My Trip to Iceland!

Good afternoon, everyone! Today I thought that I'd do something a little new and different, and talk about one of the many adventures that I went on this summer. I've always thought Iceland was a gorgeous place, and when my family decided to go, I was pumped! We flew through Toronto, on a surprisingly fast five hour flight, and arrived early in the morning. Here are the highlights of my trip:

Hallgrímskirkja

Pictured above, Hallgrimskirkja is a Lutheran church in the center of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. It's the tallest building in the city, and you can take an elevator and then a flight of stairs to the top, where you can get an incredible panoramic view! It's a really good way to get the lay of the land, and it's a gorgeous church inside and out.

Gullfoss + Other Waterfalls

Gullfoss is a huge, highly popular waterfall in Iceland--absolutely gorgeous! As well as Gullfoss, there are dozens of other waterfalls that are equally gorgeous, and unlike waterfalls in America, you can get crazy close to all of them. In the picture below are my sister and dad walking behind one.

Vik

Vik is a small town in southern Iceland that hosts a gorgeous black sand beach. When we went, we brought our swimsuits just in case, but it was so cold and windy that we found this to be a total joke! However, it's still an incredibly pretty, and fun to walk along--it looks like something out of a movie.

Blue Lagoon + Public City Pools

Our trip to Iceland would not have been complete without the iconic trip to Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. While it can be said that Blue Lagoon is incredibly touristy, it is completely worth it to go. The water is sooo warm, and Blue Lagoon completely has its customer service down, and I swear we spent about 3 or 4 hours lounging in the huge pool. While we didn't opt in, they also provide massages. MASSAGES IN THE WATER.

If you don't want to pay the price for Blue Lagoon but still want the geothermal experience, not only is your shower powered by geothermal, but there are public pools in nearly every town, and nearly each one is geothermally heated. Much cheaper, and nearly as fun! Plus, less tourists and more locals!

Eyjafjallajokull and the Eyjafjallajokull Erupts Museum

On our way to Vik, we stopped to take a look at the incredible volcano Eyjafjallajokull, and a small museum created by a nearby self-sustaining farm. The museum talks about this family's personal experience with Eyjafjallajokull's recent eruption. This is a quick, easy stop that teaches you a little about local life and the volcano it lives under.

Visiting Local Grocery Stores and Shops

While this may seem kind of silly, I think that you can learn a lot about a place by going to the local grocery store. We went to go pick up snacks for our little southern road trip, and we had fun looking at what the store provided--we each got a new snack that we had never had in America. We also had a fun interaction with an Icelander who helped us find regular, non-carbonated water.

Pingvellir

Pingvellir is a park where the North American and European plate boundaries converge. Coincidentally, it was also a meeting place for original Icelandic peoples to sort out disputes. This marshy area is absolutely gorgeous. We were there when it rained, and it still was!

There you go, folks! I had an absolutely splendid time in Iceland--it's such an interesting and laidback place, I can't wait to go back. If you liked hearing me talk a little bit about travel, please let me know and I'd be happy to do more travel posts!

Safe travels,
Kekai