If you are my friend on Facebook or any other social media, you will know that I have just been to ICELAND! I am extremely fortunate to have been able to go on a three day adventure to Iceland with my host family this past weekend. We had a fantastic time, and I am so thankful that they made it possible for me to experience yet another incredible island country in the North Atlantic.
We left for the airport at about seven in the morning on Friday to get on our flight to Reykjavík. As some of you may know, I am not the best flyer in the world. I was glad to have a short and smooth flight/landing into Reykjavík! The scenery from the plane as we flew in was astounding. Snowy mountains (volcanos) everywhere.
Once we landed, we rented a little red Suzuki and drove to our hotel - which was located right in the center of Reykjavík. As we were driving around, I was surprised to see many familiar American logos. After Iceland gained independence from Denmark, I think they decided to incorporate many things American into their lifestyle, including the following - TGI Friday's, Ruby Tuesday, one Taco Bell, one KFC, many Subway's, Dominos, and a Pizza Hut. After we saw the first Subway, I made it a point to visit one before we left. To my surprise, I also found Malt o' Meal cereal and Arizona Iced Tea in Iceland. I ended up coming back with a bag of Berry Colossal Crunch, a bag of Frosted Flakes, and many of my favorite teas. I also looked high and low for root beer, something I haven't had since I left, but I was disappointed to find none - hint, Mom and Dad, can you send liquid in the mail?
I was glad to see this again.
...And this. Northfield represent!
We arrived to the hotel around 11am, and spent the afternoon walking up and down the main "shopping street" of Reykjavík. There were many souvenir shops, some cute restaurants, and some interesting art (graffiti) on the buildings. The town was alive, and the weather was fantastic (colder than the Faroe's, but no wind or rain). We walked around for about an hour and then ate some lunch in the "oldest cafe in Iceland". I got chicken wings.
In case you are ever in Reykjavík, Iceland and forget how to tie your tie, this is where you should go.
What happens when you live at 66º north.
The oldest cafe in Iceland.
Reykjavík.
After our exploration around the city, we went back to the hotel to get ready to go visit Blue Lagoon. I had heard of Blue Lagoon before via Pinterest, but it wasn't until we got there that I realized this is what we were going to. I was thrilled. According to National Geographic, the Blue Lagoon is one of the "25 Natural Wonders of the World". It's a naturally warm pool of water filled with minerals which give it it's blue color. It was extremely rejuvenating to be in, not to mention the incredible mountain (volcano) scenery surrounding. It was a very different and relaxing experience, and a must try if you ever find yourself in Iceland.
The Blue Lagoon.
After a relaxing ride back to the hotel, we went to a Steakhouse in Reykjavík that my host dad had been to previously, and strongly recommended. I can say that one of the best steaks I've had was in Iceland.
We spent the next day shopping at a mall called Smáralind. If I were to compare its size to a Minnesota mall, it would be about half the size of the Burnsville center. But, it was still nice to be in a somewhat large shopping mall again. Because we get tax-free on almost everything in Iceland, we bought many things and spent most of the afternoon in Smáralind. And we got lunch at Subway! But, this is the best part... As we were walking around Smáralind, I found a store called Hagkaup. This store strongly resembles the American "Target". Since there is nothing like Target in the Faroe's, I was a kid in a candy store inside of Hagkaup. My host sister can verify that I was grinning and squeaking like a mouse with excitement. It was just like Target! I ended up buying a sweater and some Arizona Iced Tea's from that store. On our way out from Smáralind, we got Icelandic ice cream! It's the exact same as regular ice cream, but better than the Danish brands and they had the flavor espresso (my favorite) so it was a good day.
In the evening on Saturday, we went to see a movie in the most comfortable movie theater I have ever been in. The theater has giant arm chairs, in which you can recline and flip up a foot rest. It was great. We saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which I had already seen, but was more than happy to see it again. A lot of the movie takes place in Iceland, so it was strange to walk outside afterwards and actually be in Iceland. I am very proud to be able to correctly pronounce the name of the volcano mentioned in the film, Eyjafjallajökull, because the Icelandic pronunciation is very similar to Faroese. I bought a magnet that says "Eyjafjallajökull" on it and I'm thinking of it as a "congratulations on your good Icelandic volcano pronunciation" certificate.
My host mom, host sister and I in the movie theater.
On Sunday, we did the "Golden Circle Tour". We got on a bus around 9am with many other tourists, and throughout the day we traveled to Geysir, Gullfoss, and Pingvellir. There were many different cultures aboard our bus, speaking many different languages. Our tour guide was one of the funniest guides I have ever had. He was very informative, as well as inspirational. As we arrived at Geysir, he said in his strong Icelandic accent, "You have one and a half hours all to yourself. One and a half hours of freedom. Freedom to do whatever you want. One and a half hours. It's good for you. One and a half hours to go where you feel is right. One and a half hours of freedom." This was repeated many times. The Geysirs were astounding to see. One was very active and would spout every five minutes. The best way to describe it (excuse my crudeness) would be to say it's as if a giant troll was sitting upside down under the surface and let out a fart into a tub of water precisely every five minutes.
One of the great things about Iceland is that all of their hot water is free. The downside is that they are living on a volcano. There is so much hot steam underneath Iceland that they use it constantly to heat the water, and it never runs out. The land is constantly changing and moving. It really is a landscape unlike any other. The ground in some places looks like rock that has been punched from beneath by the Hulk. In other places, new and old volcanic rocks intertwine in a combination down the sides of mountains. Needless to say, the bus ride wasn't boring.
Our next stop was the Gullfoss waterfall. It was extremely windy and cold there, so we didn't look at the falls for very long, but wow. It was incredible.
After Gullfoss was Pingvellir National Park. I have never seen a landscape so vast and magnificent. The snowy mountains (volcanos) were surrounding everywhere you looked. The Icelandic landscape really put me in perspective. It was huge. Even when you looked up at the sky, it seemed so flat and vast. The feeling of being in one of the most northern points of the world was something quite unique.
I caught one Geysir just as it came up.
Gullfoss.
Sanna (host sister), me, Katrin (host mom), and Eydun (host dad) embracing the wind at Gullfoss.
Pingvellir National Park.
Pingvellir National Park.
In awe at Pingvellir National Park.
We ended the day at a rotating restaurant called Perlan. It is situated in the center of Reykjavík, so as you are eating you get to see all of the city. It was a very fine restaurant, and we made it all the way around the circle in the time we were there. The view of the Reykjavík was incredible. It's a city I would love to visit again some day.
The Perlan "dome" from the inside.
After dinner, we took a drive out of Reykjavík to see if we could catch a glimpse of the northern lights. The night was perfectly clear, but unfortunately the lights weren't appearing. However, it was just as beautiful to gaze at the northern night sky. A picture wouldn't do it justice. The stars were so dense that it felt like we were under a giant dome, similar to Perlan. It was the most undistracted night sky I have seen in my lifetime.
...
While I was in Iceland, I realized that I haven't actually said "thank you" in a very long time. I had to stop myself from saying "takk fyri" as a waiter brought my drink, or a stranger held the door for me. I realized that a language that isn't my own has become instinct to me. It was strange to hear many tourists around me speaking English. It made me discover that I really do have two languages that I am able to use now, and that I will have to flip a switch in my brain every time I leave the Faroe's.
Our time in Iceland was short, but it won't be forgotten. It was a place unlike any other, and I am glad I was able to visit. I would love to go back to Iceland someday...
Tad var ein ordliga gódan túr, men gledi meg at komi heimaftur til Føroyar.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the lengthy post. :)
Katie
