To get the most out of your trip, you just need to have no expectations. Then you'll have more room for amazing emotions! That's exactly what happened to me with Iceland. When I was choosing whether to fly to Greenland via Copenhagen or Reykjavik, I chose Iceland because I'd never been there before. Of course, this extraordinarily beautiful island deserves a separate trip, but when else will you have the opportunity to escape to one of the most expensive countries in the world for travelers? Iceland is one of the few countries where, after visiting its capital, you can confidently say you've seen NOTHING. People come here to see extraordinary landscapes: waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, volcanoes, but not the architecture. So I rented a car to really see Iceland. But I never expected it to impress me so much and never leave my heart.
Iceland is a large island, though it has a population of about 350,000, most of whom reside in the country's only major city, its capital, Reykjavik. Therefore, to truly see everything and enjoy it to the fullest, you'll need about two weeks. But for those who don't have that much time or money, there's a wonderful route called the Golden Circle—a miniature Iceland. Most tourists take this route, and there are also excellent bus tours, thanks to the well-developed infrastructure.
But I was itching to get involved with organized tourism, so we opted for the freedom of renting a car. This allowed us to go beyond the Golden Circle and reach the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, not to mention the freedom to manage our own time.
If you start searching for car rentals in Reykjavik, you'll probably stumble upon Procar. Their prices are suspiciously lower than their competitors, sometimes half as much. This certainly made me wary, but I ultimately took a chance and booked a Toyota Yaris for €180 for two days with full insurance. Early Sunday morning, we went to the company's office, but instead of a Yaris, we were given a new Hyundai i10, and as compensation, they gave us a $50 discount and free in-car internet. All the employees were very friendly, and most importantly, they didn't charge us a credit card deposit or hold a penny, which is definitely a big plus! I highly recommend them. Just 15 minutes later, having loaded the car with everything we needed, we were driving out of Reykjavik.
Driving through Iceland is a pleasure! Perfect roads and practically no cars, it reminded me of the scenes from I Am Legend, when Will Smith was driving through a deserted New York City.
There are speed cameras on the way out of town with a 50 km/h speed limit; you can see them in the photo above. We were immediately caught speeding by 15 km/h. The fine never came. I was more careful from then on. Speed cameras are extremely rare on the highway and can be seen from afar. The speed limit outside of towns is 90 km/h. On empty, perfectly clear roads, it's very difficult to drive that fast, even in a compact car. To be fair, the locals aren't exactly observant of the speed limit either.
Along the way, your head will spin from the beautiful views.
About 40 minutes later, we reached our first stop: Thingvellir National Park, the famous tectonic plate rift between Europe and North America. I'll definitely tell you more about this place later.
The longer we drove through Iceland, the more I was amazed by the local nature. The complete absence of trees, volcanic mountains, green bushes…
Sometimes we stopped to just stand and feel how time stood still.
Of all the roads I've ever driven on, these are the most picturesque and breathtaking.
Our "little Ferrari" deserves a special mention. It's a new Hyundai i10; we received it with just 9,000 km on the clock—meaning it was practically new. In August, they weren't even available at official Hyundai showrooms in Odessa. Frankly, I'd been rather biased against this Korean brand before, despite acknowledging their undeniable progress. But even when I rented the car, I overpaid 30 euros for a Toyota, and when I received it, I was a little disappointed, even though I knew I'd only be driving it for two days, not the rest of my life. But I quickly changed my mind the moment I got behind the wheel of this little thing. The liter engine delivers excellent acceleration up to 70-80 km/h, which is very impressive for the city (and this is clearly a city car).
But we were about to drive on the highway. Once again, the little Ferrari didn't disappoint; it held the road confidently and, when cornering at speed, held the asphalt dead on. For me, as a Subaru driver with all-wheel drive and a boxer engine, this was a real shock, although the high-quality road surface probably played a significant role. As we drove back to Reykjavik late in the evening, we encountered strong winds and a torrential downpour, but even this didn't hinder our little car. The interior is rather austere, but the leather steering wheel makes it a pleasant driving experience, and all this for a very reasonable price. Fuel consumption on Icelandic gasoline is approximately 5.5 l/100 km on the highway.
Of course, there are some downsides, too. The car struggles at speeds above 110 km/h; it starts to wobble, and the engine struggles to accelerate. I maxed out at 130 km/h, but didn't dare go any higher. But for a city car, especially in a country where the speed limit is 50 km/h in the city and 90 km/h on the highway, that's no problem. Furthermore, there's no cruise control; it's uncomfortable without it on the highway, and in the city, this feature is unnecessary. And the last drawback I noticed is the lack of space for rear passengers. There's not even room for a backpack between the front and back seats. I can't imagine how people manage to rent a car like this for four, for example, and why would it have four doors? Of course, I can't comment on the technical aspects of operation. However, I can offer some practical advice: when opening the doors, always hold them with your hand, as the gusts of wind in Iceland are insane and can easily damage the car next to you in the parking lot, or even tear it off altogether.
But back to Iceland. Our next stop was the Great Geysir, which we reached in another 35 minutes. It's teeming with tourists, restaurants, and shops. I'll also write about this place in a separate post.
After the geysers, we headed to the last and most significant landmark of the Golden Circle—Gullfoss Waterfall. Doesn't this landscape look like something out of another world?
The weather wasn't exactly kind to us; it rained occasionally, and the sky remained overcast. But this was the real Iceland, exactly how I wanted to see it. As expected, the waterfall made the biggest impression on me! I had no idea it could be so beautiful.
We still had half a day left. After grabbing a quick bite at a local cafe, we decided where to go next: home or somewhere else. The weather was completely unpredictable. So I decided to take a chance and make it to Skogafoss waterfall. Along the way, we passed Iceland's stunningly blue rivers.
Very soon we were driving along hills covered with volcanic ash.
Along the way we came across many fields with cows, sheep and a local breed of horses.
I prepared a music CD in advance and, with this landscape, blasted the good old track "I'm Free" at full blast. It truly feels like you're racing alongside the wild wind and experiencing complete freedom.
But before we could reach our destination, we saw another waterfall in the distance.
Taking a closer look, we saw a fascinating sight, as if we had entered a land from a fantasy world.
It turned out to be Seljandafoss waterfall. We spent about 20 minutes there and then continued on. The road became more interesting.
It seems like a volcanic eruption could be expected here at any moment.
And suddenly, there it is! That same volcano that paralyzed air traffic over Europe in 2010. I haven't learned to write it yet, but I pronounce it perfectly in Icelandic: Eyjafjallajökull!
The very same horses that cannot be exported from Iceland are walking nearby.
And finally, the final point of our route is the majestic Skogafoss waterfall.
I'll certainly write about all these beautiful places separately. We covered just over 400 km in one day and weren't the least bit tired. I remember the road from Odessa to Chisinau (190 km)—stressful, arriving exhausted. Iceland and its landscapes left a lasting impression. I'd seen photos of it before, but how could it compare to seeing it all in person?
Source: travel.ru
