Our daughter had the last week off school, so we took the opportunity to head to Iceland to hopefully see the northern lights. Despite growing up in Canada, and doing my share of camping, I had never seen them.
Getting there was an adventure, and not the good kind, in itself, but I will save that for another post.
Reykjavik and South Coast
Thanks to our delayed flights, we arrived in Reykjavik almost 24 hours late. So, we started the trip behind, or at least according to my carefully planned itinerary. Thankfully we only had one thing reserved and that was a visit to Magic Ice. This indoor ice bar hosts guests of all ages. They had a full non-alcoholic menu that our teen enjoyed but they would also be great for adults looking to ditch the alcohol but still participate.
All guests are required to wear a poncho over their outerwear, no exceptions. These are certainly not runway worthy, but they definitely worked to keep you warm. Since you need to book in advance the location was not overwhelmingly busy. We were easily able to take pictures and enjoy our drinks. They have a number of impressive ice carvings, and all the walls are covered in ice. Each admission ticket includes one or two drinks, depending on the package, and you can buy additional drinks from the bartender directly. The drink menu has about 5 options, all of which are served in a poured ice glass, and then balanced inside a standard glass, to presumably prevent your fingers from melting it.
The next morning, we were met with rainy, windy weather. The Netherlands can’t even compete with the rain and winder in Iceland. We headed off to do as much of our Reykjavik itinerary as we could.
Our first stop was the Kolaportið flea market, which is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. It was indoors, so the perfect spot to be on a cold rainy day. The selection was very eclectic, and they had a number of vendors selling traditional Icelandic sweaters, if you are in the market for one to take home. There are also food stalls in the back, some offering samples.
Lunch came from the quintessential Reykjavik street food – Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. This hot dog stand has nine locations, including seven in Reykjavik. I first heard of their hot dogs in 2004, when Bill Clinton was photographed eating there during a visit to Iceland. What makes their hot dogs different is that they are a mix of lamb, with beef and pork. The standard way they are served is with ketchup, Icelandic mustard, raw onion, grilled onion, and mayo remoulade, but of course you can have it any way you want. Two thumbs up.
Next, we walked to find the famous Rainbow Road. Even on a dreary day, you can’t help but perk up at the site of this painted street. It is on a bit of a hill, but very walkable. And if you are game, you can go to the end of the road, where you will find Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church and the tallest building in Iceland. For a small entrance fee, you can take the elevator to observation tower, where you will get a great view of the city.
Our last stop in Reykjavik was for a midafternoon treat at Café Babalú. I read on a travel blog that they had “the best” chocolate cake and a Star Wars themed bathroom. Those sounded like good reasons to check it out. I will admit, the cake was good. Nothing fancy. It actually tasted just like the chocolate cake my grandma made for each of our birthdays and paired with a chai latte, it was perfect.
Leaving Reykjavik, we headed towards the south coast and our hotel for the rest of the trip. They warn you at the rental car counter to make park facing into the wind and hold the car door as you open it as the winds can catch it and break it off the hinges. We didn’t suffer that fate, but we did get to experience a near miss.
The Bridge Between 2 Continents shows the divergence of the European and North American tectonic plates. There is a small footbridge that you can walk across to straddle both.
At the Brimketill Lava Tidal Pools we experienced the full force of the wind. Unfortunately, we didn’t park into the wind, and when opening the door, it got pulled out of our grip quickly. Thankfully no damage was done. But you can get a sense of what we experienced looking at this picture of the waves crashing against the rocks. Apparently in the summer, tourists are often photographed swimming here. I know the waters are probably calmer, but I still can’t imagine thinking that would be safe.
The force of the water hitting the rocks was tremendous. The potential for injury would be so high. Not to mention the currents and the potential for the rocks to be slippery, preventing you from getting out easily. And at the end of it all, this water is from the ocean, meaning cold year-round. It is no hot spring.
The Gunnuhver Geothermal Vents are Iceland’s largest mud pool at 20 meters across. The rim of mud is boiling vigorously and viewable from two platforms, the first you can look down to the spring, see the boiling water and feel the steam on your face, the second overlooks the silica hill. From there you have a good view over Gunnuhver group and surroundings. This was also where we first experienced the aroma that we would find throughout our trip – sulphur.
And our final stop of the day was Valahnúkamöl. The boulder ridge is about 420 m long, 80 m wide and 10 m high. We learned our lesson about parking into the wind, but this lookout let us get much closer to the water – safely. However, this didn’t protect us from the spray. One wave came up and gave me a very cold welcome, sadly the photo I was taking at the time doesn’t do the encounter justice, so you will have to suffice with this one.
Next up – moving inland and chasing the northern lights.
Red, White and Tulips 