Iceland: Reykjavik, Golden Circle, Vik and More

All marriages should start off on the right foot. 
Translated: All marriages should start off with a honeymoon in Iceland.

Iceland is where so many of our journeys began. It started a love for traveling together. It started a love for exploring the unfamiliar. And it started our little practice of leaving Polaroid pictures everywhere we go.


Skip to: Food | Drinks | Activities | Top Spots | Tips

Our friends were honeymooning in Iceland a week after us and we told them we would leave something behind for them to find. We decided on a Polaroid picture and hid it under a rock on the Black Sand Beach.

Black Sand Beach, Vík, Iceland | This is where it all began. Sarah and I went to Iceland for our honeymoon. Trying to document our trip in a unique way, we took my instant camera. In one of the pictures, my eyes were closed and instead of throwing the picture out, we decided to leave it behind for some friends that would be there the following week. We got such a thrill from the anticipation of them finding it that we knew we needed to make it our thing. So that's what we're doing.

A post shared by Sightseeking 🌎 (@sightseek.in) on Apr 27, 2017 at 2:04pm PDT

Whenever we tell people that we went to Iceland for our honeymoon, the question is almost always: "Why?" And if you're looking for good weather, classic local food or a thriving nightlife scene, we would ask the same thing too.

If you're looking for scenery that leaves you speechless with each corner you turn, then we've got something to talk about. See the full album of photos here.

Food

Food in Iceland is notoriously expensive. Because of that, we found it worthwhile to stop by the Bonus brand grocery stores and make our own meals. Also, we're not big on seafood but I imagine there are seafood options worth exploring in Iceland.

Gulfoss Cafe - I call it good stew with a good view. Nobody else calls it that.

Fridheimar - Greenhouse that serves tomato-based foods and I'm a sucker for tomato-based foods. 

Stofan Cafe - Great prices, good breakfast food, good coffee.

Hamborgarabulla Tomasar - Pretty average hamburger place next to the shipyard.

Halldorskaffi - Restaurants in Vík close early so we settled on this place but we were very pleased with the drinks and pizza here.

Drinks

As true for any honeymooners, we really didn't explore many drink options in Iceland (mostly because it was one long road trip for us and that would be irresponsible). Unless you're talking about coffee. We had a whole lotta coffee.

Micro Bar - We wanted to sample some local Icelandic beer and Micro Bar had a few selections on tap. It's a really neat place in Reykjavik with a good vibe and good beers.

Activities

In any other country, we'd be the pretentious people telling you that you should experience it like the locals but we're pretty sure that all of the locals stay indoors all of the time. For that reason, live up the touristy spots. Here are a few that we enjoyed.

Blue Lagoon - The Blue Lagoon is the most touristy thing you can do, so do it. You have to reserve your time in advance and it's a 30 minute drive outside of Reykjavik but if you have the time and want some solid Instagram pictures, go here. The colder it is outside, the more unique this experience.

Harpa - A wonderful display of architecture, the Harpa is a venue in Reykjavik but you don't have to see a show to appreciate it's design. We stopped in to escape the weather and ended up walking around it for a half hour.

Golden Circle - The Golden Circle is basically a roadtrip slideshow of everything Iceland has to offer. It can be driven in a day but we split it into two, this is the drive that you have to make in Iceland. We stopped at Geysir, Thingvellir, Gulfoss and the Kerid Crater and then made a little detour to see the turf houses at Keldur.

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach - Next to Vik in South Iceland, the Black Sand Beach is not a place that you will lay out and get a tan but it's a sight to see.

Icelandic Phallological Museum - You read that correctly. This museum is for the interested and the childish. We giggled the entire time.

Crashed Airplane - The walk to this plane can seem endless. The weather changed on us from sunny to sleeting 10 different times and we ended up hiding inside the plane for 15 minutes, waiting on more sleet to pass. But the pictures you get from the crashed airplane are worth it. At least, that's what I'm telling myself to justify it. 

Top Spots

Iceland has our heart. And it's mostly because of these few things. No matter how many times we go back to Iceland, we will always have these things on our list. 

Selljavallalaug - This is easily my favorite thing we did in Iceland. It's a geothermal heated swimming pool, completely free, a short hike from where you park, situated between volcanoes.

Hallgrimskirkja - This Lutheran church towers above Reykjavik and for a small fee, you can ride an elevator to the top and take a 360-look around Iceland's capital. Also in the church, there's a beautiful pipe organ if you're into that kind of thing.

Thingvellir - I've already mentioned this when talking about the Golden Circle but Thingvellir needs to be rementioned. It's home to waterfalls, Iceland's first parliament meeting site, views AND it's where two tectonic plates meet. You get to walk (or scuba-dive if you really want to experience it) between North America and Europe. Plan to spend a little more time here.

Keldur Turf Houses - Sarah really enjoyed this place because it made her feel like she was in a Tolkien novel. I enjoyed it because it was surrounded by mountains. It's a little detour off the Golden Circle but I'm so glad we did it. If you go in Summer months, you're able to go inside the houses and the church. 

Dyrholaey - While at the Black Sand Beach, you'll see a lighthouse on a cliff in the distance. Go to the lighthouse. The wind nearly blew Sarah off the edge but the view is incredible. It's worth the near-death experience (Sarah doesn't necessarily agree on that). Bonus: Justin Bieber filmed bits of a music video here.

Other Tips

• Kaffi = Coffee | Arguably the most important word to know.
• Foss = Waterfall | If you ever see a word ending in Foss on the map, plan to stop and see it. You won't be disappointed.
• Krona = Currency | The conversion rate is roughly 100 ISK to 1 USD. 
• Bonus brand is a grocery store that is a lifesaver when you realize how expensive food is.
• Don't eat the Icelandic hot dogs. I'm sure they're safe but we had a bad experience so I can't recommend them. People have tried to tell me that my problem was eating 3 of them and I tell them that they shouldn't fat-shame people.