Iceland--Part 2: The Ring Road & Lots of Nooks & Crannies

marckittner
Jul 21
2 min read

I’ve been asked, “what is my favorite thing” about Iceland? I find I can’t answer that succinctly because the country is amazing in so many ways (e.g., people, midnight suns, waterfalls, geysers, geothermal pools, fjords, etc.), many worthy of being a “favorite.”

During our month-long trip we drove over 3,000 miles, exploring nooks and crannies both on and off the main tourist circuit. We saw endlessly different topographies and talked with both Icelanders and people from more than 20 other countries. This post is longer than I initially anticipated because of our rich experience, but I hope what follows gives you a better idea of what Iceland has to offer.

*****

We picked up our Toyota Land Cruiser on the day our guide departed from our hotel about an hour southeast of Reykjavik. On our first morning on our own, we visited what some consider the best Icelandic horse farm. We saw some beautiful animals, lovingly cared for. I was completely taken by their manes, as you can see.

We were prepared for the worst (layers, layers, layers), but we had great weather (a little drizzle, some fog, but high clouds with temperatures ranging from the low 40s—normal— to the high 70s—considered a heat wave, and, finally volcano haze). We traveled generally east first, then north along the far eastern coast, then along the northern coast and finally back through the center of the island to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, a region in western Iceland known for its dramatic landscapes.

We saw many sea birds all over the island. The stars for me were the puffins, which we saw in 3 of the 4 rookeries we visited. While we didn’t see any at our first stop in the far west of the Westfjords, we saw literally thousands in the Westman Islands (off the south coast), at Borgafjarǒarhöfn Eystri (in the eastern fjords), and on Grímsey Island (near the Arctic Circle).

There are countless waterfalls, everywhere you look. Many are glacial while others are spring-fed. The water here is drinkable both from the tap as well as from spring-fed rivers and streams. The cold water is refreshingly cold, and there is always plenty of hot water because of the geo-thermal activity in most of the island.

We saw many old-style turf houses. Though they had wooden infrastructures, usually birch, they were built using turf bricks to insulate against the cold. Many were built before glass became available so animal membranes were stretched over openings to let light in. Usually they were 1-3 rooms, yet we visited one that had 10 rooms, which belonged to a minister, with 21 people living in the household. These houses were used at least until the 1950s; we met people whose parents had started their lives in one.

And what would my posting be without flowers. Lupine is almost everywhere, but there were many wildflowers we had never seen before. The highlight was our trip to the Akureyri Botanical Gardens, where I took these pictures.