Our Amazing, Unforgettable Iceland Ring Road Road Trip

If you haven’t read about how this whole Iceland Ring Road trip came to be then head over to this post to read all about it. If you would like the straight itinerary version of this post you can find it in the travel guide.

The Ring Road Trip Journey Begins…

After months of anticipation, the day had finally come! We got to packing (check out our packing list here, coming soon) and preparing for the trip. I will admit, I was pretty nervous about this trip. I am a seasoned traveler but this was actually the first big trip I was taking without one of my parents in tow. Ya, it took me 26 years to take a “real” trip without my parents lol.

Iceland was also so much more mysterious than the other places I had been. Pictures were a good start but I really had no idea what to expect. Because of this, I was over-prepared. I packed way too much and not the best stuff either, went over-cautious printing every detail since I didn’t know what severe we would have. In retrospect, it was all a bit much but better to be safe than sorry I suppose. 

Anyway

Getting to Iceland

The first day was a travel day. We left San Diego in the morning and had a layover in New York. This was actually great because it split the journey in half, 6 hours each leg, so it didn’t feel too long on the plane. 

There was a hiccup for us on the second leg though, someone on the plane mixed Ambien and alcohol, which was, of course, a bad idea. We had to do an emergency landing in Newfoundland to let him off, this delayed us a couple of hours. 

Despite all the excitement, this was an overnight flight so we tried our best to get some sleep so we could hit the ground running when we landed.

And so begins our two-week Iceland Ring Road Road trip…

Day 1 – The Reykjanes Peninsula

We finally make it after the delay. We needed to get in contact with our rental car company since we missed our appointment. I got a SIM card for my phone at the little store inside the airport. (See this post for tips on using an Iceland sim, Coming Soon!)

I called the rental car company to find out when the next shuttle was coming. We went with sadcars.com. I found them to have the best rates by far, might be because they are older cars but it worked for us and was a great deal. Of course, the theme of the day was not going to be “that was easy” The rental car place didn’t have the car we reserved because of the delay so they “upgraded” us to a Land Rover. Giant gas-guzzling car on the tiny back roads of Iceland wasn’t exactly what we had in mind so they offered us to take it until they got the car we had wanted back in later that afternoon. Luckily we anticipated there could be hiccups during travel we had a very loose itinerary planned for the day. 

Exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula

The only thing we had on the calendar was our appointment for the Blue Lagoon, which was later in the day so to fill the time we explored the Reykjanes Peninsula we followed 44/425 the long way around and looped around to Blue Lagoon. We didn’t really look into what was along the path, we just kinda winged it. In retrospect I wish we would have planned it more, I included all of our stops and some I wish we had taken on the Itinerary. (check back)

Garður Old Lighthouse

Our first stop at Garður Old Lighthouse. It’s a little, very little, cafe with warm coffee and tea and a great view.

Near the lighthouse, were some historic buildings and boats that are now on land, they included the stories of the boats. This is a thing in Iceland, as we discovered on the journey.

Bridge Between Two Continents

Along this route we just stopped along the way, we came across the bridge between two continents, where the North American and Eurasian plates meet. There is a bridge where you can walk between them.

Hvalsneskirkja

Also along the path, we came across a compass of sorts and a small church called Hvalsneskirkja that has an interesting cemetery. 

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon, while touristy, is a must-see in my opinion. I highly recommend getting your tickets and making an appointment well in advance, they only sell so many spots for each appointment and it can sell out. This is nice though because it keeps the crowds down so you can enjoy your stay. The water is a beautiful ice blue and is so warm.

There is plenty of space to move about and several pool areas. In one part there is a swim-up bar and another has the silica mask the Lagoon is famous for. The bottom of the lagoon has this silica, they collect it and offer it as a face mask. Just do it. Look silly with a white chalky face. You let it sit on your skin and when you rinse it off your face will never feel better. (And my pores have never been so tiny!) It’s amazing. To read more about The Blue Lagoon check out my post about it!

After our dip in the Lagoon, we made our way to Reykjavik, about 40 minutes away and settled into our Airbnb for the night. We walked to a little local restaurant and stopped at the Bonús store on the way back for lunch stuff, snacks and skyr (it’s like yogurt, picked some up here and it quickly became my staple diet on this trip). 

Day 2 – The Start of Our Iceland Ring Road Trip

We began our journey along the ring road.  Days begin to get shorter around the time we went so we chose to head to the North first, so we started off west.

Laugarvatn

We set off to Laugarvatn, is a lake with geothermal heat at banks. For us, it was just a pit stop. We pulled overlooked at the lake and the area then kept ongoing.

The funny thing about Iceland is there are waterfalls everywhere, and I do mean everywhere! On our way to our next stop, we found a random waterfall on the side of the road!. We were so excited we stopped to look at it and take a bunch of pictures, it was only later in the trip we realized this is a pretty normal thing for Iceland. It’s a nice place to stop and stretch your legs and it’s really neat to see a waterfall just peacefully flowing just a few feet from the road. Then it was back to the car and off to Glymur.

Glymur

Glymur is the second-highest waterfall in Iceland. The hike is about 1.5 hours in each direction, it’s a difficult hike up to the waterfall. There are several obstacles along the way so I definitely recommend good, waterproof hiking boots. Some parts are very steep, they have ropes to help you along but it can still be pretty intense. There was only one part that really tested my fear of heights. I thought about turning back. But I was in Iceland… so I said no way, suck it up buttercup! While long and challenging, it’s very rewarding.

There are so many spots to stop and catch the views of the vast countryside. There are wood signs that point you in the right direction to the falls so getting lost isn’t too big of a worry. The very top was so windy and so cold! We grinned and bared it for a quick photo (notice the pain on our faces) and headed back down. It was pretty rainy the day we went so we ended up cold, muddy and wet but completely worth it. Oh! Also, there is no bathroom! I had to rough it over in a bush 🙈.  

Akranes

Now tired, wet and cold we headed to our next Airbnb, we stayed in a cute town called Akranes. Hungry, we looked for something to eat, we ended up at Domino’s, yes… Domino’s was tasty, tastier than in the states, but so expensive! This was when we learned just how expensive Iceland is. The personal and small pizza ran us over $40 USD! 😳

Day 3 – Exploring The West

Have a walk around Akranes before hitting the road. It’s a very cute little town. Nice view of the harbor.

Deildartunguhver

Our first stop today was Deildartunguhver. This thermal hot spring has the largest output of any hot spring in the world and is HOT 212 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact! So don’t touch it. Don’t worry, there is a ton of orange cones and signs to remind you if the crazy steam coming from the ground wasn’t warning enough. It is really cool to see the steam rising and crawling down the valley. While there, we learned that the island gets all of its hot water from these hot springs that run throughout the island underground. If you notice at your accommodation the hot water smells a bit of egg it is because it is coming directly from the earth, no water heater necessary!

Reykholt

A short drive to Reykholt came next. I mentioned before that we got our original itinerary from a friend. She had noted in her notes that this area was a preserved thermal pool from the middle ages. So we drove up expecting just that. It wasn’t.

It was so much more, and the pool was actually quite small and not even the most notable part of the stop. 

Reykholt is a tiny village about an hour and a half from Reykjavik. It was once home to Snorri Sturluson, who was one of the world’s greatest medieval writers. You are probably thinking: “Who is that?!” He isn’t well known out of the Nordic countries but thanks to him we know a lot more about medieval Europe. This site has some great information on the history of Snorri. We started at the charming little bookstore where we learned more about Reykholt. Then we found Snorri’s pool and wandered the rest of the area. We found a trail in the back to walk up and get a great view of the whole village and surrounding area. 

Hraunfossar

The Hraunfossar area was next on our list. The first waterfall was Hraunfossar, a pretty iconic waterfall in the area but not a huge one. We found a little bridge to walk across to see several views of it.

A series of paths led us up to Barnafoss, a waterfall that feeds into a river with a path that you can walk along upstream. This is one of the more famous waterfalls in Iceland. It means “children waterfall”. The name is based on a saga that took place at the falls. I will let you read the story for yourself when you visit. 

Grábrókarhraun

After a few selfies, we made our way to Grábrókarhraun the drive follows Holtavörðuheiði which is the traditional route btw the north and south. This was the first place we stopped that gave us a peek at how diverse and unique this country is it is a lava field with craters in it.

We walked up the nice wood path up the edge of one of the craters, and around the fields. The colors here were so pretty and different. The greens were fading to yellow and the earth has a red tone to it. I am not sure I have ever seen anything quite like it before. Somehow it made me think of the earth as an actual planet. If that makes sense? 

Kolugljúfur

We found the coolest Airbnb for the night, on our way we stopped at Kolugljúfur which is a gorge with many falls, I think there are paths to walk around on but we ended up behind schedule so we just stopped at the bridge where you could see some of the falls.

We got in the car to head to our Airbnb and SHEEP! Really, so many sheep, they were blocking the road and they went on as far as the eye could see! We waited what seemed like forever as these little fluff butts ran on by. 

Hvammur 2

When we finally made it to our Airbnb in Laugarbakki, Hvammur 2 which was a farm, we learned that the sheep were coming from the highlands but the very farmers and other farmers in the area were bringing them back down. We were lucky enough to learn all about the sheep in Iceland. 

Day 4 – And On To The North

The farm we were staying at was nice enough to invite us to the sheep sorting, so we postponed the day to be able to check it out. It was such a unique experience. We even got to try it out ourselves, you can read all about it here (link).

Next, we made our way to Akureyri.

Vatnsskarðv

The first stop was a quick one at Vatnsskarð, which is a memorial for a poet named Stephan G Stephansson who was born in Iceland in 1853. It’s right off the side of the road and doesn’t take long to check out. Nice to stretch the legs at though. 

Víðimýrikirkja

After the brief stop, we went on to Víðimýrikirkja which is a turf church. It was built in the 12th century though it’s a present, medieval-type building that dates from 1834.  It had been restored by the National Museum in 1936, it was the first historical building in Iceland to be placed under the care of this museum. There are only 6 of these chapels and churches left in Iceland. 

Glaumbær

From there we drove on to Glaumbær which is a turf farm museum, you can go inside and walk around and get a feel for how people lived in these. The structures are so interesting and have to be built just so, too steep of a roof the turf cracks, not steep enough and it will hold too much water and leak into the structure. I love that they blend so well in the environment but are also brightly painted to stand out a little. 

Lastly, we made our way to our Airbnb, we found a great one in Akureyri, we drove straight here from the turf museum, even though it was a little late so that we would be ready to explore the town in the morning. 

Day 5 – North On the Iceland Ring Road

Akureyri

We spent the morning exploring Akureyri. It’s such a cute town! We walked the town took a photo with some trolls, attempted to visit the Einstok Brewery, (it wasn’t open so we just took a photo of it), wondered about the harbor, and strolled through the botanical garden.

The botanical garden was one of the most unique botanical gardens I have been to, really neat. You can read more about it and see more photos here.

We stopped at the grocery store on the way out, for more skyr of course. 

Side note: I mentioned skyr became a staple of my diet, this was largely because my tooth broke back on day 3 and eating solid food was less than enjoyable, thankfully skyr is amazing, but I recommend getting your body and mouth checked up before a big trip!!

Back to the story.

Goðafoss

After stocking up on snacks and a couple of emergency dinner options we went off to Goðafoss. Wowza! What a waterfall. I quickly realized that this was one of the ones I saw on Instagram all the time. It was so much… more in person. Just big and powerful, the blue skies peeked through for us. It was an awe strikingo9 site to see for sure. We wandered around the edges of the falls to see it from all different angles before heading out to Húsavík.

Húsavík

Húsavík is a small town on a bay in the very north of Iceland. It’s an adorable little place known for whale watching, which we didn’t plan ahead for so we didn’t partake. We instead got a cup of coffee at the cafe overlooking the harbor and just took in the view and the vibe of this tiny town. 

Finding a place to sleep in the North Eastern area of the county was no easy feat. We ended up finding a reasonably priced hostel that offers private rooms and we opted to just stay there for a couple of nights while we explored the area. It was in Arbot. You can check it out here. 

Day 6 – Around The Mývatn Area

Today was packed full of some of the most memorable stops. This day really highlights the vast diversity of this small island country.

Grjótagjá

We kicked off the day with a quick stop at Grjótagjá, It’s a Cave with a hot spring in it. We peeked inside to see the bright blue water flowing through and then went up to the top to get a different vantage point. 

Dimmuborgir

Then just up the road was Dimmuborgir. We spent a couple hours here looking at the strange lava formations. The dark rock formations juxtaposed against the greens, yellows, and reds of the plant life coming in to fall made this walk one of the most unique I have ever taken. It rained most of the time we were there so we had to make use of our fancy gas station ponchos. I highly recommend bringing one not made of plastic with you.

There was so much to do this day, but it was all pretty close together. The surprising thing was how different and unique each stop was considering their proximity to each other. 

Hverfjall

It was a short drive to Hverfjall from Dimmuborgir. This is a large crater you can climb, you will complete those rings for sure with this one. It’s a steep climb to the top but a great view once you get there. 

Námafjall

Another short drive for us to Námafjall. Driving up we immediately wondered what the heck this was. We parked and I asked David “Are we still on earth? This looks like Mars!” We would come to refer to this area as Mars going forward. You will see the mountain off in the distance, and at the foot there as walking paths that led to bubbling mud pools, smelly steam vents and such. The greyish-blue mud was thick and would bubble up like hot soup it ran into small streams and mudflats. Other areas had what looked like piles of rocks with large billowing steam coming out of them, walking near them the steam was warm, which felt nice in the cold but it was also so smelly! It smelled like sulfur which if you don’t know smells like rotten eggs.

Krafla

After we couldn’t take the smell any longer we made our way to Krafla and Víti. It is a Volcano crater with water at the bottom. There is a walking path that leads around the crater. We walked around the crater and then went on to the next stop.

On the way though we found a shower in the middle of nowhere, just off the road. Really random, of course, we stopped to investigate. Still, don’t know really know what it was for. 

Mývatn

Last but not least we went to check out the Mývatn area, there was a 2-hour hike we had planned to take but we spent a bit too much time on the other things and we were tired so we just wandered around the Vindbelgur area off of route 1. 

Mývatn Nature Baths

After a long day of exploring and walking craters, the Mývatn Nature Baths was a great way to unwind, it is similar to the blue lagoon. The baths are smaller and less known, the water is also a little different. It was more like a regular hot spring. It didn’t leave my skin as soft as the water at the Blue Lagoon and I didn’t head the warning and left my jewelry on so it turned black. Overall we liked the Mývatn Baths, though similar to the Blue Lagoon it was different enough that it stood on its own, very different surrounding area and vibe.  

After a dip, we headed back to the hostel in Arbot.

Day 7 – The North East

Dettifoss

The first stop of today was Dettifoss, this was the one day we were really happy to have had a suv. The road to the car park was very bumpy. It would have been fine for a car but a lot bumpier for sure. 

We parked in a lot and then explored the area and walked the paths. There are 3 waterfalls here but we only checked out two of them, Selfoss and Dettifoss. 

Selfoss is the smaller downriver waterfall. From there you can walk the path up to Dettifoss. 

Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in all of Europe. Man, you can really tell standing next to it too. There is a fine mist that is in the air, and you can hear the roar of the falls even before you see it. It’s really quite impressive. 

Jökulsá á Dal

After we Drove to Jökulsá á Dal/Jökulsá á Brú and stopped for a view of the creek and area. 

Hengifoss

We made our way to Hengifoss from there. It’s a 2-hour hike that we heard could be tough but you can see the falls from the parking lot so we chose to just walk up a little way and check it out because we had a lot more to do before making it to our Airbnb for the night. 

Hallormsstaðarskógur

The last thing on the list for the day was Hallormsstaðarskógur. We didn’t walk any of the forest trails here because we were getting sleepy and it was getting dark but we still stopped to get a view of the sunset over the lake. It is believed by the locals that there is a monster that lives in the lake. 

Seyðisfjörður

We got an Airbnb in Seyðisfjörður. This ended up being a great idea. It is this small, adorable town. Getting there is long and windy. It’s near the water past mountains, tucked away. Which can make it hard to get to, if not impossible in the winter. We stayed in a great little place that was super cute inside and out. It was exactly what you would expect of Iceland.

Day 8 – The East

Seyðisfjörður

We spent the morning exploring Seyðisfjörður. It was such a cute town, small and walkable, sheltered by the mountains so it’s very cozy and remote. There is a rainbow brick road in town too that was random and cool.

Gufufoss

On our way out of town, we passed a little waterfall just off the road. We couldn’t help ourselves anytime we saw a waterfall we had to stop. This one we learned was called Gufufoss. This made me giggle. This became one of my favorite waterfalls. 

Eastern Fjords

The rest of the day was a road trip down the eastern fjords. We passed through many small towns and made a couple of stops along the way. One of the biggest towns which were not big, by the way, was Fáskrúðsfjörður, a very cute little town worth stopping in. We also stopped briefly to see Stöðvarfjörður any other small fishing village. Many of the towns we stopped in had the boats out of the water I mentioned before, still not sure what the story is on those.

We also stopped in Djúpivogur. It’s a small town that is good for bird watching. In the town is also an art installation called Eggin í Gledivík, its big rock eggs that represent the native birds in Iceland. 

Jökulsrárlón

We were a bit behind for the day so from there were went straight to Jökulsrárlón. This is a very cool and iconic spot in Iceland. It’s a large lagoon filled with (and made with) icebergs. We did a really fun Zodiac tour around it. It was very eerie on the water. There is a very distinct noise the icebergs make. They are impossibly blue too. The interesting thing we learned is that had you come to Iceland as late as the 70s this lagoon would not be here. The icebergs melting over the last half a century have made the lagoon and it is only growing (but there is no such thing as climate change ).

There is a beach across the way that often has iceberg chucks washed ashore. 

There was not any Airbnb’s at the time in the area so we stayed at a Hostel called Vagnsstadir. The hostel was overall very nice but we chose to save money and do the shared room and regretted it. We were not fans of bunking with strangers. We learned a valuable lesson that night. 

Day 9 – Continuing to the South

Skaftafell National Park

Due to the fact that we were not comfortable in our hostel we got up early and drove to Skaftafell National Park.

One the way we passed Vatnajökull, Iceland’s largest glacier and Skeiðarársandur, a black sand desert.

Vatnajökull

Svartifoss

We went on to explore Skaftafell National Park we hiked to Svartifoss to check out the waterfall with basalt columns.

Just a short drive to Núpsstaður to check out the little turf houses. I think there was more to the area than we saw and I don’t know why we didn’t see more, though I know it can be closed to the public so that could have been why. 

Dverghamrar and Foss a Sidu

Our next stop was Dverghamrar and Foss a Sidu. Dverghamrar is Dwarf crags and Basalt formations and Foss a Sidu is a waterfall they are across the road from each other. It’s pretty cool, you can see one from the other so we went to the end of Dverghamrar and got this cool shot of Foss A Sidu. It’s just a quick stop, both are right off the road.

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Kirkjubæjarklaustur came up after, we checked out Kirkjugólf basalt formation called “Church Floor” It’s really cool. It’s like a cross-section on the basalt formations in the ground that looks like tile on the floor.

Vík

We got an Airbnb in Vík, So we explored the area before checking in. There are a wonderful beach and a spot from the church gives you a view of the whole area. The sunset was lovely. Vík is the southernmost town in Iceland.

Day 10 – The South

Reynisfjara

The first stop of the day for us was Reynisfjara, it’s a black sand beach in the South. It is a long beach lined with basalt column formations. We walked the length of the beach, found a cave to explore too. As of the day of writing this I have read an article about parts of the beach being closed. You can see the beach either way so don’t be discouraged.

After a stroll, we drove to Dyrhólaey which is a cliff that overlooks the black sand beach. We heard it was good for bird watching, we tried to look for puffins but it wasn’t the right time of year for them. They only hang out in the summertime. 

Dyrhólaey

Sólheimajökull

Once we were done there we went on to Sólheimajökull to walk up to the glacier tongue. We made sure to take a photo of us standing on the glacier. 

Skogafoss

Skogafoss was next on the list. The waterfall is huge and impressive. There is a long staircase we breathlessly took to check out a view from the top and followed the trails on the top to see more of the area. 

Seljalandsfoss

Surprise surprise up next was another waterfall, Seljalandsfoss. This one is really cool because you can walk behind it. So we did just that. We were happy to have our trash bag ponchos this day, not only because it was on and off rainy all day but it was also misty and wet behind the falls.

While we were there we noticed a little path leading away from the falls so we followed it. It led to a cool hidden waterfall, so cool! I later learned it was called Gljufrabui.

Hvolsvöllur

We then drove to Hvolsvöllur. We stopped at the store on the way in and on the way out of the stop we looked up and saw the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen in my life. It was huge! We detoured to drive to an open place to get a better look. We didn’t have to go far a few blocks down was an open field, we parked and jumped from the car. It was massive and turned out to be 2 rainbows. It was the first time I noticed that the colors of the rainbow could actually repeat. We stood in awe for several minutes and then headed to the Airbnb. 

Day 11 – The Golden Circle

Due to weather our horseback riding in Hella had to be rescheduled. Fortunately, we were able to try the next day since we would be in the area. So we moved up the itinerary for the rest of the day. 

Kerið

The Golden Circle is one of the most famous stops along the Iceland Ring Road Trip. Kerið was our first stop. It wasn’t on the original itinerary we had gotten but we saw a sign on the way and thought to stop. It was really cool so I am glad we did. It’s a large colorful, a crater with water at the bottom. We learned that Bjork did a concert here once! Very Cool. 

Gullfoss

From there we went on to Gullfoss, which is one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. I will admit it was jarring to visit this waterfall with the large crowd after all of the lesser-known falls that were not as busy. It was still worth the visit, it’s a large and impressive waterfall.

Geysir

We went up to Geysir next. This is a famous but fairly dormant geyser but there are several other geysers in the area, the most notable is Stokkur geyser since it erupts every 5-10 minutes we were able to see it erupt a couple of times.

Þingvellir National Park

Up next was Þingvellir National Park we took a couple hours to explore the park which was a site of Viking parliament. We walked all around the area, it was really pretty. 

Selfoss

After exploring we made our way to Selfoss. Our first stop was at the grave of Bobby fisher, a famous chess player. This was a must-see for David. We walked the town a little before going to our airbnb.

Day 12 – Iceland Ring Road Trip Complete

Hella Horseback Riding

I mentioned before that we had to reschedule the horseback riding so we went to do that first. The Icelandic horses are so cute! They are a little smaller and fluffier than the ones in the states. The owner was so nice, we ended up being the only people on the ride which was so cool. We got to see a lot of the area. 

Hveragerði

We headed up to Hveragerði next, it is a geothermal park with a bunch of hot springs but when we got there it was closed! Guess we should have done some more research on it.

Reykjadalur

So we moved on to Reykjadalur which was so cool! It took about 45 minutes to hike up then you reach a spot where you can take a dip. The air was freezing but we walked all that way so felt like we couldn’t not get in. We froze our tushies off while getting changed and jumped in. It was so nice in the water but it was obviously even colder when we got out. We warmed up on the hike back down though. 

Off To Reykjavík

After the hike, we headed off to Reykjavík after the hike, closing the Ring Road Trip around Iceland. We got some dinner at the Seabarron or Saegreifinn in Icelandic. It was so good and reasonably priced considering what it was. We had a couple of kabobs and a bowl of the world-famous Lobster soup. We had the wolffish, it was so good! If it is on the menu I would try it, but don’t google it. Its a hideous fish, tastes far better than they look. 

We checked in to our Northern Lights tour to find that the weather was very overcast and that the tour would not be happening. They rescheduled us free of charge for the next night. So we wandered the streets of the town before making it back to our Airbnb.

Day 13 – Around Reykjavík

We spent all day exploring Reykjavík. There was plenty to see here. We stayed central so we didn’t mind walking, The town is large but the main downtown area is walkable for sure. We came across some graffiti as we walked, and were surprised at just how pretty it was.

Reykjavik Botanical Garden

We began at the Reykjavik Botanical Garden. It was small and nice, with really pretty views but I wasn’t as impressed with it as I was with the one in Akureyri. 

Perlan (The Pearl)

After a stroll, we went on to the Perlan (The Pearl). We posed with some funny statues and got a look of the whole city from the observation deck, and got a cup of coffee for good measure too. 

From there, we went over to Hallgrímskirkja and to have a look at the famous church. It is very large and very different from other churches I have seen. 

Hallgrímskirkja

Sun Voyager Statue

We wander the streets over to the water’s edge and check out the Sun Voyager statue.  It is really pretty neat. It harkens to the Viking ships. The view is so pretty over the water too. 

We then walked to the Harpa a concert hall and conference center it has very unique architecture, it’s covered in mirrors it reminded me of a giant mirror Rubix cube. Sadly, we didn’t have any time to catch a show or concert, unfortunately, but it was still awesome to see. 

Harpa

Icelandic Phallological Museum

We came across the Icelandic Phallological Museum while wandering around. I have no why there is a museum dedicated to the male genitalia but it was worth a quick peek, I didn’t pay to get into it though, I wasn’t THAT inserted.

Valdísv Ice Cream and Dinner

Despite being a bit chilly we heard of a great place for ice cream in the harbor so we went to get some. It was indeed quite good. 

We looked and looked for something that sounded good for dinner but we just kept thinking of the wolffish, so we decided to just go back to Seabarron again. 

Northern Lights Tour

I mentioned before our Northern Lights tour was rescheduled due to weather conditions, fortunately, it was clear this night and we were able to go out. We did get to see some of the lights but it was not the spectacular show you see in all of the photos. It is really a gamble. I should note that the camera is much more sensitive to the lights so they will show up better on the images than you see them, which is pretty cool. Well worth the tour, we had a great time. 

After the tour, we went to our AirBNB for a decent night’s sleep for a day of traveling the next day. 

Day 14 – Iceland Trip Comes to an End

The two-week road trip on the Ring Road in Iceland was straight magical. As ready as we were to get home to our dog, friends, and family we were also sad to leave this wonderful country. 

We had an early morning flight so we had to be up and out the door of our Airbnb by 5:30 am to catch our 8:30 flight and still have time to return the rental car. 

We had a 6-hour layover in New York City. Originally we had wondered what the heck we would do with all that time, but it turns out David had a friend that lived that and she was nice enough to pick us up for the afternoon, we got to chit chat and have a good lunch away from the airport and in New York or all places. 

With the time difference, we arrived in San Diego at 8 pm. It was a long day of travel but it was nice to be greeted by a wagging tail upon our return. 

So there you have it, the story of our amazing Iceland Ring Road Road Trip.

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