"Cut Through the Countries, Speed Through the Dark

If Mars were fluorescent green...

That's probably the best way I could describe driving through the Golden Circle of Iceland.  While we cut through a single paved road, the terrain around us were fields of enormous boulders, highlighted with glowing-green moss. This was especially true during our early visit to Þingvellir National Park.  

To add to the surreal landscape; our visit was during the Summer solstice, where there was 24/7 daylight. This required us to calibrate our bodies to know when to eat/sleep/traverse, but it wasn't too difficult.  Quite frankly, I found it appealing to have constant light, as it gave us more time to see all of the sights.

We arrived JUST after Iceland was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup, so we missed out on a lot of the excitement from their improbable run. There was still plenty of joviality throughout the city of Reykjavík.

Although the gloomy skies shed a faint mist, they were repelled by the bright, bold colors of homes, business, and landmarks throughout town.  This could be best observed from the tower of Hallgrímskirkja- a Lutheran Church in town.

When the time came to visit some of the famous hot springs of Iceland, we were advised by some friendly locals to check out The Secret Lagoon versus the reputed, Blue Lagoon to get an more laid back, personable atmosphere.  (We ended up doing both)  They were definitely correct in their assessment.  The Blue Lagoon felt like if Disney were to own a Hot Springs theme park in Iceland.  The Secret Lagoon felt like someone's back yard, where you could relax, have a drinks and visit with others casually.  It was remarkable how quickly you can feel the water temperature shift step-by-step.  An experience like any other, I would only caution that when you do visit these Hot Springs, there are some pungent waves of Sulfur coming from the Earth (if you have a weak stomach)

We spent a day also at Sólheimajökull.  A glacier of natural wonder, the local guides consistently noted how it's rapidly shrinking due to climate change.  This seems to be a common concern throughout the country for several of the glaciers and will be interesting to keep an eye on any deterioration in the coming years.

Reynisfjara Beach (Vik) was a black sand beach we traveled to, (which you may recognize from Game of Thrones).  The sand felt more like the black pellets you'd see on an artificial grass sports field.  The beach was surrounded by a jagged-rock mountainside that was naturally as ornate as some of the most-detailed buildings I've ever seen.

One of the most architecturally-intriguing buildings we saw on this trip was the Harpa concert hall.  Featuring a colored glass facade, the building looks like it was chiseled out of a giant steel iceberg.  We were fortunate to see a free concert inside and the reverberations from the choir were enough to make the hand stand up on your arms.

Since we rented a car w/o 4 wheel drive, we were restricted to sticking on certain paths, so if you're planning a trip soon, I would STRONGLY advise to rent an automobile that can access all of their terrain.  For a list of all recommendations and highlights of the vacation, see below, until then...I'm comin' home, baby.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Þingvellir National Park (Öxarárfoss and Þórufoss waterfalls)
• Hallgrímskirkja (Church with observation tower)
• The Secret Lagoon at Hverahólm
• Harpa Concert Hall
• The Icelandic Punk Museum
• Skógafoss Waterfall
• Reynisfjara Beach (Vik)

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Rent a car with 4-wheel drive so you can explore areas outside the Golden Circle
• Food / bars are pricey - split meals, once or twice a day.
• Ask locals for go-to spots versus tourist attractions
• Bring lots of weather gear - especially for the rain (extra socks)