This past spring break, while I was still a teacher at Northglenn High School, I made my way over to Reykjavik, Iceland, for a few days. It was the first leg of my trip to three countries across the pond, the others being Scotland and Poland. Airfare to Iceland from Denver is rather inexpensive, and as a bonus, you can fly direct from Denver to Reykjavik. It’s tough to find a direct flight to Europe from Denver, so when I found a cheap ticket through Icelandair, I hopped on the opportunity and snuck out of the country.

I spent my first day exploring the capital city as the weather was unusually beautiful; no rain, no wind and no clouds in the sky. I started at the funky-looking Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church that serves as a beacon to find your way around the city. Churches are absolutely fascinating to me and always love to peek into a few whenever I’m traveling.

Later on, I made my way down to the waterfront and stopped inside Reykjavik’s avant garde concert hall, Harpa, which is made of multi-dimensional glass panels on steel. I could have easily spent hours there, taking photos and daydreaming about shooting a wedding inside such a neat space.

The remainder of the trip was spent with Reykjavik Excursions, a local tour company that provides easy and affordable options for touring the entire country. Through them, I spent a day relaxing at the Blue Lagoon (which really is intensely blue in person as it is in the photos) and hopped on a tour to try and catch some of the Northern Lights (to no avail).

I highly recommend Reykjavik as a travel destination for anyone looking to get out of dodge, to travel to Europe for the first time or to explore Europe even further. I found it seamless to get from the airport to the city (there is a cheap bus that runs almost every hour) and I found the citizens to be extremely helpful and kind. It was super easy to get around the city as the giant church helps guide you and keep you centered. The city itself was clean, free of loud traffic and not as crazy busy as some of the other Euro hot spots (I’m looking at you, Paris and Rome).

Enjoy some of my favorite Iceland travel photos below, and stay tuned for the remaining photos from the trip! Thanks for stopping by!

More travel photos from Urban Safari: Georgia travel photos // Los Angeles travel photos // San Francisco travel photos

Hallgímskirkja Lutheran church

Harpa Opera House + Concert Hall

View from my hostel, the Igdlo Guest House

The Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa

A traditional Icelandic platter, clockwise from left, from Café Loki: Rye bread with smoked lamb, rye bread with fish paste, dried fish jerky, fermented shark (with the toothpicks), and smoked salmon on rye bread. The fermented shark wasn’t as awful as it sounds; it reminded me of ham with a hint of stinky fish.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Iceland Travel Photos // Recommendations

Lodging: Igdlo Guesthouse // Restaurants: The Sea Baron (get the lobster soup!), Café Loki (where you can find traditional Icelandic delicacies like fermented shark; when in Rome, right?!), and Fish // Activities: Anything through Reykjavik Excursions