This is my last post for our short trip to Iceland, a country which I will forever hold in my heart. We definitely could have used an entire extra week to explore, but it was our first big trip away from our one year old (thanks Mom!), so five days was just the right amount of time for us. We kicked off our second to last day with my biggest bucket list item for this excursion : Snorkeling in the Silfra River! This place is extra magical because it’s some of the clearest water in the world, and where the tectonic plates for Europe and the Americas begin. You can see straight down, for what feels like forever. And the current gently nudges you along, so it feels a lot like flying, over ice blue canyons. So pretty much, I guess what I’m trying to say, is that THIS WAS EPIC.
Don’t get me wrong; it was also terrifying, and exhausting. I mean it took us almost two hours to suit up for this adventure. Why so long? Well, the water was 32 degrees… So with our thermal undies, jumpsuits, and dry suits we thought we were almost ready to go! But then our guides gave up hoods, gloves, masks, and then taped my gloves and neck piece for me so the icy water wouldn’t leak in. I could barely even move by the time it was all done. Then we had to walk through a nasty patch of snow and sleet to get to the river, where they put on our flippers for us (thank god because there was no way we could bend over haha). It was a grey, cold day. And the view from above didn’t look very enticing (which is why I pulled this first image from Google to show you how beautiful it really is!) But once we got it, the vibrant blues, greens, and oranges under the water were incredible. Like. Crazy gorgeous. Like, I was trying to scream to tell everyone how amazing it was since I went in first, but they thought I was screaming because I was freezing. Besides the sliver of skin exposed on my forehead, I was surprisingly warm & cozy!
{Top photo via Google}
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Strike a sexy pose, if you can move.
Screen grabs from my friend’s Go-Pro video. I brought my underwater camera, but with these insanely thick gloves, I couldn’t even bend my finger to press the shutter! While it killed me to go through such an amazing experience without my own camera, it actually added a lot of unknown joy to this part of the trip. I left the camera in the car & just experienced it all, without any gear or gadgets or planning or stopping for a hundred different shots. Ahhhh. What a concept!
We floated along & enjoyed the view, literally soaking it all in, before going to the park cafe to warm up with fresh soup & coffee. From there, we ventured along the Golden Circle to the Geysir & Gulfoss, making stops along the way. The Iceland ponies were on the must-see list, and we pulled right over as we passed this bunch. This guy was my favorite, because he is pretty much the Owen Wilson of ponies.
This is my friend Shannon, who discovered what it’s like to stand waaaay too close to a geyser. And to be covered, head-to-toe, in the sulfur water that comes with it haha.
Gulfoss was gorgeous. But surrounded by tourists, everywhere. And I know we were tourists too, but damn, like hundreds and hundreds of people, looking from one spot at a waterfall. So pretty much, welcome to Niagara Falls. I’m not so sure about The Golden Circle, after-all. But I definitely did enjoy the drive there, as the road was dotted with these amazing skinny trees against the white snow. Dreamy!
Three of us headed towards The Secret Lagoon to end our day, nice & warm. The 100 degree water felt like HEAVEN after the morning snorkel amongst ice chunks. The natural pool is heated entirely by the surrounding hot springs. With a small bar attached. And fresh, warm towels waiting. Heaven. And just when we thought it couldn’t be more blissful, it began to rain; big, fat, cold raindrops falling into the hot water. Definitely one of the best parts of this trip!
We spent our final day putzing around Reykjavik and enjoying the shops, drinks and food along the way! I left all my gear behind & just headed out with my iPhone, thinking we’d be back after breakfast. But it was one of those incredible days, where you don’t come back for hours and hours because there’s just too much to see. There is even more still that I would like to see in Reykjavik on our next trip!
These itty bitty donuts from a food truck parked in the square by our apartment made for a wonderfully unhealthy (but totally adorable?) start to the day. And then, we went to this place… How could we resist? It’s the biggest museum of it’s kind in the world. It was never on my bucketlist, but I can now say I’ve seen over two hundred phalluses in one hour, most of which were whale, all of which were… well if I had to pick only one word, I would chose “icky”.
We squeezed in one more meal at Cafe Babalu before exploring the harbor, and The Harpa, Reykjavik’s insanely gorgeous concert hall, decorated with wild glass windows meant to mimic fish scales.
All of the sudden, it was five o’clock! We had no idea where the entire day had gone, but we had some time to pass before our dinner reservations & ended up at this quaint bar, Loftid. I want to live here. It’s gorgeous, open loft space decorated as a vintage tailor’s shop blended with an upscale French cafe. And the drinks were so tasty, and so cheap during happy hour. It was perhaps a little too easy to kill three hours here. Ps. Can we all agree that even the money in Iceland is adorable? That hat…
8PM, we wandered over to The Fish Market, for our last meal in Iceland! Yes, yes, a thousand times YES. This place totally rocked my socks! We settled in for a THREE hour dining experience, where we felt like kings, indulging in the 11 course chef’s tasting menu with wine pairings. My god. So perfect. Even though whale (pictured on the right) was one of the courses, the entire meal was just amazing, and a wonderful note to end our trip on.
Sigh, I’m sad I don’t have any more to share from this trip! It was such a wonderful, blurry, blistery whirlwind of a vacation.
Oh, Iceland, I just have to say thank you. You are such an insanely lovely place. You are beautiful, terrifying, inspiring, sacred, and as I’ve said many time before, downright magical.
I can’t wait to go back, and take our son when he’s old enough to ramble along glaciers and hot springs with us 🙂 Until then, thank you for the magic & the memories! XOXO!
