It rained this morning in Reykjavík but we spent what little time we had left there walking around the city. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the airport.

We're now in Boston for an overnight layover and then leave for LA on a 7:30 AM flight.

We already miss Iceland!

For our final full day in Iceland we spent the morning exploring the Snæfellsnes peninsula. We drove the length of the peninsula stopping to look at the looming mountains and lava rock beaches.

We then headed east in hopes of exploring a lava cave but discovered our rental car wasn't suited to drive the final 7 KM so we went to a waterfall where the water seemingly flowed from halfway down the lava rocks instead of cascading over the top.

Once we were done with the waterfall it was time to return to Reykjavík. On the drive back we took a shortcut through a tunnel that went under a fjord.

Our hotel is located right near the heart of the nightlife in Reykjavík so we enjoyed walking around after dinner and seeing the city alive on a Friday night.

Tomorrow morning we have some time in the city and then we'll head to the airport for our 5 PM flight to Boston.

The drive down to the Snæfellsnes peninsula wasn't as difficult or long as many people had warned us it was. It was however, remote and beautiful. At times we drove for over 30 minutes without seeing another car or building. The road turned to dirt or gravel many times but overall was easy enough to drive on.

Before leaving the hotel this morning, we asked the hotel's owner where to get gas. He pointed to a location on our map and told us to pull into the farm there and we'd see a gas pump. We should then pull up to the gas pump and wait about a minute and a half and an old man would appear and slowly walk our way. Before activating the gas pump, the old man would insist that we sign his guest book. We set out on the highway, came across the farm, and sure enough everything the hotel owner described transpired. The old man didn't speak much English (he is one of the few Icelanders we're come across who hasn't) and kept thinking we were German but we were able to communicate for the most part. When he found out we were from the US he kept saying "George Bush" and pointing his thumb up and then saying "Obama" and pointing his thumb down. He didn't care to elaborate beyond that.

We arrived at our destination, Grundarfjörður, around 4:30, much earlier than we had anticipated so we decided to take what a tour book described as "lovely walk" around a tiny mountain near the town. The walk was 6 kilometers long but it took us 2.5 hours when we lost track of the official trial and ended up walking through a swamp. We were always able to see our destination so losing the trail was more of an inconvenience than anything else. We were also able to get closer to a flock of sheep and some birds on our newly blazed trail.

Our hotel room tonight overlooks the ocean and despite the high 30 degree temperature right now we have the window cracked open so we can hear the sound of the waves crashing on the black sand.

Driving up a dirt road so steep it ends in the clouds is a unique experience in most places. In the West Fjords it's something you do several times a day. We did a lot of driving on dirt roads yesterday and still managed to cover a lot of ground.

For lunch we stopped at a cafe in a fjord supposedly inhabited by a sea monster (we ate delicious fish and chips).

After lunch we drove to Látrabjarg, Europe's west-most point. We took a short hike there to see amazing cliffs and an expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean. Had we visited a month earlier we would have seen thousands of birds who nest on the cliffs during the summer but they had all left for warmer climates by the time we arrived.

Last night we stayed in a small but cozy hotel near Látrabjarg. Our room had a view of a fjord and some very majestic cliffs. The wind was howling outside but it was warm inside.

Today we have a very long drive ahead of us on what we've been told is rugged but very beautiful terrain.

Apparently this is Iceland's perception of how Americans like their donuts. To be fair, it does look delicious but we've never seen one of these at Krispy Kreme or Winchell's. And no, we didn't try it but the other baked goods in the shop were delicious.

Yesterday we drove up the neck of Iceland's west fjords stopping in some of the villages we passed. The scenery was once again amazing but different from the east fjords and northern areas.

On our way through Hólmavík, one of the fjord towns, we stopped at the Museum of Sorcery & Witchcraft which traces the history of witchcraft trials in Iceland. Witchcraft trials here were similar to the ones in Salem and other areas on the east coast of the US except in Iceland the majority of those accused were male (only one female was executed).

After visiting the museum we drove several dirt roads to get to our hotel which didn't look like much on the outside but was nice inside. Next to the hotel was a warm swimming pool and two "hot pots" (the British term for hot tubs). The hot pots were warmed using hot water coming up from the ground and consisted of natural stone built into a hillside. Having arrived at the hotel early we decided to go for a swim with an amazing view from the pool.

This morning we headed for Ísafjörður, a much larger fjord town than the previous ones we'd seen. The drive was once again beautiful. We stopped in a village near town to see the Arctic Fox Centre but it was closed for the winter. They did have an arctic fox outside of it so we got to see one at least.

Once we arrived in Ísafjörður we drove a bit to another fjord to go horseback riding. Michelle was really excited when she found out that Icelandic horses are shorter than most others and she could get on and off the horse by herself. Since the summer here is over there aren't many tourists in the area so we got a private tour.

We're spending the night in Ísafjörður in a room that overlooks the fjord. Tomorrow we start driving southwest deeper into the western fjords on a route that will eventually return us to Reykjavík Friday afternoon.

After some much needed extra sleep after a full day of hiking the previous day we spent the rest of the morning in Akureyri.

After lunch we wandered the island's northern fjords stopping in many of the small fishing towns along the highway. Michelle discovered that one of the towns is known for their country music and tuned into that town's radio station from our car. Just like the east fjords, the north fjords were very scenic.

Before we knew it, the sun was setting so we ate dinner and found our accommodation for the night, a farm guesthouse off the main highway.

The weather so far has been in the mid-50s during the day and the high 30s at night. Iceland can be very windy though so when taking wind chill into account, the temperature can vary drastically throughout the day. For the past two days it's been mostly cloudy and has drizzled overnight. Right after arriving at the guesthouse tonight it started to rain and we can hear the wind howling right now from our room. Luckily it hasn't rained during the day yet so we haven't had to worry about the weather when planning activities.

Tomorrow we begin the trek into the West Fjords.

We started the day in Lake Mývatn with a hike up a huge volcanic crater and walked around the entire ridge to get a great view of the area. After the crater we hiked through expansive lava fields as steam from deep within the earth rose out of the ground around us.

Around 4 PM we finally had to leave the Lake Mývatn area. There's so much to do there we probably could have stayed another week.

We're spending the night in Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city. We walked around town this evening and found it to be a charming city. Our hotel room is extremely small but when we arrived they had champagne, flowers, and chocolates waiting for us so what they lack in size they make up in character.

Goodnight from the north of Iceland!

More scenes from the farm we're staying on.

We spent the day winding our way through Iceland's highlands, a collection of strange sights and smells. After crossing a moon-like landscape that was completely desolate we hiked to Detifoss, Europe's largest waterfall by volume and saw Selfoss, another waterfall, in the distance.

After this waterfall oasis the landscape turned volcanic with steam and bubbling mud visible from the side of the highway. This signaled our entrance to the Lake Mývatn area which is full of hikes with views that seem prehistoric.

We're spending the night on a farm near the lake. The farm has sheep, chickens, and cows and in 2005 built incredible wood cabins in the wilderness nearby for guests. Before we ate dinner we watched the farmers milk the cows and Michelle pet several including some calves. For dinner we had meat with fresh cheese, milk, and of course ice-cream which was all delicious. Tomorrow we're spending the morning in this area and then driving to Akureyri for the evening.