The Iceland road trip Day 2, 3 and 4

We dedicated the second day of our journey through Iceland to some places of interest in the so called Golden circle, the most touristic part of the country. First we went to one of the most famous and absolutely gorgeous waterfalls – Gullfoss. Be prepared for a lot of people – we arrived around 11:00 and the parking lot was already packed full of cars and busses.

So far (but with a tendency to change in the not so distant future) all major sites in Iceland, like waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, etc. have no admission fee. There is no waiting time and no entrance queues :-).

At Gullfoss waterfall there is a big visitors’ centre, with a gift shop, restaurant and café, and WC (you might want to use the one in the restaurant premises, and not the one outside, because there is a fee for the second, 200 ISK (a little less than 2 EUR).

You can see the waterfall in all its glory from above first, and take a look at the river it is formed from, the canyon through which it flows and the magnificent mountains in the far distance, as a background. After that you can go near the water, for a more first-hand experience, but be prepared to get wet. The water flow is so strong that when falling to the river bed it kind of evaporates back and if you stand at the edge you get soaked wet just like in heavy rainfall. It is a good idea to have a raincoat. And dress warm, because if the day isn’t sunny it can get really cold there.

Gullfoss waterfall

 

 

 

 

 

 

After visiting one of the most gorgeous waterfalls in the country we went to the Geyser park. This is a place absolutely out of this world. The original geyser, the one which all the other such hot water natural fountains are named after, Geysir, is no longer active. It used to throw water up to 70 meters high. It still does that sometimes, very sporadically, and hasn’t done it in a while.

Geysir
Geysir

 

 

 

 

 

 

The majority of tourists gathers around the second biggest geyser in the park, Strokkur, which erupts every 5 to 10 minutes. The water from it can go from 15-20 to 40 meters high.

Geyser
Strokkur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of other, smaller geysers in the park. Take a stroll around them, make some pictures of the small round pools from which they erupt. The water colour is milky and sometimes turquoise. The whole area is magical.  But don’t touch the water because it is boiling hot, literally.

Geyser park
Geyser park from above

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a steep hill which you can climb for a view of the geyser park from above. If you do that, don’t forget to look from the other side of the hill. Below it there is a gorgeous valley, with a river flowing through it, and small farms. The view from above is very beautiful and almost difficult to take in because of the scale. The houses and the river below look like toys, as if they are many kilometres away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Geyser park also has a visitors’ center, with a shop, restaurant, WC (free, big and clean :-)).

The next day, third in our road trip, was dedicated mainly to moving from the south-western part of the country to the northwest, or from the small and very charming town of Fludir, where we stayed the first two nights, to a very pleasant cottage near the town of Stykkishólmur. In it we stayed for only one night. The idea was to divide the long and tedious travel to the north in two. On our way in the northern direction we visited two waterfalls. They are located next to one another.

Hraunfossar is a group of small and absurdly beautiful waterfalls that come straight from a frozen lava field. They look like a lace of water. There are three wooden decks over the waterfalls and the river, and a high wooden bridge from where you can look at the water (and take pictures, of course).

Hraunfossar waterfall

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barnafoss is not very high or big but the water has magnificent colour and the rock formations through which the water flows are really beautiful.

Barnafoss waterfall

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a WC and a gift shop with restaurant at the waterfalls.

The cottage in which we stayed at the third night of our trip was the most charming wooden summer house ever! It is located “in the middle of nowhere”. It has windows on all four sides, each one showing a new and amazing view – to the wilderness of western Iceland, to the ocean, to the Western Fiords.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the fourth day of our trip we were supposed to take the ferry and get ourselves to the West Fiords, the least densely populated part of Iceland, through a three-hour boat ride. But the ferry boat had an engine problem the previous day and our reservation was cancelled. The next day was to become one very long car ride from Stykkishólmur to Patreksfjörður where we were staying for the next 3 nights.

And what a ride it was! It was worth every single second of it! The road may be winding and very VERY steep at places but the views … Oh, the views! The road follows the edge of the “fingers” of the fiords and every minute gets you to a new view out of this world. Absurdly high hills, the greenest of green grass, waterfalls, faraway mountain tops covered in snow, horses and sheep living free on idyllic meadows and the ocean that encompasses it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather was also on our side. I can only imagine what this ride could have been like if it was rainy or even foggy but we had the sunniest day in our journey so far.

We arrived at the town of Patreksfjordur around 18:00. The town is small but very beautiful. It is situated on the shores of the fiord. Although it is a small town it has a cinema, church, two supermarkets, café-restaurant with a terrace with magnificent ocean view and an open-air pool, also with a view towards the fiord.

The Iceland road trip Day 1

Traveling to Iceland from where I live is not so easy but is worth every minute (or hour, or a few 🙂 ) of waiting at airport security and passport control, and every hour spent in the air (though, I must be honest, as I adore flying, those hours on a plane for me are not a waste of time but rather an essential part of every journey). It took us literally almost 12 hours to arrive in Iceland (2 hours waiting time at the airport at home, 2 hours for flight number 1, 4 hours transfer time at the biggest European airport (Frankfurt), a little more than 3 hours for flight number 2, and here we were.

Iceland’s airport is relatively small and very well-organized and it took us almost no time to get our bags, get the rental cars we have booked well in advance and start this remarkable journey (well, as it is still going on, at least I hope it will be remarkable).

The best way to really be able to appreciate Iceland is with a car. There are ways to see all the major touristic sights in the so called Golden circle around Reykjavik with public transport (organized tours) but only with a car and on your own you can best see all the other wonderful things this amazing country has to offer.

Our first stop, right after we landed, was the Blue lagoon, the world-famous natural thermal SPA complex, which is so well-known and described by so many, that I won’t dedicate any time to it now. I will say only that no pictures I have seen before coming here could prepare me for this amazing and out-of-this-world place.

The Blue lagoon
The Blue lagoon

When coming to Iceland you should be well aware that even in summer the weather can be very cold and the almost constant wind and drizzle makes it even colder. 10 to 15 Celsius is the most you can usually expect during the Icelandic summer. Dress as you would for a mild winter/early spring days in the more moderate climate zones. Wind shield/waterproof upper layer is essential. Sun glasses that can protect you from the wind are also a very good idea. Hiking shoes are also a good choice, even if you don’t plan to go long distances on foot.

After the Blue lagoon we visited Reykjavik, the country’s small but very charming capital, and paid a visit to the church Hillgrimskirkja, the tallest building in Reykjavik. You can pay entrance fee of 8 EUR and get to the top of it for a breath-taking view over the city. Entrance to the main building of the church, where you can see it’s wonderful pipe organ, is free.

Hallgrimskirkja

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we were planning to visit the recently opened Cat cafe, Kattakaffihusid, on Bergstaðastræti 10a, but unfortunately we were there a few minutes after the closing time, 18:00, and we could see its inhabitants, two very beautiful black-and-white cats, only from outside. Obviously, as I am a crazy cat lady, now I have a reason to come back 🙂

The Cat cafe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that it was time to stock on food and other things and head over to the place where we were staying for the first 2 nights – a charming country house in the small town of Fludir.

Fludir

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, I must add few more things before I end this account of my first day.

Iceland is a relatively expensive country, so if you want to go on a budget trip, be prepared to buy supplies from the big supermarkets and cook your own food (it is a good idea to stay at home rentals, like houses or flats, not in hotels, where you will have all the necessary appliances to do that). There are a lot of chain stores in the country, you can find a lot of useful information on the internet, just have in mind that most of them don’t work late, the usual closing time is around 18:00, with only a few exceptions.

If you are making a road trip, it is a good idea to buy in advance pre-paid cards for car fuel, because outside the major cities there aren’t any big gas stations, only gas pumps, where you can pay for the fuel only with these cards as there is no personnel at all.

And last but not least, if you are visiting this amazing country in the summer months, as I am now, be prepared for the 24-hour long day. The sun never sets during the summer. In my opinion, this is absolutely amazing! But you have any trouble sleeping, better have a personal blindfold (eye mask for covering the eyes) during the night hours, or you won’t be able to sleep at all.

That’s it for now 🙂

 

 

 

 

On my way to a new adventure

Dear friends,

I now it has been a long time since you last heard from me, but I have been busy (to be able to travel, as we all know, you need to have money, and to have enough money, you need to work, and work takes your time). But! In a few days I am going on a new adventure and I will do my best to keep you informed about it as it happens! This will be a new experience for me, so don’t be very harsh if I am not able to achieve much (in posting about my adventures every single day during the trip). As to where I am going – next blog post will tell you 🙂

I will also post many photos in my Instagram account (you can follow me, if you want – the link to my Instagram account is in the Contact me section of this page, on the right hand side, or simply follow this link:

https://www.instagram.com/lidiyaaleksandrova/

I hope you enjoy following me during my travels!