Iceland Trip Report
March 23 - April 13, 2022
Julia and I traveled to Iceland to see live music and tour the island in a camper van. Here is a long story about how it went down…
The story begins in May of 2019 when we bought tickets to see an American rock band, Umphrey’s McGee, in Iceland in March 2020. We were excited to visit a new country together - and see my #2 favorite band. Then covid struck… 7 days until we flew out of Seattle - Iceland put up restrictions on gatherings and the concert was canceled. We scrambled to get refunds and vouchers for our trip.
Covid continued and we spent time working on our new Beacon Hill home.
March 2022 rolled around, with Covid restrictions loosening. We replanned an even bigger Iceland vacation. 10 days driving around the island after 3 nights of concerts in Reykjavik. 2 weeks of adventure!
Try #2
The trip began on March 23rd flying out of Seattle. We played a game of guessing how many people on our flight were going for Röckjavik, the Umphrey’s concert. 20 at least (Chris with 15 and Julia with 5) we figured. The concert had 1500 seats - although we were unsure if a 2 year delay would leave the venue half full.
The travel path was interesting. Up and over Canada and Greenland - a direct flight from Seattle to Keflavík - 7 hours. Landing at 6am local time. The rental car pickup was the funniest part. We didn’t see the rental shuttle - so we walked a not-so-short distance with our luggage cart to the rental shop, which totally worked.
The Blue Lagoon was our first destination, after a quick bakery stop in Grindavík. The large geothermal heated outdoor pool’s water is rich in silica and sulfur. It’s a spa experience to ease into Iceland life. The green drinks were refreshing and at 9am the place was mostly empty. Unexpectedly - we got to put on face masks with members of Umphrey’s (Kris and Stasik) who were also there to soak in the luxury.
Not sleeping on the plane caught up to us at lunch. I almost fell asleep before our food arrived. Luckily the steak was delicious and Julia enjoyed white fish and lobster soup as we overlooked the mossy Blue Lagoon. Driving to the Hotel Borg in Reykjavik city center was torture, I was so tired. We immediately napped until dinner.
Takk = Thanks
Friday March 25th was our first full day in Iceland. We walked through the city as the windy rain fell. An Icelandic breakfast at Loki next to the largest church in Iceland - Hallgrímskirkja - was a classic start. We even paid 1000 Krona (about $9 USD) to go up the 244 foot spire as the bells signaled 11am.
Then a quick walk along the water down to the Harpa concert hall. Followed by a stop in The Handknitting Association of Iceland shop for Julia to pick up some wool. Baka Baka bakery allowed us a chill lunch in their upstairs area. This would become our favorite bakery in the city.
A nap then dinner at Islenski (watching a wedding across the street) got us ready for the main event…
Rock and Roll
Umphrey’s McGee played Friday night at the Harpa, Eldborg Hall. Our seats in row 8 were perfect, with friendly people all around. Chelsey and Jason to our left, empty seats to our right, Hunter in front of us, and an older dude crew behind us.
Pylsa, aka hot dogs, are an Icelandic staple. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is the best hotdog stand, just outside the Harpa - the perfect after-concert snack. The dogs are made with Icelandic lamb (and pork and beef). They add a sweet brown mustard called pylsusinnep and remoulade on top, with raw and crispy fried onions under. DELICIOUS!
A late night concert practically across the street from our hotel was played by Vintage Caravan. Our new friends from Juno, Adam and Angie, were there too. The small club got packed quickly, so we only stayed for a few songs. 2am bedtime.
Saturday we drove the ‘Golden Circle’. A sightseeing route with some of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls, craters, and natural wonders. The bad news is that it was quite rainy and windy. The first stop was Kerið crater. The winds were almost comical as we suited up in GoreTex jackets & pants to walk the crater rim.
Lunch at Friðheimar was unforgettable. A meal inside a huge greenhouse heated with geothermal water. The freshest pot of tomato soup ever, served with bread, cheese, and ‘Healthy Mary’ beverage. A hilarious highlight was a lazy bee clumsily walking from flower to flower next to our table.
2 other stops on our golden circle tour were the Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geothermal area. The rain was pouring hard at Gullfoss - almost sideways as we walked the trail. The waterfall was truly amazing - especially with all the extra water from the sky! The Geysir area was equally wet & windy. We got to see the geyser erupt a few times (every 8 minutes) and take pictures of the many shallow hot spring pools around it.
TAUK opened for Umphrey’s on Saturday night at 7pm sharp. Fun show and solid warmup. UM played some big hits and really jammed out until almost midnight. I was tired, but still got hot dogs on the way home. No late night, we had to give our tickets to Hartswick & Bayliss away so we could rest.
Julia got a massage Sunday morning while I slept in. Lunch at Sea Baron was a world class lobster soup (and fish skewers). The Icelandic Phallological Museum presented over 300 penises from more than 100 species of mammal - a weird way to spend an hour - but here we are. Messinn for dinner introduced us to Plokkfiskur - a traditional thick mashed fish stew. DELICIOUS!
Star Kitchen (Marc Brownstein of tDB) opened for Umphrey’s on Sunday night at 6pm. Brownie professed his love for his ‘best friend’ Joel Cummins, along with thanks for UM dragging him all around the world to play in amazing places. UM played my favorite of the 3 nights. Killer songs, long jams, and a great vibe all around.
Late night at Iðnó was almost sad because Röckjavik was ending. TAUK and members UM jammed together. Really rounded out the weekend well. However it also got super packed - so we were home in bed by 1am.
Van Life
Monday morning the 2nd part of our vacation began. We returned the car and picked up our camper van. Ditching the city life for the ring road - a 1,322 kilometers long highway circling the entire country.
First stop on our ring road journey was Hespa for wool. Guðrún invited us into her studio as she was teaching a yarn dying class. We looked around and bought Icelandic wool dyed in beautiful colors. Then we stopped at Uppspuni Mini Mill for more wool. Hulda told us about her 150 sheep and we saw the machines they use to clean and process the wool. It was still cold outside - so most sheep in Iceland were indoors for the winter.
Hellishólar was our campsite for night #1. A mixed-use site with trailers, open fields, and our little van area next to the bathhouse.
Tuesday we settled into van life. Wake up at sunrise (8am ish), make coffee, eat eggs and toast, clean up, bathroom/shower, leave camp about 10am, and go find a waterfall. First waterfall of the day was Seljalandsfoss - which we could walk behind to get a 360 degree view. Really neat! Second waterfall was Skógafoss - which is massive at 60 meters high and 25 meters wide. We got wet just walking near it.
Sólheimajökull glacier stop put the brakes on our adventuring. Flat tire! I called the roadside assistance hotline right away. They explained it would cost $100 to even begin the inquiry, and likely $500 total. The dispatcher convinced us that we could change it ourselves. I was less confident - but with their encouragement and Julia’s optimism - we got to work. Every step was complicated but YouTube was there to help. Finding the jack (under the driver's seat), releasing the spare (long rod inside the back door), loosening the bolts (needed the table leg for leverage), etc. We prevailed and in under 1 hour we were on the road again. Very proud of ourselves - our first tire change ever!
Reynisfjara black sand beach was a highlight of our day. We had to skip a few other attractions, also because of the flat tire, to make extra time on the beach. Large hexagon basalt columns greeted us right away. The tide was out - so we got to walk a ways in our big puffy down jackets. Truly unique and beautiful beach.
Skaftafell National Park was our home for night #2. A big open campground with fabulous facilities. The sunset was past 7pm, so we had time to hike to an extra waterfall before plokkfiskur dinner in the van. The battery powered heater in the van ran reliably all night, plus we had tons of big fluffy blankets. Never needed the big puffy down sleeping bags we brought from home.
Wednesday was our last ‘scheduled’ event. A glacier tour that began at 10am from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. The lagoon had big floating icebergs that broke off from the Breiðamerkurjökul glacier. We took a super jeep down a rough road to the tongue of the Vatnajökull glacier - Europe’s largest ice cap. After a short hike (the parking lot was at the base 4 years ago, now a 20 minute walk) we got to the sapphire blue glacier. The guide took us into a massive cave. Thick glacial ice all around - constantly changing with each season. A river of glacial melt flows through the cave. Amazing. One of my favorite experiences of the entire trip, even though I hadn’t been sure I wanted to do it until right before we left.
Zero commitments from this point forward. Our schedule was roughly charted, but until our flight home - the next 8 days were totally flexible.
Freedom
Diamond Beach was across the highway. Another magical, picture perfect, beach. Huge chunks of ice sitting on the beach. Not your warm tropical destination - but a cool place to be just the same.
Viking Village was an impromptu stop. We had time to kill and Julia found this cafe + movie set to explore. The beach and mountain view were also sweet. We appreciated it so much - we even came back after sunset to hunt for aurora’s - which was unsuccessful because of clouds.
The town of Höfn is famous for little lobsters called langoustine. Pakkhus served us a great dinner filled with these delicious crustaceans overlooking the harbor. The Höfn campsite was basic but sufficient - they just need to improve on their signage to make life easier.
Thursday was the middle of our planned trip - 7 days in, 7 to go. We began normally, 10am on the road headed to a ‘hidden’ waterfall. A herd of reindeer crossed the road right in front of us as light snow fell. Seydisfjordur is a small town we visited along the way. Up and over the mountain pass into a population of 676 people on a large fjord. You can catch a ferry from here to Scandinavia. We saw the locals on their small ski hill at the top of the pass when we left the village.
The Egilsstaðir campsite and hostel had an excellent setup. Great signage, level parking spots, well appointed group area, quiet, big showers, and 3 sets of washers/dryers. It was unattended and everything felt so well set-up that hosts weren’t needed. We drank tea while planning the next day’s activities - which became our standard practice.
Friday was April 1st. We weren’t on social media during the trip - so no April Fools jokes played on us this year. We did have internet the whole time, via a small portable wifi hotspot we rented, which was clutch. Uploading photos, googling attractions/history, researching restaurants, and most importantly - getting driving directions was a breeze with the rented wifi device.
A German baker served us sweet treats at Fellabakarí for breakfast. Then we drove up into the mountains (2000 feet elevation) to the Dettifoss waterfall. The snowy hike to 2 different falls was a great way to stretch the legs after a long drive. Julia drove this day, we switched it up after me driving the first week (but then I took the wheel over again on Saturday, ha).
Námafjall Hverir geothermal area was very stinky as sulfur poured out of the hot springs. Then a stop at Grjotagja Cave - which we struggled to find. We hiked about 1K from the parking lot in search, only to return and find the cave/spring practically in the parking area. This is the cave where Jon Snow and Ygritte “rest” in Game of Thrones. We finished the day by driving around Mývatn Lake and looking at craters/lava.
Hlíð campsite is located in the middle of a 300 year old lava field. The common kitchen area was especially scenic - allowing us to cook/eat while overlooking the relatively new lava. This was another night where we patiently waited for an aurora - and got skunked by clouds. This is when we learned the first thing to check when looking for auroras is “can I see stars?” If not, then you can’t see auroras either.
Wake up, eat eggs, drive to a waterfall - Goðafoss a short walk to an impressive fall.
Far North
Akureyri is the capital of the north. The second biggest city we visited in Iceland after Reykjavík. We stumbled upon a ‘buncha brunch’ spot, Strikið, with all-you-can-eat brunch. Then walked up to the Akureyrarkirkja church and the town's botanical garden with 100 year old trees.
Iceland had nearly 40% tree cover 1000 years ago. Today it’s at 2%, after a significant reforestation initiative. Driving around you can tell people are putting real effort into re-planting.
We visited the Akureyri town swimming pool. It sounds odd that we went to a town pool while on vacation in Iceland - but this is a VERY popular space for Iceland locals. The outdoor pools are heated, although most people use the large hot tubs that are around the main pool. It’s like a social space + spa + playhouse + exercise zone. This Akureyri one had 5 large hot tubs, 2 lap pools, sauna, and 3 slides. Think of a YMCA, outdoors, in winter. It was 0°C while over 100 people spread out between pools, tubs, and slides. Adults and kids of all ages. We were 2 of the few tourists there, everyone was speaking Icelandic. We even took a ride down the slide, one of which was way too steep for my fat body.
Pro Tip - taking a serious shower (as in soap and scrubbing, not just getting the hair a little wet) before getting into the pool is strictly enforced in Iceland. Their regimented pre/post pool experience and locker room setups were impressive.
Hamrar campsite was our home for camper van night #6. It is a scout camp, run by the scouts and the town. Plus a 18 hole disc golf course. We cooked pasta dinner, charged our devices, and read Icelandic Saga stories to each other.
Sunday we went grocery shopping again. Nothing special - mainly rye bread, eggs, goat cheese, skyr yogurt, granola, prosciutto, chorizo, tomatoes, soup, and sparkling water. Had to keep it simple as van cooking is tight and our electric fridge only cools when the engine is running.
Reykjafoss waterfall and Fosslaug hot spring were hard to find but super neat. A muddy hike through a farmers pasture led to the 5 person natural pool next to the massive waterfall. We didn’t swim, but others were headed out with their swimsuits as we left.
Next was the Illugastaðir farm for seal watching - on a VERY windy section of ocean shore. Julia also got to pet some horses on the side of the road here - which they loved, or acted like they loved enough to check out if there was any snacks in her pockets (there wasn’t, as not feeding the horses is rule #7 on the Iceland pledge and Julia was following the rules). This peninsula is near the Westfjords Region on our way from North to West on the ring road.
Camp Búðardalur was a cozy home for the night. A small parking area next to a school at the base of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Nothing fancy, just a $40 parking space for 12 hours with toilets, showers, and a place to wash dishes.
Snuffleupagus
The Snæfellsjökull National Park is on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. We drove nearly 60 kilometers on a rough road to reach the park. Bumps, knowing our spare tire is already used, had me worried. Kirkjufell, or 'Church Mountain', was our first stop. A prominent peak surrounded by beautiful everything. Another super windy day kept us from enjoying the scenery for too long before retreating to the van. More stops at the Skarðsvík golden sand beach (which for Iceland is unique as most beaches are black sand), Öndverðarnes orange lighthouse (with an old 3-source well), and a trail to the Lóndrangar pillars.
The Freezer hostel & culture center is where we rested Monday night. The caretaker chatted us up about ski touring, helicopter trips, skateboarding, and the local opinions on the Harpa and a potential new National train from Reykjavik in the south to Akureyri in the north. At my 1am pee ritual - I saw the Northern Lights aurora. I immediately woke up Julia and we watched the green light dance and pulse over our heads for 10 minutes. Hard to capture in a photo - it's like the light is alive among the stars. It eventually faded away and we went back to bed.
Blowing snow greeted us after leaving The Freezer at 10am. No big deal, we’ve driven in much deeper snow in WA. The van had studded tires, easy. Nope… it was pure insanity.
The powerful wind blew snow into a near whiteout. I could see less than 5 feet - the road markings were the only thing keeping us on the road (going even a foot off the road in Iceland is guaranteed disaster, they do not have shoulders in this country). We considered stopping - but how long would this storm last? Could I even safely find a place to turn off? Ask me for a video some time - it was the most intense driving experience of my life.
We had to skip the majority of the day’s activities. The wind and snow were way too much to enjoy even the tallest waterfall, largest crater, or oldest church. Julia did get out and drink from a naturally bubbly mineral spring at Ölkelda farm. Hotel Rjúkandi gave us a break from white knuckle driving with coffee, burger, and skyr cake. We could not make it to our planned destination at Þingvellir National Park - too much snow. A real bummer because the park was going to be our home for the last 2 nights in Iceland. Instead we camped at Reykjavík Eco Campsite in the city and relaxed at the Laugardalslaug community pool.
The End?
Day 15 of vacation was scheduled to be our last full day. We visited the Árbær Open Air Museum with 20+ buildings from Reykjavík over the past 200 years. One last stop into the local yarn store for wool. Then seafood dinner with lobster tacos and sushi. We even went on an aurora hunt at the city disc golf course - which was another failure with low solar activity.
Thursday April 7th we were scheduled to fly home. The USA currently requires a negative COVID test for any international traveler. We got our test at 10am. 10:23am we received our positive COVID result. Shit!
Quarantine
Julia and I knew this situation was a possibility. Afterall - the concert had 1500 people in a concert hall, unmasked, for 3 nights. We were optimistic we could fly home as expected, but also half prepared for this scenario. IcelandAir rebooked our flights for 7 days out. The cat boarding place agreed to keep Kali, the USPS extended our mail hold, and our bosses were understanding. We booked an AirBnB and picked up our rental car. Vacation just got extended a week!
Iceland does not have any quarantine requirements. They don’t pay or support you in any way - but they also don’t require that you stay away from people or monitor your actions at all. They do have a process to get a ‘fit to fly’ certificate after 5 days of testing positive. Technically 5 days from Thursday (on Wednesday the 12th) we can fly home, however the airline had no seats for us until the 14th.
We masked up and went grocery shopping. Then we held up in the AirBnB, cooked food, watched Spiderman, soaked in the tub, and did laundry. It was a small spot - but we took the opportunity to enjoy a full size bed and use of my CPAP machine after 10 days of van life.
I booked a second AirBnB in a small town about an hour from Reykjavik. A big blue house on the ocean with a big kitchen. The ideal quarantine zone for the next 5 nights.
I felt sick. Coughing with sinus congestion. Julia was better off than me, both faster to recover and more mild symptoms. So happy we were fully vaccinated and boosted - it could have been much worse. We continued to isolate, watch netflix, cook meals, and knit.
We walked on the beach and drove to local lighthouses. Chill and boring. The view from upstairs was a treat - looking out over waves crashing. 2 resident oystercatcher birds controlled our front yard - which was pure entertainment watching them defend their territory.
On Tuesday the 12th we got our ‘fit to fly’ certificates. On a whim we called IcelandAir to see if any seats were available for an earlier flight. They were for Wednesday, 1 day early. We wanted to be home. As awesome as Iceland is - we looked forward to the comforts of our own home.
3 weeks after arriving in Iceland for a 2 week vacation we flew home. Departed at 5pm, landing at 5:30pm the same day (7 hour flight, 7 hour time difference). Home!
Truly a life-list vacation. Massive natural wonders, rich history, rockin music, and interesting weather all shared with my lover. Stoked to have done it. Also stoked to be home. I need a long rest before repeating that Icelandic rage adventure again.
Umph Love, -Chris Coleman
