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00:00Hey, I'm Rick Steves,
00:02back with more of the best of Europe.
00:04This time we're in Iceland, in Reykjavik,
00:07about to head off on perhaps Europe's most epic road trip,
00:10Iceland's Ring Road.
00:12Thanks for joining us.
00:30From here in downtown Reykjavik,
00:47we'll drive 800 miles
00:49all the way around Iceland's Ring Road.
00:51Which highway? Highway 1, of course.
00:53You can't get lost.
00:55Over half the island's population
00:57lives in or near the capital, Reykjavik.
01:01It's a fun city with plenty to see and experience.
01:04But that's another show.
01:06For Ring Road trippers,
01:07this city is the starting and ending point
01:10of a week-long adventure.
01:12Leaving Reykjavik's suburban sprawl,
01:14it's striking how quickly you're immersed
01:16in Iceland's vast and dramatic landscape.
01:20We'll experience the majesty of Icelandic nature
01:23and its hearty culture.
01:25With lots of time on the road,
01:27and help from Cameron Hewitt,
01:28my friend and fellow guidebook author,
01:30we'll see it all.
01:32Thundering waterfalls,
01:34steaming geothermal fields,
01:36bobbing with icebergs,
01:39fording glacial rivers,
01:41and wandering evocative black sand beaches.
01:45Quirky fjord-side towns
01:47and endearing folk culture.
01:50We'll chase rainbows,
01:52elusive whales,
01:54roaming horses,
01:55and the cutest puffins.
01:59Iceland, about the size of Virginia
02:01with just 400,000 people,
02:03sits between Greenland and Norway.
02:06The Ring Road links virtually the entire population.
02:09From Reykjavik, we explore the south coast,
02:12side-tripping up Thorsmork Valley
02:14and sailing to the Westman Islands.
02:17From Vick, we see glacial lagoons,
02:19the rugged east fjords,
02:21geothermal hot zones around Lake Mevatn,
02:24the fishing village of Husivik in the far north,
02:27and Snifelsness Peninsula,
02:29before finishing back where we started.
02:33Driving the entire Ring Road
02:35takes about 30 hours nonstop.
02:37To do it justice,
02:38you need at least five or six days.
02:40You can go in either direction.
02:42We're going counter-clockwise.
02:44And it's summertime,
02:45so it stays light really late.
02:48On the first leg is Iceland's south coast.
02:51Just two hours from Reykjavik,
02:53and we're already deep in the thrills,
02:55chalking up the experiences
02:57people visiting here dream of.
03:00Cellulensfas, one of Iceland's most accessible waterfalls,
03:04is a favorite stop.
03:06The water tumbles more than 200 feet
03:09from cliffs high above,
03:10like a bridal veil.
03:12On sunny days, the scene is like a party
03:15as everybody is suddenly waterfall-crazy
03:17and connoisseurs of rainbows.
03:23Late in the day, with the setting sun,
03:25everyone's a photographer.
03:27A slippery trail leads up behind the cascading water.
03:31And back here, the energy's palpable.
03:34And rain parkas get a good workout.
03:46Here in Iceland,
03:47we experience both the power of nature
03:49and the beauty of nature.
03:52The south coast's backdrop
03:54is a chain of glacier-capped volcanoes.
03:57This island sits at the rift,
03:59where the North American and European tectonic plates
04:02are slowly pulling apart,
04:04resulting in one of our planet's most dramatic
04:07and fiery landscapes.
04:11This country is expert at monetizing
04:13its stunning nature,
04:15making the great outdoors accessible.
04:17Each morning, rugged vehicles load up with tourists
04:20and head for the backcountry.
04:25We've hired one of these enormous trucks with a driver,
04:28eager for a thrilling experience.
04:32We're heading up a remote and rocky valley
04:34called Thorsmark.
04:36Even in this land of superlatives,
04:38Thorsmark is one-of-a-kind.
04:41Venturing far beyond where normal cars can tread,
04:44it's the land of supervehicles.
04:47But it's still accessible.
04:48There's even a public bus service
04:50of this remote valley.
04:52All must have tires that deflate
04:54with the push of a button for extra traction.
04:58Superjeeps and buses alike,
05:00equipped with these monster tires,
05:02churn through rivers of glacial melt,
05:05giving all on board a tale to tell.
05:11People come to hike.
05:12Remote lodges provide simple home bases.
05:15Up here, nature is a great equalizer,
05:18as everyone is psyching up,
05:20prepping to create that lifetime memory.
05:23Charging deeper and deeper into the valley,
05:27I keep thinking the off-road prowess of our vehicle
05:30would make for a great TV ad.
05:33Finally, we park our super Jeep
05:38and actually work up a sweat with a short hike.
05:42Feeling small in this primeval setting,
05:45we're humbled at the majesty that surrounds us.
05:48This is yet another way to be immersed
05:51in the raw power of Iceland's nature.
05:54Highway 1 laces together a steady parade
06:01of side-tripping options.
06:04Each detour comes with a convenient lesson
06:07in the local history and a schematic map
06:10locating every farm, place to eat or sleep,
06:12and point of interest on that smaller road.
06:15Like any road trip,
06:17doing the ring road requires multiple one-night stays.
06:21There are plenty of accommodation options.
06:23They range from big, boxy hotels
06:26to prefab cabins,
06:28tight little yurts,
06:30remote hostels,
06:32and camping.
06:34It's been a long day of sightseeing for us.
06:36Time to settle in.
06:38Like so many farms,
06:39this family is meeting the new demand,
06:41housing more tourists and fewer animals.
06:46The welcome is warm.
06:48I'm Rick Steves.
06:49Hello, Mr. Steves.
06:50How are you today?
06:51I'm good.
06:52It's nice to be here.
06:53The rooms are simple,
06:54but plenty comfortable.
06:59And the views are...
07:01Icelandic.
07:03A major stop on the Iceland Grand Tour
07:08is the Westman Islands,
07:10just a 40-minute ferry crossing
07:12from the south coast.
07:15While locals sit inside,
07:17tourists soak up the view
07:19as we approach the craggy group of islands.
07:29The ferry squeezes into the harbor
07:31and tucked into the shelter of the cliffs,
07:34our port comes into view.
07:36The Westman Islands' only town
07:38is a fishing community,
07:40surrounded by sea cliffs
07:41and a rugged terrain shaped by eons
07:44of volcanic eruptions.
07:46Sightseeing boats are dwarfed and outnumbered
07:48by a fleet of fishing boats.
07:50Visitors strolling the boardwalk
07:52sense how fishing is big in this country,
07:54and the Westman Islands fleet is the leading producer.
07:59Main Street has most of the commerce,
08:03and it leads past inviting neighborhood lanes
08:06to a classic Icelandic church.
08:09But the island is best known for a fiery eruption in 1973
08:13when its volcano blew.
08:15It was a massive event.
08:17The island actually increased in size.
08:21The town's volcano museum tells the story.
08:25One frightening night,
08:27the slumbering volcano above town
08:29rumbled violently to life.
08:31Everyone evacuated by morning,
08:33but for months molten lava flowed,
08:36slowly creeping closer and closer to the town center.
08:42The museum's centerpiece is an actual house
08:45that was completely engulfed by the lava.
08:54Fifty years ago, this was an oozing wall
08:57of red-hot molten lava.
08:59It was a slow-motion disaster,
09:01gradually consuming the town.
09:03Thankfully, it stopped right here.
09:06Back at the harbor front,
09:07we're catching a minibus tour
09:09to get a more personal take
09:10on that terrifying eruption
09:12and to explore the island.
09:14Local guide Abby was born and raised here,
09:16knows the island, and is ready to roll.
09:20We're driving on lava left from the 1973 eruption.
09:25So, you know, good things, bad things,
09:27with this huge eruption like this.
09:29Now, nobody died because of the eruption,
09:32which is a very good thing.
09:33We gained also about 20%.
09:35The island increased in size about 20%.
09:37And you're more famous for tourists
09:39because you had the volcano.
09:40Well, yes, you got us on the map also.
09:42Underneath us are streets 50 meters down.
09:45Underneath us, we have streets.
09:47We have houses.
09:48Actually, not far from here is my grandparents' house.
09:51And right here below is one of our schools.
09:54This marking here is a memorial
09:57about a house underneath here
09:59from a wealthy fisherman.
10:00His house was straight down?
10:01This house right underneath us here.
10:03Huh.
10:04And everywhere on this lava,
10:05we have these wooden crosses,
10:07like this one here, for example.
10:09This is called Launca Gata,
10:11one of many streets that went under.
10:13So that's the name of the street?
10:15There's the name of the street,
10:16right underneath us.
10:17The town side of the lava ridge
10:19has additional examples of what was lost
10:21and reminders of how the entire town
10:24could have been consumed by the lava flow.
10:28The Westman Islands are famous
10:30for being the home of many species of seabirds
10:33that nest in the grassy ledges and cliffs
10:35by the millions.
10:37It's particularly well-known for its puffins.
10:41Abbey takes us to a thriving colony,
10:43popular with birders and tourists alike.
10:46So this location here is the biggest puffin colony
10:50in the world.
10:51Now, people come here to see the puffins, of course.
10:54The puffins, they live in the ocean for eight months,
10:57and they're only here during the summer
10:59just to do that one thing,
11:00and that is to make that one egg a year that they make.
11:03They make one egg per year, per couple.
11:06Now, half of the colony is right now underneath here.
11:10There are thousands of birds sitting,
11:12taking care of the egg right now.
11:14Underneath us.
11:15Underneath us right now.
11:16Underneath us.
11:17Underneath us.
11:18Everywhere is a burrow where they've digged in,
11:20and they have this like, like an apartment kind of.
11:23And half of the colony is outside now,
11:26out in the ocean, getting fish.
11:28And the other half is taking care of the egg.
11:31And people all around the world come to see the puffins,
11:36of course.
11:37And they come here.
11:44Back on the mainland,
11:46we're continuing around the Ring Road,
11:48and there's lots more dramatic natural sights.
11:52From this rugged promontory, on a clear day,
11:55you can see virtually the entire south coast.
12:01And just below is one of this volcanic island's
12:04many black sand beaches.
12:07Travelers are enthralled by this fantastical landscape.
12:11Sea stacks rise out of the briny waves.
12:16Basalt formations bring out the kid in every adventurer.
12:24A windy walk, immersed in this pristine beauty,
12:27can be unforgettable.
12:30Marking the end of the south coast,
12:32the village of Vik,
12:33is the southernmost settlement in Iceland.
12:36Vik is both humble and sparse,
12:38little more than a practical pit stop for travelers.
12:42And for this village, that's nothing new.
12:45Historically, there was no harbor.
12:47A century ago, before the arrival of the road,
12:50provisions came in by boats,
12:52beached on this shore.
12:55What we've done so far with Cameron Hewitt,
12:57who co-authors guidebooks with me,
12:59is all within day-tripping distance from Reykjavik.
13:05Reykjavik is three hours that way,
13:07or six days that way.
13:09I'm heading straight back to work on the book,
13:11but we'll follow Cameron and the crew,
13:14as he does his research the long way around.
13:17We'll meet up back in Reykjavik.
13:21Leaving Vik, the traffic thins out,
13:24and the landscape opens up.
13:27We've just left Reykjavik,
13:29and now we're continuing around the Ring Road.
13:31And you know, already the terrain is changing,
13:33and the weather is changing.
13:34In fact, Iceland is always changing.
13:36That's why it's so important for us to go and travel in person
13:39to update our guidebooks
13:40and make sure we have the very latest information.
13:42The next stop is Glacier Country.
13:45One-tenth of Iceland is covered in glaciers,
13:48and the biggest one spreads across the top of these mountains.
13:52Its many outlets, called tongues,
13:54reach down and lap at lowland valleys.
13:58The road crosses vast plains of glacial grit and gravel,
14:02laced with milky rivers.
14:06At the foot of some glaciers are lagoons,
14:09bobbing with small icebergs that have broken off.
14:12Lagoon cruises take tourists out on these moody and beautiful waters.
14:21Passengers gear up in heavy jackets and prepare for the adventure.
14:26They climb into inflatable boats
14:29and then float through this dreamy landscape.
14:32It's an unforgettable experience, no matter the weather.
14:37Our enthusiastic guide offers a lesson in Glaciers 101.
14:42But then, of course, there is still the white ice and the blue ice.
14:45After a short explanation of why there are different colors of glacial ice,
14:49travelers get a chance to hold a chunk of ice
14:52that originally fell as snow 500 years ago.
14:56The guide explains how glaciers naturally grow and recede.
15:01In fact, this glacier used to extend all the way across the lagoon
15:04at the end of the 19th century.
15:06But it's been retreating now for over 130 years.
15:10It is absolutely natural, absolutely normal,
15:12that at some points the glaciers are growing,
15:14at some points the glaciers are retreating.
15:16But now the glaciers are retreating way, way faster
15:19because of global warming.
15:21Even from the shore, people marvel at how glacial ice
15:25comes in a stunning variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.
15:30The wind pushes the icebergs into a traffic jam
15:33where the lagoon meets the Atlantic.
15:35Birds and seals feed in the swirling waters
15:38as the icebergs wait for their final journey out to sea.
15:42When conditions are right,
15:44chunks of ice wash up on the nearby Black Sand Beach.
15:48Nicknamed Diamond Beach,
15:50it looks like thousands of gigantic gems
15:53scattered over black velvet.
15:58Leaving the glaciers behind,
15:59the ring road hugs the wild coastline.
16:02The churning North Atlantic surf crashes
16:04on deserted beaches and rocky shores.
16:07Soon, yawning bays grow narrower,
16:10becoming the serene fjords
16:12that slice deep into the east coast of Iceland.
16:15Driving along the east fjords is long and slow,
16:19but always scenic.
16:22And around each bend unfolds one grand fjord after another.
16:28And you'll come upon a colorful village
16:30called Seydisfjordur.
16:32Its majestic setting attracts artists
16:34and inspires vibrant murals
16:36and trendy places to eat and drink.
16:39It's a welcome pocket of quirky creativity
16:43in this remote corner of the country.
16:51Leaving the fjords and turning inland,
16:53the road crosses the vast and arid highlands.
16:57Tucked away in these rocky folds
16:59is another iconic waterfall.
17:02Arriving at what looks like
17:04just a desolate volcanic landscape,
17:06if you follow the trail,
17:08you'll hear the thundering falls
17:10before you see them.
17:12Detefas is this country's
17:14most powerful waterfall,
17:17with 50,000 gallons of water
17:22every second tumbling through
17:24an awe-inspiring gorge of basalt cliffs.
17:28The falls fill the air with mist and rainbows
17:35and fill visitors with an appreciation
17:39for the grandeur of Icelandic nature.
17:46Continuing west, the barren plateau gives way
17:49to the green oasis of Lake MÃvatn.
17:55Ringing the lake is a wide variety of volcanic landscapes.
17:59Compact and accessible, MÃvatn feels like Iceland's Yellowstone.
18:08And looming over the lake shore
18:10is a perfect volcanic ash crater.
18:14Bizarrely beautiful, like visiting a moonscape,
18:17it's one more indelible memory
18:19that comes with driving the ring road.
18:22Nearby, the geothermal activity keeps on simmering.
18:28Visitors wander through this mind-bending,
18:30almost-Martian landscape.
18:33Mud puddles bubble in steam.
18:36Fumaroles hiss like tea kettles.
18:41The terrain is brushed in vivid colors.
18:45And everything reeks of sulfur.
19:06You know, when you come to a place as unusual as this,
19:08the real challenge for a travel writer
19:10is figuring out how to capture this sort of sense of awe
19:12and wonder and the essence of a place
19:14and then translate that into words.
19:16The landscape changes yet again
19:19up along the north coast.
19:21The ring road is a scenic spine around Iceland.
19:24And with good travel information,
19:26you'll know which detours are worth the extra miles.
19:31And one of those is Husivik,
19:34with its salty and picturesque harbor
19:36on a protected bay and a proud fishing heritage.
19:41Today, a stop here educates visitors
19:45about Iceland's whales.
19:48The Husivik Whale Museum displays the bones of whales
19:51that have washed ashore from around the island.
19:56The lovingly displayed skeletons teach visitors
19:59about these magnificent mammals.
20:04The star of the show?
20:06An 80-foot-long blue whale
20:08with a ribcage as big as a truck.
20:15For a chance to watch living whales,
20:17out on the harbor,
20:18visitors choose between classic fishing boats
20:20or, for a little more adventure,
20:22high-speed inflatables.
20:24If they're lucky, they may come home
20:26with happy memories of breaching humpbacks
20:29and curious orcas.
20:31Living in the Clerc
20:34with a happyây rave,
20:35a gentle habitat of the people
20:36of the natives.
20:37Very nice!
20:38Moving along to Iceland's north,
20:39the coastal road
20:40curls around the region
20:43of the island of the island.
20:44Continuing across Iceland's north,
20:59the coastal road curls around the Troll Peninsula,
21:02with sweeping vistas toward the Arctic Circle.
21:07At the tip of the Troll Peninsula
21:09sits the historic fishing town of Siglufjordur.
21:13The mountains at the mouth of the fjord
21:15protect the little harbor.
21:16And behind it is an endearing museum
21:18that tells the story of how, around 1900,
21:21this became a boomtown for herring.
21:25Visitors learn how these tough little boats
21:27cut mountains of herring,
21:29a nutritious and highly-priced food.
21:31This herring harvest powered Iceland's fledgling economy
21:34through the first half of the 20th century.
21:37Cameron's learning more about the story
21:39from local guide Edda.
21:41Tell me, why is it in this town, why herring?
21:43What's special about herring to this town?
21:45So for the herring industry was, for the longest time,
21:48one of the biggest industries in the country
21:50for the most part of the 20th century.
21:52And for the longest time,
21:54this town had the biggest herring port in Iceland.
21:56And we often refer to this as the capital of the herring.
21:59So we are located in front of a salting station.
22:02And from 1907 until 1968, herring was salted here.
22:06We had the women, the herring girls,
22:08salting and packing the herring into the barrels.
22:10So this is what we call the herring box.
22:12And the fishermen coming into the fjord
22:14would start by unloading the herring into those boxes.
22:16And then they would call out the herring girls for work.
22:19And they would take one herring at a time,
22:22cutting the head off and pulling the guts out.
22:25Then in here they would mix it with the salt
22:27and then finally sack it into the barrels.
22:29It's inspiring to see the thoughtful ways Iceland preserves
22:34and celebrates its unique heritage.
22:40Finishing the loop and leaving the coast behind,
22:43the road swings to the south.
22:45Along the way is another artifact
22:47of this country's rugged history.
22:51In this land where trees are scarce,
22:53houses were made out of sod.
22:56Glomber is a perfectly preserved turf house
23:00dating back centuries.
23:02Under the wavy, wind-blown roof
23:04and behind the wood facade
23:06is an earthen corridor that connects several rooms.
23:09Food was stored in wooden barrels.
23:12In the kitchen, meals were cooked over a sheep dung fire.
23:17The farmer's family had a spacious bedroom
23:20all to themselves.
23:22But the farmhands bunked in a communal living room.
23:27Workers slept two to a bed,
23:29tucked in by a wooden panel carved with prayers.
23:33People still lived here until 1947.
23:37Modern as Iceland is today,
23:39many grandparents remember growing up in houses like these.
23:43As the ring road winds its way back toward Reykjavik,
23:51there is time for one last scenic detour.
23:55A drive around the Snifel's Nest Peninsula
23:57offers a wrap-up of Iceland's dramatic natural wonders.
24:02Iconic peaks, sheltered fjords, frisky horses,
24:08glacier-topped mountains,
24:11swirling seabirds,
24:13climbable craters,
24:15and abundant waterfalls.
24:22In short, it's a microcosm
24:24of all the unique forms of nature
24:26that Iceland is famous for.
24:28This encore of Icelandic splendor
24:31caps one of Europe's great road trips.
24:35After 800 miles,
24:38the crew meets back up with me
24:40where we started, in Reykjavik.
24:45It's a lot of miles.
24:47And it takes a lot of time.
24:48But if you want to trade crowds for stunning nature,
24:51Iceland's Ring Road is an unforgettable drive.
24:54I'm Rick Steves.
24:55And I'm Cameron Hewitt.
24:56Thanks for joining us.
24:58Until next time,
24:59keep on traveling.
25:02Action.
25:08What kind of joke is this?
25:10You know, as more and more people
25:11discover this beautiful place,
25:13it's really more important than...
25:14Sorry, there's a fly right in my glasses.
25:16Okay.
25:17He was literally...
25:19You better not be rolling with this hat on.
25:21There's a blue...
25:23There's a blue...
25:25There's a blue...
25:26There was a dark green light.
25:27There's a blue...
25:29There's a blue new hiding over there.
25:31There's a blue...
25:32There's a blue...
25:34There's a blue a TERROR commemorating.
25:35There's a redlock
25:44to the stem.
25:46There's except there's red Vouxovos'
25:47There's to be a red Imagining.
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