August 2022. We decided to plan a family trip to Iceland while my grandma was visiting from South Korea. I planned an itinerary that went along the South Coast and ended in the capital, Reykjavík. The trip would last 6 nights, 5 days.
The airbnb I found was right in the middle of the airport and Jökulsárlón, which was the farthest place we would have to drive to. It was a whole house to ourselves, and it was located at the very end of a huge farm owned by an Icelandic couple. We had to drive a good ten minutes from the big road to reach our isolated house. As soon as we walked in, we gasped at the view. Right outside the windows, horse were grazing in the grass, and we were surrounded by an endless green. My grandma teared up and said it was like nothing she saw before.
One of the first sites we visited was Kerid Crater, which is along the Golden Circle. The crater was filled with bright turquoise water, and it glimmered beautifully in the sun. Fortunately, the weather was perfect for the first half of our trip, which can be hard to come by in Iceland.
Iceland is also famous for its waterfalls, and you can spend a whole day visiting each one because there are so many. Wherever we went, there were other tourists, but not too many. Perhaps that is one of the best parts of visiting Iceland: there are never too many people. Especially driving on the roads is an amazing, peaceful experience, because often times you are the only car on an endless road. You can drive fast, but not too fast, because we ended up getting one ticket throughout our whole trip.
Drive past Vik where you can see the black sand of Reynisfjara Beach, you end at Jökulsárlón, which is another tourist spot to see the glaciers of Iceland up close. There are boat tours with a guide, and from the way they talk you can hear how much love they have for their country.
After experiencing the wondrous nature of the South Coast of Iceland, we drove to Reykjavík, the capital. Reykjavík is completely different from the other parts of the country—bustling with people, filled with colorful houses and small shops owned by people with their own stories.
Apparently Icelandic people read a lot, and there were many bookstores both in and near Reykjavík. We visited both the oldest and biggest bookstore chain, Penninn Eymundsson, and other independent bookstores. Their displays proudly boasted Icelandic authors, especially their most famous Halldór Laxness. Laxness’ novels bring Iceland to life, and are characterized by the main values of Icelandic society: self-sufficiency and independence.
Iceland is filled with an endless list of places to visit, and we only got to see a small portion of it. We also didn’t get to see the northern lights, which may be for the best, after all. It will bring me back again and again to Iceland, with the hope of seeing the country in a new way each time.