The morning we drove out of Reykjavik the sun had disappeared and rain was pouring down. The rain was forecasted to continue for the next couple of days, so we planned accordingly, keeping our touristing to inside activities.
It was at this point in our journey that if we were going to visit the Blue Lagoon and other sights on the Reykjanes peninsula, now would be the time. It is just south of Reykjavik and it would have been an easy drive to get there. Now that it is in the news due to volcanic activity, we do slightly regret making the decision not to drive the peninsula, or at least part of it. But even Rick Steves says don’t bother with the southern tip, and honestly, in the rain, the entire area just didn’t seem all that appealing. It never really crossed our minds that we were missing a place that might not be there if and when we ever returned.
That said, one thing I can say with certainty is that the Blue Lagoon was never on our radar and even if it was swallowed up by a big lava flow we would have no regrets that we didn’t go there. The Blue Lagoon elicits strong feelings in people, you either love it or you hate it and there doesn’t seem to be a lot in between. I don’t have to experience it to know where I fall on the spectrum. Public baths, crowds, and slimy silica? Ew, no.
We motored down the highway making our way instead to the Hellisheiði Power Plant, the eighth-largest geothermal power station in the world, and the largest in Iceland. As Iceland is not an oil producing country, much of their energy comes from hydroelectric and geothermal sources. Petroleum products used by the fishing and transportation industries are imported.
As usual we were keeping an eye on the weather and with the rain continuing we decided to spend the afternoon at home in our cozy Bijou. We left the geothermal plant and checked into our campground in Selfoss, the same one we had stayed at a few days before. We also took the opportunity to do a grocery shop. The campground was nothing to write home about, but it was good enough. One thing about campgrounds in Iceland is that they don’t skimp on the heat or hot water. All the bathrooms were heated, which is rare outside of Iceland and the hot water was plentiful. Even though we are self-contained in Bijou, we had some great campground showers.
The next day, we woke up to yet more rain, so we decided to visit the nearby Lava Centre. We enjoyed the exhibits, and when it was over we made our way to the foot of the Skogafoss Waterfall. This is where we had previously planned to hike the Waterfall Way, a 10-mile out and back hike with more than two dozen waterfalls along the way. Last time the weather didn’t cooperate, but this time it was looking like it would be a perfect day. And as if things couldn’t get any better, we were able to camp right in the parking lot of Skogafoss, which we could see right out our window. Stunning.
The following morning, as promised by the weather forecasters, we awoke to abundant sunshine. After donning our hiking gear, we took off to tackle the 10-mile walk.
We don’t normally travel on a hiking day, but we were so close to the little town of Vik, we decided to make the 45-minute drive. I don’t know why, but we really liked Vik. There’s not much to do there, but it was a great place to chill for a few days. Steven really enjoyed the black beach and the church, both made for beautiful photos. We also decided to splurge and enjoy some black crust pizza.
As always, we kept an eye on the weather. We again had a gorgeous couple of days for our drive along the east coast, Vatnajökull glacier and into Höfn for an overnight at the foot of the glacier. I know there are loads of stunning places to see around Iceland, but the east coast has been a real highlight for us. And as luck would have it, we had bright, sunny days during our drives through this area.
(Steven says all I talk about in these blog posts is the weather, but really it was such an important element to our days.) So again, we kept a sharp eye on the upcoming weather, especially along Route 93, the highway that connects the town of Egilsstaðir on the Ring Road, and Seyðisfjörður, where we would board the ferry for our return trip to Denmark. Twice already this pass had been listed as “icy” on the website showing the state of roads across Iceland. We did not want to drive over an icy pass, but nor did we want to miss our ferry. So we decided to drive the pass late on the last sunny day before our departure. This turned out to be a good thing. We had some nice, sunny weather to explore the town, but then we also had buckets of rain and wind gusts of 70 miles per hour. Yes, that is not a typo, 70 mph!!!
The ferry Norönna typically arrives in Seyðisfjörður on a Tuesday, then departs late afternoon on Wednesday. But this time, because the weather turned so bad, the ferry had to leave the dock and go out to sea to ride out the worst of the storm. It returned to port the following day so we could board, then we steamed out to some very rough seas. Later, the first officer told us that in his eight years with Smyril Line, this was only the third time they had to leave port due to bad weather. We knew we were in for a rough ride, but we didn’t know just how bad it was going to get!
We had a couple of rough nights at sea, but we both did alright as long as we were lying down. We did have a few pre-paid meals that we were able to eat because as luck would have it, we were in port in the Faroe Islands at dinner time. Most days, Steven went down for breakfast, but I skipped it. I just kept envisioning the dining room scene from Triangle of Sadness. Turns out that after a couple of days meals would be open to everyone for free, because people were unable to make it to the dining room. Also, because there was a huge storm along the coast of Denmark and it became too dangerous for us to dock in Hirtshals, the mighty Norönna would once again bob around at sea to ride out the storm! We chugged along the coast of Norway, back and forth, back and forth, hour after hour, until finally we were able to dock. All told we had been at sea for 88 hours, 24 longer than planned.
Bijou didn’t have a good time, either. The driver of a motorhome two in front of her did not put on his emergency brake and so it just rolled forward and backwards, smashing into the vehicles in front and behind it. The one behind it in turn was pushed backward into Bijou. Now all the insurance companies are trying to sort it out.
We were so happy to get off that ferry and it took us both a few days to stop feeling wobbly. We stayed in Hirtshals for two days to get caught up on laundry and shopping. By the time we hit the road for points south we were in good shape.
Steven was busy not only taking photographs during our trip but also shooting video. Click here for a video he put together documenting some of the gorgeous vistas as seen out Bijou’s front window.
Up next: Back to Paris and beyond.
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Love reading your blog which I find very interesting and informative, and admire your enthusiasm and excitement with exploring new places. You two seem like a fun couple to hang out with, so if you ever come near Mobile, Alabama you need to come for dinner!
You know, in our decade of travel we have only been to Mobile one time, and that was on our way to Florida in 2017. Next time we’ll slow down and hit you up! Thanks for your kind comment!
What a fun trip through Iceland. Hope your well from what I hear about weather mess in EU.
Be well and happy Christmas.
I haven’t been following weather in the EU, I hope Bijou is having a good holiday in Paris and not freezing! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you guys!
Simply stunning photos! This looks as beautiful as your Norway visit. How would you compare the two? Merry Christmas at the ranch!
Iceland was just as epic as Norway, but vastly different places. If I had to choose… it would be Norway. 🙂 Good to hear from you, Judy!
Beautiful.
That was a LOT of water!!! Stunningly desolate Worried when that volcano was going off and last heard u guys were there!!! That ride home must have been scary.
We really threaded the needle on all those Icelandic volcanos. One finished erupting before we got there and this one waited until we left. Perfect timing! 🙂 Good to hear from you, Dolores!
I saw many of the places we visited last summer (2022) in your photos. My impression of Iceland is that it’s starkly beautiful, wild and windswept. So glad we got to experience all of it during our almost-week there. And we saw Puffins! You saw Northern Lights! Love the Pinkie. Your photo of the church in Vik was The Absolute Best. I’d buy it.
Thanks for your pics and text. Welcome to Denmark.
I saw Pinkie last year in Ireland but decided not to buy her. It haunted me all year long, so when we saw her again this summer, I snatched her right up! So cozy and comfy!! I agree with you about Iceland, really stark and wild. It can be really beautiful, but the constant weather-watching got old. I was glad to be back on the mainland!
Love the tour of Iceland, beautiful places. I thought the glaciers were huge compared to Alaska. Also, the hot water flow out does Yellowstone I thought. Loved Steven’s video.
Yes, those glaciers are huge! But like everywhere else, they are shrinking, sadly. Good to hear from you!
Great blog on Iceland along with fantastic photos. I was along for the whole trip and really enjoyed it. Iceland was never in my bucket list but sure glad you shared your adventures with all of us. I don’t know about eating a black crusted pizza but on the other hand it dose look like most of my BBQ and I do eat that. For goodness sake’s you need to be more careful with taking tumbles like you did. Take care and safe travels. That one snowy road reminded me of our Idaho roads this time of year.
You know, I am not prone to falls, but when I do, it can be spectacular. 🙂 That black crust is made by using edible charcoal, and even though it looks burned, it isn’t. It was indeed quite tasty! Thanks for popping in and letting us know you’re still with us!
Gorgeous photos, better than ones I got in Iceland a few years ago. While there I met a mother and two grown sons from Germany who also came on the ferry with their car, and drove all around, They stayed at my guest house in the south for a few nights, very inspiring. I’m so glad you shared your trip with us! Makes me want to go back again and see MORE! Kristin
There are tons of van lifers who get on that ferry to Iceland. It is really so much cheaper than renting an motorhome there, plus you can stay a lot longer, too. Totally worth it if you have a camper! 🙂
Such lovely vistas y’all catch! Thanks again for taking us with y’all on your travels.
Our pleasure, Cat! So happy you enjoyed our Iceland posts. It took us a while to get them done, but here we are. Finally. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you guys!
I’m so glad you guys went to Iceland and wrote all about it. I learned a lot and am more motivated than ever to get there – but not on a ferry. Hell no.
What, you don’t find bobbing at sea in rough weather appealing? Me, either. I thought I would be scared out of my mind, but funny enough, I wasn’t. I just had to find a way to be comfortable. Iceland is worth visiting, I hope you make it there!
What an adventure…spectacular photos and video! Thanks for the tour.
Safe travels!
It was a great adventure, one we had been looking forward to since we moved to Europe. So glad it worked out! Thanks for following along!
Loved reading about your trip to Iceland – never gave it a thought about being a place to visit. Now it’s on my ever-expanding list of places to visit. Especially loved the video at the end – what a spectacular country!
That is the hard part when you read about places other people visit, you add it to your list! That’s what we did before we hit the road. I knew exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see. Even in Europe, we were not trailblazers! So thankful for the adventurers who went before us! Thanks for taking time to comment, Kathy!
Finally catching up with blog posts and have enjoyed my morning coffee in Iceland with you two! Like another planet, the landscape and waterfalls and glaciers and lava beds and horses and little churches and so much more make this one of my very favorite places you’ve been. Like Norway, I’m so drawn to the northern brutal beauty. Like your Alaska trip I’m glad you enjoyed gorgeous travel days through all that amazing nature. Surprised to see so many others there that late in the season, but at least they weren’t everywhere. Hope your time in Texas is warm and calm 🙂
You picked the three places that are “like” in their ruggedness and beauty. I would put Iceland, Norway and Alaska in that category, as you did. And if I HAD to rate them… Norway, Alaska, Iceland. There, I said it. Just in case you have to choose two out of three. 🙂
Those northern lights! Spectacular! Living vicariously through you. Enjoy and keep posting!