Lara and Susan's Excellent Icelandic Adventure

Lara and I went to Iceland September 12-22. 2025. It was our second trip together. The first was Ireland two years ago. Same month. We rented a car again (Kia Sportage 4WD) and drove the Ring Road (Route 1) around the island. Lara did almost all the driving. That was okay with me. She also planned most of the trip. That was also okay with me. I booked the airfare, hired the car, and made our room reservations, but she did the rest. She's great at planning trips. She knew everything about the places we visited. I did a pretty job booking our room reservations. We stayed at some interesting places. The best accommodations were the Farm B&B (2 nights) in North Iceland. The CityHub in Reykjavik (2 nights) was a unique experience. I'd stay again. Iceland was an expensive place to visit, but worth it.

Our Icelandic Itinerary

Lara and Susan

Protect nature and pay for parking

Hat tricks:  found hats, lost a hat, bought a hat

I did, I do

Our Icelandic Itinerery

September 12-22, 2025 . . .

Here's what we did on a day-by-day basis.  We saw a lot. There's a lot to see. Iceland is a fascinating place with diverse landscapes. 
 

Flight from Baltimore to Reykjavik
------

Bridge between two continents

Gunnuhver Geothermal Area
Tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula

Brimketill Lava Rock Pool

Krýsuvík Geothermal Area
Lava Cave (Tunnel)

------
Urriðafoss and Ægissíðufoss Falls
Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi Falls

Vík í Mýrdal
Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach
Skógafoss Waterfall
Mystical Caves
------
Dyrhólaey Peninsula
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon 

Dwarf Rocks

A farm with a waterfall (Foss á Síðu)
 Svínafellsjökull Glacier

-------

Black Diamond Beach

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Viking Village Movie Set

F road (Axarvegur)

-------

River in Kerlingarfjöll

Stuðlagil Canyon

Dettifoss and Selfoss

Mývatn Nature Baths

-------

Námafjall Geothermal Area

The Black Cone (Hverfjall)

-------

Waterfall of the Gods (Goðafoss) 

Kolugljúfur Canyon and Falls

-------

On the Peninsula (Ólafsvík)

Kirkjufell Mountain and Waterfalls

Seal Spotting @ Ytri Tunga Beach

Thingvellir National Park

Home of the Geysers

-------

Capital City (Reykjavik)

Iconic church (Hallgrímskirkja)

National Phallological (penis) Museum

Cats of Reykjavik

--------

Kerið Volcanic Crater

A Viking Town

Return flight Reykjavik to Baltimore

OTHER POSTS

Staying in Iceland

Eating in Iceland

Driving in Iceland

Icelandic sheep (sauðfé)
Icelandic wool (lopi)

Viking Horses

Icelandic goats

Icelandic agriculture

Bridge Between Two Continents

September 13, 2025 -- The Bridge between Continents (Miðlína) is a  symbolic 50-ft foot bridge that spans a shallow rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. It is located along the Mid-Atlantic ridge on the easternmost end of the Reykjanes Peninsula, not far from the airport. It was our first stop on our 10-day trip around Iceland and our first glimpse into how unique and diverse the Icelandic landscape was going to be.

North America vs. Eurasia

The bridge is named after the famous Icelandic explorer Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Erikson), the first European to set foot on continental America; in fact, long before Christopher Columbus made landfall in the Caribbean. The bridge is also a symbol for the connection between two continents. Europe and North America: the old world and the new world.

Lara standing between two continents

The Bridge

Spanning two continents

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a massive underwater mountain range in the Atlantic Ocean where new oceanic crust is formed as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pull apart. It is the longest mountain range on earth, with most of it being underwater. It is a hotspot for hydrothermal activity.

Taking a closer look

Locks of love

All around the bridge is the Reykjanes lava field.  It is layers upon layers of lava fields, with the last volcanic eruption having been in 1240. The landscape looked like what you'd expect the moon to look like. They've filmed many movies in the area.

Meeting of two land masses

I made my mark, albeit temporary.

Gunnuhver Geothermal Area

September 13, 2025 --Iceland generates about 30% of its electricity and heats approximately 90% of its homes using geothermal power, a resource made abundant by its location on a volcanic hotspot where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is located. 

Danger Hot spring

Gunnuhver Geothermal field

Gunnuhver is a geothermal field in the southwest part of the Reykjanes Peninsula. We visited it on our first day in Iceland. A unique characteristic of the Gunnuhver hot springs is that the groundwater there is 100% seawater, unlike other geothermal areas on the island. The ground temperatures are over 570°F. 

Where there's smoke there's fire!

Video of Lara in the smoky area

Video of geothermal activity

The name of the area comes from a legend about an angry female ghost, Guðrún. A priest trapped her spirit in the hot springs 400 years ago. 

Tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula

September 13, 2025 -- After visiting the Gunnuhver geothermal field, we continued hiking towards the Valahnúkur cliffs. It was a long trek for our first day in Iceland. As we walked along, we realized we could have driven to the point. Oh, well at least we saved on parking and got to smell the hot springs twice (on the way back). Good exercise, too, after spending six hours on a plane. 

The path

Edge of the water

The cliff

The Valahnúkur cliffs are significant for their unique volcanic geology. They are an example of how volcanic activity and ocean erosion have shaped the Reykjanes Peninsula, with their formations like pillow lava and tuffs resulting from rapid cooling magma. We just thought they were cool.

Valahnúkamöl cliffs

Rocky shore

Sea stacks

Cold and windy

Boulders

Watch a video of the crashing waves

Near the cliff edge, you can find a sculpture of a Great Auk (Geirfuglinn). The sculpture pays tribute to the extinct bird species. The great auk was a flightless bird that lived across the North Atlantic Ocean and was a good swimmer. The species became extinct in the mid-18th century due to overhunting. 

The Great Auk

Me and the Auk

The keyboards on the beach were used in a movie: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. I haven't seen the movie; nor do I think I will. Not a Will Ferrell fan. But it was something unique to see on the beach and at the point. I liked the Auk better.

Home of Volcano Man

On the tip of Reykjanes Peninsula, is a lighthouse. Reykjanes lighthouse is the oldest in Iceland. It was first built in 1878. It is still operational, emitting two flashes every 30 seconds to alert ships at sea. To reach the lighthouse, you had to walk up many steps. It might have been worth the view.

Reykjanes lighthouse

The lighthouse in its entirely

Old lighthouse lanterns

From afar

Brimketill Lava Rock Pool

September 13, 2025 -- A lava rock pool is a natural depression formed on a coastline by the sea eroding volcanic rock. These pools are carved over time by waves crashing against the shore, which creates basins that fill with seawater. A famous example is the Brimketill Lava Rock Pool in Iceland.

Brimketill

Blue Atlantic

Rugged coastline

Stunning views

Brimketill’s current name translates to "whitewater cauldron," although it was not always named such. Historically, it was known as Oddnýjarlaug or "Oddný’s Pool," named after a giantess or troll. According to legend, Oddný used the pool to bathe and wash her clothes; as such it was avoided at night, when she was active (trolls turn to stone in sunlight, according to Icelandic lore).

Watch a video of the water sloshing around the pool

While the lava pool looks like a very enticing place to swim, I suspect that it's not. Between the cold water, slippery rocks, and strong, unpredictable waves, it is very dangerous.  While some people have attempted to swim in the pool, others have fallen to their death.

Reykjanes Peninsula

Krýsuvík Geothermal Area

September 13, 2025 -- Krýsuvík is geothermal area located on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It is the second one we visited. It was very different from Gunnuhver. Gunnuhver is more powerful. Krýsuvík is more suitable for tourists.

Crater lake

Red dirt

Mud pool

Watch video of bubbling mud

Color contrasts

Geothermal areas are converted to electricity by drilling wells to tap underground reservoirs of hot water and steam, which are then used to spin turbines connected to generators. Gunnuhver has an established power plant. Krýsuvík is in development.

Views

Hot water

Colorful landscape

Boardwalk