Iceland, Day One

I am visiting Iceland over the long holiday weekend, my 29th country. This will be a trip with many photos so I am posting daily. 

I am here with my Scottish friend Colin. We met at an Irish pub in The Hague in November and when I asked if he would be willing to take the wheel during this adventure he eagerly raised his hand to hopefully see the northern lights. And hang with a cool chick. 

We left Amsterdam early and were able to catch a glimpse of the smoldering volcano on our landing. 

We spent the day in Reykjavik. We visited Hallgrimskirkja, a church that allows you to go to the top of the tower. The rooftops of the city are so beautiful. 

Next up was visiting the Rainbow Street, painted for a pride celebration years ago to support diversity. 

We went to a nearby geothermal beach with the hopes of soaking in a hot spring but it was closed so Colin drove me around on a Photographic Adventure. That means he would pull to the side of the road when I yelled “Stop!” It was such a beautiful day. 

We took a little nap and hit the road seeking the northern lights. The app ‘hello aurora’ was telling us our chances were low so we opted to chase the volcano instead and we scored! We caught a beautiful sunset at the Grotta Lighthouse, saw the volcano up pretty close, and caught the northern lights! 

We ended the night celebrating with our favorite drinks; Guinness and G&T with some lovely Icelandic gin. Wow, it was a great day!