Our final days in Iceland! I can't believe I've actually made it through all of these! Almost a year later but I'm calling it a win haha.
I have to say that we lucked out with great weather during our trip. Everyone told me to be prepared for the unexpected weather. Within one day it could be sunny, then rain, then snow, then be in a sand storm then really foggy. I made an itinerary for each day, but tried to make it as flexible as possible incase weather was a problem. We had great weather our entire trip except for our last day. We knew that it was supposed to rain, so we visited Arnarstapi the evening before, which gave us time to relax in the morning before heading out to Urridafoss.
^ Urridafoss
If you remember, we had to switch our plans around on the first day because of GPS problems. So we finished seeing part of the famous Golden Circle. We started with Urridafoss. I have to say, it was quite the let down because after all the other incredible waterfalls we had seen, this wasn't anything too special. Plus, it was packed with tourists. Most people that visit Iceland, only visit the southern side and go to the famous Golden Circle stops. So there were tour buses here and we had to pay for parking for the waterfall (the only waterfall we had to pay for). It was also raining the entire time so it wasn't our favorite experience.
Then we continued to Kerid Crater. Again, we had to pay for this and it was raining. I only have this iPhone shot of it and I couldn't even fit the entire crater in the photo. This place is huge and way cool! But I couldn't fully enjoy it because of the rain/wind.
To anyone that visits Iceland, I always recommend that they do the Golden Circle the first day. Because the sites are cool and coming from America, you're used to crowds and having a more tourist vibe. But after exploring the entire island on our own, these sites felt like a bit of a letdown. I fully believe that had we seen them our first day, we would have been stoked.
We continued driving and the rain turned to heavy snow. We got snow a few times during our trip, but it was always short lived and nothing too heavy. I was pretty excited to finally see it snow hard and so we pulled over to let me dance around in it.
Our plan was to head to Reykjadalur Hot Spring. It's a stream/river of hot water! We originally had planned to do this our first day but had to switch plans. At the time that we were going to go, it was raining and Kenneth had hurt his knee from hiking earlier on in the trip. We decided to skip it because he wasn't up for the hour hike to the river and it was raining. This place, and another waterfall we had planned to see our first day but couldn't because of the direction mishap, are my two big regrets from Iceland. I was really sad to not visit this place. But Kenneth says that means we just have to go back. I know we definitely will because there's still so much more to see and explore in Iceland, but a year later and I'm still a little sad about it. So if you're in Iceland, add this to your list because it looks awesome!
That meant we had a lot more time to go explore the capital, Reykjavik. It was weird to be in a big city after being on our own for so long. We stopped at Hallgrimskirkja Church. It's so beautiful, inside and out! We paid the few dollars to go on the elevator to the very top and I can't recommend that enough. The view was so beautiful!
We continued the day walking around the city, exploring the different shops along the way.
^ Probably my favorite picture of Kenneth from the trip haha. That flying cat cracks me up.
^ I don't know how I've gotten through all these posts without mentioning Iceland hot dogs!? People told me about the hot dogs and recommended getting them at the gas stations and initially I thought hot dogs at a gas station sounds sketch haha. But they lived up to the hype because they're so good!! They put mayo, mustard, ketchup, crunchy onions and fresh onions on their hot dogs and it's seriously so delicious. We ate hot dogs almost every day! They're cheap and yummy and I can't recommend them enough. And they don't taste like American hot dogs. I was told it's because they have lamb in them? I don't know but they were great!
^ This place in Reykjavik is known for having the best hot dogs in Iceland and they were definitely good, but we didn't feel like they were extraordinary.
Walking around these streets really made me feel like I was in Europe and made me anxious to take a trip out there
After exploring some, we finally checked in to our Airbnb. We splurged a little for our last night and stayed at the cutest place! When I say splurge, I mean a splurge for us haha. That's probably normal for most people but we try to stay at the cheapest places possible so this was a nice treat.
They had the cutest living area! I want that pink fridge so badly!
After hanging out for a bit, we ventured back into the city to grab some ice cream at Isbud Vesturbaejar. This place was so good. We got nutella, some chocolate coconut dessert and something else mixed in to it and it was the best ice cream ever. I still dream about it haha. It definitely tastes different than American ice cream, but it's still so good!!
We came back to our airbnb and relaxed. On the roof they had a cute little spa area filled with a sauna and a hot tub.
^ You can see the top of Hallgrimskirkja church.
After hiking a lot and venturing around the island for a week, it was way nice to relax. We spent the evening relaxing at our airbnb, feeling so grateful for the wonderful days we'd had in Iceland.
Day 8
We woke up the next morning and checked out of our airbnb. We headed to our final stop, the Blue Lagoon! The lagoon is right next to the airport and I recommend either going first thing in Iceland, or last thing in Iceland. I definitely see how it would be nice to go first thing after being on a red eye, but I'm glad we went at the end. We did a lot during our trip. A lot of people told me I was packing in too much during our trip and that I wouldn't be able to see and do it all. I'm SO glad I didn't listen to those people. We felt tired at the end of our trip, but it was the best type of tired!
^ This picture cracks me up!! We look so scary with these masks on haha! The Blue lagoon is pricey, but it's so iconic, we had to go! It's set up for tourists and as a spa so you can order drinks at the bar in the lagoon and relax inside, get a massage, the full works. We got the bare minimum package and it was still a pretty penny.
To any girls that plan on going, I've got tips for you! I heard that the water will damage your hair, and it's 100% true. There are 2 types of girls at the blue lagoon. The one's that either get their head completely soaked and the ones that leave it up in a bun and avoid the water at all costs. I figured I wanted to go all in and enjoy it, and while I'm glad I did, I wouldn't do it again. All the tips I read said to leave conditioner in your hair and reapply throughout your stay. I did that. The tips said to bring a hair mask to help your hair afterwards. I did that. Still, my hair was so gross and damaged. It felt gross for the next 2 weeks. I cannot imagine if I had done this at the beginning of our trip, I would have been so annoyed. So take that into account and proceed with caution haha.
The silica mud mask feels great on your skin!
We got to the lagoon when it first opened and it was nice to be one of the first ones there. It definitely filled up when we were leaving and I'm grateful for the time we had when it was just us.
Another thing I'll say is to be prepared that this is a huge tourist spot. Probably the number one tourist spot in Iceland. There were people from all over the world. And unfortunately that included annoying groups of American guys on spring break... you can interpret that however you want haha. The lagoon is so big that you can explore lots of different areas. Definitely move around because certain areas are a lot hotter than others.
Also, once you change out of your swimsuit, you're not allowed to enter the lagoon again. I wanted to walk out and take pictures with my actual camera but I wasn't allowed. I took these up in the cafeteria area.
The locker rooms are way nice at the lagoon. Everyone gets a wrist band that acts as a wallet and a key for your locker. They have showers, shampoo & conditioner, hair dryers, and little toiletries like q-tips and tissues. We showered off and then headed to the airport. It was nice to feel so relaxed and clean before our flight.
Of course we had to grab one last hot dog while we were at the airport!
Our plane was a little delayed because it started snowing while we were boarding and they had to de-ice the plane. Otherwise the flight was great! The picture on the right is of Greenland!
We took off and landed in Washington DC and spent a day with my sister before flying back to Florida.
Ah so sad that this trip had to come to an end. It was hands down, our favorite trip we've ever taken! I think we hype Iceland up too much to other people because we just loved it so much. But we can't help it! I just want everyone to visit Iceland so we can chat about how great it is together haha. I'll never forget this trip and I can't wait for the day we can go back!
xo, Lo
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