Or.... The beautiful island that is Iceland?
Um, so... where to start?
So this one time I went on a vacation.... to Iceland
I wasn't sure what to really expect or any real idea what I was getting myself into (I wish I had done a little more research......) So the back story is... for the past 5 years (or longer?) Joey had been bitching at me to come visit England and hang out with him and stuff and I always had excuses like.. I'm sorry... I have to go to Nebraska or Texas... flash forward to February and I'm checking flights from the Cast Center at Disney I hang out in before I go drive the monorail and suddenly I see some flights within my price range (uh oh) and then things suddenly spiral out of control......
By the end of the day 10 flights had been booked between 4 countries and over nearly a months time.......
So Icelandair flies via a Spoke-Hub system meaning all of their flights fly in and out of Iceland (Keflavík) regardless of where you're going. So for me to fly to London from Boston meant laying over in Iceland. The way flights are setup mean if you'd like you can pretty much connect onward like any other airline (most layovers were just an hour or so) but Icelandair has this program where you can stay in Iceland up to 5 days without it counting as a multi-destination ticket so I couldn't pass up the chance to explore for a day or two before heading onward to England.
Ok... so I can't just go one place on a trip, I need to go everywhere. Iceland was actually the second stop of my five destination trip. Originally I had left Orlando and flew to Boston where I spent a few days with my family and visited Canobie and Six Flags, then I was off to Iceland for a few days, from there I went to England, from England to Denmark, then in one insanely long day I traveled from Copenhagen, Denmark to London, England to Reykjavík, Iceland back to Boston, Massachusetts and then had to walk home to Melrose from the subway where I spent the night in my families house before heading back to the airport the next morning to fly to Washington DC (where my family was now on vacation themselves) to find my dad waiting for me at the airport to then drive him down to Williamsburg, Virginia so we could go to Busch Gardens.... back up to Kings Dominion, then a day roaming around DC and a flight back to Orlando by way of an Atlanta, Georgia layover... OK, get it? good.. lets continue with Iceland for now.
When I flew home to Boston I had taken my new big-ass High Sierra backpack that had only been used once before for an overnight trip (about to put it to the test for sure!) and a roll-on suitcase, because one of my flights only allowed a single carry-on (and I refuse to check bags.........) I planned on leaving everything I didn't need for my Euro-Leg in the suitcase at my parents house and continue on with just the backpack, on purpose this time!
Sweet, my awesome Orange High Sierra Cirque backpack
(yes, that's an Orange Monorail Pin on it, don't hate)
Yup, that's it... Everything I was gonna need over the next 12 days needed to fit in that
HOLY CRAP!
It might not seem it in this photo... But I was beyond excited for this.. Like, more so than I had been in a few years. After my mom made a grilled cheese sandwich and I pet my cat goodbye I was off to the airport for what was truly a trip of a lifetime, the flight was extremely nice. As I got on the plane I was handed a bottle of Icelandic Glacier water and the nicest airplane blanket I've ever had (so good I kept it) the flight itself was uneventful and I watched Gravity via the inflight system. It was kinda neat watching a movie about being stuck in space while on a plane, almost felt like I was on a motion-simulator at a park or something, only I was on a plane flying at some 500 miles per hour high above the Atlantic Ocean. Coming into Iceland was a bit surreal... upon approach we had heavy cloud-cover that cleared just as the coastline came into view with the airport in the distance it was just before midnight when the plane landed and yet it was still sunny. (guess I should have researched this as well!) I didn't realize Iceland was so far north they have the occurrence where for nearly half the year the sun never sets (or rises in the winter) it may have been 12AM local time but it would only have been 8 back in Boston and I wasn't sleepy, far to excited to start exploring... So off I went!
Keflavík International Airport!
Ah, midnight in Iceland.... When I got off the plane the sun was still visible but the cloud cover moved back in and it started to sprinkle off and on.
Look at me! I'm in Iceland!
(blerggin spluringin)
Hellllll yeah! FIRST stamp in my new passport
(although I'd used it for my Cruise in January it remained unstamped)
After being picked up from the airport by the company I had rented my car with (it was pretty odd seeing someone holding a sign with my name on it...) I was off for real!
Renting a car in advance was pretty much the only researching I had done before pretty much just showing up in Iceland. Before leaving the lot they made me watch a safety video and go over different driving rules (oh, did I mention I had VOLCANO insurance on the car!)
Woo, ICELAND!!!
Uh, the third country I've driven myself in and first in Europe?
I was also pretty surprised by the extreme lack of trees anywhere although shrubs and flowers were plentiful.
Keflavík is about 40 miles South-West of Reykjavík, the largest city and capital of Iceland and since it was midnight and I had no real place to be, I just kinda drove and took it all in.
Mmhmm, mmhm... Um.. yup.
My awesome rental and myself still being amused that (a) its not dark out and (b) I was in Iceland for some reason.
Uh, the South-Western Icelandic coastline / the Atlantic Ocean at 1:15am
The drive from Keflavík to Reykjavík is pretty uneventful but pretty looking, even in the cloudiness and rain. Keflavík/Reykjanesbær itself is the fifth largest city in the country but the airport is slightly removed from it, so the drive north follows the coastline and is pretty void of anything but flowers and volcanic rock.
after driving about 30 miles or so you come into Hafnarfjörður, the third largest city in the country.
I'm not sure what Bónus was, assumed it was a grocery store... but I found their logo highly enjoyably.
Also in Hafnarfjörður were all of America's finest eating establishments.
Yup... KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut! You can find them all here... also this place called "American Style Dinner"
(I was kinda curious what was on the menu there.)
Continuing on I drove to Kópavogur, the second largest city in the country and finally arrived in Reykjavík. (woooo)
In passing I ended up at the National Museum of Iceland. Oh, but I guess they weren't open at 2am.
Guess I'll have to come back later.
Ah, 3am... the perfect time to visit the beach!
This is from the Sculpture & Shore Walk path. Oddly enough there were other people out and about
Driving a little more I found myself at Grasagarður Reykjavíkur.. or, the Reykjavik Botanical Garden.
Where I saw my very first Icelandic Duck, make that... Önd!
Once things started opening for the day I returned to the gardens to fully experience it
I then headed over to Öskjuhlíð, a large hill park with nature trails and such. There's also a large building called Perlan (The Pearl) that features an observation deck, although it was locked shut while I was there. :(
Öskjuhlíð (and Grasagarður) were the only places where I noticed large amounts of trees, although they weren't very big it was still beautiful. (and because everything was covered with flowers it kinda smelled like a candle shop..... everywhere!)
Enjoying my walk and smelling the flowers at 3.30am
(who sleeps anyways?)
So um.. geyser = death
Sadly I didn't get to see it erupt
(next time)
Reykjavík! (the old part)
Neat little art installation called Hitavaettur.
Power for the light is generated by the difference in temperature between the geothermal hotspot and the air around it.
The Coat of Arms says clean up after your dog.
After leaving the hilltop I head west to the westward most part of the city.
Ending up here at Smábátahöfn Seltjarnarness
(Now 4:30am)
Mmhm, mmhm.. yes
(????)
Hmm... now this could be promising... lets take a look.
Oh man! Baby ducks swimming in the ocean!
Driving back to into the city I stopped again at the Sculpture & Shore Walk
Sólfar, or... The Sun Voyager
While I enjoy my photo of it... Its noting compared to the photos other people have taken.
Haha, yeesss! geothermal pool with its own waterslide!
(and an enclosed stairwell so you don't freeze in the winter!)
Laugardalslaug, I didn't go in but would like to someday
I headed back to Grasagarður Reykjavíkur since the rain had again stopped and the sun was trying to come back out
There were dozens of geese hanging around the small pond and all of them had goslings and were super aggressive (MEAN!)
LOOK GEESE! Its now 7am and I've not slept since I don't even know when, I don't have time for your bad attitudes.
And to make things worse, I couldn't even feed the ducks!... Uh, I mean... Önd.
The Botanical Garden was really pretty, although on the smaller side
Flowers, and stuff.
remains of an old geothermal bath house. You can see steam rising in the background.
And while I didn't get to see the geyser erupt or to visit a volcano... This was still pretty neat to me.
Steam rising out of a vent in the ground in the middle of the city. <3
A cat!!
After walking around the park for a while it started raining again so I headed back to my car and drove back over to the National Museum of Iceland where I was still a bit early for opening so I tried to take a short nap while I waited.
SPOONS!
And like, tapestries.
And the only polar bear I saw the entire trip.
Hahaha, and yes, even Björk!
Also, what the hell is this?!
#3
And... there is is.
(ouch)
Ok trusty GPS... get me to Fjölskyldugarðurinn!
((remember that time in this post I asked I wonder how to say it?))
Its the only known "amusement park" in Iceland and while I wasn't expecting to find a coaster there, part of me was hoping, I mean.. its not like anyone has checked!
(now its around noon)
There was a Moser Spring, closed.
Uh, the tallest drop tower in Iceland!!!!!
There was also a Rockin'Tug that was actually open.
A carousel.
And a street-going train.
Sponsored by Cocoa Puffs!
This tower was the centerpiece of the park. It seemed like a good idea to climb it in the rain
(did I mention I slipped and fell on my ass coming back down, no?)
Umm, segways?
Little "driving school" type.. thing.
And those waterball things all the fairs in Florida seem to have now.
Along with the park is "Húsdýragarðurinn" the only hit for "zoo" I had found back in May when I was looking up things.. It ended up that "Húsdýragarðurinn" is Icelandic for petting zoo more or less and that "dýragarður" is a zoo (proper) but as it turns out, this is still the closest thing to a zoo in Reykjavík (likely, the whole country) so I still enjoyed myself.
With a Moo Moo here and a Moo Moo there.
Mama seal and her pup!
A younger reindeer (aww)
LOTS OF BABY DUCKS!!!!!
And of course, adults too. :D
This bunny... is doing bunny like things.
and lastly....
A bench full of chickens.... and a rooster.
Um...
UMM............
:)
Anyways... and back to my car for more random driving across the city.
One last shot of a more modern area of the city before I started driving south again to Reykjanesbær with a stop in Vogar on the way. Driving south was absolutely stunning and by far the best part of the trip.
Around 1pm the sun finally came out and stayed out
Um, the Atlantic and volcanic rock covered in moss and grasses
I took the lesser traveled road on my return south and was not disappointed
And by lesser traveled.. I meant.. gravel with sharp curves and sometimes drop offs into the ocean with no guardrails.
But damn, the views!
More water slides I ended up passing
Ah, the gas station that locked up my credit-card for the remainder of my trip.
Oh hey, and a Domino's Pizza!
My Icelandic candy bar of choice.. but to be fair, it was the only one I tried.
EWWW!!! MELROSE!
I wasn't up to trying Kókómjólk
but it does have its on page on Wikipedia.
but it does have its on page on Wikipedia.
Kinda funny seeing an add featuring a Ferris Wheel in a country that lacks any itself.
I wonder what it says...
After driving around a little more I headed back to drop my car off and get the shuttle back to the airport.
This neat "broken glass rainbow" thing was in the car park for the airport, I had lots of time to enjoy it because of the events occurring inside the airport itself.
As luck, uh, fate would have it.... Icelandair ended up having a 24 hour Mechanics Strike during my visit. I happened to book a flight to Iceland the day before the strike and my flight out of Iceland, the day after. Had I booked the same flights but for the next day, both the flight I had taken over and the flight I would have been on had I continued on London were canceled.
What a difference 24 hours makes.
More on the strike can be read here
It was kinda surreal being in an airport that was full of people yet also abandoned. Once the few WOW flights left, all that was listed on the flight boards were dozens of canceled flights and no staff to be seen just hundreds of people waiting in limbo to get to their destinations. My flight to London would in-turn be just the third flight to depart after the strike ended but it was pretty nerve-racking/upsetting seeing flights set to depart no more than 15 minutes before your own listed as canceled and not knowing for sure if your own flight would be leaving.
Aww, poor Nutella, you're not OK :(
(but I still love you)
So yeah, that's about it. Spent some 36 hours in Iceland and honestly cant wait to return and see the country properly. You know, do the Golden Circle and also visit the Þingvellir (where the Eurasian and North American Plates meet) By far one of the coolest places I've ever been and I barely got to see it... and if I return in the winter I can cross something off my bucket list, seeing the Aurora Borealis.
Bonus photos via twitter!
Fjölskyldu- og Húsdýragarðurinn - photo
Icelandic coastline - photo
And my plane to London! - photo
Fjölskyldu- og Húsdýragarðurinn - photo
Icelandic coastline - photo
And my plane to London! - photo
(yup... had to walk outside and climb the stairs! My flight in had a Jetway ramp and such...)
