Day 1
Gróttuviti Lighthouse
6:15 PM GMT
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
7:15 PM Icelandic Hotdog with sweet apple ketchup, remoulade, crunchy onions. This was amazing!
Hallgrímskirkja
8:00 PM: Beautiful church. This cathedral took a few decades to build and is Evangelical Lutheran(just like me!) Not to be confused with evangelicals, as those are much different! Anyways, the sanctuary features one of the best organs in Europe. In front of the church is a statue of Leif Erikson that was donated by the Americans.
Reykjavik Fish Restaurant
10:00 PM I had the pleasure to try some more local Icelandic cuisine, and it was amazing. As you all know, I am a huge seafood eater. I would eat seafood for every meal if I could(my doctor would probably hate me though)! Today’s dinner was perfect for the cool weather. I tried Plokkari, which is a traditional fish stew. The dish was very creamy and served in a cast iron skillet. The stew consisted of cod and haddock, potatoes, and was topped with fresh dill. It was also served with a small piece of fresh rye bread toast.
City Streets
11:10 PM Considering my flight from Berlin was delayed due to storms, and it took me a while to get my rental car. I am still very satisfied with my day! The lost time meant that I had to pivot, but I still found great activities to do. Following my delicious dinner, I walked through the streets of Reykjavik. These streets are vibrant and full of life. Colorful store fronts, DJ’s on the street, and a painted road create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. That’s all for tonight, I can’t wait to update you all tomorrow! Thanks for reading 🙂
Day 2: Golden Circle and South Coast
Thingvellir National Park
9:15 AM: My first stop on the Golden circle was Thingvellir National Park. This park is very important to Iceland’s history. Following Iceland’s conversion to Christianity in the Middle Ages, their society began to form laws. This was the place where their people came together, and had their assembly from the 10th through 13th century. This was also an important place for the people of Iceland in their independence movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to it’s historical significance, the park lays directly on the tectonic plate boundary of North America and Europe. I especially enjoyed Oxarorfoss Waterfall, and Thingvellirkirkja.
Geysir
1:00 PM The Great Geysir was my next stop. About 50 minutes away from Thingvellir. The drive was full of twisting county roads between valleys of green hills and ice capped mountains. Sheep roamed freely throughout the valley, and there were a lot of horses as well. The Geysir shoots off every 5-10 minutes and was amazing! This was the first geyser I’ve seen in my life and it was breathtaking. Watch the video of the Geysir erupting above!
Gullfoss
2:30 PM: Gullfoss is one of the most pristine waterfalls I have ever seen. It is jaw dropping and offers different viewpoints that will inspire you. Glaciers in the background melt and then flow into a lake that flows into this waterfall. It’s also only about 10 minutes from the great Geysir. This might be the best spot so far on this trip!
Lunch Break:
Yummy fish and chips from the food court at the great Geysir. They were seasoned well and very flavorful
Skogafoss
5:30 PM I drove about 2 hours to Skogafoss waterfall. This is in the Vík region of Iceland on the southern coast. This was also a filming location in Ben Stiller’s 2013 film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. It was another breathtaking location. There were also sheep freely roaming the pastures right next to it.
Dryhólaey
Overlooking the Atlantic Coast perched on a high cliff is Dryhólaey lighthouse. This park has a diverse amount of scenery. Behind the lighthouse on one side is the ocean, and off in the distance behind it is a glacier. Black sand beaches are at the bottom of the cliff. I also saw a puffin! This park was another great stop, and was the last park of my day.
Day 3: Wrap up and depart
Kerid Crater
Reykjavik Voyageurs Monument
