Ah, towel warmers. Why are these not a standard in America? Any place we stayed in Iceland had them, whether it was a tiny home, basement apartment, or full size house. A small luxury we could rely on, without the luxury price tag.
We gathered our things and loaded up Suzie the Suzuki. Yes, we named her. We quickly searched for a breakfast place and found a small café a few blocks away. It was a bright, airy space filled with reclaimed wood tables, white chairs, and large windows. You ordered at a main counter and then sat yourself at the communal tables. The breakfast menu again was not like the States, so I went for the safe bet of a Skyr Bowl. In Iceland, yogurt is called Skyr and it is comparable to Greek yogurt we are familiar with at home. It comes in a variety of flavors but the consistency is where it differs. It is incredibly smooth, unlike Greek yogurt that often seems dry or a bit gritty, and has a mild flavor. The bowl, which was the size of a normal cereal bowl, came with granola and fruit. Sam decided to try to make an American breakfast, a ‘bacon, egg, and cheese on a croissant’. It took a minute to explain the idea, and when we thought they understood, we took our seat. When the food arrived it was clear they had never experienced the greasy mess that is a “BEC” because he got a plate with a room temp croissant, a slice of swiss cheese, and a soft boiled egg, all as separate components. It was comical.
After we finished breakfast and filled our insulated mugs with coffee, we headed out east again, but this time further into the Highlands. The destination was Haifoss Waterfall.
We traveled on the same road as our first day, the ring road (Route 1), until we reached our turn off at Route 30. The best part about giving each other directions while driving is that we could not say any of the road names, so it was either a number if there was one, or the first 3 letters of the name. The GPS could not pronounce any of it and wouldn’t even try.
Route 30 was still a paved road and took us towards the Highlands and away from the shoreline. We passed glacial rivers, small rolling hills, random peaks with grassy covers, and a volcano in the distance. This volcano is Hekla, and is considered active. We actually monitored the status of it while in Iceland because it had been in the orange warning zone when we arrived.
Route 30 continued for quite some time and eventually turned into a compacted gravel road. Since I did so much reading prior to visiting Iceland, I knew the paved portions of roads only extended for so long, especially into the Highlands. We drove for a few more miles until we reached our turn off for Haifoss. Well, you think you are on a gravel road until you see Route 332. This road was more like large rocks and unsuspecting divots. I remembered reading about traveling to Haifoss and others noting you should have a 4x4 car for the road. I am glad we did.
I drove like a grandma, for miles. I was afraid of hitting potholes, ruining the undercarriage of the car, and kicking large rocks up and hitting the car. Sorry guys, I know it was a long rough ride.
Eventually, we reached the parking lot for the waterfall. It was colder out here than when we were in the city or at Skogafoss. The wind was blowing and there were only three other cars in the lot. Really, the entire time we drove that day we maybe saw two other cars on Route 30. No gas stations, no stores, and no houses. If you ever need to escape from humans, you come to Iceland.
What is different about Haifoss than the other two falls we had seen is that you approach from the top rather than at the base. From the parking lot you could only hear the water, not see anything. We walked down a path until we reached the massive gorge, and there she was. Haifoss is the second tallest waterfall in Iceland. Again, there is no massive river at the top or the bottom, just a steady stream of white. It is amazing to think that this water alone is what carved out the gorge. We felt tiny while standing along the edge. If you are looking at Haifoss, you will also see to the right there is another of waterfall with a slightly thinner stream of water. Both were feeding into the same river below.
We stayed here for quite some time taking photos, sitting on the cliff edges, walking along the small paths and having some snacks. There was no rain and hardly any clouds. It was the first time since we arrived that we saw blue skies.
Eventually, it was time to hop back in Suzie and head to our final destination of the day, Vik. Vik is the town known for the infamous black sand beaches (and now also a location in the Game of Thrones series, more on that below). It was now Sam’s turn to drive, so back down the very bumpy road we went, and at a higher speed. Erika and Kevin enjoyed listening to us bicker the entire time. I was constantly telling Sam to slow down and making noises at every pothole we hit. Oh, siblings.
The route to Vik was back the same way we came in, out to Route 1. We would pass both Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss on our way to the beaches but did not have time to stop at either again. The sun would be setting within a few hours and we wanted to be sure we got to see both destinations on the itinerary, Reynisfjara (Black Sand Beach) and the Dyrhólaey Arch. As a part of planning this trip, I wrote down the sunrise and sunset for each day. When you travel to Iceland in the fall or winter your daylight is limited. We were pushing our limits for these last two places but we went for it!
We arrived at Reynisfjara first, before the arch. I remember us driving the road to the parking lot and seeing all these sheep way up high on cliffs and we all couldn’t understand how the heck they got up there! We are convinced to this day all of them were air dropped in place just for show.
The Black Sand Beach is yet another tourist attraction, rightfully so. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, this was somewhere you would recognize from the series and possibly the main reason you would want to visit. At this time, I hadn’t watched any of the series, so this place was completely foreign and magical. There are signs on the beach warning you of “sneaker waves” and to be cautious about getting too close to the water. It sounds like a funny name, “sneaker wave”, but quite a few people have been swept out to sea by them. Essentially, a sneaker wave is a wave over a wave that does not present itself until the first is almost crashing. Hence, “sneaky.”
While standing on the soft black sand at the shoreline, we looked south and could see the arch reaching out into the ocean. Unfortunately, you cannot reach the arch via the same parking lot for the beach, so back into the car we went for a quick 25 minute drive.
There were only a few other people around when we arrived at Dyrhólaey. There is a white lighthouse at the highest point and trails surrounding it down to the arch as well as to cliffs overlooking more of the black shoreline. The sun was setting so our photos weren’t the greatest, but a photo wouldn’t do this place justice anyway. We picked a spot overlooking the arch and sat together quietly taking in the view. It was so incredibly peaceful. The four of us together without anyone else near, the waves crashing up against the sides of the arch and the cliffs where we sat. The breeze was chilly but not uncomfortable. Finally, as it started to get even darker we got back onto the ring road again and headed for a grocery store and the AirBnB.
Fun fact, most European countries are way more progressive than America when it comes to our planet and sustainability. You will not find a plastic bag in an Iceland supermarket, you either need to bring your own bag or pay for a paper bag. Shopping for food was interesting and thankfully we found a few people who could translate the types of meat for us! We picked up some ground beef, chicken, pasta sauce, veggies, granola and yogurt, trail mixes, and ingredients for pb&js. We were planning to cook our meals for the next 2 nights and make lunch in the car (thanks to our chefs Erika and Kevin in the backseat).
I have never been anywhere as dark as Iceland at night. There was no light pollution where we were and no streetlights. It was just our headlights and the road ahead, oh and pouring rain. We made a turn off the ring road towards, hopefully, our tiny home for the night. The house where the owner lived had a few lights on that caught our eye and so we pulled in to find our destination right next door on a small hill. We parked and sat for a minute to figure out our game plan for getting our things inside while trying not to become drenched. Suitcases first, then small bags, then food. Yeah, it really didn’t work like that at all, it was more of a mad dash and figure out what we forgot after we were inside and warm.
The tiny home was a shed-like structure that had been renovated for living. There was a linear kitchen on the left with a door at the end to the bathroom, a living area with a sofa bed to the right under the windows and a bedroom straight back behind the living. The kitchen table was picnic table style and central to the room. The front doors were full lite wooden french doors that opened out to a porch. We couldn’t see anything when we arrived, but we did hear a lot of sheep.
We made dinner, figured out how to turn on the hot water, and sat around our table with a few Icelandic beers. After stuffing our faces, we decided to play a game of UNO. I still am not sure if we had too many beers or if Sam is a really good cheater at this game, but he fooled us all, for hours (or what felt like hours). Once we realized he doesn’t play fairly, we moved onto the next most logical option, making music…with spoons.
Sam has always been into making music and experimenting with various instruments. He and his friends would record and edit tracks with his MacBook using the Garage Band app. I had never been a part, until now. Erika and Kevin started a beat, I took a terrible video, and Sam spit the verse.
Glaciers, waterfalls, lagoons (x2).
So close the edge of the cliff, I feel like I am doomed.
This is music with just us 4 spoons.
In my, my cabin. Oh yeah, my cabin.
And I remember, way way back when, we don’t even need no, instruments yo.
I keep, keep the flow man, all I, I know is,
Glaciers, waterfalls, spoons, and you know, lagoons.
You know I’m tryna get that, I’m tryna get that, I’m tryna stay warm,
I don’t want no, room temp temp glacier pools, pools, pools.
No that shit cold, cold, cold.
I ain’t no fool, fool, fool.