Breakfast from Brauð & Co.- the cinnamon rolls (kanilsnúðar) are a dream! We ate them walking around Hallgrimskirkja, its concrete exterior is inspired by Iceland’s basalt formations.

The rain was coming down hard when we got to Þingvellir National Park but it was incredible to walk the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
I kinda rushed Öxarárfoss, a beautiful waterfall and an easy path to get there, the downpour was no joke!

At Lake Laugarvatn, we saw a pot of bread get dug up (from a mound named Sean), while another pot of bread dough was buried in there for tomorrow. It was so cool to taste a sweet rye bread, baked hot from the ground – delicious plain or with butter and smoked trout.

Afterwards, we hit the mineral pools and hot tub at Laugarvatn Fontana (the only photos that aren’t mine- took these off the spa’s site, didn’t want to forget how nice this was!). The steam baths were a really unique experience- natural hot steam simmers up through the grids of the floor. At first, it is overwhelming to be in a heavy cloud of heat and geothermal smells, but we got into it after a minute. We got so sweaty in there after just a few minutes, we took a dip in the cold lake. Jason got in there twice cuz he’s nuts.

Efstidalur II for vanilla and strawberry ice cream. We heard there were no dogs in Iceland and I was relieved to learn that is NOT true! The cafe is on a farm and you look out the window at cows.

The only thing we threw in the towel on was the Bruarfoss trail. Georgia has a lot of muddy hiking trails but this is on another level! There was no way to get through without fucking up our jeans and we wore our dirty-ass jeans the rest of the trip (lesson learned: pack at least two pairs of pants, LOL).

We watched the Strokkur geyser go off 11x- once while we were driving away. The field and hillside are covered in bubbling hot springs and mud pits, as well as Geysir itself which is mostly dormant. I loved spots where the ground is dyed white, mustard and turquoise.

I was wore out by the time we got to Gullfoss (Golden falls), however, I was struck by a little burst of energy in the face of those giant, roaring falls! They are MIGHTY.

My favorite lodging on the trip was this couple’s cozy cabin. The hosts were adorable and told us, “You will sleep like a baby after the hot tub.” And I did! We loved all the personal touches in their space.