Iceland

Iceland in One Night: A Ride, a City That Never Sleeps, and Hot Water by the Ocean

I fly into Keflavík and immediately make a questionable decision with Aiden. We try to walk toward the town and hitchhike from there to Reykjavík. We take ten steps outside the airport and before we can even put our thumbs up, a car pulls over.

Three Polish people who live in Reykjavík ask where we are headed and offer us a ride. Just like that, Iceland welcomes us without a single struggle. We drive into the city feeling like the trip is ending the way it started, with strangers being unbelievably kind.

In Reykjavík, we meet up with one of Aiden’s friends from CISV. Since the sun does not really set, the city feels like it is stuck in a soft glow, like nighttime is optional. We walk the streets and see Hallgrímskirkja, the big famous church rising over the city. The buildings are vibrant, colorful, and clean, and Reykjavík feels both tiny and alive.

His friend takes us to the local thermal baths by the ocean, the place locals go to soak. It is not the Blue Lagoon version. It is the real thing. Hot water, cold air, and the ocean nearby. It feels like the perfect reset after weeks of moving.

He tells us we have to eat an Icelandic hot dog, so we do. It is simple and iconic and feels like the correct way to end.

The next day we wake up early and fly back home, first to New York City, then to Knoxville. I return as the same teenager and also not the same at all.