Arriving in Keflavik International Airport, we cleared customs quickly and were ushered on to a deluxe bus. We met Sven, our bus driver who was to remain with us for the duration of the tour, and Inga (whose long Icelandic name was too long for us to pronounce or spell), our tour guide.

The bus ride into Reyjkjavík takes about forty-five minutes over the Reykjanes peninsula. Inga proved to be a wealth of knowledge on Iceland, and provided us with a ton of facts on the strange green volcanic landscape we passed through.

Geothermal Vents near the town of Geysir

Iceland is a land mass roughly the size of the state of Ohio, about 900 miles around, with the majority of the inhabitants living on the perimeter, or in the major towns of Reykjavík, Akureyri and in many small fishing villages. Much of Iceland, she explained, is heated geothermally, as Iceland sits atop the North Atlantic fault. Many volcanoes, both active and inactive vent through Iceland, providing much natural heat and energy to the people of Iceland.

After checking into the hotel, we found our rooms to be quite comfortable, fitted with separate bath and shower, a balcony overlooking the harbor and a residential area, and a television tuned to the Discovery Channel. A basket filled with snacks and mineral water also greeted us as we plopped wearily down on the bed for a brief nap.