After spending a fabulous week with a great group of women on a tour put together by my sister’s company MajesticIcelandics, I was ready to spend a couple of days with just my sister. We had no real plans and were willing to just go with the flow.  My sister had arranged for us to spend a couple of days at Eldhestar, one of the largest horse farms in Iceland that offers many riding tours. I write more about this in my post “Horsing around in Iceland” .

I had injured my knee and my sister had broken her ankle so we were not the most mobile but we filled a day with driving around and going to the Secret Lagoon for a leisurely soak.  For more information on the Secret Lagoon, see my post, “Why Touring Iceland with the right Guide is so important”.  

On my final day, we looked at the map to see where we could stop between Eldhestar and Keflavic where we would be staying before my flight home. Most people take the direct route back but there is a coastal road that is slower but so very interesting and well worth the detour. Although you can actually drive the distance in just over an hour, I recommend taking the day so you can stop along the way and just take in Iceland’s always changing landscape. We drove through green pastures and miles of volcanic lava fields, cliffs looming on our right and the ocean keeping us company on the left. Sheep wander aimlessly, often stopping in the middle of the road giving us yet another reason to stop and just take in the moment. 

We were in no hurry and took random roads inland. One road led to a beautiful, calm, deep blue lake with hiking paths going for miles. Driving back to the main coastal road we saw a sign to Krysuvikurkirkja which we assumed was a village.  We followed the direction of the sign and found the ruins of a long gone church along with an old cemetery. That was all that was there…the lost church and the sheep that keep constant watch. 

Another arbitrary road took us to an amazing geothermal display, Gunnuhver.  Boiling water spews from the rocks sending plumes of steam downstream. 

We stopped for lunch in the fishing village of Grindavic after touring their local park , Hopsnes.  Here we discovered ruined buildings and many ship wrecks.  This area was notoriously bad for shipwrecks.  We ate lunch with the locals at Bryggjan cafe where we ate amazing Lobster soup and drank beer while listening to stories from the locals who were happy to share with us. If we find ourselves back that way, we have been promised a boat ride out to the ocean.  If you find yourselves in Grindavic, stop by and chat with them.   A group of them can be found there every day!

Along this route, you can also find a bridge spanning the continental divide. Eurasia on one side and North American plate on the other. Very cool.  Unfortunately, it was here my phone battery died and I was unable to take photos the rest of the day.