Golden Circle + Vic + Skaftafell // Iceland  // 03.14.16

I’m not entirely sure words can really explain the vastness that is Iceland. Even with such a small island, this place and it’s natural features dwarf you as you explore. Jagged mountains, slow winding rivers, giant waterfalls, thousand year old glaciers, black sand beaches and rock fields claim this place as home. I can honestly say the entire time I was there I was mesmerized by it’s diverse beauty.

Day 1:

Arrived at Keflavik International Airport at 6am, ready for a cup of coffee, a hug from our friends and a 2 hour drive to our AirBnB home. Since we arrived so early we drove in the dark the majority of the way to our rental home, which was a little disappointing because we were so excited to start our trip with the views of the island. The weather was a little hectic, it went from perfectly clear, to rain, to thick fog with almost zero visibility to a little ice in a matter of minutes. Locals joke that the weather changes so often that they always carry a jacket or umbrella – they weren’t kidding. We used an app called Maps.me, it downloads maps for certain cities or countries and works without being connected to data so we were able to navigate fairly easily through the Icelandic countryside. (Seriously, download it – it was amazing!)

I love looking up potential vacation spots and especially places to stay so shopping on AirBnb was a daydream. There were so many offerings on the website but ultimately we fell in love with this small town called Reykholt right on the Golden Circle. It was close to major attractions, had a small restaurant, convenience store and a short drive to a local natural hot spring. We booked 4 nights at the Golden Circle Amazing House + Views with Thorunn. She was an excellent host offering suggestions and specific directions into finding the house as well. I can’t say enough about how much we loved this house. The views are just as grand as the images share. It was so peaceful and the decor was a mix of cozy nordic, a little eclectic and modern.

Once we found the house we opened up a bottle of wine to celebrate our arrival and enjoy the views within the home. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to stay there the afternoon, throwing our big plans to attack the Golden Circle views and revel in the excitement of the trip and each others company. Toward the end of the afternoon we rallied and visited the convenience store down the road for some necessities and head to the Secret Lagoon for an afternoon dip. This spot was everything that I wanted. It was a natural hot spring with a side deck that offered coffee, soda, and beer. It was off the beaten path, not crowded and a local hang out spot. After we dipped, we dried off and cooked dinner together at the house. It was the relaxing day we needed after all of the planning and travel to get to our little house.

Day 2:

We were up early for the views on the Golden Circle, I was missing my morning coffee because I could not figure out the fancy espresso machine. I was a touch grumpy but pumped to get out on the road with my two cameras. We decided that we wanted to stop and explore as much as possible on our way to these sites which takes the pressure off a strict timeline. We were able to stop and visit Icelandic ponies, pull-offs with history signs, and even private driveways. Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park for the views, trails and technic plate action. We didn’t do much hiking but we loved the raised platform trail and the space between the plates when we walked. The park also had this little gift shot that had a cafe where we enjoyed a coffee and a snack.

We continued on our way and hit up Strokkur is a fountain geyser located near the Hvítá River. I wasn’t overly excited for this stop as I was more interested in national park but it was neat to walk the park area and read about the various small geysers that were there. And I couldn’t help but get a little excited when Strokkur erupted everyone cheered and clapped. We stayed around for a few of it’s shows and left without getting wet – thankfully.

Moving along we went straight for Gullfoss, Europe’s largest waterfall. It was huge! Some of the trails that lead you closer to the bottom of the waterfall were closed due to weather like the massive amounts of ice and snow that have accumulated over the winter. It was a little disappointing because I feel like the beauty that lies within waterfalls is when you look up. The water was a muted blue against the dark rocks and yellowish grass. It was so mighty and strong but so calming. The mist from the drop was refreshing even in the cold weather.

That was our last stop of the day and we headed back toward the house for a glass of wine and to head to dinner at the restaurant at the end of the street. It was a cute little place called Restaurant Mika where we enjoyed fresh salads, crispy arancini balls, personalized pizzas and handmade Icelandic chocolates. It was the first meal we had out and it was delicious!

Day 3:

We were up for another early start with ambitious plans to head to Vic and then Skaftafell. If you were to map it, it would take us 4 hours to get to Skaftafell so we saddled up and headed out with snacks and water in hand. The drive was an adventure in itself, we made a few stops including an adorable mom n’ pop gas station with the nicest staff and great coffee. We made a pit stop at a massive waterfall attraction that we weren’t aware of and climbed a staircase to get a closer view. We rushed back into the car to enjoy the many miniature waterfalls fall at the base of the mountain near Icelandic homes and farms. And soon the views of mountains and waterfalls changed to a flat rocky plain and then to views of the water.

We wound up a mountain range and back down to arrive at the small village of Vic, home of the black sand beach. We stopped to take in the views of the coast and do snap a few images of Carlyle + Jeremy’s engagement session. The reflection off of the black sand and the white crests of the waves was intense with midday sun. It was nice to feel warm and by the water. We stayed and took in the views for a while before heading another 2 hours toward Skaftafell with the idea of an ice cave hike on our minds.

More driving lead to more views of the country, expansive rock fields split the view of mountains on the left side and limitless ocean on the right. I think my favorite thing was seeing these little home settlements at the base of the mountain, these small modest nordic houses with fences that led up the side of the mountain. We finally arrived in Skaftafell and made another stop at a gas station to refuel with some food and do a little tourist shopping – think gas station sunglasses, a magnet and a few burgers.

It was at this gas station that our idea of an ice cave hike stopped short, the research that we had one suggested these hikes could be self guided – apparently not. Due to the timing of our trip we weren’t able to get into the last tour group. Instead, we regrouped and took a short drive up to the glacier where we took in more views. I’ve always said that in order to get some life perspective you need to go and sit in front of something much larger than yourself for me it’s usually on the top of a mountain or at the edge of the ocean. If you really want some perspective sit on a glacier and think about how long that frozen ice has been there on this Earth. It’s humbling and awakening.

On the drive home we hit up a grocery store to make dinner again, this time we grabbed Icelandic cheese to go with our wine. The four of us played Utter Nonsense – if you haven’t played it’s hysterical and similar to Cards Against Humanity. I high recommend it especially after a few glasses of wine.

Day 4:

This was a bittersweet day for me, we were leaving the country house and views that I adored. I felt at peace there and sad to leave. I was also excited to start our new adventure in the capital of Reykjavik. We started our day packing and enjoyed a morning mimosa before heading to the last stop on the Golden Circle the Friðheimar greenhouses. This stop was right in Reykholt and the best way to say goodbye to the countryside. This greenhouse specializes in tomatoes and is famous for their tomato soup. We enjoyed the soup, bloody mary and two tortilla pizzas. They had a cafe set up inside of the greenhouse right next to the tomato vines, such a unique dining experience.

From there we made our way to Reykjavik. Here we opted for an adorable apartment. It was perfectly located so we could walk to the main shops and down to the water for dinner. The Warm + Cozy Apartment fit our needs of two couples. The furnishes were modern and clean with the character of an older building. Laugavegur is the main shopping street with shops, restaurants and bars. That was our first stop in exploring, we enjoyed small bites and tall beers up and down this street. We decided to take it easy and around 10pm we made our way back to snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie together, we’d been moving and shaking since we got on the island – we needed the down time.

Day 5:

As our last full day in Iceland we wanted to make sure we had a mix of museums, restaurants, randomness and strolling the sidewalks. We decided our first stop would be the The National Museum of Iceland. This place was full of interactive exhibits with audio, video and more. There were so many artifacts and snippets of stories and the history that were insightful. Iceland is such a young country but it’s history is deeply rooted.

We left there and made our way down to Laugavegur again so I could find my usual souvenir from all of my international trips. I collect vintage books in the native language. I open the cover and write down the dates of the trip, the cross streets of where I purchased the book and the people I was with. I have a small shelf at home with these small reminders. Lucky, there was a thrift shop that would fit my needs and I scooped one up! Moving along we grabbed an amazing brunch at a pizza shop (we like pizza if you couldn’t tell) and took a walk down to the… wait for it… The Icelandic Phallological Museum. Yes, that is correct a penis museum. We had plenty of laughs but honestly it was interesting there were hundreds of mammal specimens and I have to say I was impressed. If you have some down time, have a sense of humor and are at all curious about mammal penises this is a spot for you. We did a little more window shopping and I was able to find boutique that supports local artists and snagged a small watercolor of the mountains for my office.

A short walk back to the apartment and started doing serious research on a local restaurant that served Icelandic pony. We’d read about it on travel blogs and had recommendations from locals on our travels when we asked so we were determined to give it a try. We were able to get reservations at Kopar Restaurant. It was a delight! It had the ocean views we wanted with a modern vibe and we loved the natural plants growing all over the restaurant. I ended up ordering a lamb dish and Jeremy was brave and ordered the pony. I have to say guys, it was delicious. It was the most tender piece of meat I’ve ever eaten. The closest thing I can compare it to is a medium rare filet mignon. It was tasty. We wrapped up our dinner with a tower of dessert and took our little party home.

Day 6:

I walked down to the harbor in the morning to have one last moment with Iceland by myself. I brought my film camera and took a few snaps by the water. We packed up the car and had an Icelandic brunch before heading to the airport. On the way we decided randomly we wanted to see what the Blue Lagoon looked like as it was on our way. We parked, sprinted up to the water, took a selfie and ran back to the car. We had just enough time to return the rental car, take the shuttle to the airport  to catch out flights. Goodbye Iceland.

If you have the opportunity I would highly recommend traveling to Iceland. It was an amazing trip and I hope to visit again the summer for a little camping and hiking.

As always, thanks for reading. xoxo.