ICELAND
Leslie and I visited South Iceland in January 2017 for our first overseas plane flight together!
We had originally planned on saving up for a trip to Iceland for once we decided to be done doing traveling physical therapy. Instead, we ended up going after completing our first contract...and it was a great decision! It helped finding non-stop flights for $99 from SFO to KEF. We were able to fly round-trip for $730 total for the two of us.
DAY 1 WED 01.18.2017
​
We flew out on Tuesday and with the time changes and such, we arrived at 04:00 Iceland time. We had set up our car rental through Route 1 Car Rental (after doing extensive research based on reviews). The car rental process was very smooth. The man was waiting for us at the airport and we had the keys within 30 minutes and were ready to explore. We had a pretty big day planned
Day 1 Map
Leif the Lucky Bridge
Gunnuhver
Blue Lagoon
Krysuvik
Reykjavik
Leif the Lucky Bridge is the bridge between the continents (North America & Europe). This was carefully mapped out as the first thing to see. Being Winter at about 05:00, it was pitch black and hard to see anything without our headlamps. As I pulled out my camera to attempt a night photo, the strangest thing happened. We could see the Northern Lights!!! Except we could only see them in the camera. That's when it really hit me regarding the camera being able to "see" more light than the naked eye.
Gunnuhver is a large geothermal mud pool but definitely not one you'd want to even think about dipping in. There is a boardwalk and places to walk around and see the steam. Again, we were there in the dark but could kind of see some stuff. Bring your flashlight if you go at night!
Blue Lagoon: When we told people we were going to Iceland, most people asked if we're going to the Blue Lagoon. Yes, we did! We had been to many hot springs but this one is probably the most fancy. We bought tickets for an arrival time of 09:00 (it was still dark out). We ended up arriving kind of early and instead of going inside right away, took a short nap in the car. We went in at about 08:30 and they had no problem letting us in early. The sun was just starting to rise as we went in.
​
In my research leading up to the trip, I had read a lot about how you have to shower first in front of people. It's no different than any other locker room. They have a male locker room and a female locker room. There are private showers even in the male locker room so you don't have to be naked in front of a room full of people watching you. There's just one guy (I'm sure it's a female in the women's room) making sure you shower before entering the pool. The pool was absolutely huge and even with crowds, there is plenty of space. The water is that awesome milky blue color (which I'm convinced comes from the face mask). The water felt nice and it was definitely worth the high price tag. If we go back to Iceland, I probably wouldn't do it again, only because it is pricey and I'd like to explore some of the other, natural hot springs they have but is definitely worth the trip if you haven't been. *Tip: Don't go into the pool area with clothes on. They yell at you (politely).
Krysuvik is another geothermal area. It was tough deciding to leave the Blue Lagoon, however, we made a stop here on our way up to Reykjavik. Here you will find steaming volcanic vents and boiling hot springs with all kinds of colors of land around them. It appeared to be a pretty unique place. There are some short trails around the area.
Reykjavik: Before heading out on the town, we checked in to our Airbnb in Reykjavik as early as we were allowed to and napped for about 3 hours. Then we were ready to party. Well, we didn't have a crazy night out unless you consider getting dinner, going to a coffee shop, and walking around main street as crazy. It was tough to pick a restaurant. We were looking for something good, affordable, and fun. We ended up choosing to go to Glo for dinner. I would absolutely recommend Glo. Not only are the prices extremely reasonable, the food was delicious. We both loved it. Afterward, we ended up getting a Chai at one of the coffee shops with a bookstore and Leslie said it was the best Chai she has ever had. Walking the streets was fun and we finished the night by taking a look at the famous Hallgrimskirkja church.
