Iceland — a flight to another planet

ION City Hotel is a modern design hotel located in the center of Reykjavik, on Laugavegur Street. There are shops of brand clothes, souvenir shops, restaurants, coffee houses and bakeries nearby. There is a 24-hour front desk, a bar, a restaurant and a fitness center. The main sights of the city are in walking distance: the embankment — 5 minutes, the church Hallgrimskirkja — 7, the concert hall of Harpa — 10, the Lake Tjornin — 12.

Grillmarkadurinn is a restaurant in the building of an ancient dock resembling a house of the Viking. All dishes are prepared from the products of Icelandic farms and served on plates made of volcanic stone. The pride of the place is a grill with a temperature of 1200 °C, at which steaks from meat get a crispy crust and remain juicy inside. The most popular dessert of the restaurant is a chocolate ball with a secret. If you pour it with hot caramel, it will open, and inside will be soft ice cream. 

Matur og Drykkur is a restaurant, translated from Icelandic as “Food and Drink”. It is located on the territory of the former salt plant. The owners studied the manuscripts with the ancient Icelandic recipes and reinterpreted them in a modern way. Thanks to the unusual dishes, in 2017 the restaurant was included in the Michelin Guide.

In the menu there is a tasting set, for those who want everything at once. It includes: halibut soup with mussels, raisins and apple sauce, smoked haddock with boiled potatoes, horse meat steak with baked beetroot and pickled strawberries, lamb meatballs with rhubarb jam, cod head cooked in chicken broth with blueberries. Horse meat tartar will be served on the sword, and for dessert — ice cream from the traditional Icelandic thick yogurt skir with blueberry sorbet, granola and white chocolate.

Blue lagoon is perhaps the most famous thermal spa in the world. The cavity, composed of frozen magma, is filled with turquoise water from a nearby power station. Boiling water in underground tanks is pumped to the station and goes through the technical cycle of electricity generation. After cleaning and cooling to 40 °C, water enters the natural pool.

The water contains quartz, silicon, sea salt and blue-green algae. No bacteria can survive in such conditions, this ensures the purity of the water, which is useful for the skin. According to legend, the healing properties of water discovered a power plant worker. Swimming in the lake, he got rid of psoriasis within a few months.

There are hot baths, a sauna, a steam room, a bar, a restaurant, a clinic, a shop of branded cosmetics and a relaxation area overlooking the lava hills.

ION Luxury Adventure Hotel is an urban hotel an hour's drive from Reykjavik. There are 46 rooms with panoramic windows and high ceilings, heated by thermal springs. All interior items are made from recyclable materials. For example, furniture — from the wreckage of the tree, thrown out by the ocean on the coast, and the elements of the decor — from frozen lava and volcanic ash.

The hotel borders the Thingvellir National Park and the largest lake in Iceland — Thingvallavatn. The hotel has a sauna, an outdoor hot tub and a spa. The chef of the restaurant at the hotel is Sigurdur Agustsson, experiments combining incongruous.

Duck breast he's cooking with pumpkin with a maple syrup, chicken liver pate — on toast with tomato marmalade, and clam chowder — with green apples. After lunch, guests can enjoy rhubarb, blueberry or crowberry liqueur at the hotel bar.

Lava is a spa center of the hotel with a 10-meter pool and views of the volcanic hills. While the guests are warming in the pool, they will be offered herbal teas and massages, foot baths with sea salt, a pedicure or a hot body mask with volcanic ash.

Langjokull is the second largest glacier in Iceland after Vatnayöküdl. Langjokull in translation from Icelandic is a “long glacier”. Its area is equal to the territory of Singapore. Two volcanic systems, Western and Eastern, are hidden under the ice here. Underground volcanoes, which once erupted under a layer of melting ice, created a unique natural landscape. This area is relatively calm — only 32 eruptions in 10 thousand years. In 2015, Jay Z and Beyoncé rode snowmobiles here. So they celebrated the 45th anniversary of Jay Z. And in the winter of 2017 Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend were seen here.

As soon as you reach the glacier, you will be given a jumpsuit, gloves, a helmet and you will be instructed.

The National Park, listed in 2004 in the World Heritage list of UNESCO. The first parliament in the world was founded here in 930. Residents of Iceland gathered in the valley for the adoption of laws and court. The center of events was the Rock of the Law, and the most influential man — the speaker. Turning to the rock, his voice reflected from it and was heard by all present. After independence in 1944, in the valley of Thingvellir the Republic of Iceland was declared and its first president was elected.

Also, in this place Eurasian and North American tectonic plates diverge. If you took a photo where you keep from falling the Pisa tower, here you definitely need to capture how one of your feet is in Europe, and the other — in America. 

Haukadalur is a valley of geysers, which arose in the 13th century after the earthquake. The main source of the valley is Geisir. It gave the name to this natural phenomenon. But since 1916, the source is in a state of sleeping, so tourists come to see another active geyser — Strokkur. Every 6–8 minutes he throws a stream of boiling water up to 30 meters high. Above the valley there is almost always a stable smell of hydrogen sulfide and steam rises from hot springs. Where the water temperature is not more than 40 °C, bathing places are equipped.

The Fridheimar Farm is a year-round greenhouse on which the couple Knutur and Helena grow several varieties of organic tomatoes and cucumbers. In addition to the beds on the farm there is a restaurant where the tomato soup is cooked with tomatoes picked at you. You can add in it fresh arugula from a pot on the dining table. Hot cakes with basil and mozzarella, cucumber sauce salsa and cocktail Bloody Mary with a drop of Tabasco. Tomato ice cream or cheesecake with jam from green tomatoes, cinnamon and lime will be offered for dessert.

Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall, behind which you can hide. In a rock behind a water stream, there is a deep hollow, to get there it is necessary to climb by stairs from a parking place.

Gljufrabui is a waterfall is a 10-minute walk from Seljalandsfoss. To see this waterfall, you need to go between two rocks forming the entrance to the cave. Getting inside, you find yourself directly under the stream of water.

Skogafoss is a waterfall is 25 meters wide, falling from a 60-meter cliff. In Sunny weather, you can see a double rainbow above it, which appears due to the large number of splashes. Justin Bieber filmed a clip here for the song “I'll show you”.

Icelandair Hotel Vik is a hotel overlooking the ocean. For the guests there are: 88 rooms with all facilities, a restaurant with 200 seats and a golf field, 3 km from the hotel. There is a bar with a wide selection of drinks.

Humarhofnin is a restaurant — visiting card of Hofn, the name is translated from Icelandic as “lobster harbor”. It specializes in freshly caught langoustines. From the restaurant window you can see the unloading of seafood, which in 30 minutes can be on the table. In the restaurant there is everything of local origin: langoustines, arctic char, herring, lamb, duck, sheep cheese, potatoes, basil, coriander, mint, except salt, it is brought from France.

Skaftafell is a national park with an alpine landscape, formed under the influence of the eruption of the volcano Oraefajokull and the melting of the Glacier Skaftafellsjokull. The unique climatic conditions of the park contributed to the reproduction of arctic foxes, field mice and American mink. Here more than 30 species of birds nest: tap-dance bird, wren, snipe, tundra grouse, golden plover, goldcrest. From the plants in the park you can see: birch, willow, mountain ash, moss, bells and saxifrage. The main attraction of the park is the 12-meter Waterfall Svartifoss, surrounded by black basalt columns that resemble a giant organ.

Icelandair Hotel Fludir is a hotel in the Village of Fludir, a 12-minute walk from the Secret Lagoon hot spring. The hotel has 32 rooms with wooden floors and access to the garden, where guests can relax in the jacuzzi, tasting snacks and drinks from the hotel bar. The hotel restaurant prepares dishes from meat, vegetables and fruits grown in the village.

A walk on the jet boat passes in the canyon of the Gullfoss Waterfall on the River Hvitau. After arriving at the starting point, participants are instructed and receive equipment: waterproof suits, gloves, helmets and life jackets. After that the group gets on the bus and reaches the location of the boat. During the race, the boat rushes along the canyon through the thresholds past the basalt rocks at a speed of up to 100 km/h. If you want, you can stop and swim in the river — the water temperature does not exceed 4 °C. After the walk, the instructors will arrange a barbecue-lunch and tasting of local beer. While roasting the meat, you can wash in the shower and warm up in the sauna.

The descent into the crater of a sleeping volcano Thrihnukagigur is carried out in an open elevator on the ropes. The last time it erupted 4,000 years ago. The entrance to the crater is a hole in the form of a funnel 4 × 4 meters wide and resembles the shape of a bottle. Different colors and size of the walls make the beauty of the crater. Its bottom can be compared with a football field, and the height allows you to hold the Statue of Liberty in full size. Usually the crater after the eruption is closed with cold, hard lava. Thrihnukagigur is a rare exception. Magma disappeared from the cell. It is believed that it hardened on the walls or went back to the depths of the Earth.

Transfer to the crater by car is impossible due to lack of road. From the parking lot, you should walk 3 km along the lava field. At the place, equipment is given to the group: helmet and safety belts. 

Сanopy by Hilton is a new Hilton hotel located in the center of Reykjavik. All rooms are decorated in a minimalist Icelandic style, equipped with comfortable furniture and modern appliances. There is a 24-hour fitness center with cardio equipment, free weights and yoga accessories. In the morning, the hotel serves breakfast in the buffet style. Also, at the restaurant you can order dishes of local cuisine.