This is the start of my official 100 list for Iceland — my pick of activities and attractions I encountered on my Iceland adventure. Thanks to the folks at Iceland Excursions, Arctic Adventures and Glacier Guides for their assistance in making all of this happen.
1. Ran Into Angry Birds – Iceland is home to the real angry birds. Arctic Tern, or as Icelanders call them, Kria are hostile, territorial birds known for swooping, diving, and pecking. The ironic part is that the Kria, who are naturally defensive of what they consider to be their home, only migrate to Iceland a few months out of the year. Jerks.
2. Hitch-hiked Around the Ring Road – My friend Mike and I hitchhiked around the Ring Road in just a week and a half. The Ring Road, or Highway 1, is a highway that (you guessed it) circles around Iceland. Along the way, we stopped in Stykkishólmur and stayed at the pristine Harbour Hostel, went to the Westfjords, Akureyri, and crashed at a base camp in South Iceland.
3. Tried Fermented Shark – Icelanders are quite partial to two things – Fermented Shark and Brennavin. To my surprise, I liked the fermented shark, which actually tastes like a tougher, thicker version of flounder. Believe it or not, that’s me in the video! (Not the bearded guy, that was the dude I was dating at the time. We have since broken up because he could not handle his fermented meat.)
4. Drank from a mountain stream – Iceland is home to natural, fresh water that’s suitable for drinking. That means any stream, river, or waterfall you encounter is pretty much safe to drink from.
5. Embraced Petta Reddast – Petta Reddast means everything will be OK. Icelanders are very carefree, and they strive to live their lives without worry. When I was in Iceland, I realized that this was a strength of mine. I’m quite thankful for that characteristic.
6. Tried Horse – During our trip to Blönduós, my ex ordered horse. I tried it. It was surprisingly good. If you’re in the mood for something with a kick, stop by the Potturinn Restaurant.
7. Experienced the real Black Death – The first time I drank Brennavin, it was an accident. I loved it, however, it resulted in one of the worst hangovers I’ve ever had.
8. Visited the Mystical Snæfellsnes National Park – The Snæfellsjökull glacier, the main attraction to Snæfellsnes National Park, is believed to be one of the earth’s energy spots. Go there, and possibly get abducted by UFOs.
9. Drank natural carbonated spring water – The Ölkelda Farm in Western Iceland offers naturally carbonated spring water to anyone who wants to try it. An ordinary, rusty looking faucet provides water that comes from deep below the Earth.
10. Heard terrible stories- What passes time for four hours? Horrifying stories! During our bus ride back to Reykjavik from Vatnajökull National Park, one of my new friends from Glacier Guides told us some of the most disturbing Icelandic “fairy tales” I’ve ever heard. They’d make the Grimm Brothers blush.
11. Visit a black sand beach – Djúpalónssandur is one of Iceland’s scenic black sand beaches. The sand becomes black due to volcanic ash. It’s protected within the Snæfellsnes National Park.
12. Climb up a volcano – I visited the Krysyvik Geothermal area on a tour with Iceland Excursions. The views were absolutely incredible. In my entire life, I have never seen anything like this. I hiked up the side of a volcano (the ground is hot, and melted my sneakers a little) and stood over the immaculate scenery, in complete awe.
13. Hang out in lava fields – These were the first lava fields we encountered, but they’re all over Iceland.
14. Ride an Icelandic horse (not pony) – Rule #1 – Don’t call Icelandic horses ponies. Seriously. The horses here are shorter. They’re also incredibly valuable – no horses are allowed to be brought into Iceland, and once a horse leaves the country, it cannot return. Recently, an Icelandic horse was sold for a cool one million. I went horseback riding with Iceland Excursions, and afterward, ran into Of Monsters and Men. That happened.
15. Go snorkeling – Mike, his friend Wilke, and myself went snorkeling at the Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park. It was freezing, but a ton of fun. Afterward, we jumped off a cliff into the 2-degree water.
16. Run into Of Monsters and Men- As mentioned in #14, I ran into Of Monsters and Men in Iceland. After horseback riding, I was approached by a familiar-looking female speaking Icelandic. I had no idea who she was until after she walked out the door. I ran after them and got some face time.
17. Make friends with Mountain Guides – This will probably be one of the most incredible things to happen to me. I got picked up when hitchhiking, by actual mountain guides, who turned out to be MY guides for a Glacier Guides tour I was doing in 2 days. They let Mike and I crash at their base camp. Beers were had, and friends were made.
18. Have incredible lobster soup – Icelanders love their soups, as do I. The lobster soup at Husid Cafe is not to be reckoned with. Man, it’s good. It is so good.
19. Ride on a school bus – Our mountain guides use a school bus to get back and forth from their base camp. When was the last time you were on a school bus in Southern Iceland?
20. See a fish graveyard – This “fish graveyard” looks as good as it smells. Thousands of fish skeletons hang from makeshift wooden frames.
21. Go to a geothermal nature bath – While in Myvatn, Mike and I took a dip at the Myvatn Nature Baths. Leisurely swimming was done, and scrumptious cake was eaten.
22. Eat lots of smoked fish – Man, Icelanders love their smoked fish. It’s easy to see why. The smoked trout from The Laundromat Cafe is easily the best-smoked fish I’ve ever had.
23. Play an icelandic stick game – When we were in Blonduos, we played an Icelandic stick game with Dan and Cat. It was freezing outside, but we had a great time. I was terrible at it.
24. Camp next to a massive waterfall – Godafoss waterfall is one of the most massive, impressive waterfalls I’ve ever encountered. And hey, I used to live in Update New York. Niagara has nothing on Iceland. We camped next to it, although I’m not sure if we were supposed to.
25. Try Skyr – Skyr is yogurt. Icelanders love it. When I was talking to one of my mountain guide friends, I said that so far, I loved all the strange food Icelanders liked – except for Skyr. I don’t really get the fascination with it, but hey, when in Iceland!
26. Stay at a hipster hostel- Kex Hostel is probably the most hipster place I’ve ever encountered. Imagine a huge, vintage bar surrounded by antique knick-knacks, wooden tables and mismatched chairs, old Nat Geos, bottles of various liquors, subway tile, jars of jelly and jam, and trendy, stylish Icelanders.
27. Slide down a mountain- Icelandic butt-sliding at its best. This probably isn’t safe, but it is so so so much fun. Look out for the hidden rocks!
28. Go to a community pool – In Blonduos, we visited their community pool. It was a really cold, windy day – it’s so far North, those winds were coming right from the North Pole. The pool was a giant bathtub and even had water slides – I think they were meant for kids…. I recommend the blue one.
29. See a shipwreck- On my tour of Djúpalónssandur Beach, I encountered the pieces of an old shipwreck. This ship crashed off the coast in 1948, and the cast iron pieces of the ship are still on the shore. They’re protected, but when the tide comes in, the waves still push around the remaining pieces.
30. Geysir- Icelanders are quite literal. Geysir is a geyser, located a bit Northwest of Reykjavik. Every 4-8 minutes, the water bubbles up and blows – spraying hot water directly above it. Depending on where you stand, you could get soaked – with hot, sulfury-smelling water.
31. Vatnajökull National Park in Southeast Iceland- Vatnajökull National Park is where we hung out with the crew from Glacier Guides – a group of incredible mountain men that picked us up hitchhiking. Close by is the glacier they use as The Wall in Game of Thrones.
32. See a glacial lagoon, Jökulsárlón- The glacier lagoon of Jökulsárlón is a quiet, cold body of water with- you guessed it- glaciers floating around. On our tour with Arctic Adventures/Glacier Guides, the tour guide broke off a piece of ice for us to taste. I was way way too cold for that.
33. Spy on a Sleeping Walrus – When we checked out the glacier lagoon, there was a walrus passed out on the beach. It was the first time the guides had ever seen one. It was massive, a bit sandy and… snoring. No shame, the walrus was taking a nap and had little care for the tourists snapping pictures.
34. See Puffins- Speaking of adorable things… when we visited the cliffs of Látrabjarg, we saw PUFFINS! The puffins were perched on these massive cliffs, nesting, socializing with each other, and occasionally, taking flight.
35. Sushi in Akureyri- When we arrived in Akureyri, Mike and I checked out a local sushi place, Strikid. We got an array of fresh sushi – and of course, it was amazing. After just 3-4 pieces, I was stuffed. Mike being Mike, he finished off the rest of it and shared our good fortune with our sushi-loving friends back home.
36. Visit Harpa – Harpa is one of the most important things to check out in Reykjavik. The Harpa Concert Hall is recognized as one of the most stunning architectural accomplishments in Europe. It’s amazing to just sit and watch the city of Reykjavik, the harbor, and the tourists walk around in awe of its beauty.
37. Ate Whale at the Dalvik Fish Festival- We ate whale, and yes, it was an accident. When we went to the Dalvik Fish Festival, Mike and I encountered fresh sushi. Before knowing what it was, we nommed down – it was absolutely amazing. Mike took a picture and later, asked local Akureyrians what it was. They confirmed that was indeed, whale.
38. Did Russian Cocaine (it’s a shot)- At Akureyri Backpackers, I saw a man take a shot, and follow it up with two slices of lime and ground coffee. Fascinated, I asked what it was – and if I could have one. He told me it was called Russian Cocaine and warned me it would keep me up all night. He wasn’t wrong.