I visited Iceland for 4 days in July while I was on my way to Germany. It was great actually- Iceland Air offers a free extended stopover in Reykjavik, and so I was thrilled to be able to take advantage of this. Iceland has been a place I've always wanted to visit, especially as my grandfather was full Icelandic. I would have loved to try to find out if I still have any relatives there, however, with the way that last names are passed on (father's first name becomes the root of the child's last name, followed by son or dottr) it would have been quite difficult. It was still quite magical, nonetheless and I was utterly captivated by the city and the surrounding land. Reykjavik, although it's the capital city, feels like a small town: hardly any buildings more than a few stories tall, and the people are unbelievable friendly. The city was bright and vibrant despite the cold summer temperatures, and I was amazed by how much street art (not of the conventional graffiti sort) and creativity abounded. Aside from wandering the streets and harbors of Reykjavik, I also checked out the Golden Circle to get a bit of a feel for the Icelandic countryside. It was amazing driving through out of Reykjavik and seeing huge stretches of land absolutely uninhabited. Desolate and absolutely beautiful. Though it was only a small peek at the country, it was enough to induce me to add a road trip around the ring highway (the main highway that runs around the whole island) to my lifelong to-do list. I have no idea when it will happen, but I'm determined to see more of this beautiful country! In any case, here's a few photos from the trip- enjoy!
Reykjavik (obviously)
Reykjavik
Reykjavik
Reykjavik
Reykjavik
Reykjavik
Viking Ship Sculpture, Reykjavik
Reykjavik Harbor
Reykjavik
Reykjavik
Gullfoss Falls
Icelandic Countryside
Valley of Haukadalur
Gullfoss
Þingvellir National Park
Icelandic Countryside featuring the famous Icelandic Pony
No comments:
Post a Comment