Unplanned and Unforgettable

A couple weeks ago we did a “half circle” roadtrip around Iceland. I have never felt so many feelings flood in so overwhelmingly all at once. This was one of those places that was on my bucket list for the longest time and it almost slipped away this summer too, but alas we bought tickets 2 weeks before we were due to leave. And I must say the hype did build up in those 2 weeks as everything in my recommended page, whether it be X, YouTube, or Instagram, was full of Iceland content. As I counted down the days I couldn't help but daydream about what awaited on the other side.

Well before we knew it, it was the day of the flight and what do you know, our first flight from Toronto was delayed inbound by an hour which had us stressing because our transit time in Chicago was only an hour and 40 minutes. With all that being said we eventually got on the plane and had no chance to catch some sleep before we were landing. And to our surprise we landed around 30 minutes before we were due to take off on our second flight, but we landed around 10 kilometers away from our gate and we were literally taxiing for 30 minutes. We watched as our boarding time opened and closed as we were still sitting and waiting hopelessly on the first plane. On top of all of this the gate we landed at was in a different terminal from the one we were departing from. So as soon as those gates opened, we booked it as fast as we could from terminal 1 to terminal 2, running past everyone, past the crowds, the shops and all of the gates to the end of the hallway.

Somehow, we made it right as they were closing the door to the gate. But my brother had all of our passports and was missing. He had followed someone else that looked like us downstairs and somehow realized just in time, reuniting with us around 2 minutes later. What could have been a true recreation of Home Alone 2. Finally, we were on the last leg, headed straight to Keflavik.

6 hours later we landed in Iceland, none of us had slept in the past 30-ish hours but we were too excited to feel tired. Passport check took around an hour but before we knew it we were headed on the shuttle to pick up our rental car. From there we booked it straight to Reykjavik to the Costco to stock up on food. Most of the things there were similar to that of Canada/US but the food court had this chicken stuffed bread which we called a ‘goy stick ☠️’ cause it looked like the fattest thing you could order on the menu, however to be fair it did taste very good.

From there we were on the road. We were spellbound as we drove past small waterfalls and cut through the fog as it unveiled mountains that reached toward the sky. The driving experience felt very familiar to that of England and the landscapes heading north were alike to that of the Scottish Highlands.

We weren't even settled in before we were crossing an underground tunnel that was 7 km long connecting the south to the north. It was cutting right through the bay of the Arctic Ocean which ran deep under the water. Coming out we found a spot to stop and drink in the views.

After lounging for a while and cleaning off for the first time in over a day, we drove a couple of kilometers down the road to the Gerðuberg Cliffs. The first thought that entered my mind was Conkeldurr’s pillars. It doesn't look that tall but as you walk closer you become riddled with a sense of megalophobia. Nevertheless the climb was super fun.

Our next stop was at Ytri Tunga, home to grey seals. This feels like a small reserve since it had pay parking (not enforced by any “physical” person) and had signs pointing to a quiet zone. Once we got out of the car, we were greeted by a very pungent smell which happened to be a dead baby minke whale. By baby I don't mean it's small cause it was well over 6 meters long, but it was smaller compared to how big minke whales usually grow up to be. We hiked around along the beach before lingering in the stillness of it all. Waves crashing along the rocky shore, seals calling in the distance, and birds drifting toward the horizon. I would say this is a must visit if you want to see animals.

From there we drove to the Rauðfeldsgjá gorge and at first glance this vast mountain makes you feel infinitesimal. It was a mountain with a crack formed from a prehistoric waterfall and this mountain almost looked like a fist. The birds flying along the cliff faces looked like dragons in scenes from How to Train Your Dragon. The walk to the gorge from the parking lot itself was probably about a kilometer and everyone that was walking back said it was super fun and sick. This place is probably the reason everyone says you need waterproof things and you won't regret bringing it here because everyone got drenched when walking to the hidden waterfall. I decided to stay back and linger with the view from the top as the sun melted into the horizon. The quiet magic of it is that the sunset lasts a couple of hours since there are only a couple of hours of darkness throughout the summer.

By the time we were back at the car it was around 10:30pm and still very bright outside so we headed straight to the place that I looked forward to all trip: Kirkjufellsfoss. I must say this next leg was possibly the most ethereal drive I have ever done. The roads curved around mountains, slipped through clouds and as we descended along the shoreline we were greeted by the most luminous sunset on the Arctic Ocean’s horizon. We were even lucky enough to catch an arctic fox crossing the road!

The reveal of Kirkjufell was something straight out of a dream. As we rounded the last bend, the iconic Kirkjufell mountain emerged through the mist like a giant silhouette. We almost missed the entrance to the waterfall as we were admiring the horses grazing on the adjacent field. The waterfall didn't disappoint. It was exactly as I had envisioned it and as a cherry on top it was golden hour bathing the sky for an unreal long exposure.

It was getting kind of cold and was much past the time to make it and check into any campsite. We wandered into the nearby town and it was a ghost town. One idea we had was parking at a supercharger and charging the car while we slept but we didn't have an attachment to make that happen. We tried at several places before coming to that conclusion and another hour had passed and it was pretty dark.

We found this spot beside a dormant volcano in an ancient lava field to sleep in. It felt like true “off the grid-backcountry-car-camping”. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fall asleep since it was pretty bright outside but before I knew it I was knocked out right on my seat. It was that 48h+ of no sleep that finally had kicked in.

Day 1: map

I only grasped where we were when I woke up. We slept in a freaking lava field beside a volcano!? I didn't want to waste any time so while everyone else was sleeping I decided to get a head start on the day and get to the nearest town, which was an hour away, to stock up on food, drinks and get cleaned up. I would be lying if I said that wasn't the hardest drive ever, I was trying so hard to stay awake. But somehow by the power of god we made it to the Netto (supermarket) in Borgarbraut. Undoubtedly one of the best places for all things grocery and even has a small bakery inside.

From there we were headed to Geysir but not before a stop at Brúarfoss. This was a more crowded location and more mainstream along the Golden Circle tour but there was a hotdog stand in the parking lot which we couldn't get back to after the hike there and back to feast on some traditional Icelandic glizzies. The water was this otherworldly electric blue colour, almost like someone had put a filter over it. It was a pretty small waterfall compared to some of the others we had seen, but the colour made it feel completely different. It looked like melted glacier water glowing through the rocks.

Next stop was the Geysir. This was one of those places that felt like Iceland laid bare. You could see steam rising from the ground everywhere, with these bubbling pools that looked like they were about to swallow you whole. Every few minutes, Strokkur would erupt and everyone would gather around with their phones out waiting for the exact moment. We stood there for a while and watched it shoot into the sky, and even though you know it's about to happen, it still catches you off guard every single time. The smell of sulphur was absolutely insane though. It genuinely smelled like someone had boiled eggs in the middle of the earth and left them there. We walked around the different pools, trying to get as close as we could without accidentally becoming part of the geothermal activity. The colours were almost alchemical, especially around the edges where the minerals had stained the ground orange, yellow and white.

From Geysir we started making our way towards Skógafoss, which was one of the waterfalls we were most excited to see. However, when we finally got there, the parking lot was completely full and there was basically nowhere to stop. We drove around for a bit trying to figure out if we could somehow make it work, but there was no chance. After travelling all that way just to stare at the entrance and do absolutely nothing, we decided to keep driving.

Luckily, we ended up finding a hidden gem about 5 kilometres off the main road: Nauthúsafoss. It was tucked away inside this narrow, moss-covered canyon and felt like the complete opposite of Skógafoss. There were barely any people around, no huge crowds and no tour buses, just this pristine river murmuring along the side of the road which originates from a gorge. Before we headed in we decided to get cleaned up, grab some food and clean out the car because at this point it had gotten pretty messy. We had a roast chicken we had bought but had gotten cold so we decided to wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the engine so it warms up and it was a generational meal with Laughing Cow cheese - shout out to the Outdoor Boys.

We decided to check out the gorge and to our surprise it was another parkour course on top of rocks crossing the river and climbing the sides of waterfalls using chains. It was possibly the most enjoyable hike I had done. At the end of this cave we were greeted by the Nauthúsafoss waterfall. After snapping some photos, we headed back to climb on top of this cave to get a view of the waterfall which was the origin to the waterfall in the cave. All of this originates from an iceberg on top of the mountains and we managed to get up above 180m, above the clouds. At one point we were getting drizzled on, and by then we were soaked from head to toe and wanted nothing more than a warm shower.

One thing that we were prepared for was wet feet and all of us brought an abundance of fresh socks. We wanted to find a spot to sleep and shower for the night so we decided to gun it straight to Vík since there was a campsite in the middle of the town. I must say, the drive there was challenging because of the limited visibility from the fog but also exhilarating from all of the curves and winding roads up mountains. We eventually got there but just before entering the city we were flashed by a speeding sign that we thought had potentially been a speeding camera but it was just a scare tactic to get you to slow down.

We got to the campground but the showers and all of the facilities were locked, we were stranded yet once again. We found a side road that we ventured out onto but happened to find ourselves on someone's ranch and a guest lodge so we turned around and finally settled on this place that looked exactly like Patrick's house from SpongeBob but instead of being underwater it was in the middle of a lavender field a couple of kilometers west of Vík.

Day 2: map

Everyone slept like a rock and woke up to the most luminous sunrise. Our plans for the day were to get back to Reykjavik but we also had a bunch of places to see and one of them was the Diamond Beach. Unfortunately it was 2 hours west from where we were and it would make for a very tight timeline for us if we were to do that. So, our first stop of that day was the black sand beaches. There was something about the sand that felt euphoric, and after watching the Odyssey I can see why. Nevertheless after taking it all in and leaving nothing but footprints, we were off to the basalt beach. Another incredible location with caves and formations of basalt that felt almost sacred.

A couple of minutes away was another spot we were dying to see and that was Dyrhólaey, home to the land where the population of puffins exceeds the number of people. It was very windy and made taking some of the photos we took very dangerous because it was on a cliff face with at least a 50m drop to the endless beach underneath. This place felt enchanted, as all the puffins would flock to this specific spot to rest. Some of them even had fish they were carrying.

The walk along the cliff was also incredible with an arch formation out in the distance and the basalt beach views on the opposite side. It was here where I took this photo of a puffin caught perfectly as a ray of sunlight kissed that crevice.

From there we went back to Vík to the Krónan and the Icewear store to check it out as they were one of the few stores in town that were open at the time and stocked up on some souvenirs and Monsters. Our next stop was the Sólheimasandur black sand beach to see the iconic plane crash.

The walk from the parking lot was 7 kilometers and there was no way we were walking that in a dead flat path so we opted to take the bus since the bikes were being used. I'm so glad we did because the bus driver was one of the most interesting characters and started speaking to us in Chinese that he had picked up from other tourists despite being from Portugal.

The plane crash looked dystopian and strangely orphaned as there were 7 people on this plane who all survived and it's in the middle of a random beach in the middle of nowhere. I took the opportunity to climb it and take some sick photos and even walk through it. The conditions were ideal, no wind, minimal sun and best of all no rain, which made the whole thing possible. I loved that stop.

Our last and final stop from there before Reykjavik was Skógafoss, one of the most iconic waterfalls in all of Iceland. There was an overwhelming amount of people which made taking any photo very difficult and on top of that, our memory cards were overflowing (we kept having to swap cards). So we took whatever photos we could and were back on the road.

This last leg back to Reykjavik was possibly one of the worst drives as it was raining and a ton of traffic. But a positive note was that we saw a lot of steam rising from the ground, quiet reminders of all the volcanic activity beneath us. We went to the Metro which was supposed to be McDonalds of Iceland and 4 burgers and 4 medium fries were 90 Canadian dollars but we were still stuffed from that meal so we decided to chill in the city before returning the car.

And just like that, the “half circle” became this quiet weight in my head that I know I'm gonna carry for a long time. It wasn't just the waterfalls or the fog or the way the sun refuses to fully leave in the summer, it was the feeling of being so small in the best way possible. Iceland kinda forced me to stop trying to control everything, because nothing about it is controllable. The weather changes on you, the road keeps going, you miss a stop, you find a new one, you sleep in a lava field beside a volcano and wake up like “wait what the hell is my life”. And somehow all of that chaos was exactly what made it perfect. It reminded me that the best moments are rarely the ones you plan down to the minute, they're the ones that happen when you're tired, soaked, slightly stressed, and still laughing because you're with your people and you're actually there.

I think the biggest thing I took from this trip is that Iceland doesn't let you pretend. Everything there is so ancient and so indifferent that it makes all your usual noise feel kind of silly, in a good way. Like, you're driving next to mountains that look like they were carved by something way bigger than you, watching steam seep out of the ground like the earth is breathing, and it hits you that the world is not built around your comfort or your plans or your timing. And for a while that feels terrifying, because I'm so used to trying to optimize life into something I can predict. But then it becomes freeing. Because if the weather can flip in ten minutes, if the road can take you from fog to sunlight to rain in a single stretch, then maybe the point isn't to control anything. Maybe the point is to show up anyway, to be present enough to notice when the fog lifts, to let yourself be small without turning it into a problem you need to solve.

And coming back, what feels different isn't just that I proved I can “handle it”, it's that I saw what happens when you stop bargaining with life. When you stop waiting for the version of the day where you're well rested and everything goes smoothly and you feel your best, and you just take the day as it is. The long drives, the no sleep, the stupid setbacks, even cutting my toe and walking around in socks like an idiot, all of it felt like a lesson in surrender, not the kind where you give up, but the kind where you finally accept reality and still move through it with love. Iceland made me think about how fast everything passes, how quickly a sunset can stretch for hours and then suddenly be gone, and how easy it is to let the things you want “almost slip away” because you're waiting for the perfect moment. I don't want to live like that. I want to be the type of person that goes before the feeling fades, that says yes while the window is still open, that trusts that mess and beauty are usually the same thing from far enough away.