Iceland is a uniquely beautiful country located just south of the Arctic Circle. Warmed by Gulf Stream waters, Iceland has a temperate climate, with verdant valleys, hot springs, and cool glaciers. I recently traveled with a friend to this rare hotspot and found many Lasting Impressions!

Our flight arrived at 6:30 am and after passing through everything we started off in our rental car on our way to see the southern coast. First impressions, wow! The wind was quite strong! This is why we added the extra insurance to our rental for wind and sand damage. The day opened up before us with a rugged landscape and beautiful blue skies! Our first stop and hike was by the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. We admired the 200 feet of water splashing down before us and then had the option to hike on a path allowing you to loop behind the falls.

We found a safe spot on the side of the road to pull over and capture this view. Eyjafjallajökull (Island Mountain Glacier) is essentially a volcano topped by a dramatic ice cap, reaching an elevation of 5417 feet. The ice cap spreads out over almost 40 square miles, while the crater is about 2 1/2 miles in diameter. The most recent eruption was on March 20, 2010 which pumped ash into the atmosphere affecting flights across Europe for months. There is a sign near this spot but the property is private.

Lucky to see this beautiful rainbow at our next waterfall hike. Skógafoss is on a river that drains down from Eyjafjallajökull. We climbed up the 500 steps to catch the view from the top and hiked partway down the trail.

Pausing in Vik for a late lunch/early dinner at Halldorskaffi We both enjoyed the fresh local trout with a potato gratin and a salad. Refreshed, we drove up to this beautiful view looking out over the south coast. We then went down to the beach for blustery walk.

View from the beach in Vik with the basalt rocks in a distance. From here we then made our way to a guesthouse and some sleep!