The Follies of Iceland

Ever since my first 24 hours spent in and around Reykjavik on my way to Helsinki back in late May, I've been looking forward to returning to Iceland to explore more of the strange and beautiful country. Unfortunately, due to illness, and a decided lack of preparation on my part, what transpired over the 10 days that I had in the country wound up feeling a lot more like a "practice run" than a proper exploration.

For starters, the mystery illness.... while I did manage to get my voice mostly back just a few hours before our arrival in Seydisfjordur, the sore throat persisted through the rest of my stay, flaring up on occasion to the point where I could barely stand to eat or drink anything. This made sleep difficult, especially when camping, and severely dulled my desire to go out and drink with the locals (my favorite travel pastime) even when there did actually happen to be a bar around. It also meant that I was scratching any and all forms of hiking or trekking off of my to-do list, for fear I should wind up exhausted, ill, cold, and alone in the absolute middle of nowhere. This was a particular shame, because there were many multi-day treks through the desolate highlands available that looked like great fun, had I the energy to tackle them.

Problem number two was transportation. When I sold the bike and realized I was NOT going to be cycling in Iceland, I figured I would most likely hitchhike my way around it back to Reykjavik.  Contrary to the fears instilled in us as Americans, hitchhiking is actually incredibly common in Iceland, and incredibly safe. It also seemed like a great way to meet new people along the way.  Unfortunately, it can also be a bit difficult, depending on where in the country you find yourself.  In the more popular tourist areas around Reykjavik and the Golden Circle, you've got an endless supply of cars going past you pretty much all the time.  In the east, where I was starting my trip, there are stretches of road where you might not see a car for an hour or more.  As I was still on shaky ground health-wise, I did NOT relish the idea of standing on the side of the road in the rain for possibly hours on end waiting for a ride, and so I decided to use the busses.

Busses in Iceland are mainly tourist traps.  In fact, the bulk of Iceland's economy is geared toward charging tourists exorbitant amounts of money for everything. Not that I blame them for this. On the contrary, I think its admirable how they've turned their economy around using their own natural resources (while also preserving and protecting them).  But as a tourist, it can get frustrating at times.  There's one national bus system in Iceland, with prices that are actually pretty reasonable. Trouble is, it's hardly what I would call "extensive". It was definitely NOT going to get me from Seydisfjordur to Reykjavik.  To fill in the (large) gaps left by this system, I had to use the "tourist" busses.  Though cleverly disguised as "regular" busses through the use of route numbers and printed bus schedules, these are, in actuality, all run by one of several Icelandic tour companies, and so charge a bloody FORTUNE to get you from point A to B.  This led to me spending more money than I would have liked on this segment of the trip, and (with the exception of one bus that brought me from Akureyri to Geysir through the highlands) left me pretty much a slave to the ring road, which while convenient, doesn't deliver the awe-inspiring scenery of the desolate highlands in the middle of the country.

About halfway through my time there, I realized that I had done Iceland all wrong, and already began to formulate a plan to come back at some point in the future and do it right! Firstly, I would NOT go alone.  Being that the country is so desolate (the population of the entire country is 350,000...that's HALF the population of the city of Seattle) it's not as easy to make friends as it was in other places I'd visited. Plus, if I wanted to do a multi-day trek without paying a huge fee to be a part of an organized tour group, I'd certainly want at least one trekking buddy with me.  Furthermore, it only makes financial sense to rent a car if you're traveling as a group, and I had also decided that a car rental is a MUST in order to have the freedom to explore the really cool, off the beaten track places. Friends. Rental Car. Good Health. The Iceland essentials.

Despite the foibles, I did still manage to have a good time in Iceland. It's just so damned beautiful, how could I not?  I also ticked a good number of things off the to-do list:

Ride Icelandic Horse: Check!

Watch a Geysir Explode: Check!

 

Badass Waterfalls: Check!

Camp by a Massive Lake Swarming with Midges: Check!

Ride a Bus in a Cloud: Check!
(This is literally the view out the busses front window..no editing... Driver didn't even slow down... like a boss!)

 

I even managed to hitchhike from Geysir to Selfoss and, I think, broke some kind of world record in doing so.  Two rides acquired to get from A to B, and a whopping total of 3 minutes spent standing on the side of the road to get them! If I'd realized it was just that easy, I'd have done more of it!

 

And so I left Iceland, having hit my expiration date in the Shengen Visa Zone, making my escape to the beauty that is Ireland. A visit to a walk-in clinic in Dublin upon my arrival revealed strep throat to be the most likely culprit behind the mystery illness (weirdly, this is the first time in my life I can remember ever having strep throat) and already, after a good night's sleep and the first few doses of my new antibiotic, I'm feeling a bit better.  The final leg of this adventure is in full swing. Time to get my Irish on!