For the first 3 days, we rented out an apartment from AirBnB:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3170489

The apartment was very conveniently located right behind Reykjavik's landmark, Hallgrímskirkja, the huge church that can't be missed. The apartment is owned by a family. They usually live there but sometimes they leave for their vacation home during the weekends and rent it out on AirBnB. When we arrived (a bit late), the host, Hanna, was already at the doorstep waiting with the apartment keys. They left for the weekend after that, so we had the whole place to ourselves. We also had their private parking spot, so parking was not a problem. We enjoyed our 2 nights there. It was homey, spacious and cozy.

Packing up to leave on Day 3. The place was neatly furnished and decorated. They had a fully stocked kitchen as well, but we only used the kitchen once - We used their plates and utensils to eat some fish and chips takeaways.

Since there were 4 of us and only 3 beds, I had the couch.

We left Reykjavik and traveled 40 minutes southwest to Iceland's #1 tourist trap - The Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is Iceland's most touristy and most well known geothermal spa. It is commonly featured in post cards and has been featured frequently in travel guides and documentaries. It's conveniently located only 20 minutes away from Keflavik International Airport.


Blue Lagoon: http://www.bluelagoon.com/

So it's a tourist trap. Was it worth it? Absolutely yes!

I bought the Comfort pack, which included towel, and a drink.

Entrance to the Blue Lagoon. You have to walk a bit to reach it from the parking lot.

When we got there, it was chilly and very very windy. Wind gusts were at least 40-50 mph. We quickly got our stuffs and hurried into the entrance. After getting our tickets, we were each given a cool bracelet that gave us access to the locker, as well as keep track of our spending at the Blue Lagoon bar. That way, we didn't need to bring keys or money with us. The locker opens/closes by scanning the bracelet. It took me a while to figure out the steps needed to do that. Freakin cool high tech stuff. The locker room was very clean as we had to remove our shoes before going in. It was also dry. The shower room had stalls. We showered, changed into our swim trucks, put on our bath robes and headed out. It was FREAKIN cold. The wind was blasting us, flapping our bath robes around. We hurriedly jumped right into the lagoon.

Ahhhh... warmth.

Soaking in the pool when the wind is kicking waves in your face wasn't that fun.

The lagoon is exactly what you would expect. The distinct milky blue color of the water almost seemed familiar. As we explored the place, we realized that the lagoon is not evenly heated. There are some very uncomfortable cold spots that made me scurry away in search of more warmth. We finally settled near some heat vents near the bar. They have a bar in the lagoon itself. I ordered a cup of beer by scanning my bracelet. By that time, the wind was so strong that it was kicking waves in my face. Overpriced beer with some drops of mineral rich spa water. It was quite an experience. The lagoon is fairly large. We walked around in the lagoon to different spots. There are some paths that go under bridges. There's also an area with a mini man made waterfall. That was pretty cool. We also checked out the steam room that's located right by the lagoon. Of course, coming out from the lagoon to get to the steam room wasn't fun in the cold. There are also spots with mud, that you can apply on your face and body. It's supposed to soften your skin. I didn't feel much difference, but my friend did though.

The staff looks nicely bundled up. Here you can see people ordering drinks from the bar. Most people, including me, went for the beer.

After getting bored and soaking up all the heat I needed, I relaxed indoors, safe from the wind and cold.

There is a dining area, but we didn't have lunch there.

That was my first ever experience soaking in an outdoor geothermal spa. It was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Experiencing it in the iconic Blue Lagoon, in the exotic Iceland, made it even more special. I wondered how much more amazing it would have been if I could just soak in there at night and watch the auroras dance above me. Oh, the things you could do if you were to live in Iceland.

Saw this while exiting the Blue Lagoon. Geothermal plant?

After Blue Lagoon, I dropped one of my friends off at the airport. He only joined us from London for a short weekend trip. Our party of four shrunk to three as we continued our adventure, this time outside of the Reykjavik area. Our next destination was Skogar where we spent the night. Before that, we stopped by Selfoss to have lunch and stock up on food. Selfoss is the last large town heading east towards Skogar, so it's good to get food and gas.



We had lunch at lunch at Kaffi Krus in Selfoss, due to the good reviews on TripAdvisor.

Kaffi Krus: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g315852-d3434867-Reviews-Kaffi_Krus-Selfoss_South_Region.html

It serves typical Western food, including pizza and burgers. The place was pretty quiet when we got there. There were only 2 or 3 other parties. I guess that's normal during shoulder season in September.

I was hungry. No complains here. My other friends got pizzas.

It was a pretty quiet day at Kaffi Krus

Kaffi Krus. They have seating on the second floor as well. Fall foliage can be seen around the town. Autumn comes early here.

Along the way to Skogar,we also stopped by the popular waterfall Seljalandsfoss. It is located right off the Ring Road.



Though Iceland is crammed with outstanding waterfalls, the popular ones are usually unique. Seljalandsfoss stands out because it is a waterfall where you can actually stroll behind it. The waterfall is not as huge or powerful as Skogafoss, so you won't get drenched even if you walk near it (assuming favorable wind conditions).

Unfortunately, the coffee stand was closed by the time we got there.

The trail brings you behind the waterfall.

From behind the falls. Though it's during sunset, it was cloudy and lighting was really bad. The money shots from here are usually during sunset where both the setting sun and the falls are captured together in this scene.

I was surprised to see this many tourists this late in the evening. We must have planned with similar schedules.

We spent the night at Hotel Lambafell.

Hotel Lambafel: http://lambafell.is/

It was already dark when we got there, and it was raining. The hotel is located in one of the many small turnouts along the Ring Road. Most of the small roads that fork out from the Ring Road are usually paved, but this particular stretch had some awful potholes. As I was driving along this bumpy crappy road in total darkness (no street lights outside major towns) in the rain, I hit a huge pothole. I didn't react in time to swerve away from the pothole. The impact was really loud. Almost immediately, the pressure reading of the impacted tire started dropping. Luckily, we got to the hotel safely. After checking in, I went back to the car to check the pressure reading again. The pressure reading was still dropping, but at least it began to taper out. I was still worried sick because the nearest town is a good 30 minutes away either way. But there was nothing I could do at that time since all the shops would have been closed anyway.

So I went to bed, hoping for the best outcome. Lesson learned: DRIVE SLOWLY ON SHITTY ROADS.

Iceland: Day 2 - Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is the #1 thing to do if you have only one or two days to spend in Iceland. The Golden Circle usually comprises of the following attractions:

• Thingvellir (Þingvellir) - Site of the continental divide and world's first parliament
• Geysir/Strokkur - First geyser known to Europeans, hence the namesake.
• Gullfoss - Huge waterfall
• Hveragerdi (Hveragerð) - Geothermal park
• Kerid (Kerið) crater - Easily accessible volcanic crater

It's called the Golden Circle because all the above attractions are conveniently located along a route that goes in a circle. We went in counter clockwise direction, starting with Hveragerdi geothermal park and enjoying the sunset view at Thingvellir:

Hveragerdi 

Hveragerdi is known for its hot springs and steam vents. We initially wanted to check out the heated river there. The thought of taking a dip in flowing, heated pristine river in the cool climate was very tempting. Unfortunately, getting there involves quite a bit of trekking uphill. So due to lack of time and fear of fatigue, we decided to skip that. It would have been uber cool though. Here's a blog that covers the geothermal river pretty well:
https://alavigne.net/Outdoors/TripReports/2012/Iceland/?p=day_2&n=2

We checked out the many steam vents there instead. Hveragerdi has couple of trails that bring you up close to the steam vents. You can easily get a detailed map of the area from their visitor center, or download it to your tablet.

Official website: http://www.hveragerdi.is/English/
PDF Map of the area: http://www.hveragerdi.is/files/c07bbcbe64b493ba8b035b18672d112d.pdf

View of the steaming hills from the well marked trails at Hveragerdi

A river runs through the park. The walking trails go over the river via foot bridges, making the stroll in the park very pleasant and therapeutic.

Just reminding people that it's hot.

Near to the entrance of the park, there is a supermarket called Bonus. You can find Bonus pretty much in most of the major towns in Iceland. It's kinda like Safeway in California. The logo of Bonus is a huge pink pig that looks stoned. You can't miss it. There, we stocked up on drinks and snacks. I bought myself some local candy, including some liquorice candy. That's when I found out I'm not a fan of liquorice.

At the Bonus supermarket store. The logo is very amusing.

Kerid Crater 

Honestly, I didn't find the crater all that interesting. But since it's located right along the Golden Circle route, it's definitely worth a stop. There is no visitor center for this site, but it has signboards containing lots of detailed information about the history and geology behind the formation of the crater. I guess folks that are into geology or volcanology would find it more interesting. The crater lake can be accessed by walking down a trail. We didn't spend much time on this stop.

This is a pretty perfect crater lake. The singer Bjork (known for wearing a swan to the Oscars) once held a concert here.

Gullfoss

Our next stop was Gullfos. We had lunch at a cafe there, called Gullfoss Cafe:
http://www.gullfoss.is/cafe/
The cafe is known for their lamb soup and was highly recommended by the Lonely Planet Iceland guide book. And oh boy it did not disappoint.  The meat was soft and full of flavor. It even came with free refills! So yes folks, try it! My friend who is a vegetarian opted for the non-meat soup. What a shame. The same building also has a visitor center and a souvenir shop. Overall, it's a very well developed tourist spot.

Free refills!

The trail to the waterfall is straight forward. Just follow the crowd! It leads to a lookout point where you can get reaaalllly up close and personal with the falls. Gullfoss is unique in that the upper and lower tiers of the falls are almost perpendicular to each other. You can clearly see the formation as you walk down the trail. Gullfoss is one huge, powerful waterfall. The sheer power of the falls definitely reminded me of Niagara Falls. Gullfoss thunders down into a crevice that is about a 100 foot deep. So you can't really see the base of the waterfall from afar.

Rainbow forms at Gullfoss. The trail leads to a lookout point. It can get crowded on a beautiful day like this.

The lookout point brings you very close to the intermediate step of this 3-step waterfall.

The crevice where Gullfoss thunders down into.

The vehicle was excited about Gullfoss as well.

I'm pretty sure the latter parts of the trail gets closed during winter due to snow/ice. So yet another reason to visit Iceland during summer/fall before the snow/ice sets in.

Geysir/Strokkur

Fun fact: The word "Geyser" is derived from this natural wonder in Iceland. Geysir, according to Wikipedia, was the first geyser known to modern Europeans. Geysir and Strokkur are geysers located just 15 minutes west from Gullfoss. The geysers are situated very near to each other. When we were there, the area was crowded with tourists and tour buses. We only stopped by Strokkur, since Strokkur erupts more frequently than Geysir. We waited around 10 minutes for the eruption to occur.

Strokkur geyser

It's hot

I have never seen a geyser up close before, so this was an eye opening experience. It was fun joining in with the collective oohs and aahs. I hung around to see 2 full eruptions and a dud. The full eruption shot up to about 2 stories high.

Strokkur eruption.

If you have time to spend at Strokkur, I would recommend allocating at least 30-45 minutes there. Sometimes, the eruption can turn out to be a dud, making just a minor splash instead of a jet shooting up to the sky. So hang around until you see a big one.

Geysir: http://www.geysircenter.com/

Thingvellir

Our last stop of the day before heading back to Reykjavik was Thingvellir. Thingvellir is national park that is steeped in both historical and geological significance. Historically, it was the site of the world's first parliament, in AD874. Let that sink in for a moment. AD874. That's almost a full millennium before the US was founded! Yeap, this place is oollllddddddd. In terms of geology, this is the spot where continents collide. This is the continental rift, where the European plate meets with the North American plate. The ridge cuts through the entire length of Iceland.

Thingvellir: http://www.thingvellir.is/english.aspx

We walked along a trail that bring us to a visitor center located at the top of a rock outcrop.

The trail goes past crevices that are filled with water. There was hardly any wind at that time, which unfortunately is a rarity in Iceland. The area resembled a zen garden. The calm, still water was like a mirror, perfectly reflecting the rocks and the clear skies.

 

You can also do scuba diving in certain sections of this crevice.

I like how they included multiple currencies here. Unfortunately I still saw some coins in the river.

After crossing the bridge, there is a small stream located next to a rift wall. The rift wall is the easternmost portion of the North American plate. The trail will eventually go uphill to a visitor center. Unfortunately when we arrived there, it was already late in the evening and the visitor center was already closed.

The river flows into Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Moss filled rocks, very common in Iceland.

View of the continental rift from the visitor center.

The visitor center. I like the minimalist design. So Scandinavian. Too bad it was closed.

Looking towards Thingvallavatn from the visitor center. The area was bathed in gold from the setting sun.

I regretted not allocating more time to explore Thingvellir. It would have been better if we had time to go on one of their guided walks or checking out the visitor center to learn more about the history and geology of the area. I could even imagine myself just taking a nice slow walk along the lake and soaking in the fall color scenery. The beauty of Thingvellir was beyond my expectations.

We headed back to Reykjavik after that and stopped by Le Bistro for dinner:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g189970-d4783556-Reviews-Le_Bistro-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.html
It's located along Laugavegur, a street that has lots of good restaurants, cafes, bakeries, souvenir shops and clothing boutiques. It's the place to be for shopping and dining. Although it is a French restaurant, they do serve Icelandic delicacies, and that was what we ordered.

Icelandic specialties sampler plate.

Ordering food here is not a problem since Icelanders speak fluent English. The waitress was nice enough to go through and explain the items in the sampler plate.

The specialties came in small portions, but enough to bring out the flavor of each item. I enjoyed the smoked and cured items. Smoked meat in Iceland is very smokey, a whole new experience for me.

Washing it down with Icelandic beer. Perfect way to end the night. I brought the beer bottle back with me as souvenir.

It's easy to understand why the Golden Circle is top on the list of most Iceland tour itineraries. The three most popular attractions: Thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir/Strokkur are truly unique, amazing and should not be skipped.

Iceland: Planning: Auroras

Why Iceland?

It started with my wanting to cross off the #1 item from my bucket list: Auroras. So I started researching on best places to see the Northern Lights. Being in the west coast of the US, my first attempt was Alaska. Unfortunately, the weather and the solar activity at the time did not cooperate. It was raining the night I was at Fairbanks, the northernmost major city in Alaska.  The nights when it was clear, I was down south at Seward. The solar activity wasn't active enough for any light shows down south. Each night, I was refreshing the Alaska aurora forecast website (http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/Alaska/), only to be disappointed by Kp-index of 0 to 1. So my first attempt was a bummer.

I knew I had to find a destination that lies right smack in the middle of the auroral oval, and to go when solar activity is high. And so I turned my attention towards the Nordic countries. Iceland, Finland and Norway were all excellent candidates. After some researching, I came across this blog:

https://earthincolors.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/tips-to-see-the-northern-lights-in-iceland/#iceland

It was very well researched and persuasive that the blog sealed the deal for me. Iceland it is!

Here are my reasons (mostly the same as from the blog) for choosing Iceland:

• Reykjavik, the capital city, is right smack in the auroral oval. The major cities in the other Nordic countries are slightly below the auroral oval. The best spot in the Scandinavian peninsula is the Lapland, which requires some further traveling. With Iceland, you can fly right into the airport, and just step outside and enjoy the aurora. 
• Iceland is not as cold. Fall and winter in Iceland is mild compared to the Scandinavian mainland, thanks to the Gulf Stream. In September, the lows are in 40s while in January, the lows are in the high 20s, which is bearable. So yes, it is on average, colder in Chicago in winter.
• Breathtaking landscapes! Auroras are not the only attraction in Iceland. I've always been a fan of tundra landscapes: vast open grasslands, snow capped mountains and majestic glaciers. Iceland has them all.  Watching recent movies like Prometheus, Oblivion and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty further increased my love for the Icelandic scenery.

Aurora Research

I have always wanted to see the auroras since I was a child. After coming to the US, I have been following aurora forecast news, with hopes for any spike in solar activity that might cause the auroal oval to spill into continental US. So I knew a thing or two about auroras before my Iceland research. But for first timers, I highly recommend going over the same blog I mentioned earlier:

https://earthincolors.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/tips-to-see-the-northern-lights-in-iceland/

To know what to expect/when to go aurora hunting, following items are crucial:

Weather Forecast

It could be a Kp-7 geomagnetic storm out there, producing crazy intense auroras. But if it's raining/cloudy, you won't see anything. So it's very important to pay attention to the weather, even more so in Iceland. The weather in Iceland is extremely fickle. It could be raining at one place, and clear just 2 hours drive away. This is where the Icelandic Met Office comes into the picture:

Icelandic Met Office English website: http://en.vedur.is/


The most important page is of course, the cloud cover:
http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/cloudcover/

Icelandic Met Office Cloud Cover forecast page. In this example, the west coast of Iceland (including the capital, Reykjavik) is mostly cloudy.

It has a very impressively detailed map of the cloud cover. I relied heavily on this page to hunt for clear skies. If you have a flexible schedule, you can plan ahead to be at areas where it's clear.

Aurora Forecast

Some important concepts to know about auroras:

Solar Cycle: In brief, our Sun goes through cycles of activity roughly every 11 years. Right now (2015), we are at the end of the solar maximum phase, the phase where the Sun is most active, which translates to frequent strong aurora displays.  After 2015, aurora activity should gradually decrease. So to maximize the chance of seeing auroras, you should time the trip around solar maximum.The next solar maximum is about 10 years from now (~2024 ish).

Equinoxes: For some reason, auroras tend to be more frequent during the Equinoxes, which fall on March and September. In Iceland, September is preferred to March due to warmer temperatures, no ground level snow/ice and much greener vegetation.

Sunspots/Solar Flares/CMEs: Sunspots are black spots on the surface of the Sun that usually implies solar activity. The larger the sunspot is, the higher the chance of triggering powerful solar flares/Coronal Mass Ejections. A large sunspot can be the size of several Earths. Solar flares are explosions in the sun, that will trigger geomagnetic storms on Earth. Solar flares are rated by class, commonly M-class and X-class. X-class solar flares are the most powerful type. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are stuffs that get flung out from the Sun every once in a while (more so during solar maximum). If the ejection happens to be directed at us, it will most likely trigger very strong aurora displays.

So to summarize: Bigger sunspots -> Higher chances of powerful Solar Flares -> Higher chances of CMEs -> AWESOME AURORAS!

Sunspots, solar flares and CMEs are heavily tracked in aurora forecast websites. Things get exciting whenever there's a huge sunspot aimed directly at Earth.

The monster sunspot AR2192 of 2014, compared to the size of the Earth (top right). Photo shared on SpaceWeather.com by the Langkawi Observatory from Malaysia.

X-class solar flare. Picture from NASA.

Kp-index: This is a scale that measures how intense a geomagnetic storm is. It ranges from 0 to 9. The higher the number, the more intense the aurora display will be.

Aurora Forecast websites: I rely heavily on the following websites for aurora forecasts:

• Space Weather (http://spaceweather.com/): I use this website for major announcements of geomagnetic storms and user submitted pictures.
• Solarham (http://www.solarham.net/): This site has all the graphs and solar imagery that you need to understand the current solar activity. Kp-index, X-ray graph, OVATION map, Sunspot tracking, you name it.
• NOAA aurora forecast: (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast): This is my go to map-based forecast model of the current aurora activity.

Aurora Forecast Map

Summary

So before heading out to hunt for auroras, I would head online (having internet access is crucial here) to check for:

• Where it's clear (Icelandic Met Office website)
• Current solar activity (Solarham or NOAA aurora website)

Armed with all these information, I can set my expectations accordingly, and know when and where to be to get a great show.