We rented a 4x4 Dacia Duster in Reykjavik and drove counterclockwise around Route 1. Ten days felt right — enough time to stop without rushing, not so much that you’re padding the itinerary.

The south coast is the greatest hits: Seljalandsfoss (walk behind it), Skógafoss (just stand there and get soaked), the black sand beach at Vík. It’s touristy for good reason. We hit all three before lunch on day two.

The east fjords were the surprise. Almost nobody goes there, and it’s some of the most dramatic coastal scenery I’ve ever seen. Narrow roads carved into cliff faces, fog rolling in off the Atlantic, tiny fishing villages where the gas station is also the grocery store and the post office.

Akureyri in the north felt like a real town — coffee shops, bookstores, people going about their lives. After days of driving through empty lava fields, it was nice to eat a meal that didn’t come out of a cooler.

The interior highlands are off-limits unless you have a serious 4x4 and experience with river crossings. We stuck to Route 1 and the F-roads were a story for next time.

One thing nobody warns you about: the wind. It’s not just windy. It’s “hold your car door or it gets ripped off the hinges” windy. We lost a gas cap to a gust in Vik.