Blue Lagoon

This is it guys. The final Iceland post. The Blue Lagoon! I don't think it looks as dreamy and magical in my photos as you might imagine it to be in the sparkling sunlight - but it truly was a blast and a classic Iceland experience. The weather was insane when we were there - the windiest wind I have ever been in, causing white caps on the lagoon waters and the bar to flood! We swam to every corner, drank a few beers, coated our faces in a silica mud mask and later an algae mask, and made a lot of friends.

A few tips if you go:

• Advanced booking is required. I'd recommend the Premium (€ 70). 
• Coat your hair in conditioner before you enter. Even in doing this, my hair was straw like - very brittle and dry for days after. Your shiny locks should be back to normal in a week or so.
• On the plus side, your skin will be super soft from the silica and algae masks. Definitely visit the mask bar and try them out, take extra care around the eye area. 
• Eat dinner at LAVA. It is excellent Icelandic cuisine inspired by the Blue Lagoons surrounding nature. We made reservations upon arrival but it's not a bad idea to make them in advance. You get a free glass of champagne at dinner if you booked the Premium. Below is a look at our meal. 

Bread and Butter - I don't think I've mentioned yet how outstanding bread and butter are in Iceland. The butter is particularly fluffy, rich and creamy and the bread always fresh baked. An Icelandic specialty - really good brown bread preludes nearly every meal. 

Langoustine Soup (ISK 2900) - comes with garlic marinated langoustine and seaweed. You all know by now how much I loved langoustine soup. I ordered it with every meal!

Grilled Beef Tenderloin (ISK 5900) wild mushrooms, crispy potatoes, onion jam and dijon mustard came together to create a dynamic tenderloin dish. I loved that it was a fancy plate with a side of crisp, golden french fries. 

Rack of Lamb (ISK 5900) Another gorgeous and creative entrée showcasing beautifully cooked lamb with celeriac, grapes and a kirsch reduction. 

 Thanks everyone for taking this journey back to Iceland with me. It has been so much fun to recap the days of this magical trip! 

In case you missed them!

Iceland

South Iceland

Vik

Fjaðrárgljúfur + Jökulsárlón

East Iceland

North Iceland

Akureyri + Beyond

Snæfellsnes Penninsula

Reykjavik

Harpa

Reykjavik

It felt a little surreal pulling into the parking spots outside FossHotel Reykjavik. In realizing we just completed driving the entire Ring Road, we high-fived and sat there for a minute. Huge moment. Big feelings. A lot of love for this country.

We had a blast in Reykjavik. It is expensive and colorful and welcoming and full of good European meets Viking energy. I was enamored with: the colorful street and sidewalk art, Hallgrímskirkja and the beautiful city views it affords, Langoustine soup, Lebowski Bar, and Harpa.

Here's a look at all my recommendations. 

Happy Hour Crawl / Drinks on Laugavegur: 

On and around the main strip of Laugavegur Street there's a ton of cool places to hang out. I highly recommend taking advantage of the various happy hours since drinks are $$$. The best happy hour was at Bravo, a chill space with comfy nooks and window seats, plus they had our favorite Einstock beers on draft! The divey cellar space at Koffin was also fun, it felt like a true local haunt. Kaffi Brennslan is where we had the grilled ham + cheese and waffle pictured, they also have a good selection of bottled beer and wine by the glass. Lebowski Bar at night is a must. Funky décor, good energy, a fantastic DJ, dancing, AND they have an entire menu dedicated to White Russians. I had the Pink Russian (2100 ISK) which adds strawberry liqueur and strawberry syrup to the classic vodka, Kahlua and cream. That plus a beer cost $30. Drink prices are no joke. Bar 11 had solid live music in the basement, and we noticed the entire space was dedicated to the only beer on draft: Tuborg. The owners must really love that beer! Finally, the Bjorgardurinn (Beer Garden) is a sleek industrial space located on the bottom floor of FossHotel Reykjavik (our lovely accommodations) and worth a trip off Laugavegur for the unique and worldly beer selection.

Lunch: I think lunch or afternoon snacking is best enjoyed at any of the following: Kaffi Brennslan, Cafe Babalu and others - the aforementioned cute and cozy coffee houses that serve soups, sandwiches, waffles, cakes, beer and wine. / Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur - the famous hot dog stand!! / Vöffluvagninn - the liege waffle food truck.

Dinner: The best meal of our entire trip was at Messinn. We strolled in early on a Friday evening with no reservation and they were fully booked. Luckily we were able to make one for late Saturday night. We had Cream of Lobster Soup (1.850 ISK) with cognac, and really fresh, beautiful pan-fried fish entrees: Ling (3.600 ISK) with chili, ginger, carrots, fennel, shrimp, brandy, arugula, lemon + butter and Fish Cheeks (3.400 ISK) with cherry tomatoes, lettuce, lemon + garlic butter. 

We had a light lunch at Rok on our last day. I wish we'd discovered this gem earlier! One of the more dynamic bar programs I came across in Reykjavik, I had the Hrutur (2.290 ISK) with Brennivin (Icelandic Schnapps), bjork liquor, pomme verde liquor, basil syrup and fresh basil. The cured salmon + avocado on brown bread and the sliced beef, caramelized onion + melted brie crostini were artfully composed and very, very good! Rok is open every day from 11:30 am - 11 pm. Whether brunch, lunch or dinner, it should be a definite on your list for a full meal.

Another favorite dinner was Lava at The Blue Lagoon. A few friends also recommended both Fiskmarkaðurinn and Grillmarkaðurinn - we didn't make it to either, they were expensive but looked like they might be worth a visit.

Akureyri + Beyond

After our third day of driving from East Iceland to the North and exploring Dettifoss, Mývatn and Goðafoss along the way, we reached our home for the night in the village of Svalbarðseyri.

Stay: This Airbnb at Sunnuhlíð farmland - 12km from Akureyri. I was obsessed with this tiny house. I wanted to move in. It was perfect.

Dinner - Rub 23 in Akureyri is a refined Icelandic restaurant that highlights ingredients from local fisherman and farmers. We loved our meal here. Notably - the arctic char sushi, creative maki, and the bento box with reindeer carpaccio, duck salad, seared scallops and langoustine tempura. I also had a really good coffee/Frangelico/Baileys drink for dessert that came in a fancy chalice.

Northern Lights - I was so disappointed. On the 1-9 point scale we were at a 5. We came home from dinner, set up shop in front of the big window...and....nothing. We stayed up late, too. Considering our wild show the night before, I shouldn't have been too disappointed, but I couldn't help it! This time we were ready with a Northern Lights iphone app and my camera with the correct (?) settings. Ah well. 

Breakfast - The city center is home to a number of sophisticated coffee shops; we wandered into Bláa Kannan and grabbed a caramelized onion and red pepper quiche with croissants, cheese, and jam for the road.

The drive on day four showed off an enchanting landscape with farms and small towns nestled in between handsome mountains. It was drizzling on and off, and out of nowhere appeared a huge rainbow. I didn't pull over, but I'll never forget how it sprawled all majestic alongside us. 

Everything is so different now from what we've seen in the south and the east and even yesterdays northern points. I know I keep saying that. It is one of the best things about Iceland. You're ready for what's next and what's next never disappoints. 

Our route to Stykkishólmur lead us off Ring Road - which was a welcome change of pace. We took 61 to 59 to 60 to 54 to 58! These routes are not all paved, but most are well sealed so you can keep your speed. At the crossroads of 60 and 54 we detoured two miles to the sleepy little town of Búðardalur for gas plus an exciting lunch of gas station hot dogs at N1. I had read all about them as a popular Icelandic meal, so it was finally time to try one. The soft bun is loaded up with ketchup, mustard, raw onions, crispy fried onions and cradles a fresh dog topped with an earthy sweet remoulade. It was good!  Aside from the hot dogs, Búðardalur was also special because I bought my wool sweater here. We came upon the cutest little shop run by a sweet older woman. I tried on about eight sweaters and finally found the one.