Iceland Day 3 June 26, 2017

WARNING!  If you are a loyal follower of mine and are one of those that read my entire story from the get-go to the closing curtain than I suggest you pack a snack, get comfy, settle in and come for a ride that will blow your socks off.

In all my oogling and googling for this trip of a life time to Iceland, one vision remained at the fore front through the entire planning process.  The probability of living out seeing that exact vision is not high as the weather conditions for this area lean more to cloud cover and showery sprinkles. I put my money down, hopped on the bus and said a little prayer.

Today I hiked into a dream at Landmannalaugar and this was what I witnessed.

To even get to the trail head for this hike was an adventure all on its own.  I give a big shout out to the Artic Adventures guides and the transportation by Trex.  The organization skills were perfection as were the driving skills.  The long last portion of the drive was on an "F" Road and that "F" does not stand for what some might say it should stand for.  After driving through the rivers near the end we arrived at the little Landmannalaugar settlement.

In a matter of mere minutes we were geared up and ready to enter into a dream.  It was cloudy with a sprinkle here and there as we entered the canyon to hike along side the river.  The colors still stood out and I was thankful for that.

After rounding a couple of corners, our summit destination came into sight.  I could not take my eyes of it! We worked our way through a lava field which was formed when Brennisteinsalda erupted.

           The side of this Mountain is still alive with geothermal activity.

We began the final climb and the closer we got to the top, the bluer the sky became.     I thought to myself what are the odds this would happen and I made an extra effort to treasure ever second up here.

                                                My summit shot.

After en extended visit it was time to carry on with the loop and get down off the back side.  I made a quick trip down through the snow so I could watch the others find their method to get down.  For a few this was going outside of their comfort zone and they were troopers through it.

The scenery continued to be outstanding as we made our way to the valley bottom.  What I was seeing for real was that vision that stuck with me since mid last year.  I was doing 360s, over the shoulder checks, I didn't know where to focus.  

When the tarns and creeks and rivers and moss came into play that added even more amazing moments.  

We began our loop a few hours back working our way through one lava field and we finished the loop finding our way along another lava field.  

                            Mount Blahnukur in the middle.

As we rounded that final corner, the little settlement of tents, cookhouses washrooms, visitor center, buses and Search & Rescue Center came into sight. It on its own was such a pretty sight. We made our way there and blended in with the activity.  Some went off for a dip in the hot springs, I opted to visit with Max our guide and savour another sandwich.  

Our small group had the whole big blue bus to ourselves for the drive back.  We crossed back over the rivers then hit that "F" road again.  Being on this kind of Road even added to the whole day's experience.  On the way back I tried to wrap my head around that I was truly just at Landmannalaugar and I really saw what I just saw.  I feel very fortunate to have experienced today, not taking a single second for granted.  It was a day filled with more than I ever dreamed it could be!  

Iceland Day 2 June 25, 2017

I drew the drapes last night when I went to bed but I forgot to pull down the blinds.  I do remember laying my head on the pillow and the next thing waking in a panic when I saw it is light and bright inside and out.  I thought I over slept for my early rise and start to the day.  With a check of the clock it was only 1:30am, oh right this is the land of the midnight sun.  I will remember to also pull down those blinds tonight.

Iceland is no longer a secret.  In this day and age secrets spread like wildfire.  The beauty of this Island is world renowned.  I saw that beauty for myself today on a Golden Circle Tour.  I considered renting a car and going on my own, so glad I did not.  I had a front seat with a view of everything other than the road.

A large part of this area of Iceland is purple as lupins carpet the ground.  Lupins were in abundance at the Faxafoss Waterfalls.  It was early morning when we were here, with a chill in the air.  It was so fresh, so cool, so pretty. 

Faxafoss waterfalls were not ones I heard off, but I did hear of Gulfoss and was excited to be seeing those.  These waterfalls were so forceful that I could feel their mist well before even arriving to where the amazing views were.  In fact the mist felt nice because the temperature was rising.

Iceland is like one gigantic geothermal island.  Lots of places stink, yet they are sticking pretty too.  The Strokker Geysir goes off often.  Good thing because I did not capture it blowing off steam until my third try.  Lupins covered this land mass too.

We made a stop at Efstidslur to admire the grounds and try their homemade ice cream.

My favourite part of today was visiting Thingvellir National Park.  There is something about National Parks and even Iceland's Parks have that something.   By now it was quite a warm day so it was nice to have a river to stroll by and bridges to cross. This was the last stop of the day so I made the most of it and covered as much ground as I could. What a pretty place!

I crossed over that last bridge and took in the mountain and river view and thought about tomorrow.  It will be a very very long day involving rivers and mountains.

Iceland Day 1 June 24 2017

It still doesn't seem real that I am here!  Ever since I learned there was a place on this earth called Iceland, I knew I wanted to be there "one day".  I was probably in elementary school when I learned Iceland is green and Greenland is ice. I remember thinking that concept was so cool.  That "one day" has finally come and I am here.  

Maybe it doesn't seem real because the place called Iceland sounds so far out there and it looks so far out there on the map.  In reality from Calgary it is such an easy close by Island to get to.  

Icelandair makes direct flights to Iceland from Edmonton International Airport.  I opted to drive to catch my flight instead of fly to catch my flight.  It was an easy drive at just over two hours.  I was fortunate with my seat selection having no one in the middle seat.  The flight left a little late yet arrived on time with 5:50 minutes of flying time.  I was on the first Flybus out of there, contacted my apartment owner, he met me, showed me to my home away from home, then showed me around the neighbourhood.  

Once that business was taken care off, I went around the corner grocery shopping.  I took a chance on many things, that they would be what I thought there were, some were, some were not.  Most importantly, I did purchase a load of skyr.

I was so in need of sleep but needed to push that to the way side in order to get on viking time.   With a busy day tomorrow and then on Tuesday I need to get me to the church on time, very early.  Right now was the time to test the church run.  Hallgrimskirkja Church is a 15 minute walk from my home away from home.

                                    

It was such a lovely day, I made the most of it and walked up and down those little streets for a couple of hours and walked by the sea too.  I looked in some stores at the beautiful wool products and the outdoor attire.  It was the colorfulness of the cute shops and cafes that caught my eye though.

                                            Harpa Concert Hall 

                                      see me in the concert hall

                             trying my best to fit into this viking lifestyle

                         

After all that walking and all that lack of sleep, I came home, had dinner on my deck and got into lazy mode for a few hours. Spent time looking at photos, blogging, organizing for tomorrow, waiting for sunset, oh better not wait for that, this is the end of June and I am in the land of the midnight sun.

                        I better just draw the drapes and say goodnight!