Reykjavik, Iceland

It was finally time. After two years of planning, David and I were taking our first international trip together (outside of Mexico and Canada). There have been endless discussions about what our first destination should be. In the end, we always came back to Iceland. Not only for its stunning landscape and endless adventures, but Icelandair now offered a direct seven-hour flight from Denver, which we thought was a perfect way to dip our toes into international travel. So we created a jam-packed itinerary based on driving the Ring Road around the entire country.

We departed Denver at 5:20pm, and arrived in Keflavik at 6:30am the next morning. After renting a car we drove straight to our hotel, which was located right on the marina. There was still another hour before our room was ready, so we walked to the Laundromat Café for breakfast. The café served really great food – we demolished some pancakes, eggs, toast, and skyr. Back at the hotel, we got a room overlooking the water and a huge ship being painted. David and I took a quick nap to help fight off jet lag before starting our day exploring Reykjavík.

We initially explored the city by car, driving to a few attractions that were a little outside of downtown. Our first stop was the Perlan. It was originally designed as hot water storage tanks; but in 1991 a dome-like structure was added on top, enclosing a souvenir shop, gallery, water fountain, and cafeteria. There was also a large outdoor viewing deck with panoramic views of Reykjavík.

Heading back into town we visited Hallgrímskirkja Church, the icon of Reykjavík. It was designed to resemble the basalt lava flows of the country, and can be seen no matter where you are in the city. It was a pretty surreal moment. We’ve seen so many photos of this beautiful church; it was hard to believe that we were standing right in front of it. This is when it really hit us that we were in Iceland.

The rest of our afternoon was spent walking around Reykjavík’s city center. One of our favorite places was the Harpa Concert Hall. Its geometric panels and mirrored ceiling were absolutely gorgeous. David and I probably spent an hour wandering around the different levels of the building, memorized by its faceted glass walls.

With jetlag slowing us down, we ended the evening leisurely walking along Laugavegur Street, browsing its unique shops and cafés. We were excited to find a holiday boutique. David and I always try to pick up a Christmas ornament from each place we visit; and we found the perfect one – a mini Icelandic sweater ornament. We sleepily grabbed dinner at Reykjavík Fish Restaurant before collapsing on our bed back at the hotel.