Iceland's untouched beauty is so serene and otherworldly. The small country has certainly become one of my favorite places to travel as the tourist destinations are all centered around the wonders of nature.
Quick Info:
Trip Duration: Four Days, Three Nights
Average Temperature: 39-42 degrees Fahrenheit
Sunrise (on 11/11): 9:44 a.m.
Sunset (on 11/11): 4:38 p.m.
Hotel:
Ice Apartments - This hotel was amazing, located right in the center of the city. We stayed in the Eyjafjallajokull room which had beautiful views.
Day 1: 11/8
Exploring Reykjavik-
The first day in Iceland was absolutely frigid, but despite this fact, very memorable. The biggest part of the country is the striking natural beauty of it. There are lava rocks everywhere, snowcapped mountains, even the clouds seem more beautiful than ever here. Reykjavik is definitely a non-conventional city: it plays on its natural assets. The first day was the "typical tourist" day for my family. We visited the harbor, stopping at the Perlan on our way there to get the most stunning views of the city, and ate Icelandic fish and chips at Reykjavik Fish, an amazing seafood-based restaurant with the sweetest staff. One thing you will notice upon traveling to Iceland is that the natives are extremely warm people. Seriously, it seems like all of them are that way. Next, we went to the Hofdi House where, if you know your history, is where the Reykjavik Summit (Reagan and Gorbachev nuclear weapon negotiations) took place. Food is never an issue in Reykjavik. The hotdogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur are a must try (do yourself that favor at least). If you want to cook yourself, they have similar hotdogs at grocery stores that you can purchase. Finally, we went to the Hallgrimskirkja church, which was near our hotel (can we please appreciate this architecture?) and went inside to look around. The day concluded with an exploration of the shops near our hotel. This country has the most interesting, adorable souvenirs, so not finding any will never be a concern.
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Perlan or Glass Dome
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Icelandic hot dogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
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Hallgrimskirkja Church
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View from Perlan
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View from Perlan
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| Hofdi House |
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| Harbor |
Day 2: 11/9
Blue Lagoon and Nature Travels
The Blue Lagoon is easily one of the coolest places I have ever been to. There are heated caves, saunas, bars (both for face masks and drinks), and bridges. I kid you not when I say we were in the lagoon for a straight seven hours. We even found a group of stressed out Americans in one of the caves and discussed the election with them as November 9th was election day. There are so many things to do that it is impossible to get bored. The lava-heated water is so inviting when the outside temperature is 39 degrees F and the minute you get in, you feel so much better. It really was a healing experience and definitely very, very amazing to witness. We got to see the sunrise and we left around sunset. After leaving, we went on a hike on a path through the lava rocks and took some cool nature-y photos (every place is the most photogenic location: even driving, we would stop to take pictures).
Day 3: 11/10
Golden Circle and In-Depth Exploration of Reykjavik
Day 3 we did the six-hour Golden Circle tour, visiting an amazing national park (set on a fault line), the geysers, the Gulfoss waterfall, and the Kerid crater lake. If you get hungry, there is a restaurant in the Gulfoss gift shop. Try the meat soup there. It is a bit expensive, but you can get as many refills as you want, which is good because you will want more. For me, one of the coolest experiences was seeing all of the sheep and horses roaming on the side of roads. You can walk up to them and pet them if you would like.
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| Thingvellir National Park |
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| Geysir |
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| Strokkur |
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| Gulfoss Waterfall |
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| Kerid Crater Lake |
Day 4: 11/11
Bye-Bye Reykjavik
The last day... I was never so sad to leave a place in my life. If you every find yourself in Iceland, do not be afraid to try new things, pack layers of clothing, have room to take pictures, and know that even if you get lost you will find beautiful places. Have fun...
Liza
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