Nothing but the sound of wind and the fast clouds at night for days.

We were lucky to find four open nights in a house I'd found on AirBnb years ago and dreamed of staying in since. When we arrived late at night, we drove miles down a clodded dirt road near the town of Hvolsvöllur, and then opened the gate to our private, several-miles-long driveway to our wee house, Syðri-Rot.

I thought I'd write a short post about this place because it was at the heart of our trip and a destination in itself.

The house was completely solitary, no neighbors in sight. And when I opened the door each morning the air was so fresh it hurt.

It was from here that we took day trips to the glaciers and volcanos and waterfalls you've seen already.

The first night at Syðri-Rot was so still and quiet, my Brooklynified ears felt uneasy and I couldn't sleep. But we quickly adjusted. The house was pristine inside and I loved waking to the sharp winds and turning on the coffee pot. The house could've slept 7 people, but it was also cozy for just the two of us.

The view to the south was of the Westman Islands

and to the north was the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that erupted in 2010, disrupting European air traffic.

Each night, I tracked the Aurora on my phone and was hoping to see them, but they weren't active until we were in Reykjavik (go figure!).

One quick note: if you visit Iceland and stay anywhere remote like Syðri-Rot, stock up on groceries as soon as you can, before you think you need them. We spent half the time on the south coast unable to find anything open nearby Syðri-Rot other than Country Hotel Anna.

Huge thanks to the owner, Svanur, for letting us rent his pristine place. We were sad to say goodbye to this little gem, and hope to be back someday!