Puffins!

July 14, 2025

Day 3 was upon us. The night before, while experiencing the midnight sun during a late-night Google Maps attraction search, I set a plan for the following day. The plan was straightforward. The goal was to find puffins.

After spending the night at our campground in Djúpivogur, we set out early for the drive to find puffins. Not without a quick stop at the town’s seaside attraction, Eggin í Gleðivík, an art installation consisting of 34 granite egg replicas. Each egg represents a different local bird species.

After this fun stop, we started our 3-hour drive along the coast to Borgarfjarðarhöfn. This drive was as beautiful as ever. Striking landscapes with amazing views of the ocean, and of course, the numerous Icelandic sheep that were everywhere along the roadways. After some time, we found ourselves in a decent-sized town, one with several grocery stores, gas stations, and a hospital. This was a nice stop to refill our dwindling supplies and to grab a snack before heading on. As quickly as we entered civilization, we were back into nature, surrounded by vast landscapes and not a building in sight.

The road turned into a deserted highway, not a car in sight. Further on the road, up a small hill, the road leveled. In the distance sat a small, strange building. As we got closer, chairs came into view, a small patio, and this small green shack of a building. At first, I thought this place was abandoned, but once I opened my Atlas Obscura app, I found out this was a small shop, complete with drinks and snacks. Of course, it was closed when I happened upon it.

I took my photos of the building and of the landscape surrounding it, and proceeded on with the drive. The winding road started to go down in elevation towards the sea. On the right was a massive mountain, with what I jokingly said looked like a road. As we continued, our road turned towards said mountain, and the climb commenced. The road had such a steep grade, going up and up with switchbacks to make the climb even steeper. The wind howled and blew so hard that the van would shake. About halfway up, a vehicle sat across the entire road, blocking it for traffic. Turns out there was construction that day. So we sat, waiting for the construction pilot car to come and give us a turn to make it over the mountain. Once it was our turn, after we made it through the construction. We spotted a parking area with a place to get out and rest, and of course, admire the beauty. There was a warning when we picked up the van, “Watch out for the wind”. This was the first time on the trip that we knew exactly what they meant. Getting out of the car at this spot, the wind blew so hard that the door nearly ripped from my hand. We made a quick stop in the wind, which was blowing so hard that I had to walk at an angle to avoid being blown over.

Now was the time to head down the other side of the mountain towards our destination. The road snaked down the mountain, and we eventually made it to the bottom. We were nearly there, the puffins were close. We continued through a small town and then another. After a little further, we made it to the end of the road. I found a parking spot, got my cameras read, and started towards the cliffs where other tourists were gathered. In the distance, I spotted birds everywhere. I continued on the path and got my first glimpse of the birds up close. My first sight of a puffin! Seeing these tiny, colorful birds was a bucket list item. And there were what seemed like a hundred birds all over the cliffs. I walked up the stairs on the pathway made for tourists and snapped away, such small birds with big personalities.

We stayed for a couple of hours watching and photographing these birds. It was starting to get late, so we got back on the road to find our campground for the night. The drive to this campground was amazing, and the campground itself, well, that’s a story for another day.

Second day in Iceland

June 30, 2025

After a restless sleep, experiencing what’s called the “Midnight Sun”. The second day was upon us. One thing I learned very quickly, most tourists on this trip seem to sleep late. We were up around 6:30-7 am and there were maybe 5 others out and about. The weather was cold and foggy with a very lite rain. We quickly grabbed a bite to eat from the few supplies we were able to find the previous day from a local gas station. We packed up the car and started on our first full day in Iceland.

The first stop for the day, was at a church that sat above the campground. I had spotted it the night before but was too tired to find my way up. We found our way up and I got out to photograph the church along with the lupines that were in full bloom all around.

We were very fortunate as there were no others around the church while we were there. Only once we started the drive down did another car with tourists drive up.

Once we left Vik we started our journey down route 1. First stopping at a gas station to try and figure out how to use the pump. Luckily it was so much easier than what I had read online before the trip. Further down the road the landscape turned into lava rocks, then the lava rocks turned to a green color. We followed the road until we came across a parking area on the side of a road. We parked and started up the short path to a lookout platform and gazed upon the most surreal landscape I’ve ever seen. These moss covered lava rocks looked like a scene from some alien movie on another planet.

Back on the road we spotted a waterfall that sat off the road, a very large waterfall. As we got closer we noticed how few cars there were in the parking area for it. We decided to turn down the road and head towards the lot. Seeing a waterfall that was not packed with tourists was a very nice thing to see. This would be our first waterfall for the trip. After parking and getting my camera ready, I turned towards route 1 and noticed a large tour bus slowing down and starting to turn in. I grabbed my camera without my equipment to do long exposure photos, and I quickly walked towards the waterfall. As I got close enough for a decent shot, I turned to notice the tour bus unloading its passengers. Luckily it was a 5-10 minute walk from the parking lot to the waterfall so I had some time. I grabbed a few shots, turned and noticed 3 older Asian women speed walking, almost running down the trail. I knew my time there was up. I got back on the trail and started to the car.

Once back in the car, I looked at google maps to determine the next place to visit. I knew then these next spots were going to be crowded. The first stop, Fjallsárlón. One of the many glaciers. I pulled into the parking lot, paid for parking, and started down the trail.

This place was amazing, such beauty. It was also extremely windy here. I stood and gazed over the water, looking at the different sizes and shapes of the icebergs. The sounds coming from the bigger Icebergs were eerie, the cracking sound that seemed to echo was something I have never heard before. After spending some time here, I headed back to the car, to move just a little down the road to the next spot. Diamond Beach.

Diamond beach was something I was looking forward to seeing, this spot I didn’t mind the nearly full parking lot. I found a spot, parked and got out to start getting my camera ready, when another photographer parked next to us, told me there weren't many “diamonds” on the beach. I thanked him for the info, stood and looked around, contemplating if I should pay to park and go see for myself, or take his advice and move on. After a few minutes I decided to pay the nearly $10 fee, and started down the beach. As I got closer to the waters edge, I noticed the area with a large grouping of tourists. I started towards them when I spotted the first diamond. This other photographer was right, there were 5 “diamonds”, just 5. Five tiny pieces of ice on this black sand beach. I was gutted. This was not at all what I expected to see. After seeing the photos online, I arrived expecting the spot to look like all the other images on google maps. I took what photos I could before the other tourists started picking up these pieces and posing with them. It was time to move on to the next place.

After diamond beach, feeling defeated by the disappointment. The most spectacular thing happened. Driving past a large field with an abandoned building, we spotted a group of horses. I turned around and went back, turned around again to be facing the same direction I needed to be traveling. I found a spot fully off the road to park, and I got out…Got out to photograph these horses that were far away. As I approached the fence, the entire group of horses moved towards me. They got closer and closer and eventually close enough to pet.

After this amazing time spent with the horses, it was getting late. Time to start looking for a campground to spend the night. During the trip I also used the Atlas Obscura app. This app gave me places to see that weren’t on google maps. One of these spots was simply called “Red Chair”. Once I found the place and arrived, all I could do was laugh. What a random thing to see, a red chair bolted to some rocks. No sign, nothing. Just a chair.

After visiting the chair, we started towards the campground I had found before on google maps. Once we arrived, I was very happy to see it was smaller than the campground in Vik, very few other campers here. I found a nice secluded spot amongst the plants, and got everything setup. Our first full day in Iceland came to an end. What a day it was. So many new sights, many new experiences. Especially Icelandic chocolates. We headed to bed, excited to see what day 3 would bring us.

Ever wonder what it’s really like to travel to Europe for the first time?

June 25, 2025

It’s a mix of so many emotions, so many worries, and some fear from being in a country that you know very little about. This is how my first day travelling to Iceland went.

Having never booked a trip like this, everything was new and it felt like I was about to jump in the deep end of the pool. Going from so many road trips across the United States, where booking a car and finding hotels is very easy. But for this trip, booking flights, our rental (which was a camper van), and having no real plans. This would be the ultimate wing it trip.

Leaving our home in East TN, the drive to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport took us roughly 5-6 hours. The entire drive the anxiety grew, the closer we got, the closer to being thrown into a new country and continent, with no plans. New worries started to creep in, did I book the correct flight, are we going on the right day, the right time? Did I book the camper van for the right time? Will our eSims work? So many thoughts running rampant in my head. With that long of a drive all I could do was think of new things that could go wrong.

We arrived safely at the airport, well before the recommended time to arrive before international flights. With my anxiety already high, finding the parking lot to leave our car took much longer than it should have. Once I found the lot, backed in, that’s when reality started to kick in. Getting our luggage out of the car and heading towards the bus stop felt like an eternity, even though the bus stop was only 2-3 minute walk from where I parked the car. So there we sat, in a bus stop with only a few others. Waiting for the bus, watching planes take off in front of us, the nervousness was at an all time high. Finally after what felt like forever, the bus appears in the distance. It was almost time to check in. The bus arrived, we stepped in and took an open seat, I clutched the bags so hard it caused my hands to hurt.

I don’t remember much of the bus ride, the only thought in my head was every worry I had thought of on the drive there. The bus arrived only after a few minutes then it was time to head into the airport and check in. Having not flown in nearly 15 years, everything felt foreign. Luckily the help desk staff was exceptionally kind and made finding where to go a breeze. Once we found the Iceland Air check in, it was time to wait. We had arrived much earlier then recommended, so we found a seat in the corner closest the check in and waited.

Finally the time came to check in, and a new worry emerged. Were our checked bags too heavy? We waited in line and my anxiety grew, worried I packed too much and made my bag too heavy. Worried too that my carry on, which contained all of my photography equipment, was also too heavy. Now it was our turn, we went to the desk, gave the staff our passport, and it was time to see how heavy the bags were. I sat the first bag on the scale, and it was 4 pounds less than the airline max. I sat the second bag on the scale, it weighed even less than the first. I was so relieved, but still anxious if my carry on was too heavy. Just a few minutes later the staff handed us our boarding pass and told us we were good to go. Such a relief came over me at that moment, knowing my precious camera gear was safely with me. Passing through the TSA check point was a breeze, so we were all set, heading to the gate to wait for the flight.

Now it was time, time to wait. Time for the anxiety and worries to grow. Watching so many other passengers come and go like this was an easy and normal thing. I sat nervously checking my email over and over, waiting for the camper van rental agency in Iceland to email with a problem. The closer it got to departure, the more real this trip became. Finally, after 2 hours of sitting and waiting, the flight called to board. We got up from our seats, and waited in line. Of course booking seats towards the front of the plane, Iceland Air called our row last, which caused the anxiety to worsen, sitting and watching everyone else board before us.

It was finally time for us to board the plane, still worried they would gate check my carry on, but luckily everything went smooth there. We found our seats, found an open overhead bin, put our luggage up and finally sat down. I buckled in tight, maybe too tight. This was the first time I flew in many years, and the longest flight I’ve taken at 6 hours. I sat, looking out my window, nervously waiting for the plane to move. Finally, the plane started to creep away from the gate, this was it, no turning back now. The plane taxied to the runway, and before I knew it, we were off the ground, on our way to a new and unknown place for us.

After driving 5-6 hours to the airport, I had planned on sleeping during the 6 hour flight. Since we would be arriving in Iceland at around 7 am I needed to get some rest. That didn’t work so well, I was so tired, but unable to fully fall asleep. I would nod off and awaken to what I felt was hours later, only to look at the clock and see only 20 minutes had passed. This was how my flight went, a few minutes of sleep here and there. The closer we got towards Iceland, the brighter the sky became. Leaving darkness and normality for us, going to a country at this time of year that never gets dark was surreal.

Nervously watching the screen in the headrest in front of me, watching the map and seeing where we were at the moment. The closer and closer we got, when the clouds finally broke all I could see was the ocean. All of a sudden, land started to appear in the distance, mountains, large tall mountains I could faintly see in the distance. The closer those mountains got, other land started to become more visible, flat dessert looking land with large steam clouds emitting from the ground. Only then did I realize how far those mountains were, and how big they were. The plane started to descend and those steamy otherworldly landscapes because closer and clearer. The flight attendants started to come around, getting us prepared for landing. This was it, we were about to set foot for the first time on another continent.

The plane lands, so smooth. Not a single issue. Once they give us the ok to use cellular devices, I franticly turned my phone on from airplane mode and hoped the eSim I installed back home would work. Luckily after a few tries, turning airplane mode off and on, the eSim connected, giving me instant relief, knowing I had access to maps and able to find where to go. Now it was time to exit the plane and head towards passport control. Stepping off the plane and into Keflavík International Airport was a massive culture shock. Signs in Icelandic, ATMs where you could withdraw Icelandic Króna, accents and languages I’ve never heard before. Luckily this culture shock came with a school singing group standing in front of a beautiful mural singing a traditional Icelandic song. After listening to the singing, we continued to follow the signs for passport control. After a few minutes we found passport control and waited in line. When it was our turn, we stepped up to the agent and handed her our passports, she asked a few questions, how long will we be in Europe, where will we be staying. After joking about us living in a camper van for 9 days she stamped our passports and we were ready to leave.

Once outside reality started to sink in, we were in Iceland. Leaving the US and the heat, Iceland was cold and windy. I checked my email for instructions from the car rental agency and began to wonder around trying to figure out where to go. Back and forth we went, from one side of the airport to the other, confused at the instructions. Luckily I spotted the shuttle we were looking for and headed towards it. We loaded our luggage and climbed in, ready to be taken to pick up what would be our home for the next 9 days. After a few minutes we arrived at the rental agency, I checked in with them, gave them the necessary documents for the rental, and they handed me the keys. We headed out and found our rental, loaded in the luggage and got in the front seats. I sat there, with keys in my hand, looking around, wondering what was next. We had no plans, the only plan was to drive the ring road, but other than that, this was a wing it trip. A wing it trip in a foreign country, a wing it trip for someone who’s never driven in Europe, who’s never been in Europe, this was going to be interesting.

I started the car, still having no idea what to do first. My first thought was food, we need to get food. I had researched before the trip about grocery stores, so I put in the only store I knew of, Bonus, into google maps and started to drive there. Leaving the rental agencies parking lot I was on my own, having to figure out road signs and navigate without any real knowledge of driving rules in Iceland. I finally was out of the lot, and about to hit a somewhat main road, my first sign this wasn’t like driving back home, entering the main road, there was no stop sign, just a yield. I safely made it onto the road and started towards a tiny town, towards the only place I really knew of. Not even thinking what time it was, I arrived to the Bonus only to find it closed. Instead of waiting the hour for it to open, we decided to drive around the town. The tiny European roads took a lot to get used to. After a few minutes of driving around, I stopped and looked at my maps, trying to decide where to go, deciding on going a different route, heading south towards the ocean first, instead of north towards route 1.

We headed down a road, the road turned to gravel, then turned into construction. The road had been covered in lava during the last volcano eruption so they had to build a new road around the lava field. This was an incredible sight, something I never thought I would ever see. Traffic was somewhat heavy, no knowing why until we saw a sign, Blue Lagoon, one of the most busy tourist spots in the country was near. Once we passed the sign and turnoff, we basically had the road to ourselves.

The landscape was so extreme, lava fields on one side, mountains and massive cliffs on the other. Further down the road the ocean came into view. and off in the distance I spotted a building, I looked at my maps and saw it listed as an attraction.

The little building we saw from afar, turned out to be the former home of 2 of Icelands most famous poets, such a beautiful place for a home, the mountains and cliffs on one side, and the ocean on the other.

A little further down the road, a church steeple came into view, and the thought of how to get there. The church got closer, and then we passed it, not seeing a road to it, we thought our chance to visit this church passed. Luckily about a mile down the road, we noticed more buildings and finally a road that went towards the church. We drove down the gravel road and parked in the lot so we could explore. Such a beautiful area here too, ocean and seals on one side, and the mountains and cliffs on the other, such an extraordinary place to stand and witness the beauty. After 20-30 minutes exploring and photographing the church, we headed back towards the road. Once on the road, I looked for a new route to get us finally on route 1, the Ring Road.

Once on the ring road, the traffic started to increase, other camper vans, tour busses, so much traffic. The time was getting into late afternoon so I started to look for campsites. I found one and put it into my maps and started that way. Knowing there were many attractions before we would arrive. One of those attractions, was a massive waterfall you can walk behind. We pulled into the lot only to see numerous tour busses, and lines of people waiting. We sat in awe at the number of people and how long the line was, a line to see nature. At this point we knew how busy these tourists spots were going to be. We decided to forgo this waterfall, and got back on the road. When we finally made it to the campground location, we noticed something else, another waterfall. Pulling in and down to where the camp would be, we passed even more tour busses, and lines of people, seeing other camper vans set up and lines of other tourists walking by what should have been a quiet place to spend the night. We decided to skip this place and find another.

Vik was our next option, not knowing how popular Vik was we found camp and pulled into the most secluded spot we could find, with power for the vans cooler and heater. After getting setup and eating we headed to bed. Our first night in Iceland was upon us, but it was still as bright as the day, 11pm and the sun was still up. This was so surreal but honestly wasn’t hard to get used to. We were awakened around midnight by sounds of cars close, we got out to head towards the bathroom only to notice the campground was now full, and the communal kitchen area was full of people, full of people cooking huge meals, At midnight. We got back into the van, and went to sleep, having successfully made it through our first day in Iceland. Such a whirlwind of emotions leading up to the flight, and having to figure out things once we landed. We were ready for what day 2 would bring us.