Iceland
Is it crazy to go to a place called ICEland in December?
December 2018
Table of Contents
But First, A Little Ramble...
No, it’s not crazy. It’s genius! You should definitely do it!
If you take a look at the drop down menu under “International”, you will see that the previous two destinations are Costa Rica and Belize. John and I took these trips during my Winter Break in my teaching calendar. In 2018, we decided that since we had already done two back-to-back tropical destinations in similar areas, we wanted to do something different this year. What could be more different to a sandy warm beach with palm trees than a place called ICEland? So I did a little digging and learned some things that convinced us to buy our plane tickets…
#1- Iceland sits at the end of the Gulf Stream current, which brings warmer water up from the equator and dumps it in the ocean surrounding the island. So Iceland is actually fairly mild in the winter compared to other areas at the same latitude. Looking at average temperatures in December, we could expect similar weather to what we would have in Colorado anyway.
#2- Being so far North, the sun would only shine on Iceland from about 11:30am-3:30pm. BUT! Dawn and dusk lasts much longer than the typical 30 minutes, giving us an hour and a half of that gorgeous “half-lit” effect that photographers love. I repeat what I mentioned in my Bio, I am NOT a professional photographer by any means.
But that didn't matter in Iceland, the lighting and gorgeous scenery made every photo stunning.
#3- The shorter days meant a little less time to “go, go, GO!” and a little more time for enjoying luxuriously long dinners and relaxing evenings spending time together. After many trips of hectic schedules, long drives, and very little down time, I was sensing that John needed a slower paced trip this time.
#4- Iceland (in 2018) was getting pretty crowded in the summer months as tourists flocked to rent vans and do the famous Golden Circle sightseeing trip. John already slightly resented the fact that we always had to travel during the busier (and pricier) holiday time of the year because that was my time off work. Going to a place that was in its “off-season” would help us save money and get to enjoy the same sights without having to rub shoulders with too many people. A win-win for us who don’t particularly love crowds.
#5- Going to Iceland in the winter increases your chances of seeing the Northern Lights, a big item on my Bucket List. While we didn’t particularly have the best of luck, we DID see it (keep reading!) and it was mind-blowing!
#6- Winter is also the time of year when it is possible to do glacier tours, since they are melting and shifting too much to be safe to explore in the summer. When in Rome… go see the glay-see-airs (as it was pronounced by our guide, who we still imitate and laugh about to this day… keep reading!).
So, we made up our minds and packed our Big Blue suitcase to bursting with all of our ski layers. We also shlepped along a 55 quart Lifetime Cooler full of food because I had learned the eating out and even buying groceries in the store over there would be easily half our travel budget. We made a plan to eat breakfast and lunch every day out of our cooler and eat out for dinners each evening. Each of us had a middle seat ticket to further save some money, so we made peace with the strangers on either side of us hogging the armrests and got just a little shut eye on our 7 hour flight to Reyjavik.
Day 1- Icy Windshields, a Roadside Nap, a Lukewarm Hot Spring, and Lots of "Foss"es
Our first glimpse at the cars in the rental lot made us second guess that Gulf Stream effect since every car was covered in a thick layer of ice. John had the good sense to ask the rental car company for an ice scraper to be thrown in the car, which they obliged. This of course was after they showed us scary photos of wind and sand scoured cars that would require lots of money to repair if we skipped the insurance pitch. We skipped, we were fine.
If you have read other articles, you know that we always nickname our rental cars. In fact, it is sometimes the clue we will use when we are trying to remind each other of a certain trip! I just yesterday said to John, “… the Pacific Northwest trip. You know, the one where you met me and I had Diamond…” (Subscribe to be notified when that article is written!) The Iceland car did not get such a dignified name… We called it Jimney Ricket (instead of Jiminy Cricket) and, compared to some of those souped up mega-Jeeps we sometimes parked next to, it looked like a Hot Wheels car.
But it thankfully fit all of our luggage and had studded tires in case we encountered icy roads (we didn’t really), so off we went.
For about an hour…
At that point, we were both falling asleep. This is where John usually points out a flaw in my trip planning because I failed to give us any rest after a day of work, getting to the airport, a 7 hour flight, getting out of the airport, and dealing with the rental car company. Instead I expected us to drive for 2.5 hours to start a day filled with exploration! This is an actual copy and paste from my itinerary for that day…
6am-8am Arrive, buy booze from duty-free shop!, eat breakfast in airport or from packed items, rental car
8am-10:30am Drive to Seljalandsfoss
10:30am-12pm Seljalandsfoss (waterfall) and Gljufrafoss (or Gljufrabui) ( waterfall in a cave)- drive, short walks, and pictures
12-12:30pm Drive to Asolfsskali
Seljavallalaug Hot pool- 6 miles from Asolfsskali (free)
12:30-3pm Hike to/from, enjoy Hot pool
3-3:30 Drive to Skogafoss
3:30-430 Skogafoss, hike down and trailhead at top leads to 20 more waterfalls
15 minutes to Solheimahjaleiga Guesthouse, booked, paid in advance
20 minutes to Vik for dinner? Suður Vík or Halldors Kaffi or The Black Beach Restaurant- black beach a good place for lights
Also, I should point out that it is dark on this drive which wasn’t helping anything. So we pulled over in a gravel lot on the side of the highway, kicked back the front seats as far as they would go, and promptly fell asleep for 3 hours. By then, it was “dawn” (11:00) and we were able to finish the drive, refreshed and eager for all of the “foss”es we were going to see that day.
Tips for reading Icelandic... "vik" means valley by the water and often refers to a town, "jökull" means glacier", and "foss" means waterfall.
And boy were there a lot of them!
We started at Seljalandsfoss which was pretty filled with tourists, despite this being the “off season”.
Thankfully, almost no one walked down the path to Gljúfrabúi (which also is a waterfall, despite the lack of “foss” at the end). You can walk through the cliff to this one, but we did not want to get all of our warm clothes soaked on the very first day, so settled for pictures out front.
Next on our agenda (as you can see above) was the Seljavakalaug Hot Pool. We were intentionally skipping the famous Blue Pool because, again, we don’t like crowds. This promised to be peaceful alternative.
The hike in through the valley was just absolutely gorgeous with the river running by and snow frosting the tips of the mountains at the top. But when I dipped my hand into our destination, I found that it was just lukewarm. I didn’t think it was worth stripping down for, and, besides, we were behind in our schedule! (Cue John rolling his eyes.) We just enjoyed the scenery and left blissfully dry.
As we continued on down the road to the East, I noticed that each little home backed up against the black cliffs seemed to have its own personal “foss” descending down to it. It was just so quaint.
The next “foss” we were set to explore was Skogafoss. We arrived right before sunset and got to see a splendid rainbow beside the water. There were a lot of people here as well, but not many people hiked up the 500 steps to view the tops of the falls. And we didn’t see anyone else on our hike along the trail at the top to see a few more falls and a really pretty river canyon illuminated in the sunset light.
We checked in to our home for the night at the Solheimahjaleiga Guesthouse.
Not sure at all how to pronounce that, but I would highly recommend it.
We passed out for another nap before coming down for dinner which we were able to have on site instead of getting back into the car. It was absolutely delicious, one of the best meals we had in the whole country. I have thought back on this particular dinner often over the years. We had lamb, tomato soup, potatoes, and salad. Most importantly (to me) we had bread. John and I would often rate dinners out on a scale of 1-5 (back before we had a kid and had the money and the time to enjoy this kind of experience). I am known to judge a place solely on the quantity and the quality of the bread offered with the meal. This place was a hands down 5.
After lots more sleep, we woke up at 5am to take a peek outside to maybe catch the Northern Lights. I was using a website (https://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/) to help us find time windows when the Lights were likely to be visible. We would check it each night before going to sleep and set alarms. We didn’t see the Lights this night, it was too cloudy and the moon was too bright, but I still enjoyed just being out under the sky, smelling the sheep (everyone has sheep), and feeing the chill air on my cheeks.
Day 2- Straight from a Sunrise Lighthouse to a Sunset River Canyon
Hit the snooze more times than I would like to admit on this morning, but made it to the breakfast provided at the guesthouse. There were several smoked meats on offer, cheese, more fantastic bread, yogurt, and eggs. Plus hot chocolate, which seemed like the perfect beverage for the chilly morning.
Our first stop for the day was the Dyrholaey Lighthouse. The morning light was so perfectly pink and soft.
I didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out I LOVE visiting lighthouses. It was a lovely surprise to realize how much I enjoyed the experience. Thankfully, there would be even more lighthouses in our future here.
This same spot also had some really cool old lava formations that were slowly being weathered by the sea. The black volcanic cliffs gradually become the sand in the iconic black sand beaches here.
This is one of my favorite photos from the whole trip.
When daylight hours are short, you find yourself going from a “sunrise” walk at the lighthouse to a “sunset” walk at the Fjadrarglijufur River Canyon back to back.
The whole thing was prettily frosted with ice and I kept expecting to see mountain goats all over the place.
We continued our pattern of napping before dinner back at our new home for the night, the Hof 1 Hotel. Dinner was risotto for me and cod for John. Then back to bed before another 5am hunt for the Northern Lights. No luck, but we aren’t going to see them in bed!!!
Day 3- Our Own Glacier Tour, Hexagonal Tessellation, and the Northern Lights
The day got off to a rough start at Skaftafellsjokull. I had booked a “walk on the glacier” tour months ago and turns out our particular tour had been cancelled, also months ago. I never saw the email and so we showed up bright an early for an epic disappointment. The tour operator was trying to help us out to get scheduled for a different glacier tour sometime during our trip, but I was so discouraged I wasn’t even going to bother. John made me take a second and think about it first, asking if I would regret not getting on the glacier when we we back home. He was right and I appreciated his clear-headedness in this moment. So we got booked and then took a walk to go see the glacier for ourselves.
The sun was just coming up when we reached the lake at the end of the glacier, filled with tiny icebergs catching the light.
But of course I couldn't be content just LOOKING at the glacier that I had come to walk on...
Once we got up to it, we could clearly see the path that the tours were taking because of the crampons digging into the ice. In some spots, there were actual steps carved into the ice. So… we put on our own Micro Spikes I brought from home and took a little tour of our own.
It was very cool to get up close to see all the texture and colors in the ice itself. The black is from the erosion of the black volcanic rocks as the glacier has carved its way through the land.
We had a nice long walk, sort of zigging and zagging between tour groups that we could see approaching. Then we found ourselves trapped between 3 of them and got yelled at for being on the ice without a tour group.
Worth it!
I learned later that the seemingly endless and vast stretch of ice that we were walking on was just a tiny finger of a much larger glacier called Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in all of Europe.
Next, we hiked up to Svartifoss, which is a gorgeous waterfall surrounded by these hexagonal basalt columns that were formed from volcanic activity.
The nerd in me really appreciated the sign at the base that explained that a hexagon is the closest shape to a circle that can completely cover an area by tessellation (repetition).
The hike in and out was worth it on its own.
In an attempt to save some money, we ate a strange combination of cereal and ramen out of our cooler and took a nap before going out hunting the Lights. We planned to go back to the base of the glacier, where there would be very little light pollution and a gorgeous setting for seeing them.
As we exited our building, I shrieked some curse words and developed a look on my face that told John there must surely be a polar bear behind him about to attack...
There wasn’t. It was just that THERE WERE THE LIGHTS! With a full moon out and some lights from town and everything! We had just 30 seconds to take some very shaky photos and then they were gone. But we saw them!
After collecting our wits, we did proceed to the glacier, hoping they would come out again for longer and in a much more magical setting. I also was going to have the camera all set up on the tripod for better photos. No, of course not. But we did take some fun pictures of the glacier and the stars anyway.
Perhaps the coolest part of the evening was sitting in the silence, broken only by the groaning and cracking of the glacier ice nearby. Very humbling, a little spooky.
Day 4- Best Christmas Ever!
In a complete 180 from my usual Type A self, I actually didn’t have much of a plan for this day. Which is probably why it turned out so awesome. We were just able to go where inspiration took us.
We were in fact headed to a new glacier location when John pulled over to let a tailgater go by and we ended up stopping and getting out at Breiðárlón.
"Árlón" in Icelandic is an iceberg lagoon.
The little bergs were drifting around, gentling bumping into each other, clinking like a wind chime through the mist.
We spent a long time here, playing with some photography and just sitting and enjoying the peaceful setting that we had all to ourselves.
Then we made another roadside stop so I could pet and photograph the Icelandic ponies.
We pulled over AGAIN for what we initially thought were more ponies in the distance. But it wasn’t!
We had stumbled upon Santa's reindeer, relaxing in the tundra after their hard night's work delivering presents.
I should probably confess here that we ate reindeer several times while in Iceland, but surely not the ones that help Santa…
Our last stop for the day was a place that is still one of my favorite places on Earth. The real name is Heinabergsjökull, but we nicknamed it Smurfy-jökull.
We (again) just meandered around the ice, paused to hear the groans and pop of the titanic forces before us, and passed some time messing around with my camera.
Dinner was another excessively expensive affair, but dessert was to die for. We knew we would have a solid night of sleep since it was cloudy and rainy all night. No chance for another Lights sighting.
Day 5- Diamond Beach and a Sheep (I Mean Glacier) Tour
Diamond Beach is the result of little icebergs drifting out into the ocean and then being thrown back on to the beach from the waves and stranded at high tide.
The site was pretty crowded right at the entrance, but all we did was walk 200 feet down the way and had a great spot all to ourselves.
Then we were on our way to that rescheduled glacier tour on Breiðamerkurjökull. The parking lot was a MAD HOUSE and meanwhile the glacier outlet that we had enjoyed to ourselves the day before was just 2 minutes down the road.
We met our guide Thor and hopped into a super Jeep that I named Rickety Jim.
It was later revealed that we were in the backup Jeep because earlier that week Thor had wrecked the nice and new Super Jeep in a giant crevassed in the glacier... Okay...?
I liked this tour much more than I expected to. I think the idea of crawling over the ice in the Jeep rather than on my own two feet chaffed at my sense of adventure. But we were able to get out and explore an area with crampons and get up close to the gorgeous ice.
The shades of blue were UNREAL and the patterns of bubbles trapped in the ice was mesmerizing. Make sure you scroll through all the photos in the slideshow below cause boy are there some good ones in there!
Turns out Thor is a farmer who raises sheep year round and works through the winter as a glacier guide. So, we ended up learning a lot more about sheep than we expected.
- Lambs are born in April, tagged, and set loose with the rest of the flock until September when they are all rounded up.
- When you are eating “lamb”, it’s from a slaughter at 6 months old.
- Icelandic farmers set their flocks loose on public land and have fences to keep them OUT of their pasture land while their grass grows. Then the flock gets to eat in the pastures through the winter.
- Border collies are the best sheepdogs. Thor’s love to fulfill the command, “bring me that sheep.” Icelandic sheepdogs are just house pets now because they are not as good.
- After the big round-ups in September, there are dozens of sheep in the corrals with all the farmers trying to find their own. The farmers work together to gather the sheep together in the pens, even bringing in sheep that are not their own. But once in the corral, that’s where the collaboration ends. If you pick up a sheep that isn’t yours and it belongs to the farmer standing right next to you, you just let it go and keep looking for yours.
In fact, at one point Thor beckoned us onward and said, "let me know if you have any more questions about sheep... or glay-see-airs!"
Notice how he is wearing a wool sweater and no gloves and John and I are in every layer we own to stay warm.
We did in fact learn a lot about other aspects of Icelandic life besides raising sheep.
- Old trees have been found in glaciers here, but no human or animal remains.
- The ponies are kept on farms down south in the winter and then set loose (like the sheep) up north in the summer.
- There have been 3 polar bears from Greenland that washed up in Iceland over the past decade. They have all had to be put down, but the country is working on a system to be able to tranquilize them and send them to zoos.
- There are in fact fish in the streams and rivers here, despite the fact that they all originate in a wall of insurmountable ice.
- Citizens used to flock to the cities for work, but the tide is turning as tourism is becoming bigger and more people are returning to the country.
- All the homes and farms are in fact located at the base of their own waterfall because for the longest time it was the only way to generate individual electric power.
Then we were back in Rickety Jim for a ride to a spot in the glacier that we could actually walk inside. It was a “dirty” part of the glacier, meaning the walls were all black from scraped up sediment. I, at first, was missing the bright blue colors of the ice above, but grew to think that the obsidian ice in all its contours was just as pretty.
It was a super worthwhile experience and I’m very glad John convinced me to give it a try when I was hesitant after our original tour had been canceled.
Tried to see the Lights again that night to no avail.
Day 6- A Long Drive and a Great Museum
Our next home was in the Northwest of the island at Grundarfjörður. So we spent this day mostly just driving on icy roads, passed broken gas pumps (when we really need a fuel up), through some rain, and around a zillion traffic circles. At one point we went through a tunnel under a fjord and actually had to turn on the air conditioning. I’m assuming we were deep enough to feel the geothermal heat that’s so close to the surface in a lot of places here.
We broke up the drive with a pit stop to the Settlement Center, a museum focused on the arrival of humans to Iceland.
It was really well done and I learned a lot. Lots of little humor was embedded throughout the displays, like the little man peeing over the side of the boat above (almost all the way on the right).
There was an exhibit where visitors could stand on the rocking deck of a boat and look out on a simulated never-ending ocean view. I tried to imagine what it would have been like for those explorers facing that unbroken line of the horizon and just believing that land would appear. The Vikings ended up with sailing routes as far as Rome and Constantinople. They are even the ones who founded ancient sites that would later become major cities, like Dublin.
I learned about the Althing, which was the world's first parliament where laws were made and recited to the populace.
Another section of the museum told the story of Egil, an unlucky and kinda evil early settler who went through an Odyssey-like adventure. There were displays explaining ancient belief systems, like a cursing pole.
Hockey may have even been invented in Iceland, according to one demonstration.
I loved how all the stories were told and information conveyed through the wood carvings and clay figures and these light up grave sites on the floor. It was probably my second favorite stop on our whole trip.
The day wrapped up with some pizza in our hotel and some time spent snuggled up in bed reading.
Day 7- Another Lighthouse, An Angry Ocean, and a "Weakling" Viking
My newfound love affair with lighthouses continued in Snæfellsjökull National Park. We hiked from Arnarstapi to Hellnar and watched the sun rise over the ocean on one side and the volcano/mountain on the other. I loved the mossiness of everything.
In addition to discovering I loved lighthouses, it was also here in Iceland that I learned to love the view of what I call an "angry ocean".
Everyone and their sister loves a white sand beach being gently caressed by warm turquoise water. But freezing cold, dark water relentlessly thrashing against stark black cliffs… is a little under appreciated in my book. It was here that I revised my opinion of a perfect beachfront vacation home. Initially, I would have wanted the more tranquil scene, but after visiting Iceland, I would be more than happy to stay for a month somewhere with this view.
We stopped by the Visitor Center to learn about old-timey fishing and animal life. There were some old whale rib bones on display from Iceland’s whaling history.
Next, we visited Djúpalónssandur to get down closer to those powerful waves.
While we were there, we found an informational sign next to these giant, smooth boulders on the beach. The sign taught us that these stones were used by potential Viking sailors to prove their strength. The difference sizes determined the different ranking of the Viking who could lift them. The smallest one was known as the “weakling” stone. I pretty confidently thought I could at least reach the level of a “weakling” Viking, but sadly not even that. I couldn’t budge that smallest stone with all my strength!
We then tried to drive up to the glacier itself, but the road was closed with snow.
Day 8- The World's Shortest Lighthouse, Silly Seals, and a Crater
Today we explored the Northern part of the Park, starting with the Öndverðarnes lighthouse. At just a little over 13 feet tall, it seemed to me that it MUST be the shortest lighthouse in the world! Disappointingly, Google is not able to provide a clear answer to what lighthouse holds that record.
We then explored the ruins of an old fishing settlement
As we wandered around, John noticed we were being watched. Three spotted seals were repeatedly poking their heads up out of the water to see what we were up to. Their dog-like faces made us think of our pups we had left back home for this trip. We were missing them and were excited to get back to them soon.
There were also a lot of sea birds all diving and plunging into the waves at the same time while hunting.
There was another (taller) lighthouse there on the coast and a cool land bridge that I had to run across for a picture.
Next, we visited the Rauðhóll crater, with really pretty colors and really strong wind.
The last adventure of the day was a short walk up to Klukufoss, a waterfall of course! There was a cooled lava field along the way and warped basalt columns at its base.
Dinner that night was the best of the whole trip. I shamelessly had lamb.
We did some Northern Lights hunting for 2 hours near Kirkufell, the famous hill featured in Game of Thrones.
There was a greenish hue in the sky in some of our photos, so the long shutter time of the camera was able to pick up something, but our eyes didn’t see it.
Day 9- Not Whale Watching and a Failed Foss Hike
Besides the National Park, we had come to this area of the island specifically to try to see orca whales who frequent the area. But this morning we got a call that our tour boat wasn’t sailing that day because of the bad weather. We could have rescheduled for another day, but we were headed back to Reykjavik for New Years and couldn’t stay. The internet had revealed a little bridge over the fjord that the whales sometimes pass by, so we parked there for a while to see if we would have any luck on our own. No cigar.
We warmed up with paninis and hot chocolate at the Laki Cafe (highly recommend) and then hunkered down in our hotel while the snow kept on coming.
Only the allure of dinner made us brave the weather again and we found a good restaurant in Ólafsvík.
Then, since we were already out, I got up the idea to take a snowy hike under the moon to another waterfall which was a total bust. The moon wasn’t full anymore and the tranquil snowy scene I had imagined was more like blinding sleet being blown into our faces that stung like hundreds of needles.
We did in fact make it to the falls, which we could barely see. A testament to how much John is willing to humor my impulses. Or a testament to how much he fears suggesting we turn back...
Day 10- Best New Year's Eve EVER!
We slept in to let other drivers clear out the roads for us before we left for Reykjavik. They were only bad at the very beginning. Once we turned off the coast and got behind some mountains that probably created a rain shadow, they were clear.
We tried to break up the drive with a hike to Glymur Falls, but the log bridge to cross the river had been swept away. We still liked the little cave structure we hiked through with pretty icicles hanging down.
We checked in to our Airbnb which was a converted pony barn with no heat. There was a space heater, but it had not been left on for our arrival and we were asked to turn it off when we left the building. Ummm, no, we left that thing on (well away from anything flammable) because it was FREEZING otherwise and took FOREVER to heat up.
We huddled in misery under blankets while slurping Ramen noodles and hot chocolate we made with the coffee maker. We had been hoping to snag some fast food now that we were back in a bigger city, but EVERYTHING was shut down for New Years. I’m talking every restaurant, every fast food joint, every grocery store, even every gas station! It was a lesson learned that served us well for a future trip to New Zealand where everything was also closed for Christmas and New Years. But that time we were better prepared. (Subscribe to be notified when that article is written!)
After a little nap, we got layered up to spend the night enjoying a uniquely Icelandic New Year’s Eve. There were GINORMOUS bonfires all over the city, so we just sidled up to one nearby and spied on the locals celebrating.
We could see fireworks going off from lots of different spots in the city. Fireworks are illegal any other day in Iceland, but on New Years’s Eve any old citizen can shoot them off. It’s not just displays put on by professional companies.
As the time was ticking down to midnight, we made our way through the city to the Hallgrímskirkja Church.
It was such a stunning building all by itself, but it also happened to be one of the biggest public launching spots for the firework celebration. I haven’t enjoyed fireworks so much in my whole life. Maybe it was because we could watch the people dash in to the square, light their firework, and then dash out that added to the experience. Or maybe it was that the explosions were happening right over head that made it so magical, so big and so loud. Or perhaps it was in fact that we were actually almost hit by errant fireworks a couple of times that added to the element of excitement and intensity.
Whatever it was, we stayed well past the midnight bells and our New Year's kiss until my feet felt like ice.
Day 11- Goodbye to John and Hello to Lamb Soup in a Bread Bowl
On our other trips in Costa Rica and Belize, we scheduled to dive on New Year’s Day in order to set the tone for how we hoped the whole year would be. Adventurous and beautiful and fun and together.
Well, this New Years was turning out to be none of that. John usually travels on the down low from work, since he can work remotely most of the time anyway. So when his work expected him to be able to appear on site back in the States on the 2nd, that meant he needed to fly home earlier than we had originally planned. It was a lot of money to change his flight date and I did not want to leave early myself, so I was planning to finish out the trip solo.
We were still able to spend most of the day together, but it was just sleeping in after our late night out and getting him packed up to leave and to the airport on time.
On my lonely drive back, I stopped at the Icelandic Phallological Museum because… when in Rome… But it was closed for the day.
Instead, I took a stroll through some gift shops to find my shot glass souvenir. It’s what I always get from big trips, although mine are for display only so they don’t get broken by John’s rowdy brothers or friends when they are drinking at the house.
I stopped at a bread bowl restaurant and luckily the only soup that they weren’t out of was the one I wanted, lamb of course!
The cold pony barn was a little colder without John to keep me company. I spent some time reading my book and finalizing my plans for exploring the Golden Circle the next day.
Day 12- The Golden Circle and Lots of Tour Buses
So far on this trip, we definitely felt the benefit of traveling in the off season and having cool places all to ourselves.
But the Golden Circle is what most people come to do in Iceland, so I knew this day would feel busier. Or should I say buss-ier.
I started at Thingvellir and enjoyed the Almannagjá cliffs…
… the Öxarárfoss waterfall (also featured in Game of Thrones)…
… and the Silfra rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
I remembered the Althing, the first parliament, that I learned about from the Settlement Museum days before. Here I was actually standing before the Lögberg (law rock) where this history was made.
Then I was off to see the world's first recorded geyser (named Geysir which is where the -er word originated).
I always love the colors and smells of geothermal areas. It is just so unique and what ultimately makes Yellowstone my favorite National Park.
As I was exploring, I got to see Geysir go off multiple times. It erupts every 8 minutes!
And, from my experience, it sticks better to its prediction window than our very own Old "Faithful".
Gullfoss was worth skipping in my opinion. It’s just one of those places where you walk up, take your photo, and leave without much more to explore or see. I do often see it pop up in a slideshow of photos on our Chromecast background on our TV (along with Kirkjufell). So I guess it is kinda exciting to be able to say, “I’ve been there!” when it does. Without fail, John will say, “wait, where was that?”
“Iceland,” I reply.
“But I don’t remember seeing that!” he will argue.
“That’s when you had to go home early for work!” I taunt, sticking out my tongue.
The weather always looks better in the Chromecast photo. It poured rain or misted on me that entire day. (John sticks out his tongue.)
I got to study one turf house at Skálholt when yet another tour bus pulled up and I booked it out of there.
Thankfully no one else wanted to hike around Kerið Crater in the rain with me, so I had the place to myself. Another great spot to view awesome contrasting colors with the blue water, the red and black rocks, and the green lichen.
Back at the pony barn, I hung up all gear to dry and got a warm shower. I hoped to smell a little less like mildew, but I may have just traded that for a faint sulfur smell because the water is heated by geothermal energy and brings along that trait from the earth.
Then I packed up all my belongings to be ready to roll in the morning. I was hoping to do both the Phallological Museum and a hike to a hot spring before going to the airport.
Day 13- A Lot of Phalluses and a Different Definition of the Word "Hot"
Well, I did manage to do it all! I was the first one in the door when the Icelandic Phallological Museum opened for the day.
I'm not sure what group of people that puts me in that wants to gaze in wonder at a bunch of penises first thing in the morning.
Strangely, the museum didn’t feel awkward at all. It was extremely well done and interesting.
It features phalluses from every mammal native to Iceland, many of which are sea creatures. There were also specimens from other popular fauna like domesticated animals.
Probably my favorite part of the whole place was a room of mythological penises, including elves, fairies, and gnomes. There was even a sample from the Invisible Man.
It nicely reflected the mentality of several Icelanders we spoke to who put a lot of stock in the mischievous interventions of these creatures that share the island with them.
Iceland won silver in the Olympic games back in 2008 in the sport of handball. In honor of their success, silver casts of their phalluses are on display at the museum along with a photo of the winning team. A visitor can’t help but try to match up which might be whose, comparing the specimens to the photo…
At the time of my visit (2019) there was not an actual human penis on display, YET! Two men were in a neck and neck race to be the first to donate their member to the museum upon their deaths. We’ll see who… wins? Is that the right word?
I apparently spent more time in the museum than I had anticipated, so by the time I left to hike to the Reykjadalur Hot Spring, I was racing the clock to make it to the airport on time.
It was a drizzly day, which probably accounted for me having the trail to myself. I did a time check part way up and it was exactly the time that I was supposed to be LEAVING the hot spring… and I wasn’t even there yet! But I was passing some really cool river views and geothermal areas and enjoying myself so I refused to stop.
I finally made it to the bathing area and dipped my hand in several places (different spots in the river have different temperatures based on how the cold river water is mixing with geothermal hot spots and springs). It was then and there that I decided Iceland and I have different definitions of the word “hot”. When I draw a bath for myself, I actually have to mop my face several times because I am sweating so bad. I get out red as a lobster and just a little light-headed. This “hot” spring was warm… not hot. Definitely not worth stripping down for in the cold drizzle and I had no time to soak anyway. So I snapped a photo and RAN back down the trail with freezing rain driving into my face. Happy as a clam just to be out in nature, alive and doing what I love.
In Reflection
As the years passed and other (more recent) adventures have been on my mind, I had forgotten how much I loved this trip. Writing this article took me right back and I was actually surprised to remember that this was the place where I celebrated my all-time favorite Christmas AND New Years! That’s pretty impressive!
I think what made Christmas so special was the peace and solitude we got to experience while in these very scenic and almost magical places.
Perhaps they seemed otherworldly because it's not common to be able to sit at the base of a glacier listening to the groans of its power and the chimes of its icebergs floating in the lake below. And it's an experience that is only going to get rarer still for future generations.
And as much as I typically avoid a party scene on New Years, Reykjavik was just too fun to miss. I’ve never seen a better firework show in my life and I have a feeling I never will.
I kept travel journals for all my trips (let’s be honest, before having a baby) and at the end of the log for Iceland, I listed out my favorite 5 activities we did…
1. Glacier lake walks with John
2. Settlement Center in Borgarnes
3. New Year’s Eve Fireworks
4. Coastal walk from Arnarstapi to Hellnar
5. Reykjadalur Hot Spring Hike
So plan accordingly for your own adventure to Iceland!
Additional Reading
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