From Reykjavik to Hvammstangi

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From Reykjavik to Hvammstangi
Day 1

Check out our mode of transportation while in country, courtesy of Kuku Camper. We call her Silver Bullet - our camper van. Thankfully Abby is able to drive manual, otherwise we would be SOL. Kellie and I have never been taught to drive a stick shift.

Reykjavik, the Capitol of Iceland, is where our journey began. From there, we headed north to the Ring Road, or Route 1. The plan for the next 8 days is to travel the entire Ring Road, which encircles the country. We will be traveling along the country in a clockwise fashion, making stops along the way to sightsee and discover more about Iceland.

This trip is the ultimate road trip. The scenery is absolutely stunning. Glaciers, waterfalls created from glacial melt, mountains, Icelandic horses, sheep and their offspring, volcanoes, and open roads are some of the Icelandic sights we've already become familiar with.

I am writing from Hvammstangi, a small town near northern Iceland (see my map to see progress we have made from the Capitol). We decided on a camp site for the night, at the small price of 1,200 isk. A hot shower is in order before we embark on tomorrow's journey. Hvammstangi, I learned, is home to the Icelandic Seal Center. The Seal Center is a research and exhibition center that offers insight into the biology and ecology of seals found at the coast of Iceland. Seals keep close to the Northern shore so they can rest on large rocks or beaches. Even though these mammals are wild in nature, they are curious and it does not take them long to get used to a nearby boat. This makes them easily spotted in their natural habitat. The Seal Center offers boat tours for seal spotting and diverse birdlife sightings that the Northern part of Iceland houses.

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