If you missed Day 1 and Day 2, check them out!

Day 3 in Iceland was another unbelievably amazing day. This was our free day. I started the day with a quick walk around Reykjavik. It was finally sunny out and the city was beautiful.

I did a little shopping for myself and found these gems. How could I leave Iceland without a Nordic print leggings!

There were a bunch of tours offered for the day or we had the option of going it on our own. I decided to sign up for a volcanic exploration tour with a group of others in my tour group. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but when I saw this…

I knew we were in for a fun day! Within a 10 or so minutes we were legit driving up a volcano.

The views were nothing less than stunning. Iv’e said it before but Iceland is seriously the most diverse and amazing place I have ever seen.

We were also in awe of the vehicle we were cruising around it for the day.

Next stop, this lake. I forget the name of it.

Looks like a normal lake, right? It’s not. During Iceland last big earthquake (maybe like 5 years ago) this lake was about 70 feet deeper! At some point during the earthquake the earth opened up and swallowed TONS of water from the lake. Where it went, I’lll never know. The Earth is a pretty amazing thing!

After the amazing disappearing lake, we went to a hot spring hot spot.

Despite the chilly temps, it felt warm here because there was HOT HOT HOT steam rising up everywhere.

After the hot springs we continued driving and ended up on the south side of the island where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. It was crazy windy and the waves were HUGE!

The “beach” was all made of black lava rock. There were millions of these round rocks! With my guide’s permission, I snagged a couple to bring home. I think the best part about this trip was the guide. He took us completely off the beaten path and we did not see another tourist all day. He was the man. Back to the lava rocks…so pretty.

After another short drive, we ended up here. The pictures barely do this justice but my words couldn’t even come close.

Me and my new bestie! I forget what bird this is but it doesn’t really matter because whatever it is, its extinct.

So many sights to see in one day! After all of this we went back to Reykjavik, made another stop at Noodle Corner and headed back to the hotel. There was a tour heading out that night to chase down the Northern Lights, should I go? Of course I should! And I am glad I did.

The lights weren’t bright but I saw them! Check that off the bucket list. Unfortunately I could not take any pictures because I only had my camera phone. In order to capture this phenomenon on film (or on a memory card) you need a nice camera with a time lapse function that you know how to use. Way beyond my capabilities (as on now!).

After the midnight trip to see the lights, we got back to the hotel, and drank Icelandic wine until about 4:00 am. Nothing like making fast friends in a foreign country!

Stay tuned for the my 4th and final day in the land of the midnight sun.