[Europe] Iceland

Ok.
So I’ve been thinking for days what I should write for my next post... and today (finally), as I was driving to work, the foggy, gloomy weather reminded me of Iceland (not saying Iceland is gloomy-it’s actually my most favorite island 🔥🌍)

I guess I’ll start with why I decided to visit Iceland. I was on Instagram one day and stumbled upon this beautiful photo...

[Blue Lagoon]

Why would you not want to visit, right?

So I texted my travel buddy who lives in SF
(we met online 4 years ago and travel together at least twice a year- we’ll be in Budapest this summer 🤩) and asked her if she wanted to go. Within an hour, we booked our flights and accommodations and were ready to fly out to this charming island!

It took about 5 1/2 hours from DC to Reykjavik. Once we arrived at the airport, our rental car rep was waiting for us. We got in his car and drived to the lot to pick up our rental car.

(Now, one thing I’d like to mention before I forget is.. Icelanders are SUPER nice, friendly, laid back.. I mean I’ve never been to a country where EVERY person you encounter are ALL so polite! 👏🏼)

We got in our rental car and drove around downtown Reykjavik before checking in to our airbnb home.

[Hallgrimskirkja Church]

Cloudy day for pics... got back in our car and drove through the streets literally sight seeing in the car and deciding where we should come back to when the weather’s nicer (haha- good luck 🤞🏼). Then we found this cute little french fries place.. and OMG look at all those sauces? YUM!!! 🍟

[Reykjavik Chips]

After eating french fries, you’d think we’d be full? HA! We went over to check out this Indian restaurant that had stellar reviews on yelp... I knew Iceland was pretty $$$ but this dish was about $50 and it tasted like ketchup. Yes, KETCHUP. 🤢

So we went straight to the grocery store to buy food to cook for meals (we booked an airbnb with a kitchen- brilliant thinking! 🎉)

Saw an artist graffiti-ing in the city- pretty cool!

Day 2
The weather was much nicer, didn’t know how long it would last...

[Postcard that sums up Iceland’s weather]

We rushed over to Reykjavik to take advantage of this sunny day! ☀️

[Reykjavik Viking Boat]

[View of the city from Hallgrimskirkja Viewing Tower]

Hopped in the car and headed over to see some waterfalls. We drove about 2 hours and arrived at Skogafoss.

[Seljalandfoss, located near Skogafoss]

[Skogafoss]

As you can see, the weather turned pretty ugly so we headed home (home sweet home 🏠).

Day 3
Our plan was to drive out to Vik. But when we woke up, we were totally exhausted from yesterday’s long drive. So we decided to book an airbnb in Vik and stay there for a day or two.

Made a stop for a cup of morning coffee ☕️

Our drive to Vik was AMAZING!
Miles and miles of endless moss, glaciers, mountains, lakes...
breathtaking views that you can’t capture with your camera/phone... see.. you simply can’t!

Blame the weather... 🤪

⭐️ Here goes another tip for traveling in Iceland: if you’re driving far, always always always fill up your gas tank, grab a snack/meal and use the bathroom when you can! You can drive for hours not spotting a single convenient store or gas station.
Supposedly Iceland is famous for their hotdogs and most gas stations sell them. What surprised me was that the gas stations had some really good high quality food. And hotdogs were consistently yummmy!

So our 3 hour drive to Vik turned out to be 5 (or 6) because we made so many stops... it’s hard not to when everything surrounding you is so.... overwhelming! 🔥

We checked into our airbnb and then went to the “village” for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant (there’s only one) and it was delish!

[night view of Vik]

Day 4
Woke up and had breakfast..

Our place was across the street from the black sand sea so we went for a morning walk.

[Black Sand Sea in Vik]

Next destination was a 4-5 drive to Fjallsarlon and Jokusalon. OMG all this driving! Thank God I love to drive... but it was a little too much.. 😳

[Fjallsarlon Iceburg]

What day am I on now? Day 5? 🤣

Day 5
So in Inceland there’s only one highway- Route 1 or the Ring Road that runs 828 miles around the island. I found this super cute postcard in a souvenir shop and wrote to hubbie before heading out for the day 💋

[the 1 and only]

We drove to the Golden Circle (2-3 hours from Reykjavik) to check out the famous Geysir and Gullfoss 🚙

[Geysir]

[Gullfoss]

On our way home, we stopped by a bakery for some sweets! 🍮

[Passion Reykjavik Bakery]

Day 6
Since we saw most parts of South Iceland, Golden Circle and Reykjavik, we decided to move West and see what’s out there.

After some research, we were on the road to Arnarstapi.

Do you see what i see? 🌈🌈🌈

[Anarstapi]

Drove further West/North to see Kirkjufell and the weather changed dramatically... Scary thunderstorms and lightning and hail... YIKES! ⚡️⛈

[Kirkjufell]

Some postcard perfect scenery shots on our way back home....

[Snaefellsnes Peninsula]

Day 7
Going home! ✈️

[panini at the airport- not bad!]

Iceland is so much more than auroras and hot springs... really, it is.
You see what God has created and how amazing His work is.
And how BLESSED I am to enjoy what He has made for me.. and you! 🙏🏼

These were photos on my phone.. many more stored on my Mac so maybe I’ll do another posting soon! Maybe 😋

I’m a newbie here so if you enjoyed reading this post, I’d appreciate your support by following, voting and/or replying (a word of encouragement) to me! 🙊