Iceland
The mystical land of trolls, waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs, and northern lights.
Fancy Icelandic pizza
It was bittersweet to start and end our 30 day honeymoon in the magical land of Ísland. The first day of our honeymoon was spent in Iceland--John planned to have the hostel pick us up at the airport (he even got directions). We arrived really early in the morning and then we waited for our ride. We goofed around with signs and interpreting them for the camera. Finally, after a couple hours passed, we realized that our ride may not be coming. Sarah found a nice stranger to ask about the best way to get to the hostel, and they quickly took the stranger's advice-- John, feeling bad, called a cab. At check in, the staff was very apologetic with forgetting about us. We weren't upset--just hungry and tired. So, we did what any seasoned traveler does with a refined palette: we ordered Dominos. Then we stayed/slept at the hostel until the next day where we successfully took the hostel's shuttle to the airport to fly to Paris for our honeymoon.
The second time coming into Iceland went flawlessly: we got our own rental car. It was so nice to have the freedom that a car gives, especially when you have been traveling for three weeks by public transportation. Not having to wheel Sarah's HUGE suitcase around felt incredible. The rental cars even come with studded tires to help out when you drive in freak blizzard conditions--which, as you may have expected, we do. Our cash was getting low at the end of our honeymoon so we decided to go to a grocery store for most of our lunches and dinners for our last week abroad in Iceland. Note: the chocolate chip muffins at Bonus grocery store are amazing. Also, we found the best AND cheapest noodles at Noodle Station (we went there multiple times--and we still dream of returning. Just try it.) After refusing to follow our directions to our hostel…(turn slight left into head on traffic then turn left into a one way)… we finally found the way to our hostel (Capital Inn).
Trolls Do Exist!!!
The first day we were in Iceland we decided to take a day drive out to Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The first troll we met was Bárður, luckily for us he turned into stone by looking at the breathtaking ocean view too long. This area was definitely worth the drive: ocean cliff views, elephant looking arches, and of course a stone monument to an Icelandic legend named Bárður. It was a blast to take all sorts of pictures in that area and to enjoy this terrain--all by ourselves.
We followed the highway around Snæfellsnes to the town of Grundarfjörður, the perfect picturesque town of Iceland. This town feels remote with mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls on one side, and then the ocean on the other side. There was a lovely waterfall that we hiked to, as well as a really unique black sand beach. This drive was just perfect all around. We left in awe of the beauty, legends, ocean view, and waterfalls that Iceland has to offer.
Side note: gas stations do exist in Iceland and you can use your credit/debit card (just make sure you have enough gas to get from one remote town to the next...oops) The only issue we came upon is trying to use your pin for your debit card. The Icelandic gas stations only allow three numbers, which presents a problem for US four number pins. You can get around this by using a credit card.
How to Push Your Wife into a Waterfall on your Honeymoon
Step One: Find a big waterfall, preferably one that you can walk behind. I recommend Seljalandsfoss as a good waterfall to attempt the following.
Step Two: Forget to wear your rain jackets while walking underneath the waterfall.
Step Three: Take a picture of you, the pusher, on a rock that is really close to the waterfall to convince your wife that all is well.
Step Four: Persuade your wife to go to the same spot for a wonderful photo. You'll want to pay attention to the timing, while judging the wind speed on top of the waterfall.
Step Five: Take a picture of your wife on the same rock you were previously on...until suddenly, freezing water is being poured onto her from above.
Step Six: Apologize like crazy and give her all of your warm clothes and jackets.
Step Seven: Attempt to dry all of her freezing wet clothes with the heater in the car.
Sarah getting pushed into a waterfall
Waterfalls and Glaciers, Oh My!
John really wanted to see this glacier lagoon and easily convinced Sarah to take a nine hour round trip drive to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon on the southern side of Iceland. On our previous day we thought we saw some cool looking waterfalls, boy were we wrong. The waterfalls along the southern side of Iceland are huge and magnificent. There were two amazing and beautiful waterfalls that were along the way which were Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss.
Skógafoss was the next waterfall we came to. This one blew us away: it was enormous and powerful. There was a convenient trail/stairs to the top of the waterfall. Don’t worry, John learned his lesson, and made sure that Sarah was out of danger from being thrown into the waterfall. The views from on top and from the middle of the hike were amazing! We were able to grab some fantastic photos. After the short hike back down, we walked along the bottom of the waterfall alongside the river to get a closer view. Somehow, we still managed to stay dry...this time.
Along the drive, we made some frequent stops to observe the majestic glaciers that were sliding off of inactive volcanoes. It was eye opening to see the destruction that volcanoes can do, as well as the major flooding it can bring. There was a place right off the highway that showed parts of the bridge that got demolished when one of the volcanoes erupted. In Iceland, the bridges are only one lane, meaning you have yield to whoever is on the bridge first. This is a really easy thing to do in the daylight, but when you come upon bridges at night, it is a different story. We came upon a 0.5 km bridge at night and pulled over because we saw headlights. After waiting awhile, we realized they weren't driving over the bridge. Oh well, we were just enjoying the blizzard (not the ice cream).
Jökulsárlón lagoon finally came into view, and just in time since we had about an hour of daylight left. This place was incredible with so much iceberg activity. You could literally hear the icebergs cracking, breaking, and sinking/rising. One came up from underneath the water like an undercover submarine. The glacier comes into a lagoon where the ice breaks apart, floats into the lagoon, and eventually gets small enough to float out into the ocean. We came too late to do the lagoon tour where they drive a boat through the icebergs, but we were perfectly content to see everything from shore. We had so much fun walking around and playing on the ice, while taking a ton of photos (obviously!). After the sunlight died out, we bought hot chocolate and reminisced about our adventures that day while trying to ignore the four and a half hour drive we had to get back to Reykjavik.
Mythical Creatures
Best way to recover after some horseback riding? Famous chocolate mousse at Restaurant Lindin
One of our days we decided to go horseback riding with Eldhestar, just like the Vikings did way back when. These horses may seem small compared to American horses, but they can carry a 200 plus pound guy while chasing after Sarah’s horse. These horses can survive in the harshest conditions and can walk on ice, lava rock, and snow. Iceland does not allow foreign horses on the island, so these horses are here to stay. John’s been on a horse three times so he felt pretty confident with his long history of horseback riding. He quickly talked Sarah into going with the "experienced group," where they would get to do a lot more galloping. Surprise: Sarah’s and John’s horses weren’t really supposed to be in that group. That was okay with us, and Sarah's horse loved trying to race all of the other horses to the front. John's horse seemed to prefer a more laid back style of walking. Sarah got to experience the legendary Tölt gait, you get the smoothest and most comfortable ride. These horses are so majestic and we had an amazing experience getting to ride these mythical Viking creatures. So much so that it started our tradition of horseback riding (See section titled: Jamaican Cowboys Attack).
Icelandic Hot Springs are Huge and Quite a Cultural Experience
Laugardalslaug swimming pool, located in the capital city, was the first hot spring we tried. Preparing to get into the hot springs was quite...an experience, maybe even a culture shock. First, you basically have to prove to the workers that you are the cleanest you have ever been in your life by both scrubbing hard, and then showering out in the open. Miss a spot? Don't worry, there is a worker coming by to spray your feet. John wasn't sure if the worker was telling him his feet were really, really dirty, or if the employee was just having a good time by messing with a tourist. John laughed it off and appreciated that Icelanders like their hot springs clean. We found everyone lounging in this tiny area and followed the crowd there. Laying down flat in order to be covered in water (think kiddie pool), we found the water to be kind of chilly, and weren't sure why everyone was in this area. Since it was freezing, we were hesitant to explore, but right when we were about done with the hot springs, we discovered the actual hot springs. There were many hot tub style springs with different temperatures and kinds of water. We hopped from one to the other to warm up. One is even fed with ocean water!
The second hot springs was Blue Lagoon. This is a huge hot spring and an amazing spa area. We could have stayed there for days relaxing. It was a great way to end our honeymoon: relaxing in a sky blue hot spring where there are waterfalls (of course), mud pits to exfoliate your skin, poolside bar, steam rooms, caves (why not?), and access to the buildings without getting out the water (perfection). The Blue Lagoon is a little spendy, but way worth the price. This is a touristy area, but still manages to hold to the Icelandic standards on cleanliness. They even have pictures depicting areas of the body you have to clean in case you're more of a visual person. However, to Sarah's relief, there were individual stalls with personal lockers and plenty of soap and shampoo. There weren’t any workers spraying your feet with water, so that was a plus. They even have a baggage claim for people who come on a layover. We daydream of coming back to Iceland just to relax in the Blue Lagoon again.
The Glorious Northern Lights
One of our bucket list items was to see the northern lights. We tried several times to see the northern lights by driving up into the mountains, but got caught in clouds multiple times. The last night of our honeymoon we drove out to the Reykjavik peninsula and sat in our car waiting for the northern lights. It was nice to sit in a warm car, listen to the ocean waves, and look at the stars. We must have waited there for two hours and were about to go home, when all of the sudden, Sarah jumped out of the car and ran. Learning from his previous experience of Sarah running without saying anything, John immediately followed her to watch the sky dance in green streaks. It was an incredible sight to see--we were enamored with the colors and shapes of the northern lights. A cloud eventually rolled over the northern lights, which caused them to slowly fade from our view. We headed back to the hostel dreaming of the next time we could be back in Iceland.
Keep an eye out for more of our international adventures. How do you prefer to end your vacation? Do you like to relax with a spa day or do you try to sneak another adventure in at the last moment?
Chasing Time Zones,
J&S