Iceland - Day 4

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2025 // Day 4

After our hotel breakfast, we boarded the bus to head off to our first waterfall of the day - Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. This was especially cool because you could walk behind it! My rain suit was sopping wet, but I stayed dry underneath. 

From there we headed to our second waterfall of the day -  Skógafoss Waterfall. On the way there, we pulled off to marvel at the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano. It last erupted in 2010. Skógafoss Waterfall was beautiful from the bottom! There were a billion stairs you could climb to see where it came from at the top, but my knees and stairs do not pair well together, so I just admired the power from below.

There was a restaurant very near the waterfall that we ate at called Skogafoss Bistro Bar. I had lamb meatballs and pasta in tomato sauce and it was every bit as delicious as I needed it to be. I am fished out!

We next arrived at a beach where puffins were known to hang. It is the end of “puffin” season, so we were sure if there would be any still hanging around, or if they all had migrated. We were lucky enough to see a few!

Our last official activity of the day was Reynisfjara Beach - another black sand beach. This one is particularly dangerous as the waves can be huge out of nowhere! A child was pulled out to sea earlier this summer, so we knew to be wary. In the last decade, 6 tourists have died there. I was reading a local newspaper where I learned that this beach is actually owned by private citizens. People just started coming there, including tours, without asking the landowners. The landowners eventually put in a parking lot to help with the influx of vehicles. They've also implemented warning lights to alert travelers to the dangerous waves. The red light means not to go out to the beach at all, and the yellow recommends only going about half way down. It was a yellow day when we went.

There was also a magnificent cliff made of basalt columns. These were created by magma traveling into the cold ocean water and crystallizing into obsidian. 

We continued on to the hotel we were staying in for the night, Hotel Höfn. Once we were all checked in and settled, we met together in the hotel dining room for dinner.  Our starter was smoked salmon with mustard orange sauce, rye bread and salad. I did eat all the salad, and I tried the salmon. It’s been 17 years since I’ve had raw salmon and I didn’t like it anymore this time than I did them. The main dish was arctic char with local potatoes, fresh herbs, and salad.  This was pretty good! The fresh cut herbs on top of the fish was delicious. We figured out it contained capers and red onion, but weren’t sure on which herbs. We tried to ask what the herbs were, but just kept getting told “fresh cut herbs.” I think there was definitely a language barrier there, but it became an inside joke that stuck for the rest of the trip. Dessert was pavlova with meringue and strawberry whipped. This, I liked! (Well minus the whipped!)

ICYMI

Iceland 2025 - Day 1

Iceland 2025 - Day 2

Iceland 2025 - Day 3

Iceland 2025 - Day 3

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2025 // Day 3

What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest?

You stand up.

We checked out of our hotel around 8:30 this morning and hopped on the bus for a drive to Thingvellir National Park. This park is special because it is home to a large crack between the North American and Eurasian plates. We were able to walk between the plates and learned about the history of the space. Long ago, this was where parliament was before it got moved to Reykjavík. This space was also used for many punishments. For example, they hung ‘witches’ there, and drown women who had babies out of wedlock. They used the land for fight-to-the-health duels.

We drove a little further to visit a geothermal area where the lake was warm and the craters were boiling. Literally! In fact, they were using it to bake bread while we were there. To do so, you dig a hole in the ground until you get to the boiling water. Then, you put a pot with dough inside of it in the hole and cover it will sand. Come back 24 hours later, and bam! Bread! A neat fact about Iceland is that 90% of the heating is geothermal.

Our next venture was Friðheimer Farm - they are known for their tomatoes. We got a tour of the greenhouse and learned about their operations. They use hot water that flows through the ground in Iceland to heat the greenhouse. A tomato plant spends roughly 9 months in the greenhouse and is nearly 10 meters tall by the end! I was impressed with how thick the stem/vines were. Their tomatoes are distributed to local supermarkets. Around the greenhouse you will find bumble bees! They import a box of them from the Netherlands. The males fly around for two weeks and die - they’re pretty useless. The females however each pollinate up to 2000 flowers a day! The box has to be replaced every 8 weeks because that is the life expectancy of the females.

After our greenhouse tour, we sat down at tables within the greenhouse for lunch - delicious bread and tomato soup! I don’t typically like tomato soup, but I threw in a few basil leaves from the basil plant on the table and dunked my bread in it like its sole purpose was to be used as a dip. It was yummy!

On their property, they also trained Icelandic horses. We learned a bit about the history of Iceland’s horses, and then got to watch one “perform.” In the years 900-1000, various breeds of horses were brought over to Iceland that eventually evolved into the Icelandic horse. The horses were used for transportation for centuries. Something unique about Icelandic horses is that they have 5 gaits - all of which they are born knowing. Because of this, the horses spend their first four years living in a big pasture with other horses. It is only after they have “lived like a horse” for that handful of years that they begin to train them.  The five gaits for competition are walking, trotting, galloping, and then the two special ones - töt (like walking but faster) and flying pace (same side legs at same time). No other horse can do all five of these. Icelandic horses are also the most colorful breed. They can be 40 different colors in 100 variations. Iceland has about 100,000 Icelandic horses, and exports 2000 - 2500 horses each year. No other horses are allowed on the island, as to prevent diseases. There are no diseases for the horses here, so they’re unvaccinated - unless they’re being exported, in which case they have to be vaccinated to have any sort of immune system. The life expectancy of an Icelandic horse is about 35 years.

From there we went to explore the Great Geysir geothermal area. There were quite a few tiny geysers, and a handful of big ones. The biggest Geysir in the world is here - though it is dormant. We did get to see one shoot up pretty high though!

Our last official stop of the day was Gullfoss waterfall - also known as “The Golden Waterfall.” It was massive! One of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe. There was a path to walk out to the top of the falls, so we put on our rain suits and did just that. It was neat to see, but honestly the view of the whole falls was better.

We had about another hours drive to Selfoss where we checked into our hotel for the night - Hotel South Coast. We then split up for dinner - I ended up getting fish and chips for the third day in a row. It came with truffle fries! I can never pass those up.

We took a little stroll around Selfoss and wandered into a grocery store just to check it out. Then - ice cream from Groovis! I got a strawberry soft serve with strawberry sprinkles and cotton candy.

We hung out in the lobby of our hotel for a bit before settling in for the night.

ICYMI

Iceland 2025 - Day 1

Iceland 2025 - Day 2

 

Iceland 2025 - Day 2

 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025 // Day 2

“Iceland is one big volcano, you could say.” - Osk, our awesome tour director

We set off at 8AM to head west for the day to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We drove for an hour before stopping for a stretch break, and Osk gave us a lot of interesting info about Iceland. One thing she told us about was the Icelandic elves...

The elves exist because once upon a time, Saturdays were meant for washing children. They would spend all day washing their children. One day, they heard God was coming, and they began to panic because they had only washed half of their children. To solve this problem, they hid all of the unwashed children, and presented only the washed children to God. God of course, knows everything, so when he realized this, he told them that the consequence would be that those children would stay hidden forever, and that’s how elves were born. They are the same size, shape, etc. as regular people; however they are very beautiful, but you don’t ever see them because they’re always hiding in rocks, hills, caves, etc. Though the population of Iceland is a little over 400,000, she joked that the actual population is closer to 800,000 due to the elves!

Osk also told us about the trolls of Iceland. They are horribly ugly and terrible creatures, and as horrible as you can imagine. The good thing is that they cannot come out in the day light bcause if the light touches them, they will turn to stone, so you're pretty safe from them in the summer. On the winter solstice is really when the trolls come out and look for misbehaving children. 

Osk shared with us a lot of fun facts about the overall geography of Iceland. She said that Iceland goes through active periods of volcanic eruption, and periods where they don’t see much activity. They have now been in an active period since around 2020 and have seen more volcanic activity since the 1800s.

After our stretch break, we drove another hour and a half to Búðir, where we walked out to the coastline which was lined with giant lava rocks. We also stumbled upon a whole skeleton! Based on the hooves, we figured it must be a sheep, then hypothesized that perhaps it got caught in the tide and drown, washing back up onto shore.

A little bit further down the road, we stopped in Arnarstapi where we had lunch at Snjófell Restaurant and wandered the cliffs. I had another round of fish and chips! The cliffs were really cool, though honestly the whole landscape of Iceland is pretty freakin’ fascinating. 

We continued along the road through the peninsula until we got to Djúpalónssandur Beach, a black sand beach (like all the beaches here!). We walked down the coastline where waves were smashing against the large volcanic rock lining the beach. You could tell how powerful the waves were because they would slam into those rocks! It’s important not to turn your back to the water, because those waves will shoot further than you expect them to and will sweep you right out into the Atlantic Ocean. We did end up running from a wave once as it overshot how high it had been going!

We continued to drive through the lava fields that had a lot of green most growing everywhere. This is a good thing! Osk said the moss often is a dull grayish color, but was currently a glowing green due to all the rain as of late.

Our next stop was Snæfellsjökull Glacier. It is the second largest glacier in Iceland, with the first largest being further east of Reykjavik. It was SO windy out, I was certain the bus was going to blow over as we drove down the road.

Our last official stop of the day was Mount Kirkjufell and a flowing waterfall. The view was beautiful, but man, that wind!!

We had a 2.5 hour drive back to Reykjavik, including a 5 minute, 10 second drive in a tunnel taking us under the water. When we got back we unloaded our things, then went for a walk to find dinner.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go - FUEGO Taqueria! It was in a food hall, so everyone got different things. I got a fish taco, a beef taco, and a pork taco. They were messy but tasty. Then Ike talked me into dessert but I couldn’t decide which so Aaron and I split both the chocolate lava cake and the orange crepes.

We did a little shopping along the street, then headed back to the hotel for the night. It is so easy to forget what time it is here. Partially due to it being vacation, partially due to the time change, but mostly due to the amount of time the sun is up! As I write this, it is 9PM, but it looks like it should be 6PM!

ICYMI

Iceland 2025 - Day 1

Iceland 2025 - Day 1

 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025 // Day 0.5

Our flight was our of MSP at about 8PM on Thursday night. It was a six hour direct flight, but we would arrive in Iceland at 7AM with a full day ahead of us. I had all intentions of sleeping the whole flight, but I only manage half an hour. I should know better - when I went to Japan I didn't sleep a wink of the 13 hour flight. I'm too excited!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025 // Day 1

We arrived in Iceland by 7AM Icelandic time, which was 2AM back home. None of us slept more than an hour or two on the flight over, but we were starting our day and bound to make the most of it!

While going through the point of entry at the airport, the guy checking my passport asked if I worked for NASA (due to my Artemis Missions t-shirt, I assume).  I told him I wished, and he said he wished he did too so he could be the first man on Jupiter.  ‘Anywhere but here,’ he said.

I was excited to browse the airport shop - I love checking out snacks in different places! (Who am I kidding, I love checking out snacks in the Kwik Trip down the street). I grabbed a couple cans of Collab - what I knew as the Icelandic energy drink.

A shuttle picked us and two others up from the airport and took us to our hotel - Fosshotel Reykjavík. It was nowhere near time to check in, but we got changed, brushed our teeth, had some breakfast, etc. while we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. 

Our first excursion of the day was to take a bus tour of Reykjavík. It’s a pretty walkable city, but it was quite wet out, so the bus was nice. We got to see a very large (think: the size of a classroom) topographical map of Iceland, saw the parliament, took photos of many statues, and visited the Hallgrímskirkja church. I learned that Reykjavík burned down in 1915.

We also got the highly bragged about Icelandic hot dogs. They had a nice snap to them. Aaron and I split a traditional hot dog that came with crispy onions and mustard. 

We walked to lunch at Brass Kitchen & Bar where we were served a starter of scallop, shrimp, and cod soup with bread and butter, and a main dish of duck confit with mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and broccoli. I promised I tried the soup - even the seafood part of it! I ate the broth, but ended up giving Aaron most of my seafood bits.

After lunch, we walked back to the hotel and those of us who were going to the Blue Lagoon hopped back onto the bus. We had a 45 minute drive ahead of us, and though I would have loved to stay awake for the views, I was quick to fall asleep.

Approaching the Blue Lagoon, we could see where the recent volcanic activity took place. The lava fields were super cool looking, and it was neat to see the newly settled volcanic rocks.

Getting off the bus at the Blue Lagoon, I was SO cold. My teeth were chattering, so I was ready to get in the water. Everything I had read about Blue Lagoon prior to going said that you needed to get nakey and shower THEN put your swim suit on. Which you totally can do - but once there we were told to put our suits on, go to the shower - which are individual stalls with doors, not the communal shower room that I imagined, take your suit off and shower, put your suit back on, then go into the lagoon. I also read to NOT let your hair get wet because the components of the water can strip your hair. I already have sticky hair, so I rinsed it, then lathered it in conditioner before putting it into a messy bun. I was taking NO chances!

After all the pre-lagoon maintenance, I quickly headed out to the geothermal pool.

Once I found my crew, we waded through the hot 100+ degree water in search of the bar. We found the mask bar first, but quickly ditched it for the actual bar, then wandered the vast pool. It was interesting how there were really hot pockets, and then cooler (but still warm) pockets. You could hear the distribution wells pulling in the hot geothermal seawater from 2000 meters in the earth - so cool!

The Blue Lagoon is special because it contains silica, algae, and natural minerals that have great benefits for your skin. I ended up paying for the lava mask because where else are you going to put lava on your face?! I did feel like my skin was softer! Getting it off was a bit of a pain. I learned the trick was to loosen it with lagoon water (but try not to get it in your mouth because ew), then use the little fountains on the side of the lagoon to scrub it off.

We stayed at the Blue Lagoon for about 2.5 hours, then boarded the bus back to the hotel. By this time we were able to get checked into our rooms, got our belongings sorted, and then headed down to the basement BJÓR GARĐURINN (beer garden) for dinner. My fish and chips were delicious!

The water here is also wonderful - straight from the tap is SO cold and refreshing. The cold water is naturally filtered through the lava fields in Iceland!

I was finally able to crawl into bed around 10PM with the intention of reading, but my eyeballs decided I was done for the day.