My first few moments in Iceland were otherworldly.
My vision hazily adjusted from sleep into focus as the jet touched down through the thick fog on what seemed like another planet. Dark colored rocks were laid abundantly amongst the red earth. There was little sign of human life. I was wondering if the pilot had rerouted for Mars while I was in slumber when the flight attendantâs voice came crackling over the speaker: âVelkomin til Ăslands/Welcome to Iceland, please prepare for landingâ.
After a mandatory beeline through Duty Free, I was greeted by the brisk air and my transport to Reykjavik. My head bumped along with the uneven road as I rested it against the window of the airport shuttle. Outdated car models whirred past the dried lava fields.
Upon arrival at my hotel, I got an email that the Northern Lights tour I had scheduled that night was cancelled due to unfavorable cloud cover. Though this was slightly disappointing news, I knew that I wanted to see the natural phenomenon in optimal conditions. So, I set out into the night to treat myself to a consolation dinner for one.
The posh looking interior of Apotek drew me in, despite their menu not being super vegetarian friendly. This dining experience was one of the best Iâve ever had in my life, and made me question why the Michelin Star honor has not been awarded to the establishment. The service Iâd say is what stood out the most; every girl got a fresh long-stemmed rose upon arrival, and I got lucky with champagne on the house (maybe I was being pitied for being a lone diner in a room full of couples, but Iâll take it). The manager was very attentive and checked in often during his rounds. The rest of the staff seemed to be in high spirits as well despite the busy dining time. My meal was prepared thoughtfully; the strawberry yuzu salad was packed with flavor and the truffle fries were perfectly seasoned. Overall, it was a great representation of fine dining in Iceland.
My meal at Apotek.
The next morning I awoke before the sun to visit the famed Golden Circle. The first destination on the list was Thingvellir National Park; a natural reserve that lies between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates, also known as the constantly shifting Mid-Atlantic ridge. The sun was just rising between the clouds at 9:20am when I departed on a short hike overlooking the Ăingvellir national shrine, located on the picturesque northern shore of Lake Ăingvallavatn. It was a short stop, but a lovely way to start the morning! From there my tour moved on to visit the FriĂ°heimar Greenhouse, known for âprobably the best bloody mary in the worldâ according to The Guardian. It was only just after ten in the morning, and Iâm not the biggest fan of day drinking, so I opted for a taste of FriĂ°heimarâs fresh tomato soup (the best Iâve had by far, honestly) instead of one of their four bloody mary variations. The owner of the greenhouse himself met us at the gates and explained how he grows fresh tomatoes in the middle of what is supposed to be infertile land. I learned that the warmth of this greenhouse, along with the entire electricity system of Iceland, is fueled by geothermal heat. This fact made my newfound love of this land swell even more. They take their environmental standing seriously by tapping into their natural, renewable, resources and preserving pieces of nature. It made me think of prehistoric Earth: would our entire world look like this if humans hadnât arrived and modified the ground to suit our needs? Either way, I wish more countries were as environmentally conscious.
A lookout point showcasing the Ăingvellir national shrine in Thingvellir National Park.
Some tomatoes growing in the FriĂ°heimar Greenhouse.
We boarded the coach and continued on towards the famed geysers of Iceland. The smell of sulfur grew stronger as we proceeded down the dirt road towards the protected geothermal fields. The largest geyser (the âgreat geyserâ) is now dormant. Its neighbor Strokkur, though slightly smaller, provides the attraction of an eruption approximately every 5-10 minutes. Watching the geyser erupt and admiring the landscape, didnât take up the entirety of our allotted free time, and I wondered what we were supposed to do with the remaining two and a half hours before heading to the Gullfloss Waterfall. My question was answered almost immediately as a log-cabin style structure stood between the parking lot and the geyser fields. In it was a full service restaurant and lounge, a basic souvenir shop, and a large area to retail the chic Icelandic fashion brand âGeysirâ. This three-part tourist comfort lodge was a sign of the times, and showed how reliant Iceland has become on its tourist industry. Though the eco-tourism scene in Iceland is only a few years old, it is booming. However, I feel like the natural beauty of the landscape is compromised when these tourist shops begin to overshadow the main attraction.
Strokkur, mid-erruption.
The Gullfloss waterfall was the last stop on the Golden Circle Tour, and as soon as my tour arrived, a vibrant rainbow broke out over the fallâs cliffs. Itâs layered rushing water reminded me of Niagara Falls, but its encasement in the mountains made me certain I was far from any North American landmark. It was a good way to end my first full day in Iceland.
The Gullfloss Waterfall.
The next day I slept in a little, but started my day energized and hungry for my food tour with Wake Up Reykjavik! I consider myself a foodie, but my vegetarian identity, combined with my prior knowledge of traditional Icelandic cuisine including the likes of puffin and whale, made me hesitant to book this cultural experience. However, once I got in contact with the Wake Up Reykjavik team, they personally reached out to me and addressed my concerns, making it clear that there were plenty of options for veggies! My tour was led by the bubbly founder of the company, Egill. He made sure I was able to sample something at each of our destinations, even if it was a primarily meat based eatery. Although every restaurant we visited had something wonderful to offer, my personal favorite was Cafe Loki, an Icelandic comfort food restaurant and ironically, one of the only traditional places in town. Cafe Loki is named after the Norse God, Loki, and theyâre famous for their rye bread which is baked (with love) overnight, every day. Their most unique creation is their rye bread ice cream; bite sized chunks of the bread folded into vanilla ice cream and topped with freshly whipped cream and rhubarb syrup. It may sound odd that Iâm literally raving about sliced bread, but the rich texture and subtle sweetness that Icelandic rye brings to the table makes it the perfect vehicle for sweet or savory toppings, but also good just on its own.
Carb loading at Cafe Loki, with a side of Arctic Herbal Tea.
This tour induced a food coma, but I fought it off by heading to the top of HallgrĂmskirkja Church; an architectural glory that is the most recognizable landmark in Reykjavik, it took 41 years to build. The view from the churchâs tower, though quite windy, gives a birds eye view of the colorful rooftops, surrounding mountain ranges, and the Reykjavik harbor. I was thankful that the sun was out, but Iâm sure a foggy overlook of Reykjavik wouldâve had its charm too.
The view of Reykjavik from the top of HallgrĂmskirkja Church.
The following day was a free day for me, so I decided to conquer Icelandic public transportation. The taxi drivers in Reykjavik have a lot of say economically, and thus they are allowed to charge whatever they please. This often leads to their passengers forking over an unreasonable amount of money for a short trip. Iâd been a little hesitant to venture outside the ease of cabbing everywhere, but everyone in town said the bus was a better value. I bought my ticket and found my way to the bus stop (which was a mini mission to find), a tiny standing area on the side of the highway. It occurred to me that I hadn't even seen the bus going through town before and had no idea what to look out for. Luckily, a mustard yellow bus rolled up just as I got there. The price was over 4,000 ISK (about $35 USD) less than taking a 10min cab ride downtown Reykjavik from my hotel in KĂłpavogur! Another positive was that the drop off point in downtown Reykjavik was a portion of the city I hadnât gotten the chance to explore. One thing about this city that I donât believe gets enough love is the street art. The facades of the buildings themselves are colorful, but the intricate brushstrokes of murals, often political, are what I believe gives the streets of Reykjavik the most character.
Some Reykjavik street art, symbolizing the independence of Iceland.
I needed to regain some body heat, so I decided to find my way to Mokka, the first coffee house in Reykjavik. A cozy hangout with fantastic coffee, the atmosphere is perfect for a writer that needs a wifi-less place to focus. The seating isnât great in number, but its character makes up for the limited space. The walls and chairs are mostly made of wood, and you could see where the regulars have worn out the seats of their designated spots since the opening in 1958.
After finishing up my latte, I thought that I was prepared to brace the âlightâ snow showers, but I was quickly proven wrong and ducked into a bookstore with the intent of just browsing. In the back of my head I knew I was just fooling myself and couldnât resist buying an edited copy of William Morris (an 18th century english travel writer and poet)âs account of his time in Iceland. I walked out with more information than expected, after chatting with one of the staff members at the bookstore and finding out she was a vegetarian. Sheâs been one since 2012, and told me there's now a Facebook group with about 10,000 members for vegan/vegan curious Icelanders. How cute is that! I wasnât expecting there to be such an established vegan/vegetarian community here, because as I mentioned earlier, meat comprises the majority of the traditional Icelandic diet. With high spirits, I set off from the bookstore to GlĂł, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant down the road that she had recommended. Though there were plenty of options, the food itself was just okay. Nevertheless, I was glad to see that such an establishment exists.
My bookstore find; very excited to read this 18c poet's edited account of Iceland!!
The next morning I got out of bed early to prepare for the long day ahead. A guide from my tour company picked me up in her personal vehicle to drive me downtown. The traffic was unusually heavy for the morning hour, so we passed the time by chatting about life and love before she dropped me off at Harpa Center, and I boarded the tour bus. We started driving southeast and were soon surrounded by a landscape painted so white by the snow that it blended into the skyline. Only the mountain peaks marked where the horizon began. I soon grew drowsy and fell in and out of sleep as we drove through the bleak. *Freeze frame & cut to one of those time card transitions from Spongebob*
I regained my consciousness. We were still in the middle of the white. The scenery began to be dotted sparingly with farmland, and my tour guide announced that we were not far from the waterfall!
Everyone has their personal favorite waterfall in Iceland; thereâs so many to choose from! I think that SkĂłgafoss is mine. A single wide drop, the water flows forcefully over the edge of a cliff into one of the most serene glacial rivers Iâve ever seen. You can get quite close to the water as well, at least enough to feel the mist from the falls. The sight of it shook me out of my morning fog, and after absorbing the vibrations from the white noise roar for some time, I bunny hopped my way through the fresh snow towards the coach, excited for the next leg of the trip.
The great and beautiful SkĂłgafoss.
We were headed towards the coast, and even though I knew in my head the beaches would be freezing, I was pumped to stand next to the waves. Once the noir shores were in sight, I rushed out of the vehicle. The pebbly beach was a familiar crunch beneath my feet. I faced the high, powerful waves crashing onto the black sands, and admired the surrounding dark cliffs, jutting into the blue skies. It was my idea of bliss. I fell asleep on the bus and woke up to our guide telling us we were going to walk to the foot of a glacier. âAwesomeâ, I thought. I didnât know that âwalkâ was code for a mile mountain hike through snow, hail, and sunshine (a.k.a. Icelandic weather in a nutshell). If I hadnât just come out of a nap I think it wouldâve been less intense, but I had to concentrate not to slip and possibly plummet into the icy abyss. The trek was worth seeing a glacier up close. Though they look grey and white from afar, they are actually composed of shades of turquoise blue. The white is the snow that has settled on their tops and the black comes from volcanic ash frozen in the ice. I wished I wouldâve been brave enough to sign up for a glacier climb, but my love of adrenaline has limits.
Black sand bliss.
After a few more stops along the south coast, we headed back to Reykjavik, and I scarfed down a veggie burger before going back towards the south in search of the Northern Lights. I canât explain why, but Iâve had a strong need to see this natural phenomenon in person from a young age. Most of the other tours had been cancelled earlier in the week, but the night of my rescheduled tour was supposed to be the highest level of activity recorded all week. The luxury minibus drove us through the night for two and a half hours before our first sighting on a back road near the airport. It was hard to catch at first, but after about forty-five minutes the faint green streaks grew more vibrant and started flowing across the sky in waves. Our guide mentioned that green is always the first color to appear due to the human eye detecting it before any other color. The lights didnât break into any other spectrum but green that night, but its shading varied as it moved. I wanted to capture the moment but it was difficult without a well timed shot and quality equipment. Some people camp out for hours in the cold to get the perfect frame, like the ones often featured on National Geographicâs Instagram. So, instead I enjoyed being present, and the moment was made even sweeter with warm cups of hot chocolate that our guide had brought along. I headed back to my hotel that night around 3AM, fulfilled and a little chilly, but I was sure Iâd remember the night forever.
The next day, high speed winds and heavy rain seemed like they would limit my time outdoors. Reykjavik may be equipped for a near arctic climate, but its inhabitants know when to stay indoors. I, however, didnât exactly listen to the locals and after taking a taxi downtown for breakfast I walked through the wind storm to reach the National Iceland Museum. I did get soaked, but it was refreshing to be subjected to the power of nature. Call me crazy for enjoying trekking through 17+ mph winds and torrential rain!
It was a comfort to step into the warm museum lobby though, and I spent the next few hours literally walking through Icelandâs short history. The nation gained its independence from Denmark in 1918, fairly recently compared to the rest of the world. The isolated landscape and northern coordinates allowed Iceland to be uninhabited for longer than most countries, but the small population allowed it to progress with the same pace as the rest of the modern world while still holding pride in their Viking roots.
Tame & cozy on the inside.
As I packed my bags that night, I was already mentally planning to come back during the Midnight Sun season. Iceland is a place for nature lovers, and also those seeking peace of mind. It was one of my most revitalizing trips thus far, and that was without taking a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon (there will be time for that attraction in the future). I have a newfound resurgence in my passion for travel, and Iâm excited to use Londonâs central location to my advantage to explore the rest of the European continent and beyond in the remaining months.