Iceland Adventure, Day One: Arrival and a bit of the Golden Circle

We flew out of Omaha mid-afternoon on a warm, yet drizzly day. We've seen more rain this year in the Midwest than we have in probably forever. We had a short layover in Minneapolis and then on to the long leg of our flight. After seven hours, we landed in monsoon-like conditions in Keflavik, with the pilot being a true champ. The weather conditions were bad enough that the entire plane was shaking, so we had to remain on board for a while. Since we couldn't pull up to the terminal, we had to be bussed over and then waited for over an hour before they could get our luggage unloaded. 

Unfortunately, our rental car company was the only one without a shuttle, so we pulled all of our rain gear out of our suitcases and covered up for the 1/2 mile walk. Even then, it was raining so hard that we were absolutely soaked by the time we made it there. Still, we were happy to be in the tiny rental car.

If you thought that was the end of our troubles that day, you'd be wrong. I couldn't get a good enough wifi signal to activate my data plan, so we navigated the small town without it to our first stop: Bonus grocery store. Like always on a journey like this (I did the exact same thing when we were in the UK), I buy groceries (and coffee!) to consume for breakfast, and Bonus is their cheapest grocery chain. I only eat two meals a day, so eating one meal from the grocery store saves money, especially in a place as expensive as Iceland. More on that later.

Still no wifi, but at least I could pull up maps on the car computer screen. I knew we needed to get on the Ring Road, i.e., Highway 1, so I expanded the map before we left the parking lot to find the direction we needed to go. We stopped at a gas station first, hoping for a signal, but again, no luck. We found Hwy 1, got a little outside of Reykjavik, and stopped at an exit with a coffee shop. We figured we could at least get a warm cup of joe and a pastry. We got a great wifi signal here, and I was finally able to activate my data plan. Woo-hoo!

 

By this point, you can imagine that we lost a large amount of the day. Originally, we were going to drive around the Golden Circle on day one, but we didn't have enough time, so we opted to visit the three places we wanted to see the most that also happened to be relatively close together on the eastern side of the Circle.

Our first stop, then, was Kerið Crater. Iceland was created out of volcanic activity, so there are many places where you can see how that activity shaped the country and its landscape. This is a volcanic crater lake, and it was beautiful. Crisp blue and framed by the burgeoning autumn colors we were fortunate to see.

We spent time walking some of the path that circumnavigates it.

We next headed to Thingvellir National Park. Our goal here was to visit Almannagjá gorge. Thingvellir is also one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Iceland, so I got another one of those under my belt. 

Most places we visited required a short to long hike, depending on the location. We admired the moon-like landscape topped with autumnal colors.

We saw several of these man-made rock pillars around the country.

After a short hike, we made it to the gorge. The significance of this place is the fact that it's the only place in the world where you can see tectonic plates above the surface. 

Here we are, walking between the North American tectonic plate on the left and the Eurasian one on the right.

Seeing majestic natural beauty always inspires me in unfathomable ways.

After seeing the beauty of the Icelandic countryside, we made a planned pit stop at Vínstofa Friðheima. It's a wine bar and restaurant in the lower east side of the Golden Circle. The location is a farm of large greenhouses, one of which they've turned into a beautiful and stylish wine bar with a simple menu.

We both got a bowl of their homemade tomato soup (made from their homegrown tomatoes, of course) that is served with homemade bread and a glass of wine. I also ended the visit with a glass of Icelandic beer: Borg Brugghús – Garún Icelandic Stout Nr. 19. As a side note, Rebecca's glass of wine was $32! My bowl of soup, glass of wine, and bottle of beer came to a little over $55. 

An outside shot of Vinstofa.

Directly behind that is one of many greenhouses on the massive property.

It was mid-evening by this point, and we were exhausted from all of the traveling and the time difference, so we drove the 1.5 hours to our first night's lodging.

Skogar Hostel is only about 1/4 of a mile from Skogafoss, one of many, many waterfalls in Iceland. We did not go see it, though. It was late when we arrived, and after getting ready the next morning, we needed to get moving. Besides, seeing a waterfall in Iceland is incredibly easy.

 Like every place we stayed in Iceland (except for Reykjavik), it was isolated, quiet, and incredibly dark at night. It was also very clean, had a wonderful kitchen, and was surrounded by natural beauty. I got settled and instantly fell asleep for the next 10 hours, with only two interruptions: one because another guest was cooking and set off the fire alarms, and the other when my daughter called me at 11:30 pm, forgetting the five-hour time difference.

Despite the late and rough start to our trip, we were pleased with how it all shook out at the end of the day. 

I hope you enjoyed my Icelandic adventure, Day One! 

Until next time, enjoy your weekend.