After a harrowing 2 day travel adventure, my Russian and I were beyond happy to finally arrive in Iceland late Monday night. Our friends who had flown in earlier picked us up and we headed to our hotel in Reykjavik.

We sat down to a spread of roasted chicken, cured meats, cheese, veggies, black caviar and a bottle of Reykjavik vodka. It was the perfect way to start our trip!

After our first full day of exploring Iceland, I was already in love with this place. As I finish this post from our hotel on the northwest peninsula, we’ve just finished our 3rd day which ended with a starry night sky and a glimpse of the Northern lights! But before I get too far into all those magical details, I wanted to share some of my first impressions of this amazing country!

 

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

I’ve been sharing updates of our daily adventures over on Instagram, but it case you missed it, here’s a quick look at our loose itinerary for this trip. So far, we’ve stuck to the general outline, leaving plenty of room for unexpected fun along the way!

Day 1: Explore the Golden circle, drive 1/2 way down the southern shore and spend the night in

Day 2: Explore the southern shore including waterfalls, glaciers, and black sand beaches

Day 3: Catch any places we missed on days 1 and 2 and make our way to the peninsula just north of Reykjavik

Day 4: Explore the northern peninsula before heading back to Reykjavik for the night

Day 5: Explore Reykjavik, visit the Blue Lagoon and finish our trip with a traditional Icelandic feast.

Day 6: Depart for the States

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Land:

We started our first full at 7am and headed out of Reykjavík to explore the Golden Circle, a 190 mile loop just outside the city. We only got a glimpse of Reykjavik, but our plan is to explore more when we return at the end of our trip. Even on our brief drive out, colorful storefronts and cozy cafes oozed with charm.

As soon as we reached the edge of town, we were greeted by snow capped mountain ranges and rippling lakes. Initially, the scenery reminded me a lot of our trips to Alaska, Armenia and Switzerland, but as I got to see more I soon realized Iceland is in a realm of its own. Otherworldly, is the word I would use to describe it!

Over the course of our drive, we passed a mix of snowy terrain, grassy plains, massive mountains ranges,, glaciers, glittering lakes, strange rock formations, barren trees and evergreens. I was amazed by how quickly the landscape changed even within just a few minutes! I’ve spent most of the car ride gazing out the window completely mesmerized by the ever evolving landscape. Every time I blink there is something new to see and I find myself torn between wanting to capture the unique beauty and trying to pause and take it all in.

 

Temperatures:

When packing for this trip the forecast showed temperatures in the 40’s. I packed accordingly, adding lots of layers and appropriate shoes for varying terrain – snow, sand, mud, etc. What I wasn’t expecting was the wind! The wind here is no joke! It can get so strong that you have to stay mindful of your footing or you could easily lose your balance especially when climbing over rocks or slippery terrain. It also causes the temperature to drop, making it bitterly cold. While my winter coat, leather gloves and hiking boots have kept me relatively warm, taking photos has been a challenge! Overcoming the freezing wind to get the camera or phone set up and capturing your shot is not an easy task! A lot of them end up looking like this:

The Food:

On the plane ride over, we watched a few short documentaries about Iceland. One of them went in depth about the cuisine. Our mouths were watering thinking about fresh fish, savory lamb dishes, fresh bread and Icelandic cheeses that we couldn’t wait to try!

Our first taste of traditional Icelandic fare was at lunch on our first full day. We stopped into the cafe across from Geysir and sampled the fish, lamb, potatoes and famous bread prepared in the ground. It was all mouthwatering!

On our list still to try is salted fish, fermented shark and sheep head, an Icelandic tradition!

 

The Sites:

On our first day we managed to see several waterfalls, the famous Kerid Crater and several geysers. The geysers were a unique site to behold and definitely the stand-out from Day 1. The bubbling ground spitting steaming water into the air was such a thrill! Days 2 and 3 were also full of some truly magical moments that I can’t wait to share more details about here soon!

We’ve seen so much already and yet we still have much more to explore! I’m really looking forward to the remainder of our Iceland adventure and can’t wait to share all my travel tips and guides in upcoming posts. If you aren’t already, you can follow along on social media so you don’t miss a thing!

 

Have you visited Iceland? What were your first impressions? Never been? What would be on the top of your list to see and do?! Share your comments below!