Iceland is the cool destination now. And I mean that literally and figuratively. Iceland is having its worst summer in 100 years. So far Iceland has had only 7 days of sun. When I told people we’re going to Iceland, the comment was always “oh it’s on my bucket list”. And that’s where we set off for with our friends for a summer adventure. No fun in the sun but we knew that. This was going to be an active, adventure, road trip.
A non-stop flight from Boston and you’re in Reykavik in 5 hours. Our plan, to spend three days in Husafell, our base to explore west Iceland, and two days in Reykavik.
We picked up our 4 x 4 at the airport and set off for Bergsson Mathus, a Reykavik cafe known for its sourdough bread with all kinds of toppings.
With only five days, we had to decide exactly where we wanted to go. Reykavik definitely but what other part of Iceland. We decided on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland.
So after breakfast we set off for the drive to Husafell which is 2 hours northeast of Reykavik.
Forget about understanding the Icelandic language. There is nothing to compare it to. There are no road signs in English but armed with a car nav which spoke to us in Italian and a Garmen which was worthless, we ended up using our iPhone nav. The roads are easy to get around on. But as we traveled around Iceland these were our questions: Where are all the people? Where are the cars? Where is there a grocery store and where is the town? That’s what we kept asking ourselves. Well, with a population of 329,000, 80% of the population lives in and around Reykavik so once you leave Reykavik you are truly in rural Iceland.
The landscape is dramatic. Sometimes it looks Mars-like with lava fields as far as the eye can see, sometimes it’s farmland. There are beautiful lupine which started as a way to stop erosion but are now evasive and are everywhere, and geo-thermal puffs of steam coming out of the ground, sheep and the Icelandic horses. They’re everywhere. They’re in places you can’t imagine and can’t figure out how they got there! There are no predators for the horses so you often see them laying down. They have no diseases so they don’t have to be vaccinated.
We checked into the Hotel Husafell, a hotel in the middle of nowhere. It’s decor and design is modern, Scandanavian in style, very comfortable with great amenities.
This what’s in the village of Husafell – the hotel, geo-thermal pools, an Icelandic bistro, a mini-market, a campground. That’s it!!
After we checked in and unpacked, we loaded up with our bathing suits and headed to our first stop, the Krauma spa. Everyone in Iceland goes to the geo-thermal pools. They keep bathing suits in their cars. And there’s a method to it. First you have to shower without a bathing suit on; forget about being modest, everyone lets it all hang out! Then you go to the baths, each with a different range of temperature. After a flight and being a little jet lagged – it was heavenly.
Dinner at the hotel was without doubt one of the best meals I’ve had in recent history. One entree was fresh grilled salmon, wasabi risotto, shitake mushrooms, spice mango and tempura soft shelled crab. It was outstanding. The other was lamb 2 ways. Prices were off the chart! We heard how expensive food is and it is! But you have to forget about it and just enjoy.
The sun officially sets at 11:30 PM and rises at 3:00 AM but it never gets dark. I had to check out what it looked like at 3 AM. So I got up and peeked outside and it looked like dusk. That’s as dark as it gets for 6 months the year.
Our first adventure – Into the Glacier. The Langjokull Glacier is the 2nd largest glacier in Iceland. Dressed for a ski day, we set off in a former NATO vehicle used for launching rockets. It’s perfect for glacier transportation. At one point the driver has to stop and let air out of the tires. It’s done with an app! After suiting up with waterproof boots and jump suits, we went into the glacier cave. The 40 meter long cave was dug by local farmers working up to 14 hours a day. It’s been open since 2015.
Where are we?? Zermatt for a day of skiing, or going Into The Glacier!!!
Next day – taking a drive along the western peninsula, going to see seals, horses, waterfalls and having lunch in a cafe in a little fishing village. Lunch for 4 – $100. That was 4 soups and a plate of meatballs. But the soup was a fish soup that was a family recipe and the meatballs were also a family recipe. But still!!
This is the scenery in the western peninsula, called Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Pretty dramatic.
Onward, to find the artist Lara Gunnarsdottir, a reknowned sculptor who whittles from Icelandic birch. We found her in her studio and now have 3 Little Birds from her collection.
Dinner at The Settlement House in Borgarnes. Another fantastic dinner. The biggest mussels I’ve ever seen, the freshest, whitest cod beautifully prepared and locally sourced meat for a hamburger. Then, we took a little walk; it was so quiet we could have laid down in the middle of the road. And, this is a town?
Sunset on road from Borgarnes to Husafell.
Next day, on to Reykavik. Civilization!! We checked into our hotel the, Eyga Guldsmeden, another great hotel with a very cool vibe and fantastic decor.
It was time for our food tour. Walking through downtown Reykavik in the drizzle, we were pretty underwhelmed. But there were some great posters, signs and street art.
Our food tour featured 6 stops where we got a taste of traditional Icelandic cuisine and beer.
First stop was a local restaurant, not on the tourist radar. There we had traditional lamb soup. You see it everywhere. Every restaurant and home has a little different recipe. Along with that, beer. Iceland loves its beer.
Some of the other foods we tried on the 3 1/2 hour tour: charcuterie: smoked goose with a raspberry and champagne vinaigrette; HORSE and lamb along with some Icelandic cheeses. Americans do not like the thought of eating horse meat but in Iceland it’s on the menu. I couldn’t do it!!
We had fantastic ice cream. And what kind did we have? Rye bread ice-cream with whipped cream and caramel drizzled on it. Okay, I love ice cream. This was out of sight delicious.
The best stop for me was a restaurant called Messinn, known for two things: Arctic char and something called plokkfish, Icelandic comfort food made with mashed cod, mashed potatoes, celery and spices. Originally it was made from all the fish leftovers and you can still find it made that way in Icelandic homes but probably not in a restaurant. It was served from a skillet. So yummy. But even better was the Artic Char, pan seared in a skillet and drizzled with honey. It was incredible.
Did we have room for anything else. Basically not, but we hadn’t had the famous Icelandic hot dog. Carts are everywhere selling hot dogs made from lamb with lots of condiments. I thought it was just okay. I’m not a hot dog aficionado but I had to have a bite.
Last stop, a summer dessert with skyyr which is Icelandic yogurt and sorbet.
We could barely breath we ate so much! We had dinner reservations that night at a “serious” restaurant but decided to cancel and have a casual dinner at a Thai restaurant.
Next day, the famous Golden Circle which included stops to see waterfalls and the famous Geyser. Well, we were underwhelmed. There were so many people, it was so jam packed, we watched the Geyser erupt, had lunch and drove back to Reykavik.
On our last night, we went to Fish Market for another outstanding dinner, beautifully prepared and presented.
On our last day, we had to fit in one more experience before heading to the airport; riding Icelandic horses. Well, I wasn’t quite feeling it and after getting getting on my horse, I said I don’t want to go. So I got off, bruising my rib in the process, and waited in the car playing Candy Crush!! In retrospect I should have gone on the ride. Everyone loved the experience.
Besides the beauty of the landscape, I can’t say enough about the food. We didn’t have one bad meal. Even if we were having salad, it was good.
And this brings me to the point that we’re all tourists, wherever we go. Whether you’re visiting Paris for the 10th time or Iceland for the 1st time, you just have to enjoy it. Sometimes it’s hard to get off the beaten track. There’s so little of it left. And in Iceland, everyone is doing the same thing, going on the same drives, seeing the same waterfalls and swimming in the Blue Lagoon! So, relax and enjoy being a tourist. There’s no shame in it!
So what’s my take away from Iceland. The landscape of course is dramatic. The people are warm and welcoming. The water comes from the glaciers and is the best water you’ll ever taste. Right from the tap. And, the food – outstanding.
Would I go back – no. But, if you haven’t been, you definitely should go.