Why visit Iceland?
At first, I chose Iceland to be my first destination that I would travel to alone. I've never done a solo trip before yet and I felt like Reykjavik would be a nice, safe place to go. I was looking for a location that would be relaxing and a complete switch up from New York. When I looked up flights, the weekend I chose to go was only $250 round-trip! As I'm saying all of this to my mom, to give her a heads up, she decides she wants to come too! With my mom coming, I was able to rent a car in Reykjavik, broadening what activities we can do.
What to do in Iceland?
Since I went to Reykjavik the last weekend of April, you can no longer see the Northern Lights. Good thing, I wasn't too worried about that. The country of Iceland is so beautiful in the spring/summer and the weather when we were there was in a cool 60-65 degrees. Perfect to walk around the City Center and rent a car to drive the South Coast. There are bus tours available that will drive you along the south coast and even the whole Golden Circle. However, we chose to do it ourselves so we can stop for as long as we want and head back when we were ready.
The drive of the South Coast is a long one. From Reykjavik to the first stop was about an hour. The first stop we took was in Pingvellir National Park. Where we got an awesome view of the surrounding mountains and then as we drove five more minutes, we came across a small waterfall tucked behind a mountain.
The drive of the south coast is all flat. It's a straight ride and every now and then the volcanos and mountains will come in clear view and give you a shot for a beautiful, scenic photo.
We took several stops a long the way, using the guide here: http://iheartreykjavik.net/2015/01/drive-it-yourself-a-south-coast-adventure/
Of course a visit to Iceland is not complete without a day at the Blue Lagoon Spa. I know people who purchased a massage package for their day, however, we chose not to. The day is still enjoyable without the package and maybe when I go back I will opt in for that.
The Blue Lagoon is absolutely surreal. You hear about it, you see pictures, but that is nothing compared to the experience you get in person. While you are driving towards the lagoon, you can see the hot spring from a distance. The day we went was cold and rainy. It actually makes the lagoon more enjoyable because who wants to be hot in a hot spring?
I could go on for days about Iceland. It was truly the best and most relaxing vacation I've had in a long time. If it were a lot closer and cheaper, I would make a point to visit once a month.
I decided to put together a short little vlog of our time there. I hope you enjoy it and it gives you a better insight than I could do with words.
Enjoy!
