We’ve recently returned from an amazing holiday in Iceland, driving all the way around the Ring Road. Here are three things that stood out on Day One: Keflavik Airport to Vik.
Road.is
When we arrived at Keflovik, it was snowing, which didn’t bode well for our driving tour. The weather reports were grim, with many roads expected to be closed over the coming days. On the shuttle bus to the car hire place, the driver told me I should check the road.is website (as opposed to the app, which isn’t as good). The website has up to date information about road closures. It can even tell you when snow ploughs are clearing roads and visibility and ice conditions on each road.
Bobby Fischer and Iceland
Driving straight down from Keflovik to the town of Vik in the south, I had to contend with driving on the (for me) wrong side of the road. The roundabout systems are a little confusing, and the occasional ferocious snow flurry didn’t help. Aware that later it would snow harder and more consistently, we decided (frustratingly, for a chess enthusiast like me), not to stop at the Bobby Fischer Centre in Selfoss.
Apparently, Fischer hated Iceland when he lived there for the last four years of his life. It was too windy for him. To be fair, Iceland is very windy, and the wind chill can make biting weather truly savage. Also to be fair, Fischer had all the his fillings removed in case the Soviets transmitted deadly signals through them.
The Game of Thrones Black Sand Beach
With about fifteen minutes to go until we reached Vik, we turned towards the black sand beach where Danearys Targaryeon once walked during Game of Thrones. Be warned if you go onto the sand: the tide comes in fast. While I was taking this photograph, one of my trainers got absolutely drenched. The temperature was about two degrees (max) so I had to change my shoes and socks because my foot felt like a block of ice!
Red Hot Lava Soup
In Vik, we knew about three different places to eat, but in the end settled on The Soup Company, in the Lava Show building. The soup came with a free refill included, which seemed very good value (especially by Icelandic standards; eating out is expensive). Jane had the red hot lava soup and I had the lamb soup. Both were delicious.
When we came out of the restaurant, the snow had started…
Further Reading
Iceland (2): Land of Diamonds, Glaciers and Snow
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