Watch free video Exploring Iceland

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In 2012, my friend Emily asked if I'd consider traveling to Iceland with her for a music festival called Iceland Airwaves. Artists included Kraftwerk, Jon Hopkins, and a ton of local acts. Though we'd be going off-season and she's the snow bunny—I hate the cold—it didn't take much for me to commit too.
Shortly before Halloween 2013, we landed in Reykjavík. We rented a car from the airport and immediately set out on a road trip across Southern Iceland along the Ring Road. We had three days before we had to return to the city for the start of the festival. Funnily enough, we met various international festival-goers along our route doing the same thing.
It's tough to even capture how surreal and ever-changing the landscapes were along this one road—the difference in terrain, color, and even temperature within minutes of driving. We took plenty of stops and hikes along the way to take it all in. Sites documented in the video include:
Eldhraun (lava field), Vík (black sand beach), Svartifoss (waterfall surrounded by hanging hexagonal basalt columns) in Vatnajökull National Park, Jökulsárlón (glacier lagoon), and Reykjadalur (hot springs atop a mountain)
Not included is the city and actual festival, but music is by Slow Magic—my favorite performance of the trip.