Our Iceland trip was nothing like we expected it would be. We learned flexibility this trip, even when things kept hitting the fan. 

DAY ONE

Our flight landed during the infamous tech mess of 2024. I’ve been loyal to Delta for over a decade because they are generally the most reliable airline. However, they were hit the worst, and most of the flights were either cancelled or delayed significantly on the day we were set to leave. As we pulled into DTW, we found out that our flight had just been delayed three hours. After waiting a few hours in the airport for news, we were then told that the flight had been cancelled due to the pilot timing out. After missing a flight by literally two minutes to Paris that would have connected us to Keflavik, we were put on a flight the next evening.

Since we had childcare and didn’t really want to do the seven hours of driving to/from Muskegon, we decided to stay in Detroit and spend the following day exploring. We stayed at the stunning Siren Hotel downtown and enjoyed the speakeasy vibes. We didn’t have our luggage, so we planned on shopping the next day to pick up fresh clothes and essentials for the flight.

DAY TWO

The next morning, we ate at Folk (incredible GF waffles), and wandered around downtown. Favorite shops were:

Bon Bon Bon // Delectable chocolates and bon bons
City Bird // Gift shop
Nest // Home goods and gifts

We swung by DIA for an hour or so, drooled over the architecture and art before getting dinner at Frita Batidos (amazing, by the way) and heading back to the airport.

Thankfully, Delta seemed to be on a better track record, and we were able to depart without issue. We had a direct flight from DTW to KEF, and it felt shorter than flying to the west coast from ATL.

DAY THREE

We arrived on the tarmac to 40º weather, rain, and winds gusting at least 30 MPH. I could only think about the fact that we had planned to snorkel in glacial water the next day.

After getting through customs and such, we took off to the Blue Lagoon with only a few minutes to spare on our reservation. Thankfully, we didn’t have much planned originally on our first day, so the only thing we had to shift was our reservation for the Blue Lagoon. They allowed us to reschedule without fees, which was a relief.

We visited a few hot springs on our trip, and there’s good reason why the Blue Lagoon is the most popular. The silica milky-blue water and volcanic terrain set it apart from other places. We also enjoyed the face masks and swim up bar. However, it was incredibly touristy and much more crowded than other spas we visited.

We took a brief nap (neither of us ever sleep on red eyes), and then we explored Reykjavik. We loved our airbnb. It was a short walk to town and convenient.

Reykjavik was much more touristy than I expected. There are many incredible restaurants and shops to purchase Icelandic sweaters and winter gear. We loved our late lunch at Hosilo. Other restaurants on our list that were celiac-accommodating (or just looked incredible) were:

Sumac
Ox
BRÚT
Hnoss
Skál!
Apotek
Loa
Reykjavik kitchen
Himalayan Spice
Mat bar
Fish Market

We had planned to eat at Dill, which was the first restaurant in Iceland to get a Michelin star. I was sorely disappointed that we missed our buffer day because I was not in a place physically or mentally to savor this type of cuisine on an hour of sleep. My stomach is always a mess with jet lag and lack of sleep, but I did my best to rally.

I was incredibly impressed with the intentional way they plan their menu and accommodate allergies. Typically, a restaurant will remove items to make a dish GF, but they made sure I was able to eat every course as close to the original specification as possible (including the bread course!). I was almost in tears by the end of the experience because I felt so well cared for. 

Dill’s theme is traditional Icelandic cuisine. As the servers brought out the courses, they shared a story about how the dish came about, where each ingredient was harvested, and anything else unique about the dish. There were many things on the tasting menu I would never order (cod tongue, whelk, parsnip ice cream), but we actually enjoyed most of the food. It was difficult to finish all 12 (15?) courses, but the experience was unforgettable.

DAY FOUR

We drove out to Thingvellir National Park in the morning to meet our guide  from Adventure Vikings to snorkel between the tectonic plates. Iceland is the only place in the world where you can do so. It took a little over an hour to get fitted into our wet suits and complete the safety training. Most people that snorkel in the park do so in dry suits, but we opted for wet suits so that we could dive down and swim more freely.

I was scared that I would be too cold, but the wet suits were surprisingly warm. My face (exposed) was obviously the coldest, but it numbed to the glacial water within a few minutes. My hands and feet became cold towards the end of the experience (around 30-45 mins).

I’ve snorkeled in the Caribbean a few times, but this water was far different. There’s very little life because the water is so pure and clear. We actually were able to drink the water (and we did). One thing we did not expect was for the wet suits to be as buoyant as they were, so it was difficult to swim below the surface. Typically divers will wear weights with these suits, but we were unable to for safety reasons. 

Overall, the snorkeling was one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide also took GoPro photos of us, which we were able to download after our trip. I highly recommend the experience!

After snorkeling, we hopped up to Friðheimar for the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. We loved the vibes of this restaurant and the eclectic menu of all tomato things (tomato coffee, tomato ice cream, etc.).

Brendan stopped by a nearby golf course, and I went to Laugarvatn to soak for an hour. I enjoyed the view over the lake and also the ability to cold plunge (which I did). This spa was much more laid back than most.

We then met up with my couple for portraits along the south coast. We stoped at Skogafoss and Reynisfjara Beach. I was shocked that we had Skogafoss to ourselves for a bit, but it was probably due to the late hour and the rain. 

We crashed at the Umi Hotel, which was our favorite stay of the trip.

DAY FIVE

After breakfast, we hopped over to Vik to explore for a bit. We had a delicious lunch at Black Crust Pizzeria and walked down to the beach with our cappuccinos. 

I scheduled a massage at the hotel while Brendan golfed at Vik Golf Club. He was it was one of the most unique courses he’s ever played.

We met up for dinner at the hotel (amazing food, by the way), and then we started our hike around 9:30 p.m. We knew we’d avoid tourists later in the evening, and it was fun to hike so late at night! 

We started at Nauthúsagil and really enjoyed this trail. It involved hiking upriver, including up a small waterfall to make it to a larger waterfall. It was otherworldly. After our hike, we climbed the walking path on the surrounding cliffs and watched the sun setting for a bit on the mossy grounds.

We hiked until almost midnight, enjoying Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui.

DAY SIX

We planned to drive to Höfn and make a few stops along the way. We had lunch at Systrakaffi, and the food was incredible. We also stopped at Fjaðrárgljúfur, but it was incredibly touristy, so we didn’t stay long.

We hiked Múlagljúfur Canyon, and this was one of my favorite hikes on our trip. There were multiple waterfalls, incredible canyon views, glacial views in the distance, and we had sun!

We stopped at Fjallsjokull Glacier lagoon, which is right next to the Canyon trail. It was wild how quickly the temperature dropped from 70º to 50º just by being near the glaciers.

Diamond Beach was our last stop, and it was very touristy. There were less “diamonds” than expected, probably because of the summer weather.

We ate dinner at Pakkhús and had another incredible meal by the port. While we were waiting for the check, we decided to route our drive for our last day. We had planned to take the ferry to the Westman Islands in the morning, which was supposed to be about a 3.5 hour drive from Höfn. However, when we mapped, Google kept taking us the opposite way around the island, which looked more like a 12 hour drive.

We asked our waitress why our map kept diverting us in the other direction (we tried different apps), she casually said:  “Oh, there was a glacial flood that washed out the main road.”

What?

Are you sure?

We were JUST in that area 2 hours ago! The road was fine!

A fellow tourist overheard our conversation and confirmed what had happened. He shared the Iceland road app, and it looked like there was not going to be any updates until the next morning.

Brendan started to come down with a fever and did not feel well. While he tried to sleep, I dug up all plans that we researched over six months ago to try to find something we could do if we had to drive the entire island.

There were few affordable airbnb options in Höfn. We felt like our airbnb was way overpriced, especially compared to what we paid for Umi Hotel.

DAY SEVEN

We woke up this morning to the same notification that read something like: “Road work underway due to flooding. Uncertain when work will be complete. Update to be shared around 2:00 p.m.”

We were supposed to fly out the next morning, so we knew we couldn’t risk waiting it out in Höfn. We packed up our things and started our drive north.

The east fjords were stunning. In fact, I would have been happy to just tour the island by car because it is truly beautiful in every direction you look. There are rolling green hills, endless waterfalls, cute little farm houses, and thousands of sheep and horses. 

Our first stop was at the Vök baths. This was probably my favorite hot spring we explored. The floating baths overlook a lake, which you can cold plunge into. Their pools also varied in temperature, which was nice when you wanted a break from the 100º tubs.

We ate lunch here, and it was lovely overlooking the lake with a the sunshine and a slight breeze. 

Brendan started to feel pretty terrible at this point, and we were worried it was covid. We drove through volcanic fields and varied mountain landscapes. Eventually we ended up at Hverir Geothermal area, which looked like another planet. It smelled strongly of the sulfur coming out of the burnt orange earth. 

Our last stop was in Akeuryi. If we had more time (or if Brendan was feeling better), we would have made a few more stops. I honestly didn’t love Akeuryi because it was touristy. I did have excellent sushi at Rub23. Honestly, we had incredible food the entire trip. I don’t think we had a bad meal at all.

The drive from Akeuryi to Keflavik was the least interesting of the trip. It could have also been because it was on hours 10-12 of the drive with traffic and rain, but we were very done with the drive at this point. 

We stayed at Hotel Berg, which was very convenient for our early morning flight, but the hotel was mediocre. Brendan felt terrible, so he went to bed, and I packed up our things.

DAY EIGHT

After making it through security, duty free, and customs, we settled in at our gate. When we were asked for our passports again, mine wouldn’t “clear.” The agent said, “Don’t worry about it. We just need more information, but I can’t sign your ticket.” I’ve never had this experience before, and I was nervous that I was being flagged for some reason.

Right before we were about to board, a woman came up to me and said:  “Miss, you’ve been selected for additional screening. You won’t see your husband until you’re on the plane. Please grab all of your things.” 

I gave Brendan a puzzled look, and followed her to another room. I had to strip my shoes, pull anything larger than a cell phone out of my bag (e.g. all of my camera gear), and unzip every zipper on my hiking backpack. 

After about 5-10 minutes, they cleared me, and I was set to board. They said it was a random selection, but I have never gone through that before, especially since acquiring pre-check.

We made it home and took covid tests (negative). We spent the next three weeks taking turns fighting off a nasty virus. Many of my friends that traveled to Europe this summer came back with similar symptoms, so it might have just been something that was going around at the time.

There were so many things I loved about Iceland:  the kind people, the light, the majestic landscape, the fresh seafood, and the way I felt safe everywhere we went. However, we definitely hit a few bumps in the road on this trip that we will forever remember and chalk up to a good travel story.