Iceland Part Two: Exploring the WestFjords via Campervan

 Iceland Part Two: Exploring the WestFjords in our campervan

After our highlands trek, we rented a campervan and decided to explore the WestFjords. We didn't want to drive all the way around the Ring Road, but the WestFjords sounded like a cool region of the country that is less popular with tourists.

Our hotel in Reykjavic, next to the bus terminal

The 'free' pile at the campervan rental place, where we stocked up on pasta, PB and jam

Highlights of day 1 included many waterfalls everywhere we looked, going to a 'creamerie' farm with games and delicious ice cream, and finding a 'hot pot' geothermal to soak in at the ocean's edge.

These bouncy 'trampolines' were in every town we stopped in, and the kids loved to jump.

Soccer balls / Billiards

"Hot pot" geothermal hot water at the ocean's edge

Highlights of Day 2 included driving to the most western point of Iceland, white sandy beaches, seeing puffins, more amazing waterfalls.

Another amazing 'hot pot' near the ocean.

Sheep on the road was a common hazard!

White sand beaches in the area

Standing on the most western point of Iceland

Highlights of Day 3 - we attended a local community swimming pool in the morning and Ella had coffee with the older ladies on the side of the pool. Jason went for a run. But after that, the wind and rain really picked up so we didn't have as many photos. 

We did go to the 'arctic fox' museum and learned about these cool animals. 

Day 4's start was outstanding: free geothermal hot tubs for anyone on the side of the road? Ok! And as we were there, soaking in these lovely tubs, a whale swam by. We watched the whale feeding for about 10 minutes of bliss before it left. In case you didn't already know, being hot and whales are two of my favorite things!

We then drove to the more popular area of Iceland, as we needed to start making our way closer to the airport for our departure. We decided to go see the Geysir area, which is especially exciting for Ava because she studied Geysers in grade 3 science this year, but has never seen one in person. The original name "Geysir" came from a large dormant one in Iceland, but one right next door is quite active and fun to watch.

After Geysir, we drove a few minutes away to see "Gullfoss", a large and beautiful waterfall. It was strange to see so many tourists, as most of our journey so far had been quite quiet. We were now in the more popular "Golden Circle" tour, not that far from the capital city.

Day 5: We woke up in the campervan and excited for our last full day in Iceland. Jason and I went for a run, although there were limited options and the wind continued to be fierce. But we did hill repeats and then drove toward a crater and a cave. The crater cost money, so we checked out a botanical garden and waterfall. Then the cave needed a 4x4 truck to access, so we continued south to check out a lighthouse and some volcanic areas.

The first thing we usually saw in the morning was Ava's head, looking down from her bed above to say 'Good Morning!'

The volcanic areas were a bit hard to access - a 4x4 truck would have been helpful and the wind was still crazy, so we decided to keep on going and have some time to get organized for our departure. We opted to get a hotel for this night near the airport, as the logistics of our evening plans / returning the van / leaving in the morning were getting complicated. 

After dinner, we went to the Blue Lagoon. But on the way there, we received a text "There is an eruption in the area..." - it turns out that the volcanic area we were just in started erupting just after we drove through it. After recent earthquakes this week, a fissure of about 100m opened up and lava was actively flowing, although there was no threat / danger in any way. So we went into the Blue Lagoon and enjoyed our evening!

The Blue Lagoon calls itself one of the "25 wonders of the world" and it is not cheap. I was honestly prepared to be disappointed because I thought it was going to be too commercial. We had soaked in may other lovely (free) places on this trip already... but it turns out that it really WAS LOVELY. We had fun getting our complimentary drinks, masks, and exploring all the little area of the milky hot water. We really enjoyed it.

Good night, Iceland

Thanks for an awesome trip!