Harpa, Icelandic Hot Dogs & Popular Sites | Reykjavík, Iceland

Well we've finally reached the end of our Iceland trip and it only took a year and a half! For our last couple of days in Reykjavík, Markus and I tried to pack in as much as possible. I think it was the best way to end our trip, since we spent so most of our trip rushing from place to place. We spent most of our days walking around the city and taking in the more popular spots in town and all of them were great!

It's strange to say, but I had the best hot dog in my life in Iceland. When I was doing research on Iceland, every person suggested going t Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a famous hot dog stand that has been in business since the 30s. It's been voted "best hot dog in Europe" many times and I couldn't agree more. The hot dogs are steamed and lamb-based and mixed with beef and pork. We ordered "one with everything" and it came with ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, fried onion and raw onion. We liked it so much that we went two days in a row! I never tasted anything like it and seriously still crave those sweet dogs. 

Markus and I wandered the streets and came across the Sun Voyager, this awesome Viking Ship sculpture near the shore. We also found this cool mini-arcade where we ended up visiting twice since we enjoyed playing vintage arcade games. They also had vintage toys and Markus was able to find some rare ones too! 

After we stuffed our faces with hot dogs, Markus and I headed over to Harpa, a famous concert hall known for it's beautiful design. The hall was completed in 2011 and was inspired by the basalt landscape that is found throughout Iceland. I loved the look of this building and that the Icelandic people are so proud of their beautiful country and try to emphasize their uniqueness, even in architecture. Reykjavik is truly a beautiful city and one that I wish we had more time to explore. 

So that's it for Iceland, I know it seemed like I was living in that country for the past year with all the photos and posts! I'm so happy to finally be done and now onto the next trip! 

Diving Silfra | Þingvellir National Park, Iceland

Even though it seems like it's impossible to top going inside of a dormant volcano, whale watching on a death boat or hiking on a glacier, but we definitely saved the best for last! Hands down one of the coolest things Markus and I have ever done is diving between two tectonic plates at Silfra. It was an incredible dive and the photos don't even do it justice. 

The Silfra fissure is located within Þingvellir National Park and you can either snorkle or do a dry suit dive. Since Markus and I hadn't gone diving since we got certified in Cambodia, we decided to do the dive. I mean, when will we ever get the chance to do something like that again?! Silfra is one of the top diving sites in the world because it is where the North American and Eurasian continental plates meet and have started to drift apart, about 2cm every year. It's also known for having the clearest water and a visibility rate of over 100 meters. I did a lot of research and found the best tour company, Scuba Iceland Dive Team. At the time, they were the only ones that offered real dry suits and the reviews were great. 

The dive itself is very short, but so worth it. The water is so clear and so beautiful. The whole time I was diving, I felt overwhelmed that I was actually experiencing that moment. Through the years, Markus and I have traveled and experienced some awesome things, but it feels good to know that I can still be awestruck. With our day tour, we were given two dives, but after the first one, I felt really dizzy and sick. I hadn't dove in a while and I think all the traveling finally caught up to me, so I passed on the second dive. While Markus was on his second dive, I walked over to the park to see what we missed the other day. Þingvellir is so beautiful and it makes sense why it's one of the most visited sites in Iceland. If you have a chance to go, I can't recommend Silfra enough. If you can't go diving, you at least have to snorkel. Trust me, you won't regret it! 

Inside the Volcano Tour | Thrihnukagigur Volcano, Iceland

There were two things that Markus and I were determined to do in Iceland, take the Inside the Volcano tour and dive between two tectonic plates. I'm happy to say we were able to do both and I'll first be posting about our descent into Thrihnukagigur Volcano, the only drop-in volcano tour in the world. The only way to get into the dormant volcano is through 3H Travel and they are a great company. Everything is included in the price and really easy. The tour lasts about 5-6 hours and there is a 2 mile hike through Bláfjöll before you can get to Thrihnukagigur. If you are unable to hike, you have to take a helicopter to the volcano. The hike itself, was incredible with nothing but ice and snow for the first part, but it felt like a real expedition. 

Once we arrived at Thrihnukagigur, we were broken up in to groups of 6 and strapped into an open air elevator that descends 120 meters directly into the magma chamber, which erupted about 4,000 years ago and has been dormant ever since. Once you enter the volcano, it's absolutely breathtaking. The colors inside are so vibrant and rich and resulted from intense heat and pressure mixing with minerals deep in the rock. I've never seen anything like it before and was awestruck the whole time we were down there. Descending deep into a volcano was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Blue Lagoon | Grindavík, Iceland

Blue Lagoon is easily one of the most photographed destinations in Iceland. It's easy accessibility and facilities, make it a hotspot for travelers. We intentionally scheduled our day at Blue Lagoon late in our trip so that we could feel relaxed before we came back home. The geothermal spa is located in a lava field and the water is rich with silica and sulfur. Markus and I spent all morning lounging around in the water soaking up all the good stuff, drinking wine and taking it easy. We chose the premium package and were given two different types of masks, silica mud and algae. So it was a lot of fun swimming around with masks with a bunch of complete strangers. 

Everything about the Blue Lagoon was incredible and amazing and a place that I definitely recommend. If you can spend the whole day there, that would be the best. Also, if you eat a meal there, hand down, the Lava Restaurant is very good. Markus and I had langoustine soup, rib of beef  and Arctic catfish. There wasn't a single bad dish and all three were really delicious. Overall it was one of my favorite experiences in Iceland and a place that I could go to again.

Hallgrímskirkja & Cafe Loki | Reykjavík, Iceland

Hallgrímskirkja is one of the most popular sites in Reykjavík. It's easily found in the city centre and can be seen from afar throughout the city. The Lutheran church took 41 years to build and was designed to resemble the basalt lava flows that can be found throughout Iceland. After spending a lot of time out in the wilds of the country, it was cool to see such a uniquely designed building, which Reykjavík definitely does not lack. It's also worth the small fee to go up to the tower and see the stunning views of the city. 

Before Markus and I travelled to Iceland, we watched Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods Iceland episode. He ate a lot of strange things, but the food that looked the most interesting was fermented shark. I didn't know where we were gonna find it, but I was determined to get it. Luckily right across the street from Hallgrímskirkja is Cafe Loki. If you want to try traditional Icelandic cuisine on a budget, this is the best place to do it.

Markus and I decided to be really adventurous and we ordered the Icelandic Braveheart which consisted of Brennivins shot, rye bread & flatbread, dried fish with butter and four pieces of fermented shark. We also ordered Icelandic meat soup to try and supplement the meal. It was a good thing we did, because the shark was awful. I tasted like the way ammonia smells. Apparently the Brennivins shot is meant to make it go down easier, but that made it worse, because it tasted like rubbing alcohol. I wish it tasted sweet and nutty like Zimmern claimed, but this was a major fail.