10/4/2023
I arrived in Iceland in the very early morning after a 6-hour flight on Play Airlines from Dulles. I had a coffee, ginger/apple juice, and danish pastry while I waited for the Hertz counter to open at 5:30 am.
I rented my car, activated my eSIM, got directions, and started driving in the pitch blackness to Reykjavic. The sun rose on the drive and I found a place to have breakfast in the city. It was a buffet attached to a hotel. It was delicious.
I drove around and stopped at the Aurora Borealis Museum. It was really interesting and I took a nap on their big bean bags while a video of the various Northern Lights played on an endless loop movie. The gal at the cafe/giftshop was super helpful and told me about all the other things I can do while I’m here.
Next, I found a grocery store. I found a black sand beach and the lighthouse before I was able to get into my Airbnb.
After a nice grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup, I started exploring the area. There’s a very nice shopping street with really cute shops and restaurants. I stopped into the food hall of the bus stop adjacent to my hotel and had a beer.
I made some pasta for dinner and caught up on email.
10/5/2023
This morning I joined the tour of the Golden Circle with the Geologist, Giuseppe from Italy. He was fantastic and the geo info just kept rolling. We saw geysers, craters, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, volcanos, and glaciers. We ate lunch at a very nice cafeteria with a ski chalet vibe. I ate salmon, potatoes, veggies, and a scoop of fish stew.
The two couples on the trip were very nice. Joanie and Carolyn were sisters and their husbands joined them.
They convinced me to go to the Sky Lagoon tomorrow and so I’m signed up for that. It’s going to rain so I won’t see the Northern Lights while I’m here, but I’ll definitely be back to Iceland.
10/5/2023
I relaxed and ate my way through some food at my Airbnb while I packed. Then I went to Perlan Museum. They have a wonderful film about the Aurora Borealis, an ice tunnel, a short film about volcanos, an observation deck, and a cafe.
I drove to a place to walk on the fresh lava from the recent volcano eruption. It was raining so it was easy to see the steamy sulfur coming out of the rocks. It was an exceptionally cool experience.
I drove on to my hotel at Keplavic. I dropped my stuff and drove back towards Reykjavik to visit the impressive Sky Lagoon.
I had a nice time there and returned to my hotel, with a quick stop at KFC.
Remember to hover over the pictures below to read the caption. It helps explain what the picture is all about.
Once again, I repacked and set my alarm for 4:30 for my flight to Madrid tomorrow. Here we go! ¡Vamos!
