October 15-21, 2013
We took a little vacation from our RVenture this past month. It landed us in Boston, then ICELAND!
We started by driving back to Atlanta from Nashville. Wizard and Raja had a date with a pet sitter at the permanent address. Then we took Atreyu to the shop for some minor repairs. After living in him for a month we had quite a list of things to be looked at. We have been told this is ‘normal’ in the RV world. Oh, well. Next, we boarded a plane for Boston. We spent 2 days exploring Boston. On day one, we walked Freedom Trail (it only took us 1/2 the route to realize that there was a line on the pavement to follow instead of reading the map), enjoyed some delicious desserts at Mike’s Pastry, and then had a night of debauchery at some historic downtown pubs. Day two brought a late start and a visit to Harvard Square. We really enjoyed the short stop in this city and of course we had MANY conversations about the Boston Red Sox!
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Having our fill of baseball chatter we boarded the overnight airplane to Iceland. The flight was fairly full, but to our pleasure we were upgraded to comfort class! It is unbelievable how much better (and sleepable) the seat size and leg room is . Upon arrival we stepped out into the fresh, clean morning air of Keflavik International Airport. It was a bit crisp but wonderful! We actually bought this trip to Iceland as a Groupon. It was our first experience with Groupon travel and it was a deal we couldn’t pass up. So after a very speedy customs line, our bus was ready to shuffle us to the hotel in Reykjavik, Reykjavik Lights. Our hotel was very nice and our first experience in Iceland was a warm room, comfortable bed, and nap. The hotel had the BEST shower I have ever used, HOT water with amazing water pressure and rain shower head, awesome. After refreshing our bodies we headed to downtown Reykjavik. This is a lovely city! We meandered the shopping district and enjoyed beautiful views from the top of Hallgrímskirkja Church. We also had some authentic Icelandic food at a cafe overlooking the Hallgrímskirkja church. After filling our bellies we headed back to the hotel to attend our first excursion, a Northern Lights Mystery tour. That is right we were in Iceland to witness the Northern lights! Disappointingly our tour that night was cancelled due to poor weather and visibility. However, we were booked for a second chance the following night.
Day two in Iceland was very busy and fulfilling. It started with a tour of the Golden Circle. The first stop was Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, a UNSECO World Heritage Site. Not only was this the historic government seat of Iceland but also where two tectonic plates meet! The North American tectonic plate and Eurasian plate meet here forming amazing canyons and the largest freshwater lake in Iceland. Whoa, walking amongst tectonic plates is so cool! Another tick off the bucket list. Following this amazing site we found ourselves at Gullfoss waterfall. I’ll let the pictures speak for this inspiration. Finally this tour ended at the sprouting hot spring area around Geysir and Stokkur geysers. Where else in the world can you visit tectonic plates, amazing waterfalls, and geysers in 4 hours?! Not to mention all the active volcanos we passed. Iceland had stolen a place in my heart already.
That was not the end to our day, we still had to go Northern Lights hunting! The skies were clear and in our favor that night. So we enjoyed a bus ride north of Reykjavik through a tunnel under Whale Bay and into the darkness. (As a side note, unfortunately they still hunt and kill whales in Iceland. It is a controversial topic and many, maybe most, Icelanders don’t support this practice.) Along the drive we listened to tales of Trolls and Elves. Have I mentioned I really like Iceland yet? So, Wade and I found ourselves bundled up in many layers of Smartwool, sitting in a lava field staring at the night sky. Pretty romantic, huh. There is something magical about this land and despite sitting out in the cold temperatures for 3 hours and NOT seeing any northern light displays we left happy and refreshed. We were once again invited to hunt for these mysterious lights the following evening. Actually, our ticket allows us to continue to go for up to 2 years until we see the elusive Aurora Borealis.
Day 3 brought more adventure. It included many more waterfalls (Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and Urridafoss) , the beautiful landscape of the south coast, a black sand beach, and a walk on a GLACIER! That is right we clamped on the crampons, held the ice axe, and ascended the Sólheimajökull glacier. We explored deep crevasses, ice tunnels, and attempted (sort-of) climbing ice walls with our ice axes. Fun times and another tick off the bucket list! A surprising favorite was also the black sand beach of Reynisfjara. The wind was so strong you could almost not move in the forward direction. But the energy expenditure was worth it when we made it to a basalt cave and basalt columns. Hopefully the pictures will do these giants justice. Of course we also walked up to and behind waterfalls, witnesses hundreds of birds training to make the flight out of Iceland (awe-inspiring!), and took some photos with the infamous volcano Eyjafjallajokull (volcanos and glaciers together=amazing) today also. A good day! We still had a date with the Northern Lights, however our late arrival back at our hotel and our hungry stomachs prevented us from boarding that bus. Instead we had a wonderful, relaxed, dinner in downtown Reykjavik. Don’t worry our hunt for the Aurora Borealis will not end until it is successful.
Day 4 brought relaxation and rejuvenation prior to our return to the United States. We spent the day at the
geothermal spa, Blue Lagoon. We soaked in volcanic water, got a volcanic facial scrub and algae facial mask, and relaxed in a volcanic rock steam room. I never felt so relaxed and clean. There is just something about being in 40 F outdoor weather but soaking in steaming volcanic mineral water. Fully rejuvenated we headed to the airport for our ride home. Wow, that is the best way to spend a travel day!
In summary, we LOVED Iceland! The trip was shorter than we wanted, but fulfilling. (As a side note, we tried to extend the trip but because it was a Groupon changes were not allowed.) Iceland is so clean and vibrant. There is abundant green energy (geothermal, hydroelectric), clean air, clean tasty alkaline tap water, hot water, and friendly people. What more could you want? It truly is the land of fire (volcanos) and ice (glaciers). Wade and I came back from a very busy vacation feeling relaxed, energized, and soul satisfied.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]