I pretty much started my journey along Laugavegur, one of the oldest shopping streets. There are many outdoor clothing chains selling the famous Icelandic wool, some really cute Nordic design stores and of course the puffins and Vikings filled souvenir stores. You can’t miss the Hallgrimskirkja Church, it is visble from almost every part of the city. This is definitely the most well-known architect in Iceland. With a small fee, you get to visit the top of the church and view the surprisingly colorful city from top down. Tips: don’t miss the beautiful wall art along the way.
There are actually countless local beer tours for you to join in Reykjavik and you can find them on Viator or Airbnb Experiences. It’s quite insightful to learn about the unique beer/alcohol history, beer was banned in Iceland until 1989. The two largest domestic brewers in Iceland are Egill Skallagrímsson Brewery and Vífilfell. Beginning in the late 2000s more small craft brewers have emerged which produce a wider variety of styles. Some places, they serve puffin jerky and fermented shark as snacks…you definitely need this ice cold beer to wash them down!
A favorite stop along the Golden Circle is the highly active Geysir Hot Spring Area. This is a truly unique experience and the anticipation waiting for the next geyser to sprouts was quite something. The most active one can shoot up till 30 meters into the air every few mins or so.
Now I can cross this off of my bucket list. This is the reason why I wanted to come to Iceland initially. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal pool and the water in the Blue Lagoon is heavily mineralized; it contains high concentrates of silica, which is what gives the water its characteristic milky-blue color.
You must make a reservation online for admission, they are good at controlling traffic so the pool isn’t so crowded. I’d say early morning or towards the evening is the best time with less people. I didn’t get the deluxe package for the robe and slippers, the bathroom locker is literally 10 feet away from the pool. The Blue Lagoon’s water temperature is so nice that you can enjoy it in freezing air temperature. Best part, you can order drinks from the Lagoon bar without even leaving the water in your silica mud mask.
It was a painful 4 hrs bus ride to the South Coast, but thanks for our entertaining and knowledgeable tour guide. It’s depressing hearing stories about how the mountains were covered in glacier ice just several years ago and now you see mostly mountain rocks. Climate change is real! The glacier and the icebergs at Jokulsarlon were beautiful. This is one of the country’s greatest natural wonders. While this is breath taking, you notice how the glacier continues to melt.
I LOVE PUFFINS! Iceland is the puffin watching capital. You can easily spot millions of these adorable little creatures just
Iceland is well known for its many stunningly beautiful waterfalls. Of a good hand full that I have visited, Skogafoss,
We drove by Eyjafjallajokull while on our way to the south coast. It was surreal to see the volcano in person. Why? Back in 2010, I was traveling to London on business, the day before I was able to fly out, Eyjafjallajokull erupted. It was a big deal, we had to rebook hotel and plane tickets everyday since we didn’t know when it is safe to fly out. You desperately want to get home but you don’t want to be the first on the plane to fly out. I ended up stuck in London for an extra week..well hey, not a bad place to be stuck at right?! So much fond yet hectic memory seeing Eyjafjallajokull in person!
