After visiting Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, we headed here to Fjadrargljufur. $10 to anyone that can tell me how to pronounce that!!
The views here were so breathtaking!
^Throughout our trip we kept saying how Iceland would be unreal if it ever got really warm and you could swim in the waterfalls and beaches. Doesn't this waterfall look like it would be perfect for tubing down?!
After hiking around the canyon, he headed to our next waterfall, Svartifoss.
^ Pictured above is not Svartifoss. Funny story... Somehow we missed the main huge parking lot full of cars dedicated to this waterfall and instead parked in a very small parking lot with a couple of other cars. We saw a sign pointing toward Svartifoss so we just started hiking. But then a little ways into the hike they roped it off and said that it was closed. Now I do not suggest that you should break the rules. In fact, if you know me, you know I hate breaking the rules. But we said screw it and jumped over the rope and continued hiking. After a pretty steep incline we reached this waterfall and I have no clue what the name of it is.
I was so confused when looking at it because it did not look like any of the pictures I had researched. But there are so many waterfalls in Iceland, I just figured that maybe I got it mixed up with another. So we decided to turn around. But after about a minute of walking I said, maybe the waterfall I'm thinking of is further? So we decided to keep hiking and I'm so glad we did because we finally found Svartifoss!
So stunning!
We were able to hike down on the clearly marked pathway while heading back. I have a funny video of Kenneth literally pushing me up the hill because I was so tired haha.
Next we continued on to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
^ The cutest little seal! I loved seeing them all swim around.
The coldest I've ever been in my life is at this lagoon. Which makes sense... we're surrounded by glaciers, but goodness it was freezing! The number one question we got asked about our trip was how cold it was. Don't get me wrong, it was cold. But we were prepared for it and had tons of layers, so for the most part I always felt fine (excluding this place).
They call this beach, Diamond Beach because you'll find these huge ice pieces along the black sand and it looks like the shore is sprinkled with diamonds.
We continued our drive to our next hotel. I honestly hate driving and road trips. I've gotten much better about it because we do it all the time. But Iceland was the one place I really didn't mind driving so much. Every view was so breathtaking.
Our favorite hotel from our trip was Fosshotel Vatnajokull.
^ The moment you realize that the shower has heated floors! haha This picture makes me laugh so much. But heated floors in Iceland is so brilliant.
We spent our evening soaking in the Hoffell Hot Pots. There's 5 different tubs and each have a different temperature; ranging from boiling hot to cold. There was really only 1 tub that was the perfect temperature. We soaked in it with 2 other tourists from Oregon and it was so nice because they were going around the island too, but in the opposite direction. It was fun to trade tips about what to see and where.
That night we headed back to the hotel and crashed. We slept so good every night.
When we checked in to the hotel, they told us that there was a chance to see the northern lights. I was so ecstatic! I figured we wouldn't get to see them because we were there during the last week of April/beginning of May and at this point, the sun starts to not fully set. If you visit in the summer, it will not get dark at night. So I set my alarm to wake up in the middle of the night, bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed out to the hotel lobby. There were about 8 other guests that did the same thing. It was actually so fun to hang out with them. We took turns going outside and checking to see if they were there yet. Waiting for that perfect moment when the sun was as far set as it was going to be and the best chance to see them. It was so cold. Now that I think about it, maybe this was the coldest time during the trip. It was also extremely windy, like hard to stand straight windy. But magic happened and I was able to see them! They were faint, but I'm still so grateful for that piece of magic. These photos are so blurry. But I could not stand straight or hold my camera still on the ground because it was so windy. Plus, it was nice to just enjoy the moment instead of worrying about my camera settings. I'll always love and cherish these blurry little photos of the northern lights.
Another amazing day in beautiful Iceland!
xo, Lo
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