Wikipedia describes Reykjavik, Iceland well but here is a brief run down of how things went, and will come from a non world travelers view point:
The flight there:
Long story short, we had a delayed flight, a cancelled flight and LONG lay over at JFK. We made the best of it, enjoyed people watching and exploring JFK, and I tried really hard to not look like a total redneck while snapping pictures in first class seats on the airplane. I've never flown first class before and its so worth the extra money (we flew economy from Charleston to JFK). We arrived a day and half later than planned but got there safe and sound.
We spent the first day in a fog. Our hotel was located literally right on the edge of the harbor and I quickly fell in love with the swanky little place:
We managed to find an American Bar and ate our first real meal there. It was great to just sit, relax and eat something substantial while sipping on adult beverages....
**A note to those wanting to know about the food in Iceland-- there are very few places to get American food but they do exist. There was even a Ruby Tuesdays not far from downtown. If you are like me and do NOT like sea food, then there are very few selections. Iceland is known for their freshest of fresh seafood. If you love seafood you will love the food in Iceland. Terry was way more adventurous when it came to the food there.I survived the week on Skyr.is protein yogurt, which tastes incredible!!
But we were still able to find places that served steak and potatoes and the all American drink.
Whale and Puffin were offered at many of the places to eat as well. There were several bistros, cafes,bars and small, quaint places to just sit in to get away from the wind and cold when it arose. The summers in Iceland are relatively warm with highs in the 50s and lows in the 40-30s. Yes, I did feel like I was freezing the entire trip,lol!We spent a lot of time walking downtown over the course of the trip and we soaked up the sights, smells and sounds Reykjavik
 |
| This street reminded me of Rainbow Row in Charleston. |
 |
| Beautiful building artwork scattered throughout the town |
 |
| Huge water slide that was about 7-10 blocks long! the water was warm water as this day was only about 40 degrees out |
 |
| One of my favorite pictures of one of Reykjavik's landmarks |
Aside from exploring downtown streets and visiting almost every little shop there,we didn't do very much tourist like things that we had planned such as the Golden Circle, Volcano exploring, and snorkeling BUT we did manage to see the Blue lagoon and went on a 13 hour tour of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Both were a few of the highlights!
First, the Blue Lagoon:
The Blue Lagoon is an outdoor geothermal pool, similar to a spa retreat and the water is naturally warmed by geothermal energy.
Since we missed our planned tour of this lagoon, we were able to rearrange some things and we drove there ourselves (***note-if you rent a car while in Iceland, pay the extra $130 for GPS!!! Roads are not clearly named, and there are few written signs. There are also tons of roundabouts, speed bumps and signs in the form of symbols are everywhere. Its helpful to study up on what they mean. Also, drivers side is still on the left so USAs rules of the road apply here**)
We had pre-booked our visit and when we arrived, the place was at capacity and those who did not have a reservation were sent away. I was at first thinking, man I hate crowded pools! This is going to be horrible! Add in the fact that I don't like large crowds in general and yeah I didn't have my expectations high at all.
After you check in, if you've upgraded packages (we did)they give you a robe, a towel and flip-flops in addition to the first drink at the bar for free (The bar is located literally in the lagoon). If you upgrade even more(which I would have done if not so expensive!) you get access to a private lounge, an in lagoon massage, dinner reservations at the upscale restaurant on site in addition to take home seaweed and mud masks packages.
After Check in you are given a magnetized bracelet that serves as your key to the locker rooms and acts as a credit card for buying things within the lagoon. We then went to the change rooms.
Change room experience.
Those in Europe would have no issues at all with this. But for a modest southern gal like me, it was a mortifying idea. There were no private areas to change into a swim suit and before you changed you had to shower first then get your swim suit on. (Nudity is not allowed in the lagoon btw) I walked into a room full of naked women and there were several staff there making sure rules were followed. All those years of running crosscountry and track and having to change clothes on a bus without getting naked was my life saver here. I put the bathrobe on, undressed under the robe, showed my suit to the staff before jumping in the shower-I kept the robe on while getting in the shower-thank goodness they were private stalls but separated by very thin plastic-I draped the robe and my swim suit over the top, briefly showered and then put my suit on, put the towel on and made my way out of the locker room maze. Staff was at every corner and they directed me where to go.
Blue Lagoon Experience- I was amazed the moment I stepped foot out of the change room. I was greeted by terry and we made our way to a breath taking view of the lagoon
This is well worth the money and next time I think we will upgrade even more.
**side note-there are not many big people in Iceland. The locals, or at least those who were staff employees at every location we visited, were all blonde haired and blued eyed, both males and females.Terry stuck out like a sore thumb and some fellow Americans also visiting Iceland asked him if he were a local Viking. I guess a bald head, long beard and full arm/back/chest tattoos made him look like the stereotypical Viking- ie a bad ass! lol! But as soon as Terry speaks, his deep southern drawl makes it apparent he was born on the farms of TN*)
Snæfellsnes peninsula
This was a very long bus tour but was well worth it for the views alone. We also had a great tour guide who enchanted us all with his vivid story telling skills. He was an older man who I am convinced is the most interesting man in the world. He had wonderful true life stories to tell that were simply mesmerizing. He reminded me very much of my father. We got a lot of information so Ill try to make this brief-These are the places we visited:
The Snæfellsjökull subglacial volcano.Snæfellsjökull is a magnificent, cone-shaped volcano adorned with ice throughout the year. Its beauty has inspired writers and artists for centuries, most notably Jules Verne; his novel ‘A Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ is set here:
Next we visited the charming farm of Ytri-Tunga to see the seals on the beach. The winds were very strong here and I remember thinking man I am going to freeze if the weather changes!
Next stop was the charming villages of Arnarstapi and Hellnar, which are said to be steeped in magic and folklore. They are located in a lovely coastal area, which is dotted with beautiful rock formations and dramatic cliffs. This was my favorite place to visit. This was also the placed we stopped for lunch. Maybe it was because I was hungry, cold and very tired but I swear this was THE BEST soup and cake I have ever eaten in my life. I also enjoyed the quaint café style and complete lack of Wi-Fi.
 |
| our tour guide is in the background wearing the hat |
 |
| The best Lamb stew ever! |
After lunch we headed to the gorgeous black beach, Djúpalónssandur. We had quite the hike here down the mountains to get to the beach. I couldn't help but think how much fun it would be to have my running shoes so I could run through the trails! the interesting points about this area were the fishermen's stones: four large, smooth stones. They are ‘lifting stones’, once used to measure the strength of fishermen who worked and lived along the coasts here. If you couldn't lift the first stone you were sent home back to mother, if you could lift the 2nd and 3rd stones, you were hired as a fisherman and if you could lift the 4th and heaviest stone, you were promoted to rower and received higher wages and first pick of the collective catch. Terry had to show off his strong man skills and while most of the men tried for the second stone(54kg), Terry scooped it up single handed and then was able to lift the heaviest stone (154kg).
 |
| Can you see the witch face in the rock formation? |
Final stop was at the most photographed mountain in all of Iceland. Kirkjufell rises alone from a sea of green hills and wildflowers, surrounded by trickling rivers and little waterfalls:
We made a few other stops on our way back to Reykjavik, mainly gas stations where we could use the restrooms and buy a snack. We also passed through a couple small towns and got a glimpse of what real Icelandic living is all about. Basically the towns outside of Reykjavik are fishing/farm town where they harvest the sea like they would the land and raise sheep and cattle for food sources. It is a very poor country and in 2008 there was a financial collapse. Tourism is getting the economy back on its feet but I hope and pray that tourism doesn't take away from the natural beauty and charm of this area!
We got back to the hotel about 7pm and were ready to eat a solid meal. We ran out of time to visit the Viking museum and a few other places.... The next morning we packed our bags and got ready for the trip home.
The trip back was much easier as there were no cancelled flights!(but we got delayed at JFK)
I actually tried the 3 course meal in first class and it wasn't as good as it looked:
Now about the main reason we went to Iceland! My husbands highland games! Of course I couldn't stay in Iceland without doing a race, you can read my recap of that HERE but here is a brief rundown about the Highland games:
Friday night was check in, where competitors got the rundown of the events and what to expect. We got to meet and greet over 100 athletes from around the world. Looking around the room, my husband was one of the smallest, if not the smallest guy there. (For reference, Terry is 6ft tall and 320+lbs so he is not a small framed man by any means!)After check in we made a bee line to the hotel so I could get ready for my race
Bottom line, we had a great trip being completely submersed in our elements. we spent 3 full days doing athletics and had 3 days to sight see and explore, which is not nearly enough time to soak up everything Icelnad has to offer. We are hoping to go back one day soon! Here are a few tidbits of information I have to those looking to see Iceland for the first time:
***MONEY**
Everything in very expensive here! (A gallon of gas is about $7!) Food is expensive as well, even at discounts stores. Bring a credit or debit card for your transactions and don't worry about converting American dollars to Icelandic currency so you can have Icelandic cash on hand. Reykjavík is equipped to handle the currency transaction via debit/credit cards.
**Getting around town***
You don't have to rent a car as there are many buses and taxis available to transport you to where you need to go. Secondary language is English so there isn't much of a language barrier. A majority of the city knows English and all employees at local vendors know several different languages including German and French. HOWEVER if you choose to rent (which we did both rented and used taxi/bus shuttle) I strongly suggest renting the GPS device. This was our life savor when he drove to the Blue Lagoon, the race venue and the Highland Games venue. If you are just staying in down town, then you really don't need a car. Most things are within walking distances from centrally located hotels.
**Places to see*** Aside from the general tourist stuff, Talk to the locals about hidden Gems located just outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. There are several places such as natural geothermal pools that are tucked away, hidden from the tourists attractions. In addition there are many hiking and biking paths that offer great views. The Snæfellsnes peninsula isn't a very popular tour just because of the length but it did offer glimpses into the "real" Iceland and how locals outside of the main town live. Did you know that the Lava Rock is the main export? They use it to make kitty litter! Also, there were many fishing stations right by the waters edge. I thought they were towns but the stations are only used during peak fishing season (January-April). Fishermen will make the long journey to the stations and live there during the season and then return home.
**General observations**
This is the cleanest and greenest place on earth. By green I mean the energy is renewable. Geothermal and wind energy are harnessed and utilized in the best way possible. Recycle bins are at every single corner and energy is conserved whenever possible. Even in our hotel room, we couldn't use the lights unless we inserted our room key into side panel.
There are a lot of health enthusiast in this area. Biking and Hiking are the main modes of transportation. There are several cars as well but the locals usually commute by foot or bike.
*Bring layers of clothes. the weather changes quickly here!!!
If you are still reading along this very long report, bless your heart! I do hope you enjoyed the recap from a non travelers perspective!!!
