Iceland in Winter in Instagrams

Last week I took a crazily- minute work assignment in Iceland. Seriously, last minute- like get my flight itinerary Monday morning and leave Monday afternoon last minute. I didn’t really mind though because I couldn’t pass up a chance to revisit one of my favorite countries, the place where this travel blog was basically born. Even if it was g:ing to be below freezing all week.

Last time I visited Iceland was June 2009, a glorious time of year where wildflowers blanketed everything and the sun never set. This time around was, well, pretty different. Iceland was covered in snow, the sun only peaked out for 10 hours a day and it was pretty damn cold. Even so, Iceland’s innate beauty shone through.

I’ll be writing a bit more about my experiences (especially about IcelandAir’s buddy program which I got to test drive), but first up here are some pictures from my short trip:

The view from my hotel room at the Residences at the Marina. Not bad to wake up to after an early morning nap!

The incredible facade of the Harpa, Reykjavik’s new performing arts center.

The light in winter was magic- this was taken at noon! At Þingvellir National Park.

It was so cold next to Gulfoss that my phone died immediately after I took this shot.

The famous Geyser steaming in a field of snow.

These chocolate cupcakes were hard to resist.

The lava strewn path to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most famous attraction.

It really does look like this! Steamy.

A lava field covered in snow, looks otherworldly.

Reykjavik’s main cathedral- with Leif Erickson outside.

Disclosure: I visited Iceland on assignment for another publication and my trip was paid for by Iceland Air. All opinions are my own.