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| You're leaving?! |
Day One:
I went to work, couldn't concentrate, but got a lot done surprisingly! From work my friend's dad drove us down to Boston to start the journey! We found our gate and boarded Iceland Air and I must say, I've forever been spoiled. If you ever need to fly anywhere, try your hardest to get on an Iceland Air flight. The flight attendants were all so nice, we got pillows and blankets(pretty standard for an overnight flight), but the best part of all... great in seat entertainment. Complete with a selection of free movies, tv shows, and music all on your own little touch screen. To complete the perfection... a USB port to charge your phone. It's the small things I tell ya. I was set. I'm not one to sleep on planes so I knew it would be a long night, and it's a relatively short flight, only about five hours. I watched Interview with a Vampire where I strangely got the feeling it would be ok if Brad Pitt was my maker and then to lighten the mood, I watched The Incredibles. Disney makes everything better. We landed around 7am in a very dark and snowy Iceland. My first thought- confusing airport and once outside the snow was so strange! It didn't look real- reminded me of the little plastic balls in those inflatable lawn snow globes. We weren't able to check into the hotel for quite some time so we went out for a little walk about town. Directly across from the hotel was the ocean! And right on the other side of that, these amazingly beautiful mountains. This begins the long list of things I've seen that I just don't think I'll be able to describe with words, but I'll try my best. The way the clouds were rolling off these mountains made me think of everything I've seen about Mt. Everest. The sun was just coming up and hitting the mountains to set this amazing backdrop. I had to take a million pictures of course. We had a tour coming up soon so we took a short walk to a local store to grab some food because I don't think I could remember the last time I ate. I got a typical brand of Icelandic yogurt and well... you know that taste of powder in yogurt? No? Well imagine it with some berries thrown in. It wasn't my ideal breakfast, but I was about ready to eat my hands sooo it would have to do.
Onto the tour, we were heading out on a half day Golden Circle tour moving our way around the south-west region of Iceland stopping at sights along the way. Our first stop was Kerid, a large crater lake which is believed to be a collapsed volcano, but I'm pretty sure whatever made it killed the dinosaurs. Again, I have a hard time explaining what the view was. It was crazy! Just standing there in front of a huge iced over hole that had been there for thousands of years and it's right in front of your face! Also, be careful. If you plan on snap chatting and going to these places, I was almost added to the list of casualties along with the dinosaurs when I slipped on a rock. Oops. Our next location was to visit some Geysers! These steaming spouts of boiling water are quite the attraction. People everywhere! We made it through just in time to see the larger Geyser erupt a few times! Yes, it smelt horribly of sulphur, but it was so pretty! I've never seen a geyser, and this seemed like a great place to start! After that, that we headed over to Gullfoss, a waterfall considered to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland! Here's where I started to start to sing a little TLC and constantly annoy my friend, but it can't be helped. I didn't want to stick to the rivers and the lakes, you know what I mean? There is an upper viewing area and down a flight of a million stairs was a lower viewing area complete with deadly ice and all. I was smart this time though, no walking and snap chatting at the same time. Considering we had been up for almost 40 hours at this point, I was fading fast. Then I remembered... the stairs. Good lord, the stairs. I'm not sure of the sound that was coming out of me when I finally reached the top, but it sounded a bit like if a rhino ran a marathon, how attractive, I know. When I finally made it back to the bus to die in my seat we made our way over to Thingvellir National Park where we saw quite possibly the coolest thing of the day- continental drift! Geek alert! This is the part of Iceland that shows the evidence of the country literally drifting apart- the only way to drive from North America to Europe! Just the coolest thing ever- you can walk in the divide! Ok, geek moment over. This concluded the tour and we headed back to Reykjavik to get the hotel situated. At this point we were going on about 48 hours with no sleep. #zombie. We had learned earlier in the day there had been a leak and we were being moved to another hotel. We were moving from the Fosshotel Baron to the Best Western. Once settled, we were absolutely famished and didn't want to venture out find food so we did what we knew- ordered pizza. Dominos to be exact. Once getting through some communication gaps we finally got our pizza and it was amazing. Acting like we hadn't eaten in days, that pizza was gone. Lights out.
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| The view of the mountains from our first hotel. |
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| View from our first hotel. |
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| Kerid- yes I almost slipped and fell. |
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| Gullfoss |
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| Gullfoss |
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| Stairway of death. It doesn't look like much, but it's not fun. |
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| Tired Face. |
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| Geyser |
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| Yes, I get excited. |
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| Thingvellir National Park |
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| Thingvellir National Park |
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| Standing in the continental Drift! The tectonic plates are moving more apart each year. |
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| Dinz. |
Day Two:
Up before the sun, which isn't difficult since it rises after 9am. Today we were planning a morning around town and then a trip to the hot baths and to hopefully see the northern lights later that night. We made our way to downtown Reykjavik, a short walk, in search for some fun Icelandic goodies. Unaware of the apparent unspoken rule that nothing is to open before 10am we were wondering around a bit before doing any shopping. While waiting for the stores we stopped by Hallgrimskirkja, a Lutheran church that is also one of the largest structures in Iceland. We headed to the top to take in the view of the city from the heavens- we caught it at the perfect time as the sun had just risen and the lighting was amazing. From the top you had a 360 degree view of the city from the mountains to the tiny streets packed with houses. Coming back down to Earth, the shops were opened! I was on a mission to find an itchy Icelandic sweater, a magnet, and a mug(my usual vacation purchases). I found everything but the sweater... even though we saw tons of them, I couldn't find one that suited me. I had a few more days so I wasn't worried. Something else I was in hot pursuit of was this particular hot dog stand that I heard sells the best tasting hot dogs ever. We found it and I can now say with confidence... it was the best hot dog I've ever had. So much so that I had to have another one. Baejarins Beztu is the name and hot dogs are their game! These amazing things are made of lamb, pork, and beef, placed on a yummy bun with the most delicious fried onions you've ever had, a brown mustard sauce, ketchup that was more like a tomato sauce, and an aioli. To. Die. For. With happy full bellies it was time to make our way back to the hotel to take a breather and to get ready for that night's adventure! Packing my bathing suit in this cold climate seems odd, but I was about to have a hot bath in the ground! When we got to Laugarvatn Fontana I went right into the locker room to change up and get into hot water before I froze to death. First of all, I've never seen so many naked people in my life, I gladly went to a bathroom to change, no one needs to see that! Second of all, it was time to get my behind out there! First stop- the sauna. Two seconds in and we were dying. It was SO hot and smelt so badly of sulphur we couldn't even breathe. Had to get out. Had to get air. The second we got out we were obviously soaking wet... in the frozen air... in bathing sits. Scooting to the next pool was a must. Sitting in an actual naturally hot pool was the weirdest thing. The water was warm! Not boiling hot like I thought it would be, but very comfortable. Next we moved onto what was described as the warmest of the pools. It was a dark, rock bottomed pool that was absolute heaven. It was like hot bath water and was so relaxing. Made me want to curl up and take a nap. But you can't take naps in water... that's a no no. Our time was up in the baths so we ran through the cold, in to change, and out to eat a buffet that was set out for us displaying traditional Icelandic dishes aka lots of fishy things among other stuff that did not look appetizing at all to me. So I had a lovely dinner that consisted of brownies. Sigh. Finally it was time to try and find the northern lights! It had started to snow a bit and was quite cloudy, things weren't looking good. After driving around for a bit we found a break in the clouds and saw a little shine of green in the sky! Piling out of the bus and into the vast white frozen tundra we all stood looking straight up. There they were! Faint, but they were there! Trying desperately to get a good shot with my lame iPhone camera wasn't working in my favor as I looked longingly at the other people with their fancy cameras and their amazing pictures. I kept trying. I got a couple of ok pictures when all of a sudden it was like something in the air changed. I looked up and saw frozen air dancing in the sky and a sudden burst of light into bright greens and reds. It was the most amazing sight that a picture will never give justice to, no matter how great the camera. I did capture a couple images of the explosion. Again, not that great, but you get the idea. Will you get on that Apple for the next iPhone or something? I've only seen the lights one other time, but this time being in Iceland definitely took the cake! By the time we got back to the hotel and in bed it was almost 2am and we had an early day coming for another tour. Oye.
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| Hallgrimskirja |
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| Inside of Hallgrimskirja |
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| View from the top of Hallgrimskirja |
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| View from the top of Hallgrimskirja |
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| View from the top of Hallgrimskirja |
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| Steamy Sauna |
Day Three:
Today is the day! The day I'd been most excited for! The usual, up early to grab food and jet off to the next tour... GAME OF THRONES! They shoot parts of the series in Iceland and this tour was at the top of my to do list while in Iceland. Getting on the bus just got me more excited as our tour guide looked like quite a character. Turns out he was! Kind of. He was an extra in the scene where the Wildlings attack Olly's village. When he hopped on the bus he said "hello Wildlings" I knew this was going to be good! We were off on our way to see where scenes were filmed and also to see the vast landscape of Iceland. Our first stop was Skalafell. This was the filming location of the scene were Drogon rises from below the waterfall and roasts the farmers goats. Toasts ma goats. First step I take off the bus I almost ate it on the ice yet again. When will I learn?! After I composed myself I carefully took a jaunt a little farther to see the waterfall. Of course this scene was filmed in the summer so it looked much different than how we were seeing it. It was still amazing to be somewhere where they filmed. Piled back on the bus, ready to go, but the bus wasn't. We were stuck in the ice! As the driver kept backing up to gain a little momentum, failing each time, we kept going more and more down the hill. Now at this point we were all having a bit of a scare because we kept slipping farther and farther back... where the edge of the valley was. This was it, I thought. This is how I die. Finally we got through the ice and everyone cheered with joy! That was a close one. Next on our journey- Oxararfoss, the filming location of the Bloody Gate entrance to the Eyrie. This deep trench in the ground was used for scenes with Arya and the Hound as well as Littlefinger and Sansa. Before getting to the actual location of the waterfall, we were dropped off at this snowy tundra where we were then informed that we were going on a little hike. A hike?! Me?! Oh goodness here we go. Is there oxygen at the end? After walking toward the trench it didn't look like much from above but once you looked down into the long deep crevasse it was so easy to envision the scenes being filmed! I can just imagine Arya and the House rolling up to the gate(obviously CGI) and being like hey yo, where's Lysa? I saw people walking in the trench and thought to myself oh my, how on earth do you get down there and how on earth would you even get out? Then it dawned on me... I was going to find out first hand. This should be entertaining at least. Slipping and sliding our way down the very high icy rocks I finally made it down without killing myself. Other weren't so lucky, I saw some pretty nasty falls. Now we start the trek to the waterfall at the very end. Up and down the icy terrain slipping everywhere people were dropping like flies. I was seriously questioning my choice to not go to the gym more. Finally making it to the waterfall was the light at the end of the tunnel I'd been hoping for. It was mostly frozen over but it was so beautiful! Especially the way the sun was hitting it and the sight of the river that the falls flowed into- very cold water, no doubt. After taking in the sights we were half way to the road below where the bus was waiting. I could smell the sweet victory of making it without collapsing. Slipping and sliding down more rocks we finally made it to the bus! I've never been so happy to sit and get water! After stopping for lunch where I had yet another hotdog, we were off to the next location: Thjodveldisbaerinn. This was the filing location of the scene where Olly's village was attacked by the Wildlings and he flees to Castle Black to warn the Crows. This was also a location of a viking farm. We were told this would also be the coldest and windiest stop on the tour. And yes, this was true. I thought my fingers were going to fall off and my nose along with it. I got my pictures of the valley that little jerk ran through and ran back to the bus. The viking farm was up on a hill that I just didn't have the energy to climb so I'll insert the picture I took from the bottom of the hill. Fun little fact, our guide who was an extra in this scene told us that they had to keep taping it because when Olly was running away he couldn't stay on his feet- kept falling. Our last stop on the tour was a surprise to me- we were going to see some Icelandic horses! This was just the cherry on top of a great day- I've been seeing horses all along the roads while driving around the country and all I've wanted to do was see some and get to pet one! And I was going to be able to! When we got to Fakasel we watched a quick show about the horses and then we got to meet them along with their riders! These horses are so pretty and well mannered, reminded me of a cat. A big cat of course. We learned that these Icelandic horses were very regulated in the country- none were allowed in and if a horse left the country for any reason, it was not to be allowed back in. There is no equine disease in Iceland because of this and therefore no need to vaccinate the horses. The Icelandic horse is also the only horse breed in the country. After chilling with the horses for a few, we were back to the city! Once back in the room it was definitely dinner time so we did some looking around and found a restaurant not too far from our hotel. We were off! Potturinn Og Pannan is where we settled on and it was just so cute and smelt so delicious inside! I decided on a pasta dish with chicken, broccoli, and a garlic cream sauce and oh. My. God. It was heaven. My friend got a Tiger Shrimp dish that looked good, but did nothing for me. Apparently it was good because it was gone in two seconds. After practically licking my plate clean it was time for dessert! Once I saw a Creme Brûlée on the menu it was over. Yes please, I'll take five. It was heavenly. I'm sure it was a mix of being extremely tired and starving, but I don't think I've eaten anything so fast in my life. SO. GOOD. I rolled myself back to the hotel to shower and sleep.
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| Skalafell |
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| Our guide leading the hike. |
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| Oxararfoss. The trench. |
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| Thjodveldisbaerinn |
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| Viking lodge |
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| Lunch |
Today was the day we were leaving, but not until later in the afternoon so we took this morning to finish things up and to explore a bit more. We were going to make our way down to the Saga Museum to learn more about the vikings and to finish shopping. I still needed to find a sweater! At this point my body was hating me but I was going to push it a little further because I knew by the end of the day I'd be on a plane for a few hours on the way to my bed. While waiting for the Saga to open, we checked out a northern lights exhibit where we learned a bit more about what makes them happen and when and where they occur. When entering the Saga we were given earphones and a voice guide to help us through the exhibit. We learned about how the vikings came to be and lived their lives. Turns out they are quite a brood. Very violent and crazy- but it was a really interesting subject to learn about- highly recommend. Another very fun thing about this museum is that after the exhibit there was a little room with swords, shields, helmets, and traditional clothes that the vikings had! So obviously we played dress up for a bit before heading out. There was also a little movie you could watch, a cute gift shop, and a cafe! On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a couple of stores and grabbed some lunch... hot dogs. Seriously can't get enough of these things. I don't know the next time I'll skip over to Iceland so I figured I would grab it while I can! And unfortunately, no sweater was found- in the hundreds I've seen this trip I couldn't find one! I guess it did save me some major cash, but I still wanted one! Maybe some day. Once back at the hotel, we gathered our stuff and waited for the airport transfer. When we got to the airport we found the gate and waited to board. At this point I was quite excited for the flight home- I missed my bed, the kitten, and my body was just tired! The just over five hour flight let me watch a couple of movies- first was Everest. I cried like a flipping baby. Must have been the jet lag of course. Then to lighten the mood a bit I watched Rockstar and goodness. Mark Wahlberg? Dang. I did, however, see the guy in front of me watching Titanic. He bawled his eyes out. I'm guess he had some jet lag too : ) Also, a drink cart came by and hit my elbow. Ouch at first then I thought hey, maybe I'm Julia and Robbie Hart will come out and sing to me and we will live happily ever after! No such luck. Once we landed safely in Boston we went through customs that seemed to take forever. Ain't nobody got time for that. Found my brother in law for our ride home and it was off to Maine!
I walked in and the kitten welcomed me with open paws! I missed her so much! Two days later and she still hasn't left my side. Now I'm dreading going back to work and the real world- I think I may have forgotten how to do my job? I'm still pretty jet lagged so this should be interesting.
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| Reykjavik Harbor |
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| Pin board showing the visitors from all over the world. I put a yellow one in, can you find it? Me neither. |
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| Bae. |
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| Playing dress up with the heaviest helmets ever! |
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| I'm the king of the worldddddd. |
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| The drink cart... |
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| "You're back!" |
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| 330am with Biscuit watching Somewhere in Time bawling my eyes out. Jet lag moment again. |
All in all, this was a really amazing trip. People thought I was crazy going to Iceland in the winter, but it was so nice to go on a vacation where if I walked around a bit I wouldn't sweat to death. I'm from Maine people, my blood runs hot! I saw so many amazing breathtaking things that I'll never forget!
Just some tips if you're planning a trip to Iceland in the winter: Bring some good boots! You'll need them for getting around on the ice. Make sure they are comfortable too if you're going to be walking around. If you are hoping to see the northern lights, bring a decent camera. I'm kicking myself for not having one because the pictures would have been amazing. Do some research before you go for things you want to do and places you want to see. And have fun! This was seriously a trip of a lifetime! Also- fly Iceland Air- they are amazing. But if you're excited about getting those wings that they give out to kids like I was... they don't have them. Lame.
Time to plan my next trip, I feel like it might have something to do with Mickey... : D
-Meaghan
Loved reading your blog. I'm so glad you had fun and got back safely. Love Auntie Karen
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