Lost in Stockholm

In spring 2005 I visited Iceland for the first time. I won an auction for two tickets and two nights at the IcelandAir flagship hotel for $1000 from the Cal Alumni Assoc. Being naturally crazy, I dragged a friend to Iceland for a week at the end of April.

Then, in August 2007, I returned back to Iceland, this time to study Icelandic in the small city of Isafjordur. Icelandic? Yes, traveled to the tiny town to learn a bit more about the Nordic peoples.

Iceland is an adorable Nordic nation where the Norse gods and their Eddas originated. I love reading about the history of the country because the Norse language formed here as well as the pagan Norse religion. A must read for those interested in Icelandic history are the Poetic and Prose Eddas.

This post is for traveling in Iceland. I drove around the Ring Road, Route 1, and had the opportunity to see most of the major landmarks in the country. This article is a work in progress and I will keep adding more information to it. If you have photos or favorites places to share, please write a comment below.

Iceland is my favorite country and everyone has to visit the country. Join the Facebook group called Iceland and give the little place up north some love.

Reykjavik
The capital of Iceland, population 119,000. The photo below is the view from the largest church, Hallgrímskirkja.

Sólfar – The Sun Voyager
Located on the river front near downtown Reykjavik.

Þingvellir
Home of the world’s first parliament founded in 930AD.

Gullfoss and Geysir
Foss means waterfall in Icelandic. Gullfoss and Geysir are near Þingvellir (about 30-45 minutes away) and are beautiful places. While not the largest waterfall, Gullfoss is spectacular. Geysir is the name for several geysers located together. One of them erupts every 10 minutes or so.

Ísafjörður
This little city of 4000 is the capital of the West Fjords. Isafjordur is a cute, little city and taking photos in Isafjordur was amazing.

Bolungarvik
Located about 10km away from Ísafjörður. There is a great Viking tour (it was organized through our class) in Bolungarvik. Best way is by car or bike, buses seldom pass by.

Flateyri
Another small city in the West Fjords, about 20km away.

Vigur Island
An island less than an hour’s boat ride away from Isafjordur. A beautiful island with many species of birds, including the eider ducks who produce gorgeous down feathers.

Akureyri
Largest northern city of Iceland at 17,000.

Húsavík

Myvatn

Hverfjall

Dettifoss
Europe’s largest waterfall located east of Mývatn. The waterfall is normally closed in the winter season.

Courtesy of Dbrim

Jökulsarlon
One of my favorites places in Iceland, this glacier lake is a must see after visiting Skaftafell National Park.

A more panoramic photo of the glacier lake

Skaftafell National Park

Vík

Skogafoss

Vestmannaeyjar

From LittleFrank

Selfoss
A small city outside of Reykjavik. There’s a wonderful fish restaurant on the water called Fjöruborðið (translation from Icelandic: At the Seashore). The restaurant is 20-30min away from Selfoss and is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
A set of crosses from people who died from car accidents.

Bláa Lónið – Blue Lagoon
One of the world’s most famous spa and lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is close to the Reykjavik Airport so many people stop there at the beginning or the end of their trip. There are also buses that pass through the Lagoon and into Reykjavik or the Keflavik Airport.

Keflavik
The Reykjavik International Airport is located in this tiny city.