Iceland

The first stop on our journey to Spain was Iceland where we spent 2 nights. It is a beautiful country. The weather was cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop us from exploring the land! On our first day, David and I visited the Blue Lagoon. This is a natural hot spring! Guests are able to enjoy time soaking in the hot spring, to visit the sauna or steam room, or to schedule a massage if desired. They also provide guests with a lovely face mask that felt amazing. This place was a great first stop for us because it is about 18 minutes from the airport and they provided us with free luggage storage. They also provided each guest with an arm band to use to get access into their lockers free of charge. The arm band was also used as money so you didn’t have to carry anything around. We spent the morning relaxing there and then headed into Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, about 40 minutes away. Once there, we walked around downtown where there were many cute shops, eating places, and even some graffiti art which we learned is allowed in Iceland.

                                               At the Iceland airport

                                               The Blue Lagoon

On day 2 of our stay, we rented a car to take around the island to see some of their famous sights. There are lots of tour buses that offer to take travelers to these destinations but I have to say that going around on our own was wonderful! We had the flexibility to stop when we wanted and to take the time to look around each place at our own pace. We first visited the National Park, which is located where the first governing body of Iceland met. It had a great view of the lake and some great videos full of information on Reykjavik. We then headed to the Geysir (Geyser).  It was really cool watching water spray up from the ground. We learned that there are several geyser’s located in the US as well. Lastly, we visited Gullfoss Waterfall. It was magnificent!!! It is so cool getting to see nature’s beauty in different places. I don’t know if the pictures do justice to what we saw.  Along the road in our travels we also stopped in several smaller towns and stopped on the side of the road to see some horses that were friendly and let us pet them. I think they were looking for food. We ended our trip in a small town eating some lobster soup and grilled lobster that was recommended to us by an American who lives there. It was delicious!

                                                                 The Geyser

                                                                  Gullfoss Waterfall

Iceland is a great place to visit and we would recommend going if you ever get the chance. It was clean and everyone was friendly. I felt safe and there are plenty of activities to keep you busy. The only thing we did not get to see that we were wanting to is the Northern Lights. Maybe next time.

 Fun facts:

·         The most popular spot to eat in Iceland is a hot dog stand. It is the stand where Bill Clinton ate on a visit to Iceland. He had a heart attack the next day.

·          The prime ministers phone number is in the phone book.

·         A delicacy there is cured shark meat.

·         Christianity and paganism were competing to be the national religion 1100 years ago and Christianity was chosen.

·         Iceland was settled by Nordic people during the 9^th century. Icelanders still speak the language of the Vikings, although there have been changes in pronunciation and vocabulary.

·         The total population of Iceland is around 300,000 people and around half live in Reykjavik and neighboring towns in the southwest.

·         Icelanders do not have a family name. So children have a given name. Because they don’t have a family name phone numbers are listed in the phone book alphabetically by first name.