Land of Fire and Ice

On Sunday I got back from the trip I had been waiting for- Iceland. Grandma took Ben, Noah and myself to Iceland for over a week to celebrate her 88th birthday. We had the best time and I was so excited to be able to celebrate that way with her. Grandma was so excited to be there and the trip was fantastic.

Friday: As soon as we landed and retrieved our luggage, we made our way to the Blue Lagoon. It was pouring (as it did the majority of the vacation) but it was still beautiful. The water was so nice and made your skin feel silky smooth. Grandma got a massage and the boys and I put some algae masks on and just roamed around the lagoon for a while. After lunch, we went to the hotel and just relaxed until dinner. 

Blue Lagoon

Saturday: The first full day in Iceland was spent Whale Watching-not my favorite day, but Grandma really enjoyed it. We saw two whales and lots of puffins, the boat and I just did not get along very well. Noah, Ben and I got to know the city of Reykjavik very well. The stores all closed by 6pm, so we spent a lot of time walking around and hanging out- we got to spend a lot of time together, more time than we have spent together in a very long time. 

The harbor downtown

Sunday: The Icelandic Adventure was in full swing with a Super Jeep Tour. We started off by going to see a waterfall, (don't remember the name, there were a lot of them.) Then we drove onto a glacier and were able to walk onto it. That was really cool but absolutely freezing. On our way back to the city, we stopped at the Geysirs and then Iceland's National Park. The National Park was gorgeous and the sun had finally come out. 

Sweet ride, Grandma

Monday: The vacation continued to get better. We all needed a relatively relaxing day, so Grandma had planned a food tour of Reykjavik. We stopped at six different places around town and were able to try to local cuisine and see more of the town that we hadn't had a chance to see yet. Some of the foods we tried were: fish soup, rye bread ice cream, lamb soup, hot dogs, skyr, and chocolate mousse. And lots and lots of bread with butter and salt. Every restaurant served butter with their own specialty salts. 

mmmmm

Tuesday: Everyone needed a day of relaxing and recouping, so we decided to go see some of the museums. I had very high hopes, as Iceland is a relatively young country but still full of history. We started off at the National Art Museum, which Grandma loved, and we all thought was not so impressive. I was expecting awesome artwork or sculptures- not videos and digital multimedia. It was definitely an experience but not at all what I was expecting. We also went to see the Settlement Exhibit which was interesting. It had an excavated Viking home and showed how the original Icelandic people lived.

Sculpture on the harbour

Wednesday: Another day of rain but not just rain, pouring rain. Thankfully we were on a bus for the majority of the day, until we got off the bus to sightsee haha. Our first stop of the day was Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted a few years ago and messed up all the air traffic. Fun Fact: they are waiting for it to erupt again, thankfully that didn't happen while we were there. Our next stop was the Black Sand Beach, where everyone got completely drenched. It was very cool, and everything we did that day was things I had wanted to see. It would have just been nicer if I could have enjoyed it a little more and not been soaking. Even so, it was an experience I won't forget. Before lunch, we stopped at a museum, which was a nice little stop, but like I mentioned, the museums were not what I was expecting. On our way back to town, we stopped at two waterfalls, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. The second one was my favorite, as we were able to walk behind it, which I had been waiting to do forever. I think waterfalls are the coolest thing and was super excited see them. Plus, they made for some awesome photos. 

In front of Skogafoss

Behind Seljalandsfoss

Thursday: It wouldn't be a complete trip without some equine adventures thrown in and Grandma knew that. She spent the day with Noah in town, while Ben and I went horseback riding in the Icelandic lave fields. Two hours in the saddle, and I thought I would be sore, but it was so much fun. Those Icelandic ponies have the most comfortable gait as I have ever felt. Their 'tolt' is the most comfortable sitting trot in the world. 

Friday: The boys went snorkling, so I got to spend the day with Grandma. The perfect way to wind down the vacation. We spent the day walking around town, shopping and having lunch. I haven't been able to spend as much time with her since I moved to Florida, so it was nice to go on vacation and have that time and experience with her. To end the vacation, we went to one of the best restaurants  in Reykjavik, Apotek, where we told them it was Grandma's birthday. She was super surprised and it was a good note to end on. 

Saturday: After a fun vacation, it was time to head home. Iceland did not want me to leave the country (passport issues) but I did and got home safe and sound. 

After a day at home, seeing Pudge of course, I had another plane ride home, (getting stuck in Charlotte for five hours) but I finally got back home to FL. It was the vacation of a lifetime and I was so excited about it. I would tell anyone to go and have lots of pictures to show for it. Check them all out at my facebook page. 

Lots more coming up in the next weeks, with a move to Delray. Stay tuned :)