Our flight to Iceland from England was relatively short but by the time we actually got to our hostel, it was very late and we’d been traveling for around 21 hours since leaving Greece very early the morning before.  We crashed into bed and didn’t actually accomplish much the next day other than sleeping!  We had only a total of about two and  a half days to spend in Iceland but we definitely spent a good portion of our first day napping!  I definitely underestimated how much that all that traveling would wear me out (being pregnant and all).

Our immediate first impression of Iceland was how similar it felt to Alaska.  In particular, Reykjavik felt just like we were in Anchorage.  Even the plants were similar.

lupine!

Our first day, we did manage to get ourselves on the local bus and find our way to the zoo where, among other attractions, we found a British telephone booth!

Let us out!

Our first night in Iceland, we went out to a really cool bistro to celebrate our 5-year anniversary.  Those were the most gourmet fish and chips we’d ever had.  The food was organic, locally sourced, and delicious!

The next morning, we did a little more Reykjavik sightseeing including going up to the top of the Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church with a steeple that is a really useful walking landmark!  This gave us a great view of all of Reykjavik and the surrounding landscape. 

We rented a car for one day so we picked it up that afternoon and spend the rest of the day driving the Golden Circle.

Our first stop was the national park Thingvellir, which is where the Icelandic parliament first met in the 900s.  It’s on a tectonic plate boundary and so the rocks are awesome.  

Our second stop was the valley of Haukadalur, which has lots of geothermal activity, including the active geyser Strokkur.

Just before it blew up again…

In case you’ve wondered why all geysers in the world are generally called “geysers” – here’s the first one, with the proper name, “Geysir.”

The third and final major attraction on the Golden Circle is the waterfall, Gullfoss.

Our third and final day, we only had the morning before we had to be at the airport.  So we drove around the peninsula that the airport is on.  We ended up on a little dirt road, driving though some crazy volcanic landscapes.

We also walked through some more cool geothermal pools.  I also liked the sheep!They have Alaska cotton, in Iceland!  (Although their name for it is probably different!)

Hello sheep!

We definitely enjoyed our short stopover in Iceland.  I probably would have been gushing over it a lot more except that I grew up in Alaska, I’ve been to Yellowstone, and I’ve been to Hawaii.  (I know, poor me.)  So I’ve seen mountains, geysers, and volcanic rock.  Having all of it in one place was really cool though and it was a fun stop.

We were, however, so ready to get on that plane that afternoon because, after almost a month of traveling…

finally we were headed home!