During the start of our Iceland Adventure, we were off to explore the Reykjanes Peninsula. We had been told there is a chance to catch the beautiful sunrise at Kleifarvatn, which is the largest lake on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. However, what we didn’t account for was the fact that the sun rises at 4AM in Iceland at this time of the year! Oh well, it was still an awesome drive down route 42 headed towards the coast along the Reykjanes Peninsula.
This is a shot taken from the Kleifarvatn Lake area which sits right in the middle of the Reykjanes Peninsula – An amazing place!
And lucky for us, the road we were traveling on wasn’t too treacherous… You see, we rented this blue monster of a vehicle, fittingly called the Subaru Legacy… Yep, that’s right, I opted out for budgetary travel options in lieu of the ‘monster truck‘ options out there. And of course, those were everywhere. Yet not at a backpackers price!
You can call her ‘Blue Thunder’ and she’d be making the journey through Iceland with us for the next two weeks. She’s just getting her feet wet in this photo-op here coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula! Follow us on this journey and you’ll see just how much hell Blue Thunder went through!
Of course… this was NOT our vehicle… absolutely no match for ‘Lil Blue Thunder’ above folks… We spared no expense!
As soon as we picked the vehicle up, I swore there was something wrong with it stemming from the noises it was making. As soon as I stopped to get out and check what was causing the noise, I realized we had on studded tires for icy roads. All I could think was wow, really? In the month of May? Could it be this bad out here? Surely we wouldn’t be hitting ice on the roads on the Reykjanes Peninsula…. Well, not yet anyway. Little did we know the weather would be drastically changing on us in the coming days!
Anyway… we were headed south along dirt and gravel roads and the views we took in were amazing. We eventually ended up at the Seltún geothermal area near the Kleifarvatn lake area. It is better known as Krýsuvík which makes up several different geothermal fields although we would just be stopping in on this one.
The Krýsuvík – Seltún geothermal area in the heart of Reykjanes Peninsula
And as soon as we pulled up to the Seltún geothermal hot springs, I was instantly reminded of why I loved Iceland so much… The geothermal area was completely deserted, not a person in sight. We had a chance to explore this area completely on our own which was something special. Walking up through the hillside, there were mud pools everywhere and steam rising from dozens of areas. Where else in the world could you walk through mud pots, hot springs and sulfuric acid spewing about while left unattended… Such an amazing country! (that being said, probably not the smartest place to bring the kiddies)
The Seltún geothermal area from a distance…
After leaving from the Krýsuvík area, we were headed further south along the Reykjanes Peninsula on our way to Iceland’s southern coastline. And as usual, the scenery along this route was simply amazing. We were headed down route 427 and really didn’t know what was next on the agenda. All I knew was that we’d been off the plane all of 3 hours and I was hungry. Yet we were in Iceland… a place where there isn’t exactly a restaurant every couple of miles…
Taken while driving along route 427 toward the southern coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula
The mossy covered hills we passed on the way to Grindavik on the southern coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula
Heading to Grindavik along the Reykjanes Peninsula
We were headed to Grindavik, which was about a 20-30 minute drive from where we were. Surely there would be a place to grab something to eat right? When we eventually reached Grindavik, we drove around the small town so much that I’m sure the locals kept wondering what the hell this blue Subaru was doing in their town driving around in circles aimlessly. We were obviously lost in search of a restaurant!
Now as small as Grindavik is, we did find at least 3 places to eat… But, apparently, on a Monday morning at 10AM… everything was closed! After stumbling into a gas station nearby, and reaching for a Snickers (that would be a fill in for brunch), the attendant asked what we were doing. It must have been painfully obvious we didn’t ‘really’ want that Snickers and had been searching for a restaurant. Apparently the locals here are also mind readers… I love Iceland.
He pointed us in the direction of a restaurant that wasn’t supposed to be far from there. It was supposed to be on the water’s edge by the boats of Grindavik, right on the harbor. Perfect. How could I not find the place? It was called Bryggjan Kaffihus Cafe… Sounds like my kind of place. I was in need of some coffee and the mere fact that this place had food sounded perfect.
The wonderful Bryggjan Kaffihus Cafe in Grindavik!
When we walked in, I swear, you would have thought it was one of those scenes in the movies where everyone drops what they’re doing to look up and stare at us! Haha, no joking there folks… there were indeed a lot of local fisherman holed up in the corner and you could tell this was the only spot in town worth coming to. Fine by me. We walked in and were simply asked by the joyful owner, ‘What’ll it be? Will you have The Breakfast‘? At first thought I thought his English was a bit off… However, turns out there was just ‘one‘ breakfast choice and apparently it was called ‘The Breakfast’ – Damn I love Iceland! … “Yes sir, I’ll take it!”
This was me getting advice on places to visit in this wonderland I call Iceland… The owner of this place was amazingly helpful and nice to say the least. Visit the Bryggjan restaurant and you’ll see why!
This was ‘THE BREAKFAST’ – Icelandic style of course! The fish was nothing short of amazing (and of course, the first time I’d ever had fish for breakfast… ‘When in Iceland’ folks!) If you travel through Grindavik, be sure to check this place out!
And it turned out to be the best breakfast I’d ever had. Skyr yogurt (the best ever), salmon and herring, toast and eggs, ham and cheese, vegetables, endless coffee… what’s not to love?!? This place was awesome as was the owner of the place. He was very interested in our upcoming trip and kept giving us advice about our Iceland trip as well as information about what to see and do along the Reykjanes Peninsula. He told us to head to the end of the peninsula to a place called Reykjanesta. It was where we were headed next before we were going to the Blue Lagoon. Of course, if you want to hear more about that experience, check in on my last post regarding the Blue Lagoon.
When we arrived to the southwestern point along the Reykjanes Peninsula, the panoramic views were utterly amazing. There was a lighthouse not far off in the distance which you’ll pass on the way out here and there were 1000’s of birds flying in and out of the cliffs along the shore. You can drive all the way out here to get this shot but for the real view, you’ll have to strap on your hiking boots and head to the top of the cliffs as they jut out from the rocky coastline. Such an amazing place and a great way to end our time exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula. It’s a shame more people don’t visit this area. Most will simply head straight to the Blue Lagoon and then back to Reykjavik without ever doing much exploration. There are many magical areas along the Reykjanes Peninsula that you shouldn’t miss…
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