My Iclandic Saga: A pricey, yet sublime journey into the land of fire and ice

I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Iceland I took with my daughter. I came back amazed and inspired — and want to share what I learned with you

A helping hand on a glacier. A pop-up jazz band in a hotel. Misty Mountains and cascading waterfalls.

Iceland — in a nutshell — is both mundane and mystical. Rooted in its sagas, grounded in its modern systems.

Tourism has mushroomed on this small island proudly jutting forth between North America and Europe. In Thingvellir National Park you can walk between — or on top of — the tectonic plates that separate the two spaces, and at every turn, Iceland looks, feels and smells (via the sulfuric odor of its many hot springs and active volcanoes), like a land that time forgot.

But it’s here and my daughter and I were just there, and I want to share some insights I gleaned from our trip with you.

1. The land of fire and ice is as eclectic as it is efficent. Case in point: One of our early stops on the trip, the relatively meh waterfalls that frame the iconic peak of Kirkjufell. I drove our rental car there for a photo opportunity — and the site did not disappoint. The paid parking, however, caught me by surprise. The machine didn’t work, but an on-site camera captured our car’s license plate. So a much-maligned charge of around $8 turned into a $60 liability billed to us by the rental car company. Why? That’s Iceland. An enigmatic and etheral place, where some have learned to cash in handsomely in the growing tourist trade.

Kirkjufell, made famous as a “Game of Thrones” shooting site and made infamous by a broadly panned paid parking lot with touchy machines (that lot is also easy to avoid. I made a rookie mistake).

2. Yes, Iceland is very expensive, but it’s possible to visit on a moderate budget — especially with cheap direct flights out of Minneapolis and other major U.S. cities. We paid for a handful of tours even tough we had a car for most of the trip because local guides can provide insightful historical and cultural commentary that’s invaluable. And the awe-inspring waterfalls? They’re so widespread it is possible to become “waterfalled out.” My daughter was by the end of the trip, but that’s a good problem to have.

3. 

   3. The people burst with creativity, but they’re also rather reserved. I spent part of my last night on the island at a local bar near our Airbnb. I ordered a vodka tonic, paid, and sat quietly. I was open to conversation, just not sure how to start one. I ordered one more, a patron started a conversation with me and off we went. He opened up. Another, after a smoke break, did the same. I listened, fighting my unfortunate tendency of talking too much. But then I did — and the dialogue spiked. The bartender joined in, as well, and I think he gave me two free beers based on a perusal of my credit card charges.

   The lesson I learned is the same I’ve picked up from anywhere I’ve been: People are the same wherever you go (nod to the terrible duet “Ebony and Ivory” by the terrific Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder).

   So go to Iceland. For the mountains. The sea. The people and the food. And don’t forget the beer: Brothers Brewery on Vestmannaeyjar, the capital of Heimay, the only inhabited spot on the Westman Islands, is outstanding. You can enjoy great pizza nearby and watch for Puffins, whales and dolphins.

   It’s a crossroads at sea, where everything and everyone — from people to landscapes, from elves to trolls — are welcome.

   

   The incredible glacial lagoon at Jökulsárlón on the South coast.

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