Iceland is the trip of spontaneity…which means lots of pull offs & an itinerary with no real plan. If you ever find yourself in Iceland, take a drive along Rt. 1 & you’ll have many opportunities to see a plethora of diverse views…from snow capped mountains to vast moss-covered rock fields. And the fields of purple flowers that hug each side of the road for miles…AMAZING. After a full Icelandic breakfast, we started on Rt. 1 for a view of Hekla (a volcano) with a massive field of purple flowers in the forefront. We paused the drive to peruse through a local artisan shop featuring glass and some pottery (Gallery Floi), near the town of Selfoss.
We went into (and I really mean into) our first waterfall of the trip. Seljalandsfoss is a massive waterfall where a trail loops up to the falls and winds behind and under the water. So of course I checked off on my Iceland bucket list climbing out onto a rock to let a part of the water fall on me.
And when in Iceland why not love on some Icelandic horses? What I’ve learned is that Iceland will never run out of two animals – horses and sheep. It seems that to be a Icelander outside of Reykjavík it’s required to own some form of livestock.
Here’s another when in Iceland moment…natural/historic swimming pools. We made our way over to Seljavallalau (one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland built in the 1920’s) after a 15ish minute hike from the parking lot. The pictures don’t do justice to how gross but invigorating this experience was. But the view was worth every second of the slimy algae immersion.
Our last trek of the day was to the town of Vik which felt very much like the quaint little town it is. We enjoyed a filling dinner and a few extra minutes to relax after a full day of adventure. It is still surreal to experience the midnight sun…24 hours of being able to see the views Iceland has to offer. So here’s to another 24…let’s see what else Iceland has to offer. 
Journey with Jessica Leigh 