Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: Iceland

Iceland Snapshot

Not too long ago, I started a new tradition of creating a “snapshot” post from our travels with a list of superlatives to sum up our bigger trips. It’s a fun way to me to reflect back on specific moments, so to continue that tradition here is my Iceland snapshot!

Best Moment

Ah, right off the bat this is the toughest choice to make, but I think I was the most elated when we received the phone call from the hotel front desk at 1:30am to see the Northern Lights in Borgarnes. It’s just not something I expected to get to see and it was a wonderful surprise.

Worst Moment

The trip started off on the wrong foot when our original flight was canceled and we lost an entire day of our itinerary. We sat at the gate for hours past our departure time before Icelandair announced that they needed to cancel due to mechanical issues. This might also be a candidate for the “Best Moment” category though because not getting on a broken plane is a very very good thing indeed. I’m grateful.

Funniest Moment

This might get filed under “you had to be there,” but one of the funniest moments of the week was a cocktail sauce incident on our third night. We stopped into a random restaurant on the way to Höfn where we decided to order a couple of burgers. The server/owner didn’t speak much English, and we had a bit of a funny miscommunication. I asked if the burger came with mayonnaise on it and his answer was no, to which I replied, “great! That is perfect since I don’t want any mayonnaise.” (Mayo is the One Thing that I just can’t eat, not even if you paid me. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.) After he dropped off our food and left us to enjoy the meal, we discovered that the burgers were completely covered on both sides with a copious amount of pink sauce oozing from the edges. Upon his return to the table, I asked what was on the burger and he explained that it was a house cocktail sauce made from…ketchup mixed with mayonnaise. He left, and Chris and I just dissolved into quiet hysterics. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I didn’t return the burger, but I couldn’t stop giggling for the rest of the meal (that I didn’t eat).

Best Meal

Chris and I both agree that our best meal was, oddly, a pizza that we split at Hotel Höfn. We popped into the hotel restaurant right after we checked in. We had just finished a long, active day and it was 9:30pm so it may just be that we were starving, but man it was delicious and so satisfying. And interestingly enough, it didn’t make me feel terrible like pizza does here at home. I wonder if they use different (better?) ingredients in Iceland. I didn’t get to take a picture of the pie on account of how fast we inhaled it, but I do have pictures of my second and third runner-up favorite meals. Oh, and on the left? That’s fish and chips…served with “cocktail sauce!” When I didn’t touch it, our server asked if I didn’t like cocktail sauce. I politely explained that the rest of the meal was so wonderful but that cocktail sauce isn’t my favorite, and then spent the rest of the afternoon giggling some more.

Something We Learned

Our Iceland trip taught us a bevy of new facts! (But not the word bevy – I already knew that one.) I’m most proud of learning how to correctly pronounce Eyjafjallajökull, but we also learned a lot about Icelandic history and about geology including volcanoes, geysers, and fumaroles.

We’re Thankful We Packed

The first several days would have been miserable without our waterproof layers. I wore my waterproof jacket and shoes every single day actually. For more details, see my post on packing for Iceland in the summer.

We Didn’t Need To Bring

I didn’t end up needing a heavier coat – I was worried about whether or not a waterproof jacket was going to be enough even in August, but it was perfect. Any other time of year I think you’d do well to bring a warmer coat.

Trip Regrets

I’m writing this post over a month later and I honestly can’t remember anything I regret about our trip. We loved every minute of it. Of course, I would have liked to spend more time in Iceland – I think another week would have been perfect to take our time on the Ring Road and to include some sights along the western coast.

Reasons To Go Back

Puffins! We didn’t get to see a puffin and I’d love to see/photograph those cute little guys.

Favorite Photos

Chris’s favorite photo from the trip is one that I took (the waterfall photo below), and my favorite photo other than the Northern Lights is one of his (the chunk of ice from Jökulsárlón).

And with that, my Iceland trip series is complete! Until we go back someday, of course. 🙂 I hope the information has been interesting, entertaining, and/or helpful to anyone planning a future trip to the land of fire and ice! (Definitely let me know if you have any questions – I’m happy to help!)

October 27, 2014
Iceland Hotels Round-Up

In case anyone else out there is planning a Ring Road trip around Iceland, I thought it might be helpful to talk about where we caught some zzz’s along the route. We stayed in two different hotels in Reykjavik, and one night each in Hella, Höfn, Husavik, and Borgarnes. The areas worked out well, although the distance between Höfn and Husavik resulted in a long day of driving so if I had a do-over, I might put a stop in the Eastern Fjords in between. We definitely enjoyed a few of our hotels more than others, but all of them were quite lovely. I’ll point out my top three choices.

The warm, rustic vibe of Hotel Ranga had us at hello when we checked in after a very chilly, rainy day outdoors. Just on the outskirts of Hella, the hotel has a middle-of-nowhere feel that we were sort of expecting in an Iceland accommodation, and it would be a perfect spot for viewing and photographing the Northern Lights if you’re there at the right time. (The night we stayed the sky was thick with cloud cover.) The location also made for a quiet night and I slept so great. Our room felt like a cozy cabin but with plenty of amenities including a large flat-screen TV, a towel-warmer rack, big fuzzy robes, and a huge Jacuzzi tub. I used my point-and-shoot for the photos and they just don’t do the room justice, nor do they illustrate the size of the giant bathroom.

Next up, Icelandair Hotel Hamar was a nice choice in Borgarnes and wins my vote for hospitality. From the looks of the outside, it reminded me of a motel – a long, one story building (though modern designed) with entrances outside. Once we checked in though, we were charmed by the warmth of the sweet concierge at the front desk, and I was extra appreciative of their offer to put me on the Northern Lights wake-up call list. The comfy room was large by European standards and the door to our own patio meant that I had quick and easy access to run out and photograph the Aurora!

And lastly, my favorite hotel for design was the Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina, hands-down. Our room was the tiniest I’ve ever seen or stayed in (if I had to guess I’d say the square footage was less than 200 ft.), but the quirky details, fun maritime decor, and humorous signage instantly won me over. A sign in our teeny bathroom even admitted to the miniscule size of the space! It made us laugh for sure. It’s also worth noting that this hotel had the most outlets out of any of the hotels including multiple outlets on each side of the bed and in-wall USB ports by the desk, and since we are some gadget-loving folk we certainly appreciated this detail!

Oh, and something that all the hotels had in common was a really nice breakfast buffet spread in the morning. We really enjoyed it and got used to expecting that at each place, so I wonder if it’s just a common thing in Iceland. Let me know if you have any questions about any of these hotels – we’d definitely be happy to stay at any of them again if we’re lucky enough to return someday!

October 13, 2014
Packing for Iceland in the Summer
A shorter post would be titled, “What I Didn’t Bring to Iceland.”

My dad always told me that when I travel, I should only ever bring what I can carry on my own back. (Note: my dad is awesome and would have carried my extra stuff for me if needed, but I think he was trying to teach me a useful habit.) To this day I still follow that rule, with the caveat that I am pretty darn strong and can carry quite a bit. But oh, how I do wish I were one of the cool kids who carry only the essentials on their backs in a backpack. Our trip to Iceland wasn’t going to be the trip where I tried to pare down though.

Before we left, I found plenty of information on what to pack for Iceland in the winter, but not as much help on what to bring in the summer. I learned that temperatures in August vary anywhere from 55-65 for the high to 45 as the low and that we could expect unpredictable precipitation. Plus, we planned a range of various activities in several regions, so I knew I’d need a little bit of everything.

That said, I think I did a decent job of packing and organizing the massive amount of stuff we brought, especially thanks to Eagle Creek packing cubes. I always use these to keep things neat in my suitcase, but usually I unpack everything upon arrival. This time the cubes made it super easy to stay organized on the road since we were in a different hotel each night and it wouldn’t make sense to completely unpack each time.

The temperature for our trip in the last week of August ranged from 50-55 degrees as the high. Half of the days were cloudy, windy, and/or rainy, and the other days were sunny and lovely. Here’s what I packed for a week-long trip in August to the land of fire and ice:
- 2 short-sleeve shirts (one I wore on the plane)
- 3 long-sleeve shirts
- 3 hoodies (two pullover, one zip-up that I wore on the plane)
- 1 tank top (for sleeping)
- yoga pants (worn on the plane – it was a red-eye flight so comfort won over fashion)
- 2 pairs of hiking pants (one waterproof)
- 1 sweater
- 1 pair of jeans
- warm vest
- waterproof jacket
- waterproof hiking shoes
- casual sneakers
- wool hiking socks
- undies and wool long underwear for layering
- beanie hat (for warmth) and baseball hat (for sun)
- gloves
- swimsuit & flip-flops
- sunglasses
After lugging it all to Iceland (this list doesn’t even include our camera gear and gadgets), at least I ended up wearing all of the clothes I brought except for the sweater and the waterproof pants. I brought the sweater for a nicer option at dinner, but just didn’t end up needing it because most of the places we ate were casual and we were surrounded by other hiking-boot-waterproof-jacket-wearing travelers. I would have worn the waterproof pants on the glacier hike since it was raining so much, but we didn’t end up going on the hike because it was raining so much. There wasn’t a day where we could wear just short-sleeve shirts, but I layered them under hoodies. On the chilliest day we truly did need wool base layers so I was happy to have them. Oh, and I didn’t wear the casual sneakers. I just wore my waterproof hiking shoes the whole time, and they were great.

Missing from my list? An outfit for enjoying the nightlife in Reykjavik. I was certainly curious about the party scene I heard so much about and wished we could have experienced it, but sensibility told me that we wouldn’t join the revelers on our first night (jet lag), and we wouldn’t give it a go our last night either after an exhausting week of exploring. So lame, I know, but I was right. We passed out each night by 11pm, and my understanding is that the partying doesn’t even start until well after Midnight. Next time!

The items I ended up using the most were: 1. my waterproof North Face Resolve jacket that kept me super dry and warm every single day; 2. comfortable and water-repellant Mountain Hardware Chockstone hiking pants; 3. super comfortable North Face Ultra Fast Pack GTX waterproof hiking shoes; and 4. a cute warm vest for layering from Athleta.

I debated whether or not to bring a heavier jacket like my snowboarding coat since it’s waterproof, but in the end I figured that would be a little too warm for summer and I was right – it’s better just to do layers. One additional note about my hiking shoes – they were great for comfort and for waterproof-ness, but for our hike to the volcano I could have used just a tiny bit more ankle support. I also noticed that the sides got a little chewed up on that trail of loose rocks and in the lava fields. So whether or not you want to bring legit hiking boots is obviously up to the level of activity you’re doing and on what terrain. I knew we’d only be doing short hikes and didn’t want to carry a heavy pair of boots, so I figured I could get away with a shoe. No matter what though, go with waterproof.

Chris brought a similar mix: long sleeve shirts, a waterproof outer layer, waterproof hiking shoes, and water-resistant hiking pants. If you plan to do any lengthy outdoor activities or if you want to stand behind waterfalls, I highly recommend (broken record warning!) waterproof everything, not just water resistant.

So in summary, August weather in Iceland really does require some warm layer options and definitely calls for, say it with me now, waterproof clothing! Think like an onion and go with layers that you can peel off as needed, making sure that your outer layers will keep you dry and protected from the wind. We didn’t always need the waterproof layers, but we sure appreciated them when the weather called for it.

Have you traveled to Iceland in the summer? If so, did I miss anything important on the list?
September 22, 2014
Photo Friday – Husband at the Harpa

I could have spent hours photographing the interior and exterior of the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik. I posted the vertical version of this image already, but I love both orientations and I also experimented with the saturation in this image. Plus the silhouette is of perhaps my most favorite subject so I can’t help but post the landscape version of this photo.

September 19, 2014
How to Drive the Ring Road in Iceland

Now that Chris and I have had some time to reflect on our trip, we have a few things we can share with anyone who is planning a similar trip to drive the Ring Road around Iceland. I hope these tips help!

map and flag photos courtesy of tour.is

Trip Length

First of all, let’s talk about the length of time it takes to drive the Ring Road, a stretch of highway that goes 828 miles around the island. Is it possible to do the Ring Road in a week (or even less) to see Iceland? Yes. It’s possible and I know that because we did it in five days! But I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. If you’re dying to do this trip and you only have a week, it’s definitely feasible, but it also depends on what you want to see and do. There is so much to see in Iceland and there are several big attractions right along the Ring Road, but our most favorite experiences were off of the main road. Over five days (technically 4.5 days), we ended up driving the entire route in addition to several side trips, and we were constantly on the go. We got started by at least 9am every day, and most days we didn’t check into our hotel until 9pm so it did make for a long day. I sort of can’t believe how much we squeezed into our trip and we had a blast, but it wasn’t without a few aches and pains! We didn’t have much time to rest and relax on the road. We even had a full day in Reykjavik on both ends of the Ring Road trip, but that time was spent exploring the city and doing the Inside the Volcano tour. So if you don’t mind a bit of a hustle, yes it’s possible to do the Ring Road in a week. I would at least recommend spending a day in Reykjavik before you set out so you have some time to recover from any jet lag before trying to drive.

Also on the subject of scheduling, I would really recommend not over-scheduling activities/excursions unless they are must-do items for you OR if you have a longer trip with more flexibility. There were a few times where we felt like we couldn’t stop as much as we wanted to because we had to meet a tour group at a certain time (snowmobiling, horseback riding, and the volcano tour). Then again, we wanted to stop about every five minutes – there is so much to see! So the first day on the road we were actually a little relieved that our snowmobile trip was canceled due to bad weather because that allowed us to keep a more leisurely pace that afternoon.

Self-Drive Tours

Because this was our first long road trip in another country with remote areas, I decided to book a self-drive tour with a company called Touris. Basically they booked all of our hotels, rental car, and a few excursions, and provided us with information about what to see along the route. Although I had already studied the Ring Road up and down and knew pretty much everything we wanted to see, I liked the idea of having 24-hour emergency support if something went wrong. I also thought it was reassuring that someone would know we were out there and expected us to arrive at our scheduled hotels each night. We didn’t run into any issues at all, but when we went through spots where my cell phone didn’t work (an AT&T international plan with good Iceland coverage) we had that extra comfort level that we weren’t going to break down and be stranded and no one would know where we were. In hindsight, we were often the only ones on the road as far as the eye could see, but we would eventually pass a car every now and then. It’s not like we went hours without seeing another human, so if we did have car trouble on the main road we would have had several chances to flag someone down. (On the more remote roads though, not so much.)

However, a huge extra major bonus of booking with Touris was that when our original departing flight was canceled late at night, Touris was hard at work re-booking all of our reservations for us while we got some sleep. When we woke up the next morning, everything had been rearranged and shifted by one day. If I was left to do all of that shuffling myself, it would have been a very very late night so that morning I was singing my praises for the team at Touris.

Driving Tips

One of the things I failed to study before our road trip in Iceland was (duh) how to drive in Iceland. I just figured you drive on the right-hand side like we do at home in the States, so it should be easy peasy! It is, but here are a few handy things to know before you head out.

The route is fairly remote in many stretches. When you have a chance to fill up on gas, grab drinks & snacks, and use the restroom facilities, you should go ahead and do that. (I at least knew this before we left.) Oh, and a note on filling up at the gas stations – you can use a debit card or credit card at the pump, but for either card you need to know your PIN.

What I didn’t know was how many loose animals would be in the road. Our first near-miss with a sheep in the road was on the second night when it was getting a little dark. Keep an eye out – they are everywhere! There are signs for sheep and reindeer crossings, but they can be anywhere. That’s something we aren’t quite used to at home.

Be prepared for single-lane bridges where the car closest to the bridge has the right of way. Some of the longer bridges have spaces on the side to pull over, but the shorter ones do not. Slow down, and pay attention to who is approaching on the other side.

Keep your eyes peeled for signs indicating unpaved roads. In a few spots along the highway the road surface suddenly changes from asphalt to gravel, and if you don’t slow down you’ll risk popping a tire or dinging up your rental car’s paint job. (We took out the additional gravel insurance on the car just in case.) Our rental also had some reminders and tips for us as seen in these giant can’t-miss-them stickers on the dashboard! We didn’t have the opportunity to ford any rivers in the car and we didn’t encounter any sandstorms, but we did drive on gravel roads pretty frequently.

Navigation

Chris and I received a Garmin GPS from the car rental company as part of our package, and it was loaded with Iceland maps and an Icelandic keyboard. We used it to navigate off the main road a few times, but it wasn’t always 100% reliable. Sometimes coordinates worked best, other times we needed to use the attraction/town name instead. I also had to Google step-by-step directions on my iPhone for a few places. And many times we just relied on a good old-fashioned paper road map for reference. I would recommend having a couple of options for navigation because often times there won’t be anyone to ask if you needed to stop for directions. I went old-school and used the paper map quite a bit!

Things are also more spread out than they appear on a map, and sometimes it takes longer to get to a spot than you think. I had everything plotted out on Google Maps with estimated times to get there, but where Google said it would take 25 minutes to drive from Rt. 1 to Dettifoss, for example, it actually took twice that long because the road was unpaved and incredibly potholed. We were in an SUV, but smaller cars had to take it even slower, so you have to take that into account.

Overnight Stops

We stayed in Reykjavik the first night, and then our subsequent overnight stays were in Hella, Höfn, Húsavík, Borgarnes, and another night in Reykjavik. All of the stops were fairly convenient, but the distance between Höfn and Húsavík meant that we had about five hours of driving to get to the north, and there was a lot to see in the Mývatn area so we felt a bit rushed that evening. In contrast, the distance from Borgarnes to Reykjavik was very short, so it almost felt like we didn’t need to stop there although I’m glad we did since that’s where we saw the Northern Lights. If I could do it all over, I’d add an additional day in the south and an additional day in the north. Of course if time was no object, I’d also take a couple of days on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the west before returning to Reykjavik. I’ll write a little about our hotels in a separate post, but just wanted to mention the logistics of where we stopped each night.

So those are my tips! Let me know if you’ve been to Iceland and if you have any additional tips to add. Or if you’re planning a trip and have any questions, feel free to ask away. I’d be happy to try to assist, and I’ll also be really excited for you!

September 17, 2014