Iceland gets a post all to herself since we had the pleasure of exploring the island for 4 whole days. I can’t more emphatically recommend visiting! I’m so glad we had all that time because anything less would have been just a tease. Even with 4 days, we still only explored the countryside on the west and north of the island. I have to go again, just to see the rest of the country.

One of the most recommended things to do in Iceland is to bath in one of the many geothermal baths. The most popular, and expensive, is the Blue Lagoon. We actually decided to try 2 different locations: Myvatn Nature Baths and the Secret Lagoon. Both have their advantages for sure. The Secret Lagoon is smaller, intimate, and the least expensive. You can walk around the lagoon area to see small bubbling pits of mud, little geysers, and mossy rocks too. Myvatn is much bigger and offers a variety of pools and areas to relax, but is almost twice the price of Myvatn. There was quite a crowd of people visiting when we went, but it never felt overcrowded.

If you do head to the Myvatn area, then climbing up the rim of Hverfjall and exploring the lava fields, which are all around is a must. The panoramic views from on top are incredible. I was also amazed and how old this crater is, yet how young it seems. Like it was poured out of a giant dump truck just weeks ago. I guess it seems that way because of the lack of vegetation on it.

Another favorite adventure was exploring Thingvellir National Park, located just outside of Reykjavík. You can spend an entire day here, in my opinion, so plan on spending at least a couple of hours.

Ok, so here comes the onslaught of photos! Since there are so many, I’ll just post in order of our visit and caption some of them with location info.

Steaming pools at the Secret Lagoon.

View of a Glacier from the Lagoon.

One of the waterfalls at Thingvillir.

See the whale’s tail?

A geyser erupting at Geysir.

Steamy ground, all around.

Sitting on the rim of an ancient volcano.

Look, I was there too!

Myvatn Nature Baths

Inside one of the buildings at the The Herring Era Museum. Everything is frozen in time. I love museums that let you explore freely like this. You have this weird sensation that the people will show up and wonder why you’re in their kitchen.

Pretending to process fish. Lucy is holding her breath from the imaginary stink.

This iceberg wasn’t in Iceland, but actually off the coast of Greenland, if I remember correctly. The captain came on the speakers announcing the sighting. Herds of people rushed to the port side of the ship to snap photos. To the dissapointment of many, it was much too far, and dark, to photograph. I was slightly disappointed in the distance too, but quickly was grateful for not being in danger of hitting one! Several people had commented before we left, that we were going on a “Titanic cruise”!