Quick visit in Reykjavic!

On the way to a conference in the UK, so I decided to take the opportunity to try the holdover in Iceland. The trip was nothing short of amazing. 24 hours of daylight is something I have never experienced and made for a really interesting time.

I arrived super early in the morning after little sleep. So the first day was an easy day or exploring the downtown. Reykjavic is not a big city but there are some fantastic views and some really cool architecture. I also learned later about the amazing geothermal power in the city (and county more generally) that runs most of the country.

The second day I started my scuba experience. I first had to complete a dry suit course before I could do the iconic diving that I came to do. The first stop was at a pool where we did the indoor portion of the course and then we headed to lake Keflavarten to do the water portion. That afternoon I hung out and explored a bit more of the town before some much needed rest.

Day two was the actual dive. The site is called Silfra and it is in Thingvellir national park. It is also the site of the world's oldest democratic parliament. Basically, it's where the Viking and farmers used to make their decisions about how they would run their towns. The dive was amazing and we got to do it twice. The water is glacier water that seeps out of the volcanic rock and fills the gap between the tectonic plates. So I had the chance to touch the North American and Eurasian plate at the same time while you could see for 100m in the super clear water. Absolutely unreal.

After the dive I went to one of the local pools to hang out and experience it. It was the full experience will all the different temperature hot tubs and the steam room. A very social experience. I think the only rule was actually that you had to shower naked and soap up your dirty bits. I spent two hours just hanging out and enjoying the place.

Day three was spent out of the city with a fun mix of friends that I met in the hostel. We went to a place called secret lagoon where we got to chill and drink beers in the hot spring. Sooooo cool. That night we hit the town. It was surreal to leave the bar at 3am and have it be daylight outside!

I spent the last day checking out museums around town. We did the Saga museum which had a really awesome costume/dress up station at the end. And then the Phallocological museum - yes a d*** museum. It was a great day. But unfortunately my last.

Iceland is an amazing place. Expensive to function but totally worth it for the landscapes and amazing environments. This is definitely a place that I will come back to - next time hopefully to see more of the country and get out of the city!