Iceland is a GORGEOUS country! After spending 4 days exploring, I totally understand what all the hype is about. A full recap of the trip is below and stay tuned for a second post of recommendations and must-sees if you are planning a trip yourself!

I arrived on Thursday afternoon in Reykjavik and checked into the hotel. The hotel itself was excellent and I had an amazing view from the 16^th floor (its worth paying a bit extra for a view!!). Once I checked in, I adventured out into Reykjavik – a VERY walkable city!—stopping into a few bars for drinks before having dinner at Apotek. Full candor, I was a little apprehensive about the food in Iceland….even being an adventurous eater, anywhere that fermented shark meat and minke whale is a delicacy makes me a little nervous!! That being said, the food was actually incredible (note: i did NOT eat whale, puffin, or shark) and incredibly fresh. I had a few Iceland specials in salted cod, local lamb, local salmon, etc. I also tried the local, specialty liquor called Brennivín. It is a clear, unsweetened schnapps that is considered to be Iceland’s signature distilled beverage and a “special occasion” shot (a trip to Iceland counts as a special occasion, right??). It more or less tasted like a sharper vodka to me, but the presentation was to die for in the julep cup!

On Friday, I took the day to explore Reykjavik. It’s a gorgeous town along the coast (as all towns in Iceland are) and is a wonderfully walkable city. I got a 24 hour “City Pass” from the tourism center that gives discounts to museums and other spots around the town. Once I picked that up, I walked along the waterfront, stopping at the Sun Voyager and Harpa Music Hall. Sun Voyager is a sculpture intended to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, progress and freedom for Iceland. Harpa Music Hall is often referred to as the cultural center of Reykjavik and is a gorgeous building designed to reflect the basalt rock formations on Iceland’s south shore black sand beach.

I continued on to stop at the world famous hot dog stand, Bæjarins Beztu. The hot dogs here (a favorite of former President Bill Clinton) are DELICIOUS and made with some very interesting ingredients. In addition to the standard hot dog + bun, they add homemade crispy onions and sweet mustard, along with raw onion, ketchup and remoulade. Fun fact, the ketchup is actually made from apples!

Once I enjoyed my hot dogs, I adventured on the National Museum of Iceland. The museum has over 2,000 artefacts discovered in various parts of the country, illustrating the story of Iceland’s past, from the medieval days of Viking settlements to Dutch rule, to the current contemporary culture. We also walked by Hallgrímskirkja church. This is Reykjavík’s main landmark and its tower can be seen from almost everywhere in the city! The design of this church is also reflective of the Iceland landscape, similar to Harpa Hall.

That evening, our Northern Lights tour was cancelled due to clouds (don’t worry, I rescheduled) and so I spent another evening exploring the Reykjavik nightlife. I waws unintentionally there for a very exciting time – Iceland Airwaves! Celebrating its twentieth year, Iceland Airwaves Festival is the world’s most northerly music festival, showcasing Iceland’s brightest emerging musical talent. Each November for four days and nights, performances are hosted everywhere from tiny record stores and art museums, to cool bars and stately churches, to nightclubs and large scale venues around the city. There were not any names we recognized but walking around town, listening to the bands’ music spill into the streets, was an unexpected and highly unplanned addition to the trip!

The formal tours began the next day, starting with an adventure to the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle is a 300 kilometre (186 mile) route to the three most popular natural attractions in Iceland: the Geysir Geothermal Area, Gullfoss Waterfall and Þingvellir National Park. Within the three locations of the Golden Circle are some of the clearest examples of Iceland’s fascinating geological forces, magnificent landscapes, and rich culture. I visited:

• Thingvellir National Park— geological plates fissure zone, waterfalls, UNESCO world heritage site where the Althingi parliament was founded

Gullfoss—Iceland’s most famous glacial waterfall

• Geysir Strokkur- an active geyser blasting boiling water into the ai
• Faxi waterfall and Skalholt—historical site that shaped the spiritual, political and cultural landscape of Iceland

That night, the reschedule Northern Lights Tour took place and, THANK GOODNESS, I rescheduled! Before I even left the parking lot, I saw a band of lights! I then drove away from the city to the South to view the incredible site. It was absolutely amazing and my iphone pictures do not do it justice….its just incredible to see the green/yellow light appear and wave through the sky. The Lights are extremely unpredictable, so I was so fortunate to have been able to see them as clearly as I did. Once in a lifetime experience to be sure (and totally worth standing out in the cold, Iceland night air for a few hours!!).

The South Shore was the last big tour day and proved to show me even more gorgeous views of Iceland’s terrain. South Iceland has a diverse and spectacular natural environment and I was able to see everything from volcanos to waterfalls, beaches to snowcapped glaciers…all in one day! What I found particularly interested was the Reynisfjara, black volcanic sand beach, where the reynisdrangar rock formations are (remember, these inspired the church and harpa hall!).

• Skógafoss waterfall
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  Seljalandsfoss waterfall

• Sólheimajökull glacier and lake formed by glacial retreat
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• Reynisfjara – black volcanic sand beach and reynisdrangar rock formations

Let me tell you, Iceland is far from a a relaxing vacation – its non-stop tours and siteseeing! That being said, it was a fabulously unique trip and was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Iceland was the perfect first trip for my European adventure!  Stay tuned for my next post with formal recommendations if you are planning your own trip to Iceland.

-MAL