Iceland

The Land of Ice and Fire

March 7th, 2020 – March 14th, 2020

Coronavirus Strikes

A couple days before our scheduled trip to Iceland, our vacation seemed in doubt. COVID-19, aka ‘Coronavirus’, was making its way around the globe and causing panic among everyone. At the time of our trip, Iceland only had around 30 cases which doesn’t seem to bad, but for an island with a population of 360,000 it was concerning. At the time, only non-essential travel to highly affected countries was banned, so we went ahead with our trip.

Two Weeks Later Edit: After returning to the USA, we went into a 14 day quarantine and both ended up showing no signs of COVID-19, now considered a global pandemic.

A Hot Spring in the Tundra

After a 6 hour flight, we landed at Keflavík International Airport, local time 5:40 a.m. We got our car rental and headed over to the Blue Lagoon in Grindavík. Neither of us have ever been to a place like Iceland and this first drive in the country was truly special. The landscape was so different that it felt alien. I, Daniel, being the nerd I am, felt like I had traveled to Hoth from Star Wars. It really felt like a Wampa could be walking around and it just wouldn’t look out of place.

A totally real picture from our first drive.

We got to Blue Lagoon right as they opened up and what a great decision that was. When we got there, it was practically empty, but when we left, almost 2 hours later, there was a line out the door and it was packed inside. We got undressed and ventured out into the lagoon. This really felt like a dream. We had gone an entire night without sleeping, and now were in a dreamesque environment, with hot water emitting steam which limited visibility to only a couple feet. The water was milky white and almost felt thicker than usual water.

We made our way through the lagoon to the Mask Bar, where we got our complimentary Silica Mask. The man behind the bar scooped out a big goop of the silica and placed it in our hands. It was cold and had a pudding like texture. The contrast between the cool silica mask and hot water felt great. We then moved over to cash in on our next freebie, a drink from the Drink Bar. It took a lot of mental strength to not order an alcoholic drink, but it was 8 am and our bodies could not handle that. We both ordered a Blueberry Skyr Smoothie. Skyr is Icelandic yogurt and it is the GREATEST yogurt I have ever lucky enough to eat.

Blue Lagoon was a wonderful experience and we wish to have stayed longer. At this time we were going on 24+ hours of no sleep so we had entered full zombie mode.

A Walk Around Reykjavik

When we arrived in Reykjavik, we did what any excited, young travelers would do and immediately passed out. When we awoke, we decided to go on a walk to get acquainted with Reykjavik. My favorite thing to do when visiting a foreign country is to walk around a city and take in everything around me. It took a while to get used to walking on it’s icy streets (Emily slipped multiple times), but it was a good laugh.

Iceland is quite famous for it’s hot dogs, so we had to get the most famous one in the country: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. This is a little stand with a big reputation, so big that celebrities come to here to try their hotdog (Bill Clinton being one of them!). We both got a hotdog with everything, which included ketchup, sweet mustard, fried onion, raw onion and remolaði. Hotdogs are a bit different in Iceland, in the sense that the meat inside is lamb. You can really taste the difference compared to a traditional American one. Anyway, it’s absolutely delicious, so much so that we each got 2! It’s also very very cheap for Iceland, costing about 300 ISK ($3) each.

It was Day 1 in Iceland, and you would be crazy if you thought we wouldn’t hit the first brewery we could find. Bryggjan Brugghús is located in Reykjavik’s Old Harbor, which has major nordic vibes. Many older boats, mostly wooden, are docked with mountains dominating the perimeter and looking over the city. We met an older man here called Markús who told us about the importance of one of the boats and about his life as a pilot.

The trawler, *Gullborg*, in Reykjavik’s Old Harbor

We ended up sharing a flight at Bryggjan. The decor of this place is really a mix between modern and traditional and having a seat facing the harbor was great. These were our first beers in Iceland, and they impressed. Here are my Untappd ratings out of 5.

Smokey and the Bandit – Rauchbier: 3.25
Redrum – Red Ale: 3.50
Monk’y Business – Belgian Dubbel: 4.0
Wolverine Single Hop – IPA: 2.0
Litli Gris – Double IPA: 4.25
Paint it Blacker – Russian Imperial Stout: 4.0

On our way back to the hotel, we stumbled across a bar that caught my attention. I heard a familiar sound coming from inside and the signs outside confirmed my suspicions. My team, Manchester United, were playing local rivals Manchester City, and it was being shown in this bar. I dragged Emily inside, ordered two Viking beers, and headed downstairs into one of the smaller rooms showing the game. This was such a special experience for me, I hadn’t seen a Man Utd game in Europe for years and watching one of the biggest games in England with a bunch of Icelandic people cheering on Utd was real memorable. Winning 2-0 was just the cherry on the cake.

The Golden Circle

Day 2 began with a short drive to Þingvellir National Park. We still could not believe the scenery that was all around us (I don’t think we ever over this).

Emily is a geography nerd, so at Þingvellir we had the sole intention of seeing Almannagjá, which is the gorge between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Þingvellir really shows off Iceland’s natural beauty, and it was a great introduction to this vast landscape that we were about to spend the next week exploring. It’s also really cool to be between two continental plates.

The next stop on our Golden Circle adventure was to see Haukadalur Geothermal Field, home of many hot springs, boiling mud holes, and most famously, Strokkur. We walked through the valley, with bubbling pits steaming and spouting small quantities of water. But these were little babies, we wanted to see the main man in action. Strokkur erupts around ever 10 minutes and is about 40-60 ft high.

We then made our way towards what I was looking forward to most, Gullfoss. However, before we made the walk to the Golden Falls, we stopped by the cafe on spot, Gullfoss Kaffi. Let me be the first to recommend. GET THE LAMB SOUP. This has to be the best damn soup I have ever eaten. Lamb, onion, carrots, potatoes. It’s so simple, but the flavors just work perfectly. Also, Icelandic butter (Smjor) is fantastic. The taste is far more natural than butter from the US.

Oh, and yeah, the falls were great too.

Waterfalls! Lots of ’em

Day 3 started with bad news. The road to our next destination, Vik, was closed. We decided to detour and head over to Gluggafoss in hopes that, in time, the road would open. We were the only ones there, so we got the waterfall all to ourselves. It was a good to take pictures and relax without a crowd around. It’s not the most impressive waterfall, but the intimate experience was cool.

Seljalandsfoss is a step up from Gluggafoss. It’s larger and all around more impressive. Thus it is a much bigger tourist spot and many people flock here. In the summer you can even take a path to walk behind the falls.

For me, the coolest waterfall by far, was Gljúfrabúi. This is a ‘hidden’ waterfall that you have to take a little walk from Seljalandsfoss to get to, but it is 100% worth it. You can stand pretty much underneath it and seeing and feeling that power up so close is an experience.

On our way walking back from Gljúfrabúi, I decided to check the roads one last time before turning back, and to our surprise and luck, the road to Vik was now open!

We scurried off to our next destination with newfound enthusiasm. The road to Skogafoss was the one that had previously been closed, and you could immediately tell why. The road was covered in snow and ice, causing the car to momentarily lose control at times. We even saw a car that had slid off the road.

Almost Dying at Skogafoss

Skogafoss was amazing, scary, and funny all at the same time. The waterfall itself is immense. You cannot capture the true size and power of this natural beauty in just a picture. It really is a sight to behold.

We decided that we wanted to see Skogafoss from up above, and noticed numerous people walking up the side of it. Though when getting to the stairs entrance, there was a chain across with a sign saying ‘Closed’. But other people were going up, so why not? We can’t all get in trouble in case some authority comes. 5 minutes into walking up, we understood just why there was a ‘Closed’ sign. Snow and ice had completely engulfed the stairs, making them more a ramp than stairs. What a nightmare it was going up the last section. The wind is blowing hard, the incline is steep, the ice ramp is slippy, the only thing between you and falling off the mountain is a little chain and wood. Emily had a mini panic attack going up and I don’t blame her. We managed to survive the journey up and saw some beautiful views and another cool waterfall behind Skogafoss, called Hestavaðsfoss.

Thus began the dreaded journey down the Ice Ramp of Death. We nervously edged our way down the first flight, pretty much on our asses scooting down while grabbing each pole. I got to the first corner, and looked around for a couple seconds before looking behind me to see how Emily was doing. She wasn’t there. No, this terrified girl was now riding down the next flight of stairs like a slide. She turned around at me with the biggest smile on her face and we burst out laughing. Even other people coming up laughed and said ‘Hey that looks fun!’.

Nevertheless, Skogafoss was gorgeous and this was one of the most memorable experiences of the journey.

Reynisfjara Beach, made up of black volcanic sand, pebbles, and basalt columns. It’s truly a sight to behold. But let me tell you. I have not felt natures wrath as much as I did on this beach. What the hell. The wind on this beach felt like it was strong enough to power an entire country. We could barely stand when the gusts struck. And not only did we have to deal with the power of the wind, but it was picking up the tiny rocks on the beach and slinging them at us. I’m not overreacting, they hurt, badly. Tiny pebbles being flung at you with the power of natures wrath is not a fun time. The beach was a cool experience, I just wish that we had seen in at a better time. But that’s winter weather in Iceland!

Legend says the columns in the back are petrified trolls that were caught outside at sunrise and frozen in time.

The famous arch, Dyrhólaey, in the background.

Reyniskirkja. A cool little church we found on the way back from Reynisfjara.

After we were blown away at Reynisfjara, we did what we do best, and headed over to the local brewery, Smidjin Brugghus. I love the arctic/nordic setting and this brewery was located in the perfect place. Here I had an IPA called, Klassískur Nonni. Emily had a Belgian Blonde called Yellow Alert. I also had to get another one on the menu just because of its name, a Pale Ale Milkshake called, Santa’s Blue Balls. We also ate some traditional, local Icelandic food. Not really, we had burgers, which were absolutely fantastic. Burger, onion rings, ketchup, lettuce = Perfect brewery food. This had to be our favorite of the two breweries we visited.

Hiking a Glacier

The next day we had scheduled to hike the nearby glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, and see a natural ice cave. We met up with our tour guide from Arctic Adventures and sat down in the Super Jeep for our adventure. The tour took us down the road until we took an abrupt left off the road and out into the barren, snowy land. I say this a lot, but it really feels like you’re on a different planet. The terrain here is so different to anything we have experienced. Vast, snowy landscapes, dotted with large, rocky, snow capped mountains. On the drive to the Ice Cave, we had to stop to pull out some of the other jeeps. We must’ve had the main man driving us, as a couple other jeeps needed his assistance.

We got out of the jeep at our destination to begin the hike to the ice cave. This is the most barren area of the world I have ever been. A 360 degree look around would only reveal hilly, snowy landscape, dotted with mountains. The air tastes so great. So fresh, crispy, and chilly. Every year the ice caves melt in the summer, and new ones are formed in winter. Because of this, not one ice cave is the same. Our tour guide told us that each cave begins as a a tiny hole, and as wind travels through, it gets bigger and bigger until reaching the size that we see now.

After the hike we said goodbye to Vik and made our way towards a little seaside town called Stokkseyri. We had one mission: Langoustine Soup. Fjorubordid Restaurant is renowned for their Langoustine Soup, as they put it in their own words:

“This is the most famous langoustine soup in the Republic of Iceland, prepared by handsome cooks who step naked out of the ocean at Stokkseyri with their catch.”
Fjorubordid: Magical Soup Story

They have a whole story about this magical soup, which you can read here. Needless to say, we were excited. And does it live up to the hype? Yes. Yes it does. Creamy, rich, a hint of spice, full of flavors with big chunks of tender langoustine floating around. It’s perfect. The underrated champion here also, is the bread. It’s so fresh and came with a 3 aioli’s to dip it in.

After experiencing heaven on earth, we headed over to Landeyjahöfn to catch the Herjólfur ferry to Vestmannaeyjar.

It was late so the first thing we did was get food at Gott, where we had a Sumarbjor from local brewery, The Brothers Brewery. Probably the most obscure beer we have had!

An Island Next to an Island?

This will always be an honest blog, and I will say that we were a bit disappointed in Vestmannaeyjar. It definitely seems like a place to visit in summer, than in winter like we did as there isn’t much to do.

We headed to the famous volcano on island, Eldfell. Eldfell erupted spontaneously in 1973, destroying 400 homes. There are some really cool photos of the eruption, like the one below, where they used seawater to halt the oncoming wave of lava.

Seawater was pumped into the street to stop this tsunami of lava

Hiking up Eldfell, with the other Volcano, **Helgafell**, looming in the background

We then headed to the opposite side of the island to see Stórhöfði, often cited as the windiest spot in Europe (Surely nothing can be windier than Reynisfjara?!). It wasn’t too windy when we got there, but there was some spectacular views of the coastline. Puffins come to nest here in the summer and there is a little lookout bunker you can go to get a view of them in the cliffside. This is also the location of the (not so) cool story of the Algerian pirate raid in July of 1627. The pirates pillaged the village and killed or kidnapped 242 of the island’s 500 inhabitants. It’s hard to imagine Algerians coming all the way to Iceland in 1627!

We had some time to spare before our ferry, and my football obsession would take us to to the stadium of the local team, Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja (IBV for short). This has to be the coolest stadium I have been to. Just look at that view!

We caught the ferry back and headed over to Selfoss, which is where our next hotel was located. We got there just in time before a blizzard hit, however, nothing would stop us from getting our hot dogs for the night. Luckily the take out was located right outside our hotel, Hotel Selfoss.

Pyslu Vagninn is known for its wacky hot dogs. I opted for the hot dog with garlic sauce and Doritos, which sounds strange, but was bloody delicious. This is the type of food that I love; crazy contraptions with unique flavors combined. I can’t describe why, but the flavors just work. Emily decided to be boring and got a regular hot dog.

Geothermal Village

In the morning we ate breakfast and headed out to our next destination, Hveragerði. The roads were surprisingly fine after last nights blizzard. The people that clear the roads are the unsung heroes of Iceland. Throughout our trip, we saw plow trucks everyday clearing the roads, late at night and early in the morning.

Hveragerði is a village known for it’s geothermal activity. Because of the nearby volcano, Hengill, Hveragerði is a geothermal hotspot and has many volcanic hot springs, most notably, Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. We planned on hiking the trail to get to the hot spring where you can bathe in. So we ascended up the hill, bathing suits in the backpack, to the hot spring. We got up the first steep hill only to see the trail going up another giant slope. So being the young, healthy travelers we are we decided……..to give up. The views from where we got were spectacular and we did manage to find a small geothermal river, so that was good enough!

Rotten Shark

When we returned to Reykjavik, I was on a mission to try the one local dish I hadn’t eaten yet. Hákarl is an Icelandic dish which consists of a shark which has been fermented and then hung to dry for 5 months. This is quite consistently voted the worst tasting dish in the world.

“The traditional method begins with gutting and beheading a shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly sand, with the now cleaned cavity resting on a small mound of sand. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark so that the fluids are pressed out of the body.”
Wikipedia on preparation of Hákarl.

We managed to find a place that specialized in traditional Icelandic food, Kaffi Loki. Is it disgusting? Yes. It quite literally tastes like ammonium and pee, with the texture of a fish. Emily wouldn’t try it but she did lick one of the cubes to get a taste. She wasn’t impressed. Hákarl is traditionally served with Iceland’s signature liquor, Brennivín, which helped nullify the taste. After getting over the taste, I will admit it feels pretty cool. Eating rotten shark and drinking Brennivín. You can’t get much more viking than that.

More Lamb and a Hidden Ice Bar

We wanted to make sure we got the full Icelandic cuisine experience, so we went to Icelandic Street Food for Lamb Soup served in a bread bowl. It was good, as expected, but maybe not as good as the one at Gulfoss Kaffi. Lamb soup goes great with bread, so obviously we had to try it inside of a bread bowl. Icelandic Street Food also offers free refills on soup, although I can’t imagine anybody still being hungry after all this.

While looking at sheep wool sweaters for Emily, we came across a ‘hidden’ bar made completely of ice: Magic Ice Reykjavik. It was still early in the day so we were one of two couples there, but what a cool experience it was. Everything is made of ice: the bar, the walls, the tables, the seats, the cups. We had a vodka drink each and sat in our own little room and jammed to the music together. There was an entrance fee, but this was definitely worth it.