most noticable landmarks are the two "mountains". One looks like a volcano with a dome, the other like a volcano without a dome. Ironically, as I found out later, these are not THE volcanos, but a side-effect of the volcanic eruptions. In this place, as with the currently active fissure and extrusion eruptions from Svartsengi on the Grindavík Peninsula, the magma came from the ground and made the land formations rather than pushing the land up and then erupting out of the top.

We checked into the Hotel Vestmannaeyjar where they gave us directions to the separate building around the block where the hotel apartments are located. There is parking and only one entrance, from the parking lot side. The apartment was small but nice. It was very quiet.

We walked down to Gott, which had been recommended and it was absolutely fabulous - trendy, but not pretentious. Décor, service and food was outstanding. It is definitely an "event" to eat there and would suggest reservations to ensure you get a seat, it's not large and seems to always be busy.

We were in desperate need of laundry, but found that the laundry machines available in our hotel apartment had hours that would not work with our schedule. I thought we could put a load in before our late dinner and put it in the dryer overnight, then a second load first thing in the morning, but the signs stated no laundry could be done before 9am or after 10 pm. Luckily I found a laundry service in town, but it had no website or information online, so we put it on our list to drive by first thing. In the morning.

June 18th - Westman Islands (Part 1)

Sights: Puffin Lookout, RS Walking Tour, Eldheimar Museum
Eats: Vigtin bakhús, Gott, Pulsuvagninn hotdog stand
Sleep: Aurora Hotel (family room with two queen beds, 1 bath)

We woke very early and drove by the laundry service. The sign on the door indicated it opened at 8am, which we hoped could work to have our laundry done in time for the ferry departure (reservation) at 2:30pm. We stopped at a bakery at 7am (when they opened) for pastries to picnic at the Puffin Lookout. We had read the puffins are fishing and working during the day, so the best time to observe them is early morning. It was good advice. Although I love birds, if you drive to the Puffin lookout (the parking is minimal and it's only 10 minutes from town), it is a super quick stop. The walk to the lookout structure is a few minutes and then you can stand or sit and watch the puffins as long as you like, but it doesn't take long to hit that. I was surprised they aren't loud at all. The only birds you hear there are the nearby seagulls. The puffins are comedic, adorable and all over the place, but it's not like they're putting on a production. Mostly they're just sitting there, hanging out. Also, they are all around you, but they aren't as close as you'd expect. Definitely take binoculars and if you want good pictures, take a good camera with very good zoom lens. None of my phone pictures turned out big enough (i.e. not enough zoom). The experience itself was worth it, I just didn't have pictures to reflect it.

So, we were not rushed at all to be to the laundry service precisely when they opened. The clerk seemed surprised to see me, but willing and able to have our laundry completed before 1pm. The laundry was done on time, but we did find later we were missing a few small items and several easy to wash items (cotton socks) were misshapen. But it was also a lot less expensive than I expected, though I don’t recall now how much we were charged.

We then followed the Rick Steves Walking Tour, but had to abbreviate it to arrive at Eldheimar Museum right when it opened at 11am. We had to cut the Walking Tour short because I got "stuck" on the mountain on top of the original old part of town. Not physically, but mentally/emotionally. I was just so taken with the idea that streets, houses and buildings were 45 feet (3 meters) below us just 50 years earlier! I could not process it, I had to walk the streets (they have street signs and informational plaques at the various building/house locations) for quite awhile and still couldn't shake the disbelief.

We drove to the museum and were there at opening. It became quite busy very quickly. The audio is very well done, so fascinating that I often replayed a section. However, the audio was triggered by your location, which would be frustrating, especially when I was listening a second time and watching someone manipulate one of the many hands on exhibits. Or when I wanted to listen to a section again, but looking at something in a different physical location. I could have spent, easily, another hour at the museum, I was just enthralled! I would have liked to spend more time on the Surtsey island exhibit, but we had to pick up the laundry at 1pm and have lunch before our ferry left at 2:30. In hindsight, I wish I would have tried to move our reservation to a later time. But even just a few more hours in Westman Islands would not be enough. I was fascinated by the place and would definitely go back and stay for 2 nights.

June 18th - Westman Islands (Part 2)

Sights: Puffin Lookout, RS Walking Tour, Eldheimar Museum
Eats: Vigtin bakhús, Gott, Pulsuvagninn hotdog stand
Sleep: Aurora Hotel (family room with two queen beds, 1 bath)

We ate at Gott again, with so many good choices, and were first in line again for the ferry, which as I previously mentioned, was a little less intuitive, but navigable. The weather was foggy and rainy. We were able to use our raincoats for other than wind or waterfalls! In fact it was a downpour walking from Blue Car to Aurora Hotel later on when we arrived at the airport (and raining still in the morning when we walked to the airport).

From Landeyjahöfn ferry terminal we took the long and less traveled path to the airport, turning onto 34 in Selfoss so we could transverse the Grindavík Peninsula closer to the volcanic activity in case we could observe any. There was no high point from which to get a good view, and I wasn't clear exactly where along the way would be the equivalent distance, but we did see smoke. We turned north on 241 (34 was closed just past this location for westward travel) which had some unique sights in its own right, though nothing significantly different than what we'd already seen, and my husband and daughters were sick now with my illness (I was finally feeling much better), so we did not stop, but enjoyed from the car.

By this time our rental car was almost out of gas, and we were hoping to fill up closer to the airport, but there is a legit dearth of stations in this area, so rather than risk running out of gas, we took a somewhat out of the way detour to Vogar. The positive is there's always a mailbox where you least expect one. After multiple experiences earlier in our trip being unable to find one to mail my postcards, there one was, totally unexpected, and me with a handful of postcards I needed to send before boarding the airplane! It was humorous.

In the Keflavik area, for "dinner", not far from where we stopped for breakfast our first day in Iceland, we stopped at a hot dog stand called Pulsuvagninn for Icelandic style hotdogs. The menu was interesting and I gathered this hotdog stand is off the beaten path, for tourists at least, as it felt very local. The "base" hot dog offering is: "Hot dog w/ tomato sauce, mustard, remoulade, raw & fried onion". Pulsuvagninn is situated on a park/plaza area that was decorated in Icelandic banners and flags. It took me a bit to realize the decoration was for the National Day festivities the day before. If it were not so cold and rainy, we would have eaten outside. There was very little space inside the stand, so we ate in the car.

June 18th - Westman Islands (Part 3)
also comments about return on July 12/13th

Sights: Puffin Lookout, RS Walking Tour, Eldheimar Museum
Eats: Vigtin bakhús, Gott, Pulsuvagninn hotdog stand
Sleep: Aurora Hotel (family room with two queen beds, 1 bath)

We stayed overnight at Aurora Hotel, as our flight was departing for Barcelona at 8:35am. We were able to re-pack our bags so that all our cold weather clothes, gear , hiking boots and souvenirs fit into the checked luggage we had brought. Aurora agreed to hold this luggage for a small fee until our return July 12th. The fee quoted was extremely reasonable, but when we did return, we were not charged! I guess they reserve the right to charge you or not, depending on whether you return! (We did have reservations for the night of July 12th too).

When we departed for the States on July 13th, our flight was not until 4:55pm, but we were able to request late check out from Aurora and nap to help offset the jetlag going home. The Aurora hotel really is very accommodating.

One last note, the VAT tax refund process at Keflavik Airport was a messy affair. Whatever instructions I consulted, and there were several different versions (one from Rick Steves, a second was the pamphlet drafted by the government and provided by the retailer, and the third from signs at the airport), none were complete or completely accurate. For instance, the government pamphlet says to not check in before processing your VAT paperwork. But because I did not have my boarding pass (too early to get when I joined the line), when I finally made it to the front, the clerk insisted she needed my boarding pass! I had to rush off to get it, but then not check bags until after the VAT process was completed. When I first entered the line, it was short and I quickly made it to the front, but a large rush of folks came after me, so that the line was 5 times as long when the clerk said she needed my boarding pass. Luckily she let me cut back in, but it was an unnecessarily stressful hassle.

There are some that say the savings may not be worth the hassle. I think the determination is whether the process is clearly and accurately outlined. When we left France the day before, it was a quick and easy process there.

Thank you so much for sharing! It is always nice to hear how peoples trips go. I am so sorry to hear about your experience at Vogafjos, as we have dined there twice and had great service. Glad you went to the puffin lookout early in the morning at Heimay. They are so fun to watch:). I too much prefer the north of Iceland. Fewer people and you get to interact with the locals more, IME. The Westfjords are my absolute favorite area. Myvatn baths are our least favorite in all of our trips, but like Fontana and GeoSea. Hvammsvik is my hands down favorite though, and we are going there again in a couple of weeks. Anyway, I am so glad it all worked out and you took everything in stride:)

I enjoyed reading your report immensely. Thank you for the wonderful descriptions and details. We are going at Christmas so will have a very different experience but it was fun to read about where all you got to.

I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report and look forward to seeing many of the same things when we head there in 2 weeks!

What a phenomenal report - thank you! When we visited Iceland, in April ten years ago (Icelandair was just starting to serve D.I.A.), the Westman Islands ferries weren’t running yet for the year, and Rick Steves didn’t have an Iceland guidebook yet.

And we only had about a week. And we witnessed an automotive fatality on a highway with black ice and a VW that got airborne. With the mostly ups and occasional downs, you had quite a trip! Thanks again.

Wow, now thats a trip report! Iceland definitely seems to take some dedication to see it all!

Cyn--Our first trip to Iceland was 9 years ago, so understand what all you said. We went on quick 3 night stopover and had very little knowledge of the country, but fell in love with it.

What a wonderful trip report! Thank you!

Your trip report has made me hungry.

Thank you for writing such a wondrous in-depth trip report. I am in awe.