A Glimpse of Iceland: Exploring the Ring Road

Ever wondered how an email could completely redefine your travel bucket list? That's exactly what happened to me when my wife received an unexpected invitation, skyrocketing Iceland from an afterthought to a dream destination. Embark on this journey as we traverse from Houston to Reykjavik, exploring the jaw-dropping landscapes, unique culture, and non-stop adventure that Iceland offers. 

Prepare to be mesmerized by Iceland’s natural wonders in our detailed exploration of the majestic Gullfoss waterfall, the striking Black Sand Beach, and the shimmering Diamond Beach. Our adventure doesn’t stop at scenic vistas; we dive into the thrill of whale watching in the cold seas from Húsavík to Akureyri. Despite the biting cold and challenging waves, the sight of whales in their natural habitat made it an unforgettable experience, capped off by the surreal ambiance of the midnight sun.

As we wrap up this incredible Icelandic adventure, we soak in the rejuvenating geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon and savor the quirky charm of Reykjavik’s unique spots like the Lebowski Bar and the Icelandic Phallological Museum. And let’s not forget the iconic Icelandic hot dogs that lived up to their legendary status. Whether you’re planning a trip to Iceland or simply dreaming of one, this episode is packed with insights, stunning visuals, and unforgettable moments that will inspire your wanderlust.

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Transcript

Josh 1:08

Hey everyone, welcome back to Tray Tables and Time Zones. I'm your host, josh Bogle, and on this episode we're talking about a place that I dearly love and that is the country of Iceland. You know, I think every traveler has a list, whether it's in their head or whether it's on a piece of paper or in their phone or on the computer, of all the places that they would like to visit, that they know at the time. Obviously, there's places that come into that list, some come on, some come off, and the list is ever-changing, but there's always a list, it seems like, of all these places that you want to visit as a traveler.

Josh 1:43

And this place, iceland, was definitely on my list, but it was pretty far down. I don't know why that is. I guess I just never really thought too much about it. To be honest, you know, I had heard about it and I heard that it was, you know, supposed to be really pretty and unique. Its landscape, you know, was very volcanic and unlike anything else around. But you know, beyond that and the occasional, you know commercial from Iceland Air about how they were, you know, setting up this program where you did layovers in Iceland on your way to Europe so you could fly from North America, land in Reykjavik and spend a couple of days in Iceland and then fly on to Europe. So you know, that had kind of become something that I thought maybe one day that I would like to do, you know, to check it out on my way over to Europe, but I didn't really have it anywhere near the top of the list where I would get to it, you know, any reasonable amount of time in the near future.

Josh 2:39

So Iceland really came to the forefront for us when my wife got a email from an employee club that she is a part of, and this employee club is run by her company and it's basically a travel club, right? They put together like three trips a year to various places all over the world and then they offer those to the employee club members and if you're interested you enter a lottery and if you get picked you have the opportunity to go on the trip. And the way we look at these opportunities are if they come about and it's something we're interested in, but it may not be, like I said, close to the top of the list then we might take that opportunity to go ahead and go Right and it's also an opportunity for us not really to have to plan because they do everything for you. So it's kind of a lazy way to travel. But that's kind of nice every once in a while, because I usually am the planner of our family and so I plan the trips because I really enjoy doing it. But every once in a while it is nice to have a break. So we kind of treat it like that, as a break from our normal travel schedule and also a way to see a place, get a taste for it, and if we like it we can always go back Right. And so we've been on one of these trips before and it was to Germany and Austria and we really enjoyed that trip. In fact we want to go back to Germany and Austria and at some point we will. And it's because we found out how much we enjoyed that region on this trip. So we didn't really have any apprehensions about doing another one. And we also found out that some friends of ours three other couples had also put in for it. So we were really interested in this trip because it might be an opportunity to travel with some of our friends on this trip. So we put in for it and, lo and behold, we get it Right and our friends also get this trip, and so we're all excited, you know.

Josh 4:30

And then I started looking into Iceland more and more, and the more I looked into it, the more I was like man, this, this is a place that I would love Like. This is wheelhouse stuff for me, right, it's cooler weather, it's unique rocky terrain, it's a lot of outdoor sports and activities to do, you know, camping and hiking and four-wheeling and all these types of things that I really enjoy doing. You know, iceland had in spades, right, it was all over the country you could do these types of things. So it was really exciting. And then the landscape and the limited population, so it was kind of that isolated, remote place that you could get to really easily. You know, it wasn't much, it wasn't really hard to get there, but once you got there it was really kind of remote and and just different, and so I was really really excited for all those reasons, right.

Josh 5:25

And so the time came, we boarded a flight out of Houston and we flew Houston to Chicago and then had like a three-hour layover in Chicago and then Chicago to Iceland. All in united economy, nothing special, but the great thing about it is is the flights weren't that long. Right, it's two and a half, three hours to Chicago from Houston and then it was, like, I think, about six hours to Iceland from Chicago. So not really bad at all, you know, pretty easy to deal with. And that's another thing that made it really, really intriguing is that it wasn't hard to get to. You know, it's not like boarding a-hour flight to get all the way to Asia from the middle of the US. This is a pretty easy flight to do, or flights.

Josh 6:12

So the only bad thing about the flights were that you get there so early. So you arrive in Reykjavik at like 8.30 in the morning and I believe most of the flights from the US all land in that kind of time span, around 7 am, 8, 8.30. So you get there pretty early. I mean most of the ones I've seen. There may be some later ones, but most of the flights that I've seen get there at that time. And the one bad thing about that is is if you're going to be spending the day that you arrive in like Reykjavik, you can't check into your hotel yet. I mean, unless you've worked out a deal or unless your hotel allows you to kind of buy early check-in, you've got to kill several hours, but for us, since it was a tour they had set up, you know a breakfast when we got there, and then you know a couple of stops along the way and kind of a city bus tour, you know, to basically take away the time. So we land right off the bat.

Josh 7:15

You know, you land in Keflavik, which is about 40 minutes outside of Reykjavik, where the airport is, and you land and you're looking around at this landscape and instantly I was intrigued, like yeah, there's these little bays and it's kind of dark, not dark but gray, but it just feels cold, right, and I'm just man, this is awesome, I love this type of thing. So I was really excited when I saw the landscape when we landed Keflavik Airport. It's great, easy, it's not huge, it's easy to navigate, it's just. It was really, really easy. And there was two things about it that I really liked. One I'm a Gen X person and so, being that, I remember the heyday of malls and in malls there was always a Sbarro pizza, and I have this soft spot in my heart for Sbarro pizza. I don't know why, but I love it, I absolutely adore it, and there is a Sbarro pizza inside the airport at Keflavik. So I was so stoked when we walked by this Sbarro because I knew when we flew out I was going to have several slices of pizza, because Sbarro's, frankly, are getting harder and harder to find in the US. In fact, I don't even know the last time I saw one. To be honest, it's probably in an airport, because it's really the only places you can find them these days and even now, like I haven't seen one in an airport in forever. So I was super, super stoked, right. So you know, stomach stomach took over there, but I was excited.

Josh 8:55

The second thing that is interesting in about the airport is that once you clear immigration, there is a very large duty-free shop right, and if you fly internationally, of course you see these duty-free shops everywhere. Well, this one's really pretty big, especially for the airport size. Come to find out. It is the best place to buy alcohol anywhere in Iceland, essentially because it's duty-free. Alcohol anywhere in Iceland. Essentially because it's duty-free, so it's a lot cheaper. So little tidbit for you if you enjoy a beverage here and there, do yourself a favor and buy you your alcohol at the airport before you leave, because it will be a lot cheaper than it will be buying it anywhere else in Iceland. Now that is in no way to discourage you from enjoying the atmosphere at these hotels that you stay in and going to the hotel bars, because those are actually a lot of fun in Iceland because everybody goes to them. That's staying there, that's traveling through Iceland, and so you meet a really interesting crowd at all these little hotel bars along the way. But again, if you're into having some drinks or whatever, get you some booze before you leave the airport.

Josh 10:09

Anyway, just a couple of things about the airport to keep in mind. So we get outside the airport and there's the tour bus, and so you know, us and our friends all kind of grouped together and got seats on the bus, and what they had planned for us, basically to kill the time until we could check into our hotel, was a couple of stops. The first one I'll definitely tell you about because it was a pretty unique experience near the airport. Kind of out in the middle of nowhere is the world Viking museum, right, and what they do there is they offer a breakfast buffet and you're thinking that's okay, whatever, a breakfast buffet at a museum seems a little odd, but hear me out. And what's cool about it is where you sit. Right above your head is this awesome replica of a Viking ship right? This building is really cool. It's kind of a big L shape, a lot of glass, and in the vertical portion of the L is this Viking ship kind of suspended in the air and you eat right underneath it. And then they gave us time to tour around the little museum afterwards and walk around outside some, but I mean talk about a unique place to have breakfast. You're looking through these big old windows out onto Iceland, which in and of itself is pretty damn cool, and right above your head is a damn Viking ship. It's a really unique place to have breakfast and I think they offer it quite often. Anyway, worth checking out.

Josh 11:44

Like I said, if you've got some time to kill when you first get into Iceland because you're coming from the US, great place to stop have some breakfast. The breakfast was actually really good, more of a European, Scandinavian style. So while you definitely had eggs and breads and things like that, you also had the cold cuts and the sliced cheeses and those types of things as well. It's more typical on a European hotel buffet for breakfast. So nice variety, awesome location, awesome scenery.

Josh 12:16

And then we rode in to Reykjavik and kind of did a little tour around. Now, one thing I will tell you about doing this little city tour that surprised me to no end. So our tour guide, maria, who was a local, she was really good. But anyway she says I'm going to take you guys by the House of the President. Okay, I mean, you know, I've seen the White House, so that's kind of what I was expecting. I mean, obviously probably not as big, because Iceland's not as big as the US and things like that. But you know, I kind of expected that kind of atmosphere right, house, big fence, you know, security, things like that. No, no, no, no, no, not in Iceland, because apparently they don't have to worry about freaking crime in this country.

Josh 13:06

Because we pull up on this little peninsula outside of Reykjavik like in a suburb and there's this beautiful white church and this old, as in the design, right, not like it's falling down, it was an amazing, immaculate shape, but like an old style. And Maria says this is it, this is where the president lives. And I'm I'm looking around. There's not a fence, there's not a security guard. I see a one police car sitting on the side of the house that's empty. I mean, look, don't get me wrong, I'm not naive enough to think that they weren't watching us. I'm sure there's cameras and everything else, but you could just walk right up. I mean, I was walking around on this pathway, right in the front yard of this house. Like I could see people inside the house easily. They weren't very far away, like a stone's throw away. It was insane.

Josh 14:13

You know like again, I'm from the U S there's a huge fence around the White House and a bunch of security that you can see and a bunch you can't see. And you're not getting close to that thing, right? I mean, it's just not going to happen. In Iceland, no big deal, no big deal. There's this group of tourists just kind of walking around the president's house. Nobody's worried about a thing. You know, nobody stops us and tells us no, you can't take pictures or no, you're too close. None of that. I mean, everybody was very respectful. Nothing Made no sense.

Josh 14:50

Come to find out the president at the time he, uh, he had like an older car, like a classic car. Well, he would just drive that around. In fact, on our way out of this area we passed him. Maria was like oh, there's the president driving along and it was an old classic car. He just drove by us by himself. Apparently he would go pick up his kid from school and drop them off to school, like it was nothing.

Josh 15:20

It was hard to wrap my mind around, right, like none of that shit would happen in the U? S. It just wouldn't. But for this to happen it was just so foreign to me. But again, it gives you a feel for just how safe and unique Iceland is. Right. I mean, there's a reason it's always at the top of the list for the safest country in the world. It's just hard to wrap your mind around being from the US or, hell, being from pretty much anywhere else. It's just, it's strange, right. It took some, it took a while for my mind to settle back into the fact that the president of the country could just, you know, go wherever, and it wasn't a big deal. And you know that we could walk around their house and nobody cared, nobody gave a shit. Weird, anyway.

Josh 16:31

So after that, you know, we did a touring around some more around Reykjavik, ended up checking in the hotel, the Foss Hotel. Good hotel, I like it. It's like I think it's the biggest hotel in Iceland. It's a little far from a lot of the really good stuff. Little far is a relative term, in that it's still very easy to walk to it. It's where the Rainbow Road is and where a lot of the shops and bars and restaurants are. The church that everybody's seen in the pictures of the giant concrete church in the middle of Reykjavik.

Josh 16:45

And as an aside here, real quick, if I try to say most of these names in Iceland, I'm going to butcher the shit out of them. So fair warning, I do not mean to insult or piss off anybody from Iceland. It is no disrespect to them. I am trying to say the names. It's just I don't speak Icelandic and the names aren't easy for me to say. So if I try to say one and I butcher it, I apologize because you know I tried.

Josh 17:18

But anyway, back to the story. So you know it was a little bit of a walk from the hotel to get to those things, but we didn't have a ton of time. We had a little bit that night if we checked into the hotel because the next day we were going to basically start our tour, right, and so we I think we ended up going to dinner at a food hall. That was actually pretty close to the hotel and it. That was a really good option.

Josh 17:42

So if you're staying, like at the foss hotel or in that area of Reykjavik and you're looking for dinner for that, especially on the first night, and you don't have like a reservation somewhere special or somewhere you found on the internet, check out this food hall, because it's really good and it's got, you know, six, seven different places in it. So it's a good variety, right. Like you can get wood fired pizza, or you can get more of an Icelandic style dish, or they also had, like you know, a gelato place and things like that. So it was really cool, right, and it's a good place to kind of go, you know, have a, have dinner, have a beer, have a glass of wine, relax and kind of, you know, ease yourself into to the trip. So that's what we did.

Josh 18:20

The next day started the true tour of Iceland, right, and so, as anybody that's looked into a trip around Iceland, one of the big things you'll hear about is the ring road right, which is, I believe, highway one, and that basically goes all the way around the island right, and along the way there's different sites, you know, when you're in the southern area of the country, when you're in the east fjords, the north, the west fjords, and then back into Reykjavik right, and there's certain areas to really famous sites along that way. And so we were going to be doing that. And, in addition, the first day we were also going to basically be doing the Golden Circle right, which is another smaller route, but it picks up a certain amount of the bigger highlights and bigger sites near Reykjavik. So we were going to be doing that first. And how I'm going to kind of do this discussion about this is I'm not going to give you a day by day, and that's a beating. Nobody wants to hear that. What I'll do is is I'm going to give you a couple of places along the way that I really, really liked, right. So if there was something that's worth, you know, spending a couple extra minutes on, I'll tell you about those, because there certainly are. But I will preface all of this by saying pretty much anything you go see in Iceland is going to be fucking amazing, right, it's going to be beautiful, it's going to be unique. The whole damn country is unique and beautiful and amazing. So don't let my picking out a few things make you think that those are the only cool things, at least in my opinion, because they're not. It's pretty much all badass. It's just that certain things really kind of grab your attention or pull you in, and I'm going to mention those.

Josh 20:13

So back to the route. Golden Circle's first day, and there was three stops basically on this for us. I know there's a couple other places that are included in the Golden Circle, but for us we did the three kind of big ones right, and that is Thingvalier National Park, Stokkur Geyser and Gulfoss, which is a waterfall. So Thingvalier, which is the national park, is a beautiful spot. It's it's very kind of, it's got a lot of canyons and in fact when you leave the shop and little cafe you walk down into this park area through this canyon, right, very picturesque, very cool. A couple of cool things, I think. If I remember correctly, so the first parliament of Iceland had its meetings there, and also this is the place that you've seen.

Josh 21:07

I believe it's called Silfra. This is also where Silfra is, which is basically where the tectonic plates are pulling apart. So there's this canyon that's full of water. That's basically between two tectonic plates. I mean, if you think about it, it blows your mind, right, like the size of these geologic formations and these, here's these two massive plates, tectonic plates, and they're pulling apart right at this location, right, and so you can actually go snorkeling and scuba diving in that and you're going to be scuba diving between the two plates, right, and this the space between them. We didn't get to do that, but you can best believe that snorkeling in that is on my list for when I go back. So that was a pretty cool introduction. We kind of got the stories of this area and got to see some of the sites and it kind of got us warmed up for what was coming, right.

Josh 22:06

So next we went to the Stokkur Geyser and that was really cool. Actually, I've never been to Yellowstone in the U S, so I've never seen, like old faithful, you know, the geyser in the U S, just haven't made it there yet. So I'd never seen like a real geyser. This one is so cool. So you, you, basically there's a another couple of stores and cafes and this big parking area, and then you cross over the street and walk out. And you walk out into this big flat field area, right, and there's kind of water you know just surface water everywhere. And then in front of you you start seeing these kind of roped off areas where these pools are that the geysers erupt from, and the main one is Stokkur Geyser, the Great Geyser, and it goes off every couple of minutes and that is just the wildest thing to see. You start to see between the tectonic plates of Thingvalier and Stokkur Geyser, you begin to really realize just how volcanic and how active the things are below the ground in Iceland and how Iceland is constantly growing and changing because of all this volcanic activity. Right, it's literally happening in front of you. So getting to see the geyser shoot off water way up into the sky, frigging awesome, I mean, I loved it. It was. You know, this is nature at its best, right, you're getting to see all these really cool natural occurrences, which is awesome.

Josh 23:37

So the last thing that we went to see during the Golden Circle was Gullfoss, which is this huge waterfall right, several layers, you know, it's just massive and there's like there's trails down to it that you kind of can get up near where the falls are actually breaking over, and then a couple of higher vantage points. It's spectacular. I mean, in a country that is known for amazing waterfalls and it seems like there are amazing waterfalls at every damn turn, this one is certainly one that stands out to me. It's just, I think it's the volume of water that is moving through there and how you can just the roar of it and how powerful it is and how big it is. Right, it's just something you don't see every day. So that was pretty much the first day.

Josh 24:30

Then we move, so we're moving in a counterclockwise direction, we spend the night in a hotel along the way and we keep moving east right counterclockwise. So a couple of the highlights for me in the southern part of the country. So I'll try to break this up into regions. The southern part is very, very beautiful and you get down like the area near a town called Vic, and Vic is kind of a little jumping off point for a lot of things. One of those is the Reynisfjara. I know, I just butchered the shit out of that.

Josh 25:13

But anyway, that's the black sand beach. Let me just say that you walk out on this thing and you're just like holy shit, it's like a. It's literally like a movie in front of you right, the skies were gray, the ocean was pretty rough and I'll talk about that in just a second but the sand is black. It is black, really dark, just magical. Right and then off the coast there's these jagged rock formations coming up out of the water. It's you know, okay, I know they filmed some Game of Thrones episodes or parts of episodes in Iceland. When you're at this area, you can see why. I know they filmed some Game of Thrones episodes or parts of episodes in Iceland. When you're at this area, you can see why.

Josh 25:57

Because if you've ever seen Game of Thrones and seen some of those landscapes, I mean this is it. This is this kind of rough, barren landscape. It's spectacular. And the cool thing also about the Black Sand Beach is not only do you get the sand and the rocks offshore, but you get these basalt rock columns. So you're staring at the ocean, you turn around and there's this rock face, but it's these almost geometric columns of basalt that make up this rock face. It's the coolest thing. And then there's like a carved out almost like the beginnings of a cave, but it's huge. It's like almost like this giant room. We're just staying there, kind of slack, jawed right, because what the hell? I mean, you don't ever see any of this kind of thing anywhere else, not like this, right, and it's just at every turn, every turn in Iceland.

Josh 26:54

Another thing about the Black Sand Beach and I will put this out there as a FYI if you go because if you don't go with a group and you just don't see the signs, then you might think it's okay, don't get near the water at the black sand beach. The ocean there is very unpredictable, the currents are very unpredictable and the waves are unpredictable. It's just the whole damn thing is unpredictable, right, and there have been multiple instances, especially of tourists. They get too close to the water, a rogue wave comes up and washes them out, right, they get caught in the currents and they have to be rescued if they can, like. It's very, very dangerous. So stay well up on the beach. I know it's really cool to get down by the water and all that and all that stuff, but seriously, if you get caught by one of those waves, you're in a world of shit and you just have to hope that somebody can get you or that you can get yourself out, because it's not a good situation to be in. Anyway, it was just my public service announcement.

Josh 27:57

So Diamond Beach is known that way because it's very close to the other thing. That's great, and it's in the southern region of Iceland. There's a lot of glacier and they're at the glacier there's a lot of pieces of the glacier become icebergs essentially, and some of those, because the water is so cold, they wash up on this beach and the water is super clean and clear and it looks like big chunks of diamonds sitting on this beach. I mean, I shit you not. It's the wildest thing to see. I mean just these big clear pieces of ice sitting on this beach Amazing, worth worth the visit.

Josh 28:39

And the next thing is is the glacial lagoon. So again, I mean it's like with everything with Iceland, it's just stunning. So it's this big lagoon with a very shallow exit to the ocean right. So it's almost like a protected harbor or protected bay, and the route of the water comes in and out from the ocean and it's very shallow. So keep that in mind. But inside the lagoon, the lagoon itself is deep, but the entrance from the ocean is very shallow, and so this lagoon sets the base of a glacier, and the glacial ice will break off into icebergs and float in this lagoon and it's just amazing.

Josh 29:21

Imagine a big lake full of icebergs, and so you can do boat tours out on this thing. You hop in these boats and they take you out. Now there's a couple of different kinds of boats that you can take out there. One is like a larger boat and this is what we were on to accommodate our group, and while that was really cool, they also have rib boats. You know, the rigid, inflatable boats that hold a lot less people are more nimble, faster. So if you're traveling more on your own right or with a smaller group, I would definitely go for those rib boats, because those, first of all, looked really fun, you know, going around the lagoon. And two, they're just more maneuverable, right, they can get in closer, they can go further around than the bigger boats. So definitely try the rib boat if you have the option.

Josh 30:11

The other cool thing is remember I said how it's shallow the entrance into the lagoon is shallow, so inside this lagoon, obviously there are fish, you know, that wash in from the ocean. So there is an abundance of seals in this lagoon eating these fish. Because the fish come in, they get trapped and so the seals. It's like a frigging buffet for the seals. And the other thing is, if you think about it, the biggest predator of a seal is orcas, right, killer whales. Well, the killer whales are too big, they can't get into the entrance of this lagoon because it's too shallow, so the orcas can't get in to get the seals who are inside the lagoon eating all the fish that come in from the ocean, because they're small enough to get in. So they literally eat and survive without any natural predators in this lagoon. So there's a lot of seals and I mean it's not every day that you get to see seals in the wild, right, especially this close and going after food and interacting and laying around on the iceberg. So I mean it's pretty awesome.

Josh 31:21

So then we had a pretty long driving day through the East Fjords, which is beautiful to drive on that highway along the Eastern Fjords, really just a scenic, scenic drive Also part of that. We got up onto the highlands and there was a small shop like a kind of a combination bakery gas station provision shop. It was so amazing. It was so tiny, right, it was a very small little bakery but it did sell gasoline out of a tank that was actually above the ground and it set up on this kind of plateau completely by itself. I mean nothing else around you know, just no trees, no, nothing, just flat plateau and this little building off by itself. But they had these. Their specialty was these little like kind of like a granola cake bar I don't know really how to explain it, but they were called happy marriage bars or happy marriage cake or happy marriage and it was. They were actually really really good, but this little shop made them fresh and so it's really cool to see because it's just literally out in the middle of nowhere.

Josh 32:36

So the next big kind of stop area we had was near Lake Myvatn and that region is really cool, but that lake is known for these little flying bugs, almost like gnats or no-see-ums in the US. Luckily when we were there they weren't bad, but my understanding is that some parts of the year they can be really bad, and to the point to where you want to wear a little net helmet or a little net hat over your head because they can be pretty bad. Luckily we didn't have that problem. So we did some viewpoints there. We did the Dimmun Borgir, which again sorry for the pronunciations the lava field, which is this ancient lava field which you'reeland of these various mischievous elves that are woven into the kind of the Christmas lore there. But it's really cool to just walk through these lava fields, right, because especially this one, because it just wasn't like a flat lava field, it was literally these columns and like little, small hills and mountains of the lava rock.

Josh 33:52

Also near here was probably my favorite hotel of the entire trip. It was called the Laksa Hotel LAXA, near Lake Myvatn. Amazing little hotel, lovely restaurant, lovely bar, just very pretty, very modern. You'll have to check it out if you get a chance. If you're looking for a hotel in that area, I would highly recommend that place because it was just really unique and really really an awesome place to stay.

Josh 34:22

So then, after kind of that area, we went to the north, to the true north of the country. Two cities and one of these absolutely stole my heart, and I didn't even know about this place beforehand. A couple of people with us did, because apparently in the Will Ferrell movie, Eurovision. The people, the singers are the Icelandic group for Eurovision and they were from Husavik and they actually sang about the town. And so, as I just gave away, the first stop was this town called Husavik, and it is a coastal town. It has a bay, a harbor, and it is just the most quaint, magical little town that you could ever ask for. Like the second we pull into this town, I am, I'm in, let's move, I'm ready to go, take me now, right, it's magical.

Josh 35:21

So, along the route as we were driving, what this tour did basically was they would set up, you know, lunch stops for us, right? So you would stop at, like usually like a Foss Hotel or somewhere like that, and eat in their restaurant for lunch, which, after the first couple of those, got kind of old because the menus were really small. It had already been kind of set up and so we didn't really. There were several of us that were kind of uninterested in that meal. So another couple that was our friends that were traveling with us, we both decided that we're not sitting here wasting our time in this hotel restaurant. We're going to go look around this town. We'll find something to eat in the town, right? And so we walk out of the hotel and we decide, yeah, we are hungry. So we want to go into a restaurant and we find this one called Gamli Baukur I'm sure again I'm saying that wrong, but anyway it's this cool little like rustic fish village looking building, looking out over the harbor had pretty good reviews like let's go check this out. So we went in there best lunch of the trip.

Josh 36:37

I had some of the fish seafood stew that iceland has that's pretty much everywhere and amazing, just absolutely amazing. And then I had a lamb steak. So I know lamb can be divisive with people because, at least in the U S, you either love it or you hate it, and it's usually because of the gaminess of the meat. Right, there's a certain gaminess to me when you have lamb. I'm telling you what lamb in Iceland is like nothing I've ever had. It is phenomenal. It is super clean tasting, it's not gamey, it's wow. I mean you know I like lamb in the US. I mean it's not my first choice, but I enjoy it. But the stuff in Iceland is amazing, right, I mean it's just shit. I would eat that all the time because it's that good. So anyway, we had this beautiful little lunch. You know, had a beer looking out over the bay. It's just.

Josh 37:41

Husavik is a magical place to me. I don't know what it is about it. It has this certain draw to it that I adore. I just I could go back and spend a month in that little town and just hang out and watch the world go by and be completely happy Amazing.

Josh 38:02

So on that same day, though, we also went on a whale-watching tour between Husavik and the next stop, where we spent the night in Akureyri, which is kind of the capital of the north, the second biggest city in Iceland. There's a lot of the fjords where you can go well watching, and that's what we did, and we had to get into the full rescue cold water survival suit because the water is fucking cold. Survival suit because the water is fucking cold and if you fall in, I mean, they're gonna be able to get you out pretty quick, but still it's gonna be really cold. So we're in these full survival suits, right, which mine was hot as shit, like I'm. I'm naturally warm, I'm usually hot most. Most of the time it's sweat, and I put this thing on and I'm in this cold weather and this boat you know this open hold boat out in the water. I'm still sweating.

Josh 38:59

Anyway, the the whale-watching ended up being, I think it was like two and a half hours, almost three, on this boat and the seas were pretty rough. Luckily I don't have any issues with seasickness. My wife, who grew up on the ocean, has no issues with it, so that was fine. Two of our friends, I will say, struggled a little bit with the seasickness. Now they never lost it, which bravo to them but they were so ready to get off that damn boat. I'd never seen two guys who were just like God, get me off of this godforsaken thing. Right, I mean, they were just beaten. I don't even know if they ended up seeing any of the whales. But we're kind of all up on this middle part in the platform amid ships, and we're watching right, and we're trying to find these, these whales, and lo and behold, we see the first one come up right to breathe. It's a pretty spectacular sight. Again, it's one of those things you've seen it on TV a million times right, these whales breaching and whale tails and them coming up to breathe through the blowhole and all that. And it's really cool to see on TV, to see it in person, you know, and to have that kind of click in your brain that holy shit, that does really exist, you know, it is real and that really does happen. Pretty amazing, pretty special. I would absolutely go on another well-watching tour because you know there's lots of wells in that part of Iceland. You know that's part of their migration, right, they go all the way to the north and then they go down into the Caribbean and then they come back up to the north and then they go back. So there's a lot of them there and you're pretty much guaranteed to see some.

Josh 40:38

Now, after we did that, we headed into Akureyri and we're all hungry and tired it's been a long day and so we check into the hotel in Akureyri. This was the first time that we really got out and got to enjoy the town. Also, it was the summertime in Iceland. It was the time for the midnight sun. Me and our friends were kind of like roaming down the street, this main drag and aqua area, right, it's like 11:30 at night and the sun is still and it's still light outside, you know, and it's never really gets dark, and it was. It was weird, frankly. It was gets dark and it was. It was weird, frankly, it was really weird. But there was this cool little thing. We acted like six-year-olds on this street. There was like a little playground and it had this big long slide. So we're up there taking turns on the slide. It's like 11:30 at night. I'm sure the locals thought we were a bunch of jackass, you know Americans, but it was pretty neat to get to play around outside and it was still light out at 11:30 midnight. So Akureyri is actually really a cool little town. All the stoplights are have little hearts, you know. So like when the light turns on for a stoplight, it's a heart, it's. It's just those little touches right that make it really really pretty neat.

Josh 41:48

So from Akureyri we kind of worked our way back to Reykjavik. You know we had seen a lot of stuff. You know I just I'd mentioned some of it here, but we had seen, you know, other things as well. But we made our way back to Reykjavik because we were going to have basically a free day in Reykjavik before he flew home, and so the plan was the next morning was to go to the Blue Lagoon.

Josh 42:12

Now here's the thing I've seen a lot of shit on social media, "Oh, don't go to the Blue Lagoon, it's touristy. I'm just going to tell you right now that's all bullshit, complete horseshit. The Blue Lagoon, fucking amazing. It is the water, that milky blue color amazing, the warmth amazing, the scenery amazing. I don't give a shit what anybody says. Look, I absolutely agree. There are other lagoons, hot springs and things in Iceland, geothermal baths in Iceland. There's a ton of them. I would love to try them all. But for anybody that says that the Blue Lagoon is just tourist horse shit, they don't know what the hell they're talking about. Because it is amazing, it's steamy and it's you know, the air is cold, the water is super hot, it feels amazing.

Josh 43:04

We did the whole thing. You get like one silica mask free or included with just the basic package. So we did that, you know, if nothing else for the pictures. Then you can have a couple of drinks and so there's this nice bar and you go over there and you can get like a beer. So you know, we got, we got a couple of beers and set in different areas along the, the lagoons, kind of moved around some and it was just the most relaxing, enjoyable thing ever. It was a great way to end the trip right, because we've been going going, going, going fast for several days and it was nice just to slow down, to set and just relax and enjoy that time right. I mean I loved it. I would highly recommend it. And and I know Blue Lagoon is close to Reykjavik, Sky Lagoon is another one that's actually closer into Reykjavik. That's supposed to be really, really good too. And these geothermal baths are all over Iceland, like I said before, and they're absolutely worth it. I mean, I'm not a big hot tub guy or anything like that, but I fell in love with these geothermal baths. I mean it was great. It will be one of the first things I do when I go back and one of the last things I do before explore Reykjavik and do whatever.

Josh 44:20

We could fit in a couple of things we did, we went to the Lebowski Bar, which, if you're a fan of the movie the Big Lebowski, is worth doing, if nothing else to go in and have a drink. So it's a bar in downtown Reykjavik that's themed and modeled after the Big Lebowski and, of course, what is on the menu for drinks is about hell. I don't even remember like 20, 25 varieties of White Russians. So that was worth it. Just to say that we've been in the Lebowski bar and had, you know, a white Russian there. So we all did that. We also went to the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which, as it implies, is about the male part of the reproductive process, and, uh, that was one of the more unique museums I'd ever been into.

Josh 45:31

But you know, you got to do it, right? If you're in Iceland, you're like it's there, I've got to go see this, and it was eye-opening, to say the least. Would I go back? Probably not. Certainly glad I can say that I've been there. So we did that, and while we were in that part of town, one of my biggest things is I was dying to try Icelandic hot dogs, and the undisputed king of the Icelandic hot dog is this stand that's been around forever, called Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, forgive me again for the pronunciation. This place, you can look it up. Just look up hot dogs in Reykjavik or Icelandic hot dogs, it'll come up, and it's this little cart over on the, I guess that would be the east side of town, near the Harpa, which is the performance hall, and so this place was.

Josh 46:32

This was the middle of the day when we went there, and it was six, seven people deep, and so we got in line. I ordered two of them because you know why not, and so I got two of them done. You know just the way that they want them to be served. You know just the way that they want them to be served, which is basically like a ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, crispy fried onions and raw onion, and the hot dog itself is like a lamb based dog, but it's also got pork and beef in it. Anyway, it is spectacular. There's something about them that is addicting.

Josh 47:14

I loved them. I'm a big hot dog fan as it is, so it's really hard to screw up a hot dog. I've had some shitty ones before, but look, it's hard to screw it up. But a really good one is also hard to come by. So getting one of these was really, really, really awesome, and the two dogs that I did buy went down really easily, and so this is now the second time I've had hot dogs in a quote Scandinavian type country. Right, I've had a hot dog in Denmark as well, and that was amazing. It wasn't as good as this, this Icelandic version, but for some reason, the Nordic Scandinavian countries do amazing hot dogs. It's something you have to have when you're in Reykjavik. So definitely eat some hot dogs while you're in in Iceland, because that's what a lot of people do and they're really fucking good.

Josh 48:16

We went there, had the hot dogs and then we just kind of wandered the streets, right. We went, took in, you know, played tourist, took in some of the sites and strolled around the streets and enjoyed our last evening in Iceland. And so the next morning we got up, got around and headed to the airport Again. Keflavik was a breeze to get in and out of. We, you know, got checked in right through security, customs, immigration, the whole bit no problems whatsoever. I got my couple of slices of Sbarro pizza and was about as happy as I could be because it tasted right, it was really good and I was super happy that I got to have that.

Josh 48:59

Hopped on the flight and came back to the US and I will tell you, iceland lived up to anything I could have thought it would be before I went on the trip. Now, granted, I didn't have a ton of knowledge or understanding of Iceland prior to going. I'd started to build that knowledge so that I would be able to get by there pretty easily once I got there, but I didn't dig so deep that it took away any of the intrigue. It has become one of those places that I will travel to many, many times in my life, I have no question. In fact, next year so 2025, I am planning on going and hiking, along with my wife, the Laugavegur Trail in the Highlands. So I cannot wait to do that trip. I've seen, you know, multiple people do it. Craig Adams has a really good video on hiking the Laugavegur Trail and I am excited to get back.

Josh 50:06

You know we're going to go. I think we're going to go on that trip and it's just going to be, you know, fly in, spend a day in Reykjavik, go to the trail, do the it's basically a four day, three night hike and then come back to Reykjavik, probably spend a day or two in Reykjavik, just, you know, going to, you know, some of the geothermal baths and hanging out and doing a little touristy things while we're there, before we fly back, since we're already there. Also, you know I've got at least two or three more trips that I have in my head that are planned for Iceland. You know I would love to take a couple of weeks and do the full ring road, including up to the West Fjords, which we didn't get to do on this trip, you know, up to Isafjordur and that area. I would love to do that and go back and revisit some of the places I've already been and visit some new ones. I would adore the opportunity to do that. I think it would be fun and probably get like, um, at least something with a roof, tent or a camper or something and, you know, camp like three nights and then spend the fourth night in a hotel camp, a couple of nights, spend the night in a hotel, uh, and kind of do that all the way around Iceland and just really take it all in. I mean, I would love to do a Iceland expedition cruise as well. I think that would be a lot of fun. You know, circumnavigation of Iceland and see it from the water and kind of work our way from the water in instead of, you know, working out. I think that would be amazing. There's a lot of really, you know, pretty awesome cruise lines that do expedition style cruising on small ships in Iceland. That I would. I would think that would be a blast.

Josh 51:36

Having said all that, would I recommend Iceland? I mean, I think you probably know the damned answer and that is absolutely yes, it is. If you like out the outdoors in any way like if you appreciate, you know hiking or trekking or mountain climbing or any outdoor sport especially and you like the cold right you don't like it to be constantly 100 degrees then you're going to like Iceland. The people are friendly and easygoing. You know we never had any problems with the local people or not being able to speak Icelandic. You know most people know English, at least to get by, but they're used to, you know, having to speak English to tourists and things. But the natural beauty of it all is so amazing that it's just worth it and everything about it is good.

Josh 52:31

I have no bad things to say about Iceland. I mean, look, my whole thing on this podcast is about being real and honest, and if something is not good or something is bad or I didn't appreciate something or enjoy something, I will say it. But Iceland, man, there's just nothing really bad about it. I mean, I'm sure there is. I'm sure one of these times I will have a shitty experience that will piss me off or leave a bad taste in my mouth or something. But so far, man, it is pretty amazing and it's one of those places that I would definitely recommend anyone go.

Josh 53:14

Give it a shot, you know, give it some, give it some time and and really kind of dive into it and enjoy it for what it is, because it's it's really one of those places that's unlike anywhere else. You've been right, you get feelings of the Nordic Scandinavian influence, influence, but it's kind of its own thing as well. You know, being out there, isolated the way they are, it's kind of its own its own thing and its own vibe. And so I would implore you, man, give it a shot. Take some of your, some of your, what I know is valuable, travel time, vacation time and and give Iceland a shot. It's definitely worth it. All right. Well, that about wraps this episode up. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed talking about Iceland. Again. It's one of my favorite places, and so anytime I get a chance to blather on about it, I am excited, and so I really enjoyed this episode and I hope you did too.

Josh 54:07

Please do us a favor and check us out on Instagram and threads. We're probably the most active on those two websites. Also, you can check out the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, any of the podcast players you know. You can find us everywhere, including YouTube, and so please check those out, download the show, rate and review us. We'd really appreciate some reviews and some ratings on those. That would really help us out. We don't have very many right now I know we're still pretty new, but if you could do us a favor and go and rate and review those, I would really really appreciate it. And just stay tuned in for more of this kind of travel content, where I'm loving doing the show and I hope you, you all, are enjoying it. So let's keep it up and keep this thing going and continue to build this great travel community and, you know, explore the world together and talk about it and enjoy it. So really appreciate everybody listening and I will see you on the next one, thanks.