In my last post, I talked about doing research and being a 10-week resident of Reykjavik. The best part of my stay, though, was all the adventures I was able to take around Iceland!

I spent one weekend going to as many museums as I could using the Reykjavik City Card, which offered free bus passes and free admission to lots of museums and attractions across the city. Some of my favorites included the Settlement Exhibition, which displayed an ancient (10th century!) Viking longhouse and many other archaeological relics, and the Maritime Museum showcased Icelanders’ long history of fishing. The Reykjavik Art Museum had some very interesting art — paintings by a famous Icelander, Erró, as well as modern pieces by the German artist Karin Sander — while the National Gallery had a surround-sound exhibition of some of Björk’s songs and of the artist who makes her headpieces.

Also in the city, I ran my very first marathon! Training gave me a great excuse to go out and explore the greater area, and I spent many hours running along the coast and in a hilly, forested area called Öskjuhlíð, where there were lots of friendly rabbits and birds. The marathon itself was a lot more fun than I was expecting, with many locals coming out of their houses to cheer and blast music. After the marathon, there were also concerts in the downtown area (though I was a little too sore to watch for long!).

My last awesome city adventure was being present for the total solar eclipse. While the day was unfortunately completely overcast, my labmate and I still had a super fun time going up onto our work building’s roof and watching the sky go dark. The view overlooking the city was beautiful, and the experience — even though we couldn’t see anything but clouds – was surreal.

Finally, I was very grateful that my family was able to take some vacations with me while I was in Iceland! We drove the famous Golden Circle, spent a few days in Snaefellsnes Peninsula (which had incredible igneous rock features!), and drove along the South Coast, where I saw puffins! I still can’t believe I was able to spend a whole summer in Iceland, and while there’s so much more I want to see there, I’m cherishing the amazing memories I made.