Day One: Reykjavik to Vík

We boarded an evening flight from Washington, DC to Reykjavik on 31. August 2011. The flight was really pleasant and I really enjoyed the latest Icelandic pop/rock music playing in the background. I'll have to ask Mel about the music artists so that I can add them to my iTunes! We got only a few winks of sleep, mostly because we were reading the in-flight magazines, flipping through the channels on Iceland facts, etc. I was also trying to get schooled by the flight attendants on the Icelandic letters and how to pronounce them.

We touched down at 6:20AM Iceland local time on 1. September 2011 and we were famished! All I could think about was food. Mel told us that the Hilton Nordica has a really great breakfast buffet so we were definitely going there. We deboarded, mom went to exchange some money through Landsbankinn (a local Icelandic bank who happens to have a branch in the airport) while I went over to Hertz to pick up the car we had booked, keys, a driving map, and other information. I had no idea what to expect--was I going to be able to understand the road signs? How often would I have to fill the petrol tank? How long would the tank last and how far could it get us? I asked all of these questions and then headed over to the tours booth to see if they could give me some pamphlets and other additional information like local maps, etc. that would be helpful on our drive. They guy said to me, "Just go. Don't expect anything--expectation is a recipe for disaster. Let it rural Iceland surprise you. Welcome!" Little did I know, I was in for many, many beautiful surprises.

The road signs were certainly different than any that I had seen in other countries, but fairly easy to understand after seeing a few of them.

This one means that there is only space for one car to cross the bridge/road up ahead. Therefore, you've got to check to see that there is no car coming from the other direction before you go. Basically, whoever gets to the end of the entrance from their end, should go first.

These are all over more major splits in the roads, indicating the direction of the next closest major community.

There were also some roundabout signs that are pretty straight forward as they are here in the states.

Anyway, our first stop from the Keflavik International Airport was to Reykjavik's Hilton Nordica Bistro. We tried the many Icelandic rye breads, Skyr (Icelandic yogurt), cheeses, pickled herring, smoked salmon/lox, cereals, jam, etc. Our stomachs were happy!

We started driving on road 1 towards Vík with plans to stop at the Eyjafjallajökull massif and take a walk on the Sólheimajökull glacial tongue. I had tried booking 2 spots for us but somehow we didn't quite make it onto the roster, the weather was really bad (cold, rainy, and very windy) so I scheduled us to hike the next day on another glacial tongue.

On the road, somewheresville-between Reykjavik and Vík.

We stopped to see Dyrhólaey, its black sandy beaches, and tried not to get blown away! :)



Mom at Dyrholaey almost being blown away!

Breathtaking rock formations

Check out this volcanic rock form!



  We also saw the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls--so beautiful!

...and marveled at the moutains created by various volcanic activity



let's build a house into the mountain, why not?

 We then continued to Vík, next to Petursey. The small volcanic plug is the small landform created when magma hardens within the vent on an active volcano. In talking with the local Icelandic people, many believe in elves. In fact, the woman whose farm house we stayed in said that she has seen them dancing around the volcanic plug. Elves are claimed to be about my height, but you can't really see their faces--they appear like mist. They are also very connected with nature and help humans in need.

Petursey to the right, is what I would call a butte. It's geographically significant and interesting because Iceland's sea level used to be that high. Now, we see farmland where the ocean used to be.

We want to point out just how diverse the terrain is in Iceland--never seen anything quite like it!

All along the road, there is this volcanic rock that has moss and other vegetation growing on it.

We were exhausted from not sleeping the night before, and the long drive throughout the day. We suggest getting a good night's sleep before tackling a drive like this.