Truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction, reality more beautiful than fantasy. Lived experiences, shared memories, these are what makes life grand, for it brings us together by expanding our sense of community. And grand is what graces Iceland—waterfalls as ethereal as an angel’s wings, glaciers as majestic as the rays of light illuminating them from above. Online and in pictures, some of this is distorted, exaggerated for effects, inflating expectation and serving as a gateway to disappointment. Before a journey, reset expectations and be ready to accept the truths and realities of Iceland: strange, beautiful, and grand, just as it is. Explore the island at your own pace, experience fiction and fantasy—with your eyes as the filter, and your imagination as the editor.

Seljalandsfoss, Stora-Dimon, Jökulsárlón, Dyrhólaey, Fagradalsfjall, and various lighthouses along the southwestern coast and in Reykjavík