Iceland
What happens when two couples with two small children somehow manage to get coverage for their kids for a few days? They jet off to the land of fire and ice for a frosty adventure in the Golden Circle!
Notes from Christina.
Number of Nights - 3
Time of Year - January 2019
Type of Trip - Quick Trip / Family Travel
Itinerary -
Golden Circle Tour
Blue Lagoon
Explore Reykjavik
This hotel was centrally and completely modern and fine, not super memorable. Usually I prefer a smaller, more boutique hotel experience over a larger hotel like a Hilton, but we were traveling with friends, and this seemed like an easy compromise. We rented a car, and it was easy to park here.
On the first day, while waiting to check into our hotel, we set out in our rental car (after a couple of coffees at a local coffee shop near the hotel of course!) and drove to see the Seljalandfoss waterfall, which is about an hour and a half away. It was a good way to get our first glimpse of the landscape of Iceland.
Upon returning, we needed to catch dinner before our northern lights boat cruise. We had nothing reserved but walked into at a restaurant called Kopar on the dock right at Reykjavik Old Harbor, and it was perfect!
Northern Lights by Boat
That night we had a boat tour to see the northern lights booked out of Reykjavik. This was perhaps a mistake for me, being that I had pretty much had no sleep and had no desire to get on a boat for 2-3 hours. We had to put on large, heavy coveralls to keep warm if standing outside on the boat deck. We also didn’t see any northern lights, and the inside of the boat was so crowded that we were lucky to find a place to sit. I could have done without this, or at least should have booked it for a different night and not the day that we flew in. But to each his own – I am sure there are some nights where it is well worth it.
Golden Circle Tour
The next day we had booked a full day tour through the Golden Circle, which brought us to visit Iceland’s most stunning sights. This is the typical tour of natural wonders that most people see, especially if its their first trip to Iceland.
The first stop on our tour, still in darkness (despite it being almost 10:30am!), was the Friðheimar geothermal greenhouse where delicious tomatoes are grown with the aid of Iceland’s famous and abundant geothermal heat. The building has a beautiful other-worldly glow in the darkness of the morning, and we loved sampling the delicious tomato soup and walking around to tour the gardens. Outside were some Icelandic ponies playing and frolicking in the snow with their long hair, it was so beautiful.
Next we stopped at the Geysir geothermal area where the Strokkur geyser shoots a column of water up into the air every 4-8 minutes in a thrilling display of nature’s forces. We also visited Gullfoss waterfall, which was quite a sight to behold, where gushing water tumbles into a crevice, flowing down into a wide, curved "staircase." With the snowy backdrop it was stunning.
Our favorite was historical and geological wonder that is Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where we hiked up in between the American and Eurasian tectonic plates as they are pulling apart at a rate of a few centimeters per year.
That evening, the tour took us to the famous Blue Lagoon, about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik and considered by many to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Lagoon offers a lava and moss filled scenery, state of the art facilities, a unique atmosphere and silica masks that make your skin extra firm, yet incredibly soft! When we had our soak in the lagoon it was dark, and lit only by the lights around the pool. I do wish we had been to the lagoon during the daytime to see the lava contrasting with the steamy lagoon. I will have to go back! After our soak we opted to stay and dine at the fancy Lagoon restaurant before heading back to our hotel.
With our last day, we spent the day exploring the artsy city of Reykjavik. We strolled its colorful streets, toured the Hallgrimskirkja Church, shopped and ate some nice meals, sat in some nice cafes and of course got a few alcoholic beverages in some bars. It was a great way to spend the last day.
