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| Kirkjufell Mountain |
The reality was somewhat different—and ultimately more memorable.
The trip included spectacular landscapes, long drives through nearly empty roads, homemade meals at an Airbnb, unexpectedly good hot dogs from N1 gas stations, and an encounter with Icelandic police that ended with a $500 speeding ticket.
The Northern Lights never appeared, but the journey itself became the experience.
Arriving in Iceland
After a long flight, the first hours in Iceland were less about sightseeing and more about recovering from exhaustion.
The airport was clean and orderly, although there was little time or energy to explore it. Luggage was collected, transportation arranged, and the next destination became the priority.
Before the trip, a friend had offered one specific piece of advice: buy liquor at the airport. Following that advice became the first small task of the Iceland trip. A stop at the airport shop resulted in a purchase of liquor before the journey continued.
It was a simple beginning to what would become an eventful road trip.
The Landscape of Iceland
The first impression of Iceland came from the road.
Mountains, open farmland, dark volcanic landscapes, and waterfalls appeared repeatedly along the route. The scenery was dramatically different from what most travelers encounter in the United States.
Waterfalls were particularly striking.
In the United States, waterfalls are often destinations that require a specific trip, hike, or detour. In Iceland, waterfalls seemed to be part of the landscape itself. They could appear beside the road, flowing down the side of a mountain or disappearing into the countryside.
During the first day, nearly every waterfall seemed worth stopping for. A small waterfall along the road could easily become an unexpected photo stop.
By the second day, however, the novelty had begun to fade. The number of waterfalls was almost overwhelming. The smaller ones no longer required a stop, and the journey continued past scenery that would have been a major attraction almost anywhere else.
It was one of the unusual aspects of traveling through Iceland: extraordinary scenery could gradually become ordinary simply because there was so much of it.
Driving Through Iceland in September
September proved to be a relatively comfortable time for the road trip. The journey took place before the heavier winter snow season, and the roads were generally easy to navigate.
The scenery made the driving memorable, but the long distances could also become monotonous.
Many roads had relatively low speed limits, and long sections passed through mountains, farmland, and wide-open countryside. There were stretches where little changed for miles.
The most enjoyable part of these long drives was often not the landscape itself but the time spent traveling together.
The car carried four of us through an unfamiliar country, and the hours on the road created plenty of opportunities for conversation. Discussions continued as the landscape changed outside the windows, occasionally interrupted by stops for food, fuel, or sightseeing.
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| Empty Road Takeover |
Traveling through an unfamiliar country created a sense of shared discovery. Routes had to be figured out, destinations located, and plans adjusted along the way.
The road itself became part of the experience.
The $500 Speeding Ticket
The most unexpected event of the trip occurred on one of those long stretches of road.
The vehicle was traveling above the posted speed limit when an Icelandic police vehicle appeared behind it.
The road had one lane in each direction and no conventional shoulder where a vehicle could easily pull over. When the police signaled for the vehicle to stop, there was uncertainty about where it was safe to do so.
The police continued following for several minutes.
Eventually, I had to stop the vehicle in middle of the road. An officer approached and was clearly upset that the vehicle had not stopped immediately after the initial signal.
The situation became more serious than expected. I was handcuffed and placed inside the police vehicle.
What followed was less dramatic than the beginning suggested. The officers explained the traffic violation and spent approximately ten minutes explaining the importance of following the local traffic rules.
The lesson was straightforward: when Icelandic police signal a driver to stop, the driver should stop rather than continue searching for a more convenient place to pull over.
The lesson came at a considerable cost. The speeding fine was approximately $500 and was paid by credit card.
At the time, the experience was stressful. In retrospect, however, it became one of the most memorable stories of the entire trip.
The speeding ticket eventually became part of the humor surrounding the journey. Years later, it remains one of the first incidents that comes to mind when Iceland is mentioned.
Cooking in Iceland
Another unexpected part of the trip was the decision to cook most meals at the Airbnb.
Iceland's restaurant prices made eating out frequently an expensive proposition, particularly for a group traveling together. Purchasing groceries provided a practical alternative. We prepared chicken soup with potatoes and fish soup using some of the varieties of fish available locally.
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| Cooking at Airbnb |
Markets were not always easy to find, particularly when traveling through smaller communities. Grocery shopping became something that had to be considered in advance.
Whenever a sufficiently large town offered a market, food and ingredients were purchased for the next portion of the journey.
The cooking itself became part of the travel experience. After spending much of the day on the road, returning to the Airbnb and preparing a meal together provided a slower and more relaxed end to the day.
The meals were simple, but they became another part of the memories associated with the trip.
The N1 Hot Dog
Among all the food experiences in Iceland, one of the most memorable came from an unlikely location: an N1 gas station.
The long drives meant that N1 stations frequently became convenient places to stop for fuel, a break, and food.
The hot dogs quickly became a favorite. The sausage was thinner and less salty than the typical American hot dog, but the defining feature was the crispy fried onion topping.
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| N1 Gas Station Hot Dog |
The combination was unexpectedly satisfying. It was not an elaborate Icelandic meal, but it became one of the foods most closely associated with the trip.
Even after returning home, the N1 hot dog remained a subject of conversation, particularly for my wife.
Travel memories often develop this way. The meals that remain memorable are not necessarily the most expensive or sophisticated. Sometimes they are simply the foods encountered repeatedly during the journey.
Missing the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights were one of the experiences I had hoped to see in Iceland.
The timing, however, did not work in our favor. The trip took place in September, and the Northern Lights never appeared during our stay.
There was some disappointment in missing one of Iceland's most famous natural attractions, but the absence of the Northern Lights did not diminish the overall experience.
The trip offered something different.
Instead of standing beneath a colorful night sky, many of the strongest memories came from daytime journeys across the country.
The empty roads, changing landscapes, conversations in the car, and shared experiences with friends and family became more important than any single attraction.
What Remained After the Trip
The most lasting memories of Iceland were not necessarily the famous tourist destinations. They were the experiences that happened to us.
Driving through an unfamiliar landscape.
Watching waterfalls appear along the roadside. Eventually becoming so accustomed to waterfalls that the smaller ones no longer seemed worth stopping for.
Searching for grocery stores.
Cooking soup at the Airbnb.
Stopping at an N1 station for a hot dog.
Spending hours talking with friends and family while crossing an unfamiliar country.
And, of course, being chased by the police and receiving a $500 speeding ticket.
The trip also demonstrated something that is easy to forget when planning travel. The most memorable journeys rarely unfold exactly as expected.
The Northern Lights remained unseen.
Some drives became monotonous.
The scenery, although spectacular, eventually became familiar.
And an ordinary speeding violation turned into the most dramatic event of the trip.
Yet those imperfections became part of what made the journey memorable.
Iceland was not simply a collection of waterfalls, mountains, and tourist attractions. It was the experience of moving through an unfamiliar country with people close to me, navigating unfamiliar roads, discovering unexpected food, solving small problems, and sharing experiences that would later become stories.
The speeding ticket was certainly not part of the itinerary.
Neither was the N1 hot dog.
Neither was cooking soup at an Airbnb.
But those details are now inseparable from the memory of Iceland.
The Northern Lights may have remained out of reach, but the journey itself provided something equally valuable: a collection of experiences that continued to feel alive long after the trip ended.
And if another Iceland road trip comes along, there is only one thing that will be different.
The speedometer will be watched much more carefully.
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