The Blue Lagoon

We saved the best for last. After exploring the small country’s capital and natural beauty, the remainder of our time in Iceland was spent luxuriating in the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is easily one of my top three memories from all our time traveling since moving to London almost five years ago. Along with visiting Cordoba’s Mezquita and Bilbao’s Guggenheim, the Blue Lagoon is one of those places which reminds a person why travel is so important and how much the world has to offer those who seek novel experiences. The BL is a geothermal spa in the middle of nowhere; and literally, it looks like another planet with its hardened volcanic rock and ash and crater-riddled terrain. We ran into the water where the air temperature hovered around freezing and into the salty, mineral-filled water, enjoying the hot currents, exfoliating with the spa’s silica mask, and indulging in the pool-side bar’s fruit shakes. M and I agree that along with Spain where we’ve visited a handful of places we’d like to return to again, Iceland’s Blue Lagoon alone is worth making the return trip.

Golden Circle – the Great Geysir

The vast majority of our holidays tend to be city breaks, so a big reason why I fell in love with Iceland was it’s ability to offer both great food and culture in Reykjavik with easy access to outdoor scenery and eco-tourism less than an hour outside the city. After struggling against the elements to visit the Gullfoss, we visited the misleadingly serene original geyser, the Great Geysir. For ten minutes the Great Geysir sits quiet and then within seconds it erupts with steam and scalding hot water, shooting high into the air and falling back onto the ground where it loudly bubbles back into the surface.

Golden Circle – the Gullfoss, or Golden Falls

Just last December we had visited India’s “Golden Triangle”. Little did we know that almost a year later we’d be visiting Iceland’s “Golden Circle”. The two couldn’t be more different; whereas the GT showcases Rajasthan’s mogul wealth, the GC celebrates ancient and natural beauty, hot springs that have existed for thousands of years, dramatic waterfalls and thermal hot spots. First we visited the placid Great Atlantic Rift, the tectonic plates, before heading over to the Gullfoss, or Golden Falls. We fought against the strong winds and wet run-off from the waterfall as we made our way to the cliffs’ precipice to get a closer look.

Reykjavik, Iceland

I’d been itching to visit Reykjavik, Iceland for a long time so we didn’t think twice when C&G invited us to meet them there to celebrate C’s b-day. Upon arriving, the four of us spent our first day in Iceland exploring Reykjavik, the northern-most capital in the world. C&G already knew the city like the back of their hands: the capital is that small. After checking out the harbor, we walked around the downtown shopping area where we noted the eclectic winter fashion sense and typically-Nordic obsession with innovative and modern design. We briefly stopped by the city’s towering church, the Hallgrimskirja, before dining at Domo on local fare which includes run-of-the-mill seafood soup and the more exotic mako shark.