Favorite trip you’ve ever taken.
This was hard, because I’ve been on some fantastic vacations, but I’ve gotta throw down with the Iceland trip. It’s something I had wanted to do for a very long time, and I was not only lucky enough to make it happen, but I experienced it with the love of my life. It was truly magical. We climbed mountains, walked on glaciers, and saw the Aurora Borealis.
More Iceland pics.
**these photos were all taken by Dave.
Today we hung out in downtown Reykjavik, which is a lovely place. It was rainy, but also warmer than it has been.
Highlights:
I had minke whale for lunch and it was so delicious. Very tender. A lot like steak, but richer.
We went to the Saga museum. Vikings were cool.
There was much shopping.
And also much drinking. Iceland makes some excellent beer.
Tomorrow morning we go to the Blue Lagoon and then we head to Boston. I’m so excited to meet up with talknboutluvdancnboutarktecture!!
I can’t believe it’s almost over.
Spending four days in the Icelandic wilderness will increase your appreciation for the little things. It really made me realize how much I take for granted.
Running water/showers (we got our drinking water from a stream. We boiled water when we needed it warm.)
Central heating. (It never got over about 45 degrees in the hut.)
Electricity/access to outlets
Indoor toilets/toilets that flush (YUCK!)
WiFi/Internet access (though the break was kind of nice actually.)
Properly hot food (lamb roasted for over an hour was still raw in the middle. I ate it anyway. I’ve eaten all kinds of stuff I never would have imagined. Hiking all day makes you very hungry.)
Beds, blankets, pillows. (Sleeping bags are uncomfortable. Too restrictive. Not warm enough.)
We ate and slept very well last night here in Reykjavik. It’s so nice to finally feel warm again.
Today we walked on a glacier. The ice was so blue. It was beautiful. Incredible really. These cell phone pics don’t do it justice. It was sort of scary walking up a giant sheet of ice with spikes on my feet, but also totally bad ass.
More importantly, we saw the northern lights last night (see first pic). It was absolutely stunning. FYI: when you cry outside in Iceland in January the tears freeze on your face.
It sounds cheesy I know, but this has been a life changing experience for me, and I feel very lucky to be on my dream vacation with the love of my life. That said, I must admit I am a bit homesick. I miss my sweet boy, my cat, my bed, and American culture. I really am an American girl at heart.
Two more days to go. I’m excited to see what adventures await.
We hiked to a cabin that has beer, cake, and WiFi. We are all crazy excited. Back to Reykjavik tomorrow evening.
This trip is so amazing. I don’t even know where to start. I don’t have much time before the hike resumes.
We are staying in a small two room cabin with our guide, Svavar, and three siblings from Amsterdam. No running water. We are in the middle of nowhere. The road to this place was marked impassable, but somehow we got here anyway. It was quite the adventure. We crossed many icy rivers in a jeep.
The hike yesterday was crazy hard. We were/are wearing snow shoes under our hiking boots. The snow is very deep. We are hiking/climbing a volcano. We climbed fairly high. It was so hard. It was so scary. There were times I didn’t think I could do it, but I did. The feeling after you get to the top and look around/down is almost indescribable. I felt a euphoria with which I was previously unfamiliar. I’m amazed and impressed with my body’s ability to take this abuse.
It’s beautiful here. I’m very happy.
We spent the day wandering around Reykjavik: food, drinks, shopping, and sightseeing. A ridiculous amount of walking. My legs hurt.
The time change is a bit of a mind fuck. We took a three hour nap, but otherwise we have been up since Tuesday morning. I’m feeling a bit zombie-ish.
Tomorrow we leave for our hiking trip. No Internet for 4 days!
In ten days, I will arrive in Iceland. I’m so excited that I cry when I think about it too much.
One month from now we will be on our way to Iceland!