Reykjavik

Have you heard of the midnight sun? We learned of this natural phenomenon upon landing at Keflavik airport in Iceland at 4:30 a.m. to a surprise of complete daylight. We hadn’t slept in almost 48 hours, and after an hour bus ride into Reykjavik and unable to check into our Airbnb until noon, we were left wandering a town that felt all but totally deserted. Much to our chagrin, we finally stumbled upon the only open establishment in town…Dunkin Donuts! And they even had free WiFi!

We rested up with a good nights sleep to explore the town the next day. The main street down the city center, called Laugavegur, is lined with retail, restaurants, bars, and the usual tourist gift shops. The “nightlife” is crazy. It never gets dark! The sun never fully sets but only turns to a state of dusk around 1 a.m. This makes for a very interesting club scene. Consider that the strongest beer you can find is 4% alcohol content, and you definitely cannot blame darkness or drunk goggles in this city. Up next, the Blue Lagoon…

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Upon arriving at the Blue Lagoon, our sanctuary of serenity, some of us went straight for in-water massages (which were more of a sensual rub down than a deep tissue) while others went straight for the lagoon. We spent the next 5 and a half hours pampering ourselves in this majestic wonder with perfectly naturally heated water, cold beer (limit of 3…I guess they think you’re going to drown in a sea of happiness), and therapeutic mud and silica facial masks.

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For our last day in Iceland, we rented a car and set out for the Golden Circle: a 4 hour journey around the Iceland countryside that offers breathtaking views and several natural wonders along the way. We stopped to see the Gulfoss Waterfall and the Geyser.

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Iceland, as our first stop, really set the tone for our trip. We can’t wait to see what lies ahead. We said goodbye to Tawny, and we’re off for Dublin!