We arrived at the Keflavik airport early in the morning and made our way to Blue Car Rental . If you plan to visit Iceland, driving the Ring Road is a great way to see the country. Blue Car was so accommodating to us and our experience was nothing but positive, so we highly recommend them. We made our way to Reykjavik from the airport, which is about 40 minutes. We parked the car and walked a little bit before we found Braud and Co, an amazing little bakery that has the best fresh cinnamon rolls. They were so delicious. We walked across the street to Reykjavik Roasters to grab some coffee. Once we were filled up on coffee and baked goods, we walked around the city for a little bit. We knew we’d be back at the end of our trip around Ring Road, so we didn’t spend long. What struck me the most was all of the color all over the houses and the buildings.
We then left Reykjavik and headed towards the area in the Golden Circle where we would be staying for the night. On our way to our guesthouse, we stopped at the Kenio Crater. The kids walked all the way down and said the water was crystal clear. We had a 1:00 reservation at Fridheimar Farmhouse, where they grow tomato plants in a greenhouse, powdered by the geothermal energy. We enjoyed all you can eat tomato soup and fresh bread. It was the perfect lunchtime treat after a long overnight flight.
It was then time to check into the Heradsskolinn Guesthouse for the night in Laugarvatn. When I booked the vacation, I made sure to include a different type of lodging for each night we were in Iceland. I really wanted us all to experience all of the different types you can stay at while traveling. We checked into our historic guesthouse and crashed for about 3 hours. Good thing we packed our sleeping masks. The hostel was so clean and a unique experience for us. We had to share a bathroom with everyone on our floor, but they were so clean. The guesthouse is set in a 1920’s former school building and offered both private rooms and dorms. All five of us were together in one room, and it worked out just fine.
We headed out for dinner at a great restaurant called Lindin right next to our guesthouse. We had delicious seafood and a great view of Lake Laugervatn. We made it to Bruarfoss before the sunset and stopped to visit some Icelandic horses on the way home just as the sun was setting. It was a great first day!!
