Free to Roam Wild

I’m a self titled solo traveler. I do travel with my parents probably more regularly than the average person but the rest of the time it’s just me and my backpack on the ride of our lives. Do I meet people along the way that I travel with for a day or two? Most definitely but to me that doesn’t stop you from being a solo traveler. You’re only with those people for a day or two and you’re choosing to travel with them most likely because they’re going to the same place you are and simply put, shared experiences are generally more fun. 

Recently I went on my first real girls trip. I was terrified. I truly wasn’t sure how it was going to go and I was just hoping for the best. All of this started because of a Covid wedding that was rescheduled. I went to Iceland this past summer (essentially June-August) and at a certain point a few months earlier I finally started booking flights for the trip. Just a week later one of my good friends contacted me to let me know they finally rescheduled their wedding for early June. I was so incredibly excited because this was a wedding I had been dreaming to attend for the last couple of years but I also realized that I now had a ticket from Boston to Reykjavik that I wasn’t going to be using. Thankfully Icelandair gives you a year from the date that you purchase the tickets to actually use the tickets. So I decided why not chase the northern lights and better yet why not see if someone could come with me? I ended up asking a girlfriend from my hometown who we had jokingly discussed traveling together in the past. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime for my first girls trip. 

Once July hit Mel and I started planning out our winter Iceland adventure. We knew we wanted to chase the northern lights and at the time we also thought we didn’t want to drive. So I immediately started looking at tours. I knew we needed to book something sooner rather than later since Iceland has become such a tourist hub. Fun fact, Iceland really isn’t the best place to go chasing Northern lights, if you really want to just see the lights you need to head farther north into Scandinavia. Anyways, that’s for another trip. Either way, Iceland is busy in the winter not as busy as it is in summer but still busy. I ended up stumbling upon a three day tour that would take us to the golden circle, the southern coast and then out to the glacier lagoon area. This tour meant we would have better chances at seeing the lights since we were leaving the city plus we’d get to see the glacier ice caves that I was dying to see and could also hike a glacier.

We also knew we’d have a couple of free days around Reykjavik, one of which we’d be spending at the blue lagoon. We figured we’d map those days out closer to our actual trip. So then the months went on, Mel kept working and I kept traveling until mid November when I was back in Albany for just a couple of days until Mel and I flew out of Boston.

From the moment Mel picked me up to drive to the airport I knew I had made a great choice in a travel buddy. We were just so excited for the week that was laid out in front of us. Jamming out to music and chatting about the winter wonderland we’d be flying to, we quickly made our way to Logan airport. I’ve only been to Logan a handful of times and I find it incredibly disappointing as far as airports go. With flights providing less and less amenities as the years go on, one hopes to find multiple places to eat and stock up on snacks for the flight, Logan lacks that – at least in the terminal I was in. Either way, the flight was smooth and landed on time. We managed to make it onto a flybus into the city that ended up leaving very quickly after we landed. 

Once in the city and settled into our hotel, we were so wired that we decided to go for a walk around town. Mind you, it’s 11pm and it’s winter so the city would be pitch black if it wasn’t for the city lights, unlike what I’m used to in summer. It was Saturday night and the city was full of life. I don’t know that I’ve ever actually walked around Reykjavik that late at night so it was actually quite nice to see the streets full of people. The vibes in Reykjavik just feel so right and we ended up getting dinner at Dominos before calling it a night. 

Sunday morning we were up bright and early for the pick up for our three day tour we’d be embarking on to hopefully chase the northern lights and see the glacier ice caves. We found ourself at the bus stop huddled around 100 other tourists all looking for their tour buses as well. Our mini bus finally pulled up and we met Rocky from Troll Expeditions, our tour guide for the week. After a few more stops we were finally off on our adventure. The first day of our tour was to the Golden Circle. Our first stop along with how so many other tour companies operate their Golden Circle tours was to Þingvellir national park. I’ve been twice and been ‘meh’ about both times. I understand its importance and why tours will continue to go there but I was super keen on visiting a waterfall at the far end of the park that I hadn’t been to yet. Mel and I quickly took some of the classic view point photos before we moved onwards to Öxarárfoss (Pro tip: foss means waterfall in Icelandic). It is a bit of a walk but it’s gorgeous and probably my favorite view in the park. From there we basically ran back to the van to make it back in time – note to future Iceland travelers specifically those short on time or on tours, don’t make our mistake. Skip the view point and just go to the waterfall and if you have time on your way back then stop at the viewpoint. You’ll thank me later. Then Rocky made one of his ‘surprise’ stops. There were a lot of these during the next couple of days. One was to a viewpoint and another to a spot where you could feed and take photos with a couple of horses on the side of the road. Afterwards we ended up at Gullfoss where the morning light was shining on this powerful waterfall in a way that is every photographers dream. The mist coming off the waterfall compounded with sunrise was just glorious (10am sunrise, winter in Iceland is fascinating). I was excited to see this one as I hadn’t been back since 2016 (I didn’t make it there over the summer because I went diving in Silfra instead). At Gullfoss I also had my first soup of the trip – have you really been to Iceland if you haven’t had soup at least once? From Gulfoss we trooped onwards to Geysir which I also hadn’t been to since 2016, but also really didn’t care about going back too. Geysir doesn’t erupt anymore but Strokkur, one of its counterparts does. It is something specular and the morning light on the geothermal field was equally gorgeous. Rocky then gunned it for a few hours so we could make it to Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúifoss before sunset, which is around 4pm I might add. Seljalandsfoss is in my top 10 waterfalls of Iceland, it’s one of the few you can walk behind which makes it a little extra special. But Gljúfrabúifoss, it’s hidden neighbor is even more special in my opinion. I’d found it over the summer and fell in love with it then. I was so excited when I realized I’d be able to share this special waterfall with Mel even though we ended up so much more soaked than I did the last time. The water level was higher so there weren’t always rocks to step on, sometimes the water was the only place to be. Still 100% worth it and she loved it. 

After changing the lights on the bus to become a nightclub for a bit, Rocky drove us the rest of the way to our hotel for the evening. We ended up staying in a town that I had stayed in over the summer so instead of eating dinner at the hotel we walked to a cafe that I could vouch for and were happily rewarded with some delicious noms. That night we were even more rewarded with our very first aurora borealis of the trip. It wasn’t anything spectacular but boy was it exciting. 

Day 2 was promised to be filled with many surprises according to Rocky. Our first stop was, of course, a surprise. We ended up stopping at this little house on the side of the road that has some folklore surrounding it. After that we headed to see Skogafoss in all it’s glory but before the sun was really up. It was really thoughtful of Rocky because he only gave us long enough to take photos as we needed to be at our next stop at a specific time but it gave us the chance to take photos without people. Our next stop was a glacier hike on Solheimajokull which I was really looking forward too. Before this trip I’d never done a hike on a glacier before. The hike was something really special as it had been raining off and on all morning and we were rewarded with a stunning double rainbow at our highest point on the glacier. Can’t complain about the rain when you get sights like that. From the hike we headed back to Skogafoss to actually properly see the waterfall in daylight and eat some grub. This was another restaurant that I had eaten at (and actually stayed at the hotel as well) over the summer so I was super pumped for the food. We got to enjoy yet another double rainbow of the day while eating and looking out at the falls. From Skogafoss we headed to Dyrhólaey view point for some stunning abet very windy views. Afterwards we drove down the hill to the black sand beach, Reynisfjara, which is equally famous for its views and its sneaker waves. I’d been to this beach twice before (summer 2016 and summer 2022) and I’d never seen the waves this angry. I took one look at Mel and told her I would’t even go on the beach itself. We ended up walking over some rocks at the beaches edge to take some photos before sitting ourselves at a bench in the local cafe and enjoying some warm drinks. It’s incredible how a change in the weather can change conditions so quickly. For those of you who’ve been before let me paint you a picture – normally you can walk past the basalt columns so you can see the sea stacks right? You couldn’t do that, you couldn’t even walk up to the basalt columns for fear of being lost to sea. The waves were coming so quickly and so fast. I don’t even think there were actually any sneaker waves when were there, the wind and swell were just so intense that it wasn’t safe. 

From the black sand beach we caught some of the last rays of light from the church in Vik before racing to our last surprise of the day, the Yoda cave. We literally caught the last rays of light at the Yoda Cave, Rocky’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Then everyone succumbed to the motion of the car and fell asleep during the 3 hour drive to our hotel. We spent the night near the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon since we’d be going to the ice caves the next day. That night the northern lights put on quite the show and I fell in love. The northern lights kept me up a few more hours than I would have liked that night and yet it was so incredibly worth it. 

Day 3 (and the last day of the tour) began with a trip to a viewpoint near the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Do to the easterly winds the icebergs of the lagoon weren’t visible from the parking lot the way they generally are so Rocky brought us to one where we’d be able to see them better. The easterly winds also pushed the icebergs away from the entrance to the ocean, so there were no diamonds at diamond beach. Instead Rocky took us to a few other surprises including another glacier lagoon. After Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon we made it to the ice caves, something I’d be waiting to see since I’d read about them that summer. Spoiler alert, they didn’t disappoint. The blues in the ice were just… I don’t have words. Just take my advice, go and see them for yourself before the day comes that we can’t. Lunch was out of a food truck back at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Finally had a vegan hot dog in Iceland that I loved, and could have eaten three of. From there we had one of our last surprises – Rocky had stopped at a viewpoint that Justin Bieber had made famous. I don’t care for Justin but golden hour was just starting and boy was she pretty on the Icelandic mountains. From there we stopped off at a foss I had stopped at over the summer that’s worth a photo or two and a great place to fill your waterbottle. Our last stop of the day was the surprise that was meant to make up for diamond beach and it definitely did. We ended up turning down a road that I immediately recognized and got SO excited about in the van because I knew were we were going. Rocky had taken us to Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon which I had wanted to take Mel too but knew we wouldn’t have time so this was perfect. Sadly we didn’t have the time to go to what I think is the best view point, but still so worth it.

Rocky then drove us the several hours back into the city where we all went our separate ways. Mel and I decided to have a bit of a night on the town having a few drinks at Sumac and Lebowski bars’ before calling it a night. The next morning we headed to this bakery that is owned by, who I’ve been told, is the best pastry chef in Iceland. Well, I can tell you this, their croissants are delicious and well worth the stop. From there we walked to Blue Car rentals to pick up a car for the next two days. I ended up taking Mel on an adventure on the Reykjanes Peninsula. We started off in the lake area first, driving the opposite way I had over the summer to make sure we had light for the important parts. From Lake Kleifarvatn we drove to Brimketill lava rock pool and went to the bridge between continents. Our last stop before we headed back into the city was to Hvalsneskirkja Church. We then headed into town to visit the Icelandic Phallological Museum and grab dinner at Kol which came highly recommended by an Icelandic chef I befriended over the summer. The food and drinks were superb. After Kol we went on a northern lights tour with super jeep. We had booked this before we had gotten to Iceland. It was great and we ended up seeing the lights again, however had we known we were going to see the lights so on the southern cost we probably wouldn’t have done it. We’d been having so many long days it would have been nice to get some extra sleep. That being said the professional photos of us with the lights were a nice touch. Just to be clear though, I loved the company and I’d totally promote going on a tour with them, it just wasn’t a good fit with us as we hadn’t gotten much sleep. 

On our last full day in Iceland we left the hotel at 8am to do my own version of a self guided golden circle tour. If you’ve heard me talk at all about Iceland in real life, then you’ve heard me talk about Brúarfoss, another waterfall that easily falls in my top 10. There’s something so special about this place, maybe it’s because of how I saw it in 2016, I don’t know but it’s always going to have an extra special place in my heart. Mel and I started on the three hour round trip hike and quickly find ourselves hitting mud. Knowing that the mud is worth it, we power through and hit the first waterfall of the hike, Hlauptungufoss. Mel was immediately blown away by the color of the water and I knew I made the right decision taking her there. Shortly afterwards we were greeted by Midfoss and then in all her glory, Brúarfoss. Not only is she gorgeous, but we had her ALL TO OURSELVES. The photographer in me was so, so overjoyed. This waterfall has gotten more popular over the years so when I went over the summer I wasn’t surprised when there were a good chunk of people there, but doing the hike in the cold and wind was so worth it to be alone at the waterfall. We spent sometime taking photos before hiking back to the car and heading to Faxafoss. It was another waterfall I hadn’t seen yet so of course I was keen. This one isn’t nearly as spectacular but still a nice stop on a self drive. Our last stop before lunch was to Hurnalaug. It’s a natural hot spring that is super cute and I want to come back to it the next time I’m in Iceland (I hadn’t brought a swimsuit with me that day as we hadn’t planned on stopping here initially). From Hrunalaug our stomachs were calling for lunch and we headed to Friðheimar. I’d been here over the summer and I knew how busy they could be so I made sure to make a reservation the day before otherwise we probably wouldn’t have been able to stop. At least in summer they had the outside area available for walk ins but they obviously can’t do that in winter. Friðheimar is a tomato farm that is also a restaurant. All of their dishes have tomatoes in them as do most of their drinks. I got my favorites from the summer – burrata and ravioli. I even managed to convince Mel to try a shot of schnapps out of a holed out tomato (I would have tried it but I was driving). 

We raced back into the city beating our way through traffic so we could have thanksgiving dinner at Sumac. I think Sumac is easily becoming my favorite restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. Our last night in town was absolutely lovely filled with excellent cocktails and delicious food. That night I ended up leaving the hotel for a few hours to walk round town one last time and also to see the lights. Even from the city you can see the lights and especially when they were strong like they were that night. I could even see some of the green with my naked eye which was so cool. 

The next morning we found ourselves at the tourist bus stop one last time waiting for the bus to the blue lagoon. Mel had really wanted to go and I’d never been before so I was keen to go once. It made so much sense to do it our last day there since we could get transport from our hotel to the lagoon and then from the blue lagoon get transport to the airport. The lagoon even has a place that you can store your luggage (for 800 ISK a bag but honestly for Iceland prices that isn’t terrible at all). We ended up being at the lagoon from 9am to 2pm. Being there that early in the morning was so nice because there were less people AND we had the most glorious sunrise of our entire trip. Personally I think 5 hours was a little too long and we only ended up staying there that long because Mel did an in water massage. We did book the premium ticket instead of the standard ticket and if you’re going in winter time it is SO worth it so that you get a bathrobe. I liked the blue lagoon more than I thought and I do think I’ll be back again one day to have an in water massage but until then I’m more than happy to chase some of the other hot springs I haven’t been too. Before we realized it, we were on our way to the airport and shortly afterwards found ourselves on our flight to the states and then back to Albany. 

The trip was too short in so many ways and also just the right amount of time as well. I think Iceland is just a place that will continue to call to me for years to come, plus I would have loved to see it in the snow. Each time I’ve been back, I’ve found another thing to add to my ‘Iceland bucket list.’ So, who wants to come with me next?