Around the World in Reality: Iceland

Iceland had been on my radar ever since IcelandAir announced we were getting a direct flight to Iceland in early 2022. Once this announcement was made, I began to research Iceland and all it had to offer. I was amazed by everything I discovered about Iceland and decided to keep it on my travel bucket list. The opportunity presented itself to book the flight to Reykjavik in January, and I took advantage of it. I’m so glad I did as this was an amazing adventure to the Land of Fire and Ice.

Day 1 – Sunday, March 26

HIGHLIGHTS: Northern Lights, Sandholt, Icelandic Phallological Museum, Sky Lagoon and Old Iceland

Our flight was delayed by an hour, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. The journey itself was smooth, but I found it challenging to sleep on the plane. In hindsight, it turned out to be a good thing as I spotted a green aura through the window halfway into the flight. I thought I was dreaming and did a double-take before holding up my phone to confirm I wasn’t dreaming. It was indeed the Northern Lights, and the sight was absolutely breathtaking. I took picture after picture because I just couldn’t believe it. We were literally flying past the Northern Lights.

After a short 5.5-hour flight, we arrived in Iceland. We cleared customs in less than ten minutes and boarded a Grayline bus to downtown Reykjavik. Despite the initial delay, we made it to our destination on time and without any further hitches.

Upon our arrival, we stopped at Sandholt, a charming café in the heart of the city, for breakfast. The café was busy, but we only had to wait about ten minutes for a table. While Donnell ordered waffles with berries, I opted for a smoked salmon sandwich and a mimosa. Donnell enjoyed his waffles and rated them a 7.5. On the other hand, my sandwich was absolutely delicious. The salmon was exceptionally fresh, and I savored every bite. I would rate it a strong 8.5.

Since we had a few hours to spare, we decided to take a walk and explore the area. Around the corner from Sandholt, we stumbled upon a mural of Einstein and Tupac having a beer. Ever since visiting Valparaiso, I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for street art, and I thought this mural was pretty cool.

One of the museums I was excited to visit was the Iceland Phallological Museum, also known as the Penis Museum. It took some convincing, but I eventually got Donnell to come with me. We found it to be a very educational experience, and I would highly recommend it.

Once we were done touring the museum, we received notification that our apartment was ready. We quickly checked in, dropped off our bags and made our way back to the bus stop for our first adventure. We caught the bus to the Sky Lagoon, where we checked in smoothly and promptly. As Sky Pass holders, we had access to the private showers and locker area. We quickly changed and made our way to the lagoon. The vibe was amazing, but the wind was quite brutal. If you have a bald head, please come prepared. The Sky Lagoon overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is an excellent place to simply relax. After a while, we began the seven-step ritual, which I opted not to capture as I wanted to stay present in the moment. It was the perfect way to unwind after a long flight and a lack of sleep. We stayed for a couple of hours before catching the bus back to the city.

For dinner, we had reservations at Old Iceland, a small but popular restaurant. I always make reservations at places that take them, and this proved to be necessary here.

To start, I had a glass of pinot grigio. We then had scallops with celery root puree, apple, hazelnuts, and fried vegetable chips and dill for an appetizer. They were absolutely divine, and even Donnell, who isn’t fond of scallops, loved them. We both rated them a 10. Donnell had the pan-fried arctic char with celery root and potato puree, broccolini, lightly pickled celery root, hazelnuts, apple, and cucumber vinaigrette for his entrée, which he rated a 10. I had the cod with herb and garlic mashed potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and cod head sauce with champagne, which was equally delicious, and I rated it a 10. I have a sweet tooth, so I opted for the dessert suggested by our server, the freshly fried donuts and rhubarb cream. They were absolutely delicious, and the cream perfectly complemented them. Old Iceland was a perfect ten in our books. We highly recommend it!

Day 2 – Monday, March 27

HIGHLIGHTS: Chickpea, Flyover Iceland, Meadery Tour and Tasting, Food Tour

After a sleeping in Monday morning, we decided to venture out and explore the charming downtown area. Donnell had his heart set on finding the perfect toboggan, but unfortunately, he didn’t quite find what he was looking for. That just means we’ll have to plan another trip soon!

We worked up quite an appetite after our attempt to shop, so we headed to Chickpea, a popular vegetarian restaurant nearby. The restaurant was small but busy with customers. I opted for the beetroot falafel with halloumi, hummus, cabbage, pickled onions, and mango aioli on pita, a suggestion made by the young woman taking my order. The food was so so good, and the portion was very generous. I would rate it a 9. I also had an in-house mango lime kombucha that was AMAZING. Donnell went for a salad, which was loaded with hummus, chickpeas, tomatoes, green onions, cucumbers, and feta. He rated it an 8. Overall, it was a fantastic lunch and a perfect way to refuel for the rest of our day.

After lunch, we hopped on the bus and headed to Flyover Iceland. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant at first because I thought it might be too touristy, but I’m so glad we went! As soon as we arrived, we were treated to two fascinating historical lessons on Iceland, which really helped to set the stage for the experience to come. Then, it was time for the main attraction. We took our seats and patiently waiting for the viewing to begin on the massive screen in front of us.

As the experience began, I have to say, it felt surreal. We were “gliding” over different parts of Iceland, each filmed at different times of the year. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and the stunning views of Iceland were truly breathtaking. In the end, it turned out to be an experience that we wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else.

Right around the corner was our next adventure, a tour of Oldur, Iceland’s first and only meadery. For those who are not familiar with mead, it is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey. My first encounter with this unique drink was during my Around the World in Quarantine: Ethiopia experience when I purchased tej, a type of mead, for our dinner. The delicious flavor lingered in my memory, so when I found out about this meadery, I was eager to visit.

I enjoy connecting with people and listening to their stories, which is why I prefer small, personalized tours. This one was exactly that. The co-owner of the meadery, Helgi, shared with us the history of the meadery and how he stumbled upon the art of making mead. During our visit, we were able to sample three types of his mead. The first one was Fluga, a light and sweet spiced mead. The second was Blami, a mead infused with berries. Lastly, we were able to try a mead that was still fermenting in a bourbon barrel and not yet available for sale. All three were excellent, but Fluga stood out as my favorite. Donnell enjoyed the last one. We bought a bottle of it to take with us as we headed to our next stop – the Wake Up Reykjavik food tour.

Although I love food classes, I have typically avoided food tours because I’m always worried there won’t be options for us as pescatarians. However, while researching our trip to Iceland, I discovered the top-rated tour in the country was a Food Tour with Wake Up Reykjavik. Their website assured us that pescatarians were welcome, so we decided to give it a try.

Our first stop on the tour was Fjallkonan, where we were treated to a lightly cured arctic char paired with chickpea flatbread, horseradish sauce, roe, crispy lentils, and yuzu elderflower dressing. The freshness of the char was simply exquisite. Though it appeared small in size, it was very filling. At our first stop, I was already wondering how I was going to eat everything the tour had to offer.

The second stop was Messinn. I was excited to try this restaurant because it was on my list but I couldn’t fit it into the schedule.

For the main course, we had the Arctic char with cherry tomatoes, almonds, honey, lemon, and butter, as well as the Icelandic “Plokkfiskur” with béarnaise sauce, cod, potatoes, onion, garlic, celery, lime, white wine, cream, butter, and rye bread. Both dishes were scrumptious, but the Plokkfiskur was a clear standout with its rich and creamy texture. I enjoyed it so much that I even had a second helping.

The third stop was Islendingar borda SS pylsur, a popular Icelandic Hot Dog Stand. Of course, we couldn’t, eat here but there are other stands that serve vegan dogs. We didn’t mind because we were already full from the last stop. However, our guide wanted to make sure we came away with something and gave us chocolate milks. They were pretty tasty, too!

The fourth stop was Íslenski barinn. We began with a refreshing beer and then had the opportunity to try the fermented shark, which was definitely a unique experience. To follow up, we tried a shot of Brennivin, an Icelandic spirit. Although I like licorice, it tasted similar to ouzo which I’m not the biggest fan of. We finished the tour with a delicious creamy seafood soup.

Our final stop was Cafe Loki. Despite being quite full, I couldn’t resist trying their dessert. We were seated on the top floor of the cafe, which offered stunning views of Hallgrimskirkja. Our dessert consisted of rye bread ice cream and kleinas, a type of Icelandic doughnut. I must say, the rye bread ice cream was exceptional. I couldn’t describe it as anything else. The kleinas were also tasty, although I preferred the ones I had at Old Iceland.

Overall, the food tour with Wake Up Reykjavik was an incredible experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Iceland.

Day 3 – Tuesday, March 28

HIGHLIGHTS: Snowmobiling and Ice Cave and Reykjavik Chips

On Tuesday, we had an adventurous day planned as we were going snowmobiling. We arrived at the designated bus stop, and were picked up in a sprinter van on time. After a few more pick-ups, we started our journey out of the city.

During the ride, we crossed from the North American plate to the Eurasian plate, and it was fascinating to observe how the landscape changed as we made our way from one to the other. These plates are moving apart at a rate of 2-3 centimeters per year, which added to the interest of the experience.

After an hour and 45 minutes rise, we arrived at base camp where we got our gear ready. We, then, loaded up into a monster sprinter and made our way to Langjökull, the second-longest glacier in Iceland and a massive contributor to the country’s land mass, accounting for about 1%. Upon arrival, we braced ourselves for the expected cold weather. Despite wearing two pairs of wool socks, I had to add foot warmers to keep my toes from freezing. However, all was forgotten once we hopped on our snowmobile.

Donnell was the first to drive and he absolutely loved it! After 30 minutes of exhilarating snowmobiling, we headed towards an ice cave that had only been discovered a few months prior. The experience was both cool and a little scary as Donnell and I had the same thought of “what if this fell in”. Luckily, everything went smoothly minus bumping my head a few times. Our helmets were absolutely necessary.

On the way back, I took the driver’s seat, and while I enjoyed it, I found that I preferred riding as a passenger. The experience was absolutely amazing. We both loved it. Once we arrived back at base camp, we dropped off our gear, changed clothes, and headed back to the city.

We were originally scheduled to arrive late, so I made a reservation for dinner. However, we ended up arriving early and found ourselves feeling quite hungry. As we were walking around, we noticed a sign for Reykjavik Chips and saw that they had received great reviews. I previously read Reykjavik had amazing fish and chips, so we decided to give it a try. To our delight, it turned out to be the best fish and chips we had ever tasted! The fish was incredibly fresh and the breading was perfectly cooked – not too oily and with just the right amount of crispiness. The portions were quite generous, so I only managed to finish one, but Donnell enjoyed all of his. I rated the fish and chips a 9.5, and Donnell rated them a 10.

Day 4 – Tuesday, March 29

HIGHLIGHTS: Blue Lagoon

Our last day in Iceland began at the Blue Lagoon, which we chose to visit before heading to the airport. Upon arrival, we went through a smooth check-in process and headed to the locker room to get changed. We didn’t have a private experience for this lagoon, but it turned out to be just fine. We made our way to the lagoon and into the milky blue water. It was the perfect temperature and even warmer in other places. We enjoyed the first hour, and then the sleet began to fall. Donnell opted to get out and warm up. Meanwhile, I stayed in and listened to an informative session on the lagoon and how it came to be. It was really interesting!

If I had to rank the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon, I would place the Sky Lagoon above the Blue Lagoon. I recommend visiting the Blue Lagoon first to set expectations and then visiting the Sky Lagoon to exceed them. However, if time allows, I suggest visiting both.

Unfortunately, we missed the bus ride and didn’t want to wait for the next one, so we took a taxi to the airport. We had some time to kill, so we sat at Nord and took advantage of the 2-for-1 mimosas, which were less than $4 each – by far the cheapest thing in Iceland!

During the flight, I realized I hadn’t tried any Icelandic gin. I sampled the pink gin and the secret garden elderflower and jasmine gin. Though neither of these were Icelandic, I had never had them before and enjoyed them both. The latter was my favorite by far as I love floral notes.

And just six short hours later, we arrived back in Raleigh. This was actually the first time we went through customs in Raleigh, and the process was surprisingly easy. I highly recommend it!

Final Thoughts

Overall, Iceland was absolutely amazing, and it may have even changed my mind about cold weather. Even though we spent most of our time in Reykjavik, the landscape was stunning and captivating. Additionally, the food was incredibly delicious and fresh, and the people were incredibly nice and kind. This trip was everything we could have asked for.

In terms of our favorites, I would say that my favorite activity was the Sky Lagoon, while Donnell’s favorite was definitely snowmobiling. As for our favorite meals, mine was the Plokkfiskur and rye bread at Messinn, and his was the Arctic Char at Old Iceland.

This was our first trip to Iceland, but it certainly won’t be our last. We are really looking forward to returning during the summer months to witness the midnight sun.