NORTHERN LIGHTS BAR
ICELAND
ICELANDERS SOMETIMES find adorable, colorful Reykjavík too hectic for their nature-jonesing constitutions. So they seek stunning getaways such as ION Adventure Hotel, amid mountainous lava fields an hour away. Thingvellir National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and other nearby options offer all the glaciers and hot springs on your Viking checklist, but return to ION’S sleek, glass cocoon of a bar after dark for “new Nordic cuisine” (halibut and rutabagas!) and unapparelled views of the aurora borealis’ crazy kaleidoscopic light show. (Winter months are best.) You’re drinking: Don’t offend any new drinking buddies by not tossing back a shot of chilled brennivín, the ubiquitous caraway-and-dill-flavored aquavit also known as “black death.”