Our adventure began at 3 a.m., as we packed our bags, stowed Sharayah's engagement ring safely in my backpack, and headed to Lexington to join the rest of our group for the 8-hour drive to Baltimore Washington International Airport.
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| Frodo and Sam, transporters of The Ring |
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| Somewhere in West Virginia, PC: Hannah W |
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| Van ride to BWI, PC: Landry J |
After a smooth and uneventful 6-hour flight that provided little sleep -- but a great view of the Northern Lights (however brief) -- we landed in Keflavik and deplaned directly on the runway at 5:30 a.m. local time.
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| Deplaning on the Runway, PC: Brian T |
We took a quick head count, 18 of us in total, then headed into the city for some much-needed coffee. Our first views of Iceland on the drive from Keflavik to Reykjavik were a weird mix of lava rocks and industrial buildings. The perpetual gray sky stretched on forever, and the wind blew right through our jackets. But as we brunched at C is for Cookie, the wind died down and the fog lifted, reminding us that the weather truly does change from hour to hour in Iceland!
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| The parking machine in Reykjavik was most certainly not in English! PC: Jane B |
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| C is for Cookie, PC: Landry J |
Not too far outside of the city, we started our exploring with Iceland's Golden Circle, beginning with Pingvellir National Park. We saw the tectonic plates and a couple of water falls. It was gorgeous, but we all agreed you should start with the Golden Circle, because it only gets bigger and better from there!
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| Between the Tectonic Plates at Pingvellir, PC: Brian T |
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| Between the Tectonic Plates at Pingvellir, PC: Brian T |
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| Pingvellir, PC: Sam W |
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| Pingvellir, PC: Sam W |
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| Pingvellir, PC: Sam W |
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| Pingvellir, PC: Sam W |
We made our way to Laugarvatn, which would be our home for the next 4 days. Our AirBNB host at the "North Campus" was Marta, and she was just so sweet, giving us a tour of our perfect cabin and telling us stories of Iceland. The other AirBNB hosted 7 members of our group and was also a quaint little cabin in the woods.
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| Marta's House or "North Campus," PC: Brian T |
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Marta's House or "North Campus," PC: Brian T
Our Room, PC: Brian T |
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| "South Campus," PC: Landry J |
Saying goodbye to Marta, we headed back out to Gullfoss, a massive waterfall you'll just have to experience in person. Pictures simply can't do this guy justice.
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| Gullfoss, PC: Hayley P |
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Gullfoss, PC: Sam W
With Gullfoss, PC: Sam W. |
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| Gullfoss, PC: Sam W |
Again freezing and wet from the mist, we hurried to Strokkur, the most active geyser in Iceland and part of the Geysir geothermal area. Like clockwork, we watched good ol' Strokkur erupt every 8-10 minutes on the dot, clapping and cheering with each show it performed for us! Old Faithful is beautiful, but I think Strokkur won me over as my favorite geyser.
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| Strokkur, PC: Sam W |
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| Waiting for Strokkur, PC: Jordan J |
Lastly, we drove to Bruarfoss, hidden behind a campground and down several poorly-marked paths. But my goodness, was it ever worth the search! This was the one place I wish we could have gone back for a second look. Even in the rapidly waning light, the blue pools were mesmerizing and made me realize why 54% of native Icelanders still believe in elves. The country really does have a sort of magic about it.
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| Bruarfoss, PC: Jordan J |
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| Bruarfoss, PC: Jordan J |
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| Bruarfoss, PC: Zach W |
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