By Erica

I just came back from a three day trip to Iceland with my best friend and college roommate. It was interesting, surreal, fun, beautiful, awe-inspiring—and just a little bit dangerous. The perfect getaway and a bucket list check.

Because the flights from New York are relatively short (5 hours) but overnight, we started our trip at The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon, a man-made geothermal spa, and one of Iceland’s big attractions. The Lagoon’s pure blue is created by its high silica content, and its 100 degree heat comes from geological layers hundreds of feet underground. The silica did seem to live up to its hype for easing aches and pains —though nobody told us it wreaks havoc on your hair. Lesson learned: enjoy it but don’t swim in it. Do splurge and stay at The Retreat, a relatively new and absolutely gorgeous hotel built around the Lagoon. When you get out of the water, you go to the spa and cover your body with three different minerals for anti-aging, cleansing and exfoliation. Definitely an experience. If you don’t want to stay at the hotel, you can get a spa day pass.

As struck as we were with the pure blue water, we were equally taken with the terrain around it. We have never seen anything like it. Miles and miles of land covered with lava rocks hundreds of years old. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie and many have been filmed there. You think you landed on the moon. Beautiful, serene, surreal.

One day at the Lagoon, and then we headed to Reykjavik. The Sand, a boutique hotel on the main shopping street, is centrally located and fit the bill. Our driver for the next two days, Siggi, is a proud and knowledgeable Icelander. On day one, we saw a spouting Geysir, tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park that are moving away from each other and a Unesco World Heritage site (one side is the edge of North America which is pretty mind-boggling), and the gorgeous Guillfoss waterfall with an accompanying rainbow—all of which make up the Golden Circle.

Lunch was special too at the Fridheimar greenhouses where they grow 40% of all the tomatoes consumed in Iceland under artificial lights to make up for the dark winters. Surrounded by vines, we ate tomato soup that tasted like no other accompanied by wonderful bread with butter and shredded cucumbers.

Day two, Siggi took us to see black lava beaches and the spectacular Skogarfoss waterfall. All was well until the weather turned. Rain pours sideways in Iceland and the wind was in the 60-70 mph range. Nonetheless, our three hour tour to the Katla Ice Caves was not cancelled. We met our guides and fellow travelers. They were dressed—rain gear, hiking boots, the right stuff. We had on Uniqlo rain coats and a few layers of puffiness and tshirts. We wore sneakers. Susan had real socks. I did not.

Nonetheless, we were not going to be wimps and, with a bit of trepidation, we strapped on our helmuts and ice shoes. Buffeted by high winds and pounding rain and hail, we traipsed over fields of lava sand to the entrance of the cave. Alas, the cave was not on ground level. Without really looking up, we climbed slippery rickety icy stairs, hanging on to a rope with our rain soaked gloves. Then the stairs stopped. Lava sand and pure ice. Pure terror. With some help from the guide, shivering and cold, we made it!

The cave has multicolored ice layers and black ice. It’s a marvel but, frankly, a bit hard to savor in our condition. Had the weather cooperated, we’re sure it would have been awe-inspiring. Instead, we had to inspire ourselves. Unfortunately, there is no record of our accomplishment because our hands were too cold and too wet to even think about trying to access our phones. Thankfully, we have each other to bear witness. And the laughs we had once we recovered, made it even more worth it.

We’ve never seen any landscape like Iceland. Lava rocks, some covered with moss, everywhere. A volcano was erupting when we were there, and over a thousand people hiked up 3 hours to see the molten bright red lava (we saw the pictures and understand the attraction). The people are not only hearty but calm and content. The weather is the topic of conversation. It changes on a dime. As they say, if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes. It will be different. There are 370,000 people in Iceland and, surprisingly, 80,000 horses. The horses are a special breed, small with special gaits. Riding them is a huge part of life in Iceland. As is swimming in outdoor pools and socializing in outdoor spas (with cocktails) all year long)!

If it’s not already on your list, think about it. It’s an easy stop on the way to Europe. We are so glad we went.