Instagram Reel with some of our favorites from our 10 day adventure to the land of Fire 🔥 and Ice 🧊
Category: Iceland
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That’s a wrap. Bless bless, Iceland!🇮🇸
Yesterday we had an unbelievable experience at Sky Lagoon—a 7 step ritual that soothed tired muscles and left us feeling 10 years younger! Why can’t we have one of these in St. Louis??
Steps 1 and 7 in the lagoon.
We spent a lot of time participating in these two steps!
Passion fruit martinis, sunshine, and a geothermal lagoon with the North Atlantic as our backdrop. 
The view from Step 3! 
Eating amongst the whales for our final evening at
The Whales of Iceland Museum. 🐳 🐋
Rooftop bar – what a view!💙 
The view from the rooftop at The Edition Hotel. The harbor lights lit up the night. -
With these amazing people in Iceland! 🇮🇸
A hodgepodge of photos from the last couple of days.
Getting ready to do some whale watching! 🐋 
🩵Blue Lagoon’in’ it🩵 
Matching braids at the Geysir 
Outside Tapas Barinn getting ready to moooove inside! 🐄 🇪🇸
Passionfruit Sangria at Tapas Barinn🍷 Cheers to us and beautiful Iceland 🇮🇸
We tried to see Northern Lights today but they were shy! Therefore, we had some hot chocolate and did some stargazing. That was Mike and my 3rd attempt this trip. Next time!💚
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Golden Circle continues with our afternoon adventures
Gullfoss – Golden Falls
This multi tiered waterfall is in the canyon of the Hvita River and it’s overwhelming! We viewed it from above and then walked down to view it from the top. 💦
Walking alongside Gullfoss 
Then we headed to the Geysir Hot Spring in the Haukadalur Valley and saw the ground steam and boil! I also captured the Strokkur Geyser blowing boiling water 30 meters high (98 feet). The Great Geysir is here, too, but it lays dormant these days (after blowing up to 558 feet high at one point). The Great Geysir is what all other hot springs are named after (such as the Old Faithful Geyser) as it was the first to be described in a printed source. It’s like the Kleenex of geysers!
Can you hear the water boiling? 
Smoldering fields There she blows! Every few minutes, Strokkur (the Churn) lives up to its name of being a geyser. 
The now dormant Great Geysir Then we headed for an afternoon treat at a 7 generation dairy farm, Efstidalur, complete with ice cream and farm animals.
Chocolate, White Chocolate and Stracciatella 
Eating our ice cream and watching the cows in the barn! Two scoops to these amazing creatures who gave us the milk for the incredible ice cream! -
Our morning in the Golden Circle🇮🇸
First day of Icelandic Summer🌼
First stop: The Lava Tunnel, also known as The Raufarhólshellir Lava Tube. Wow wow wow wow wow! Like I mentioned in a prior post, this lava tube sits on private property and they only give guided tours. Many years ago there was an incident where 3 girls got trapped. They were hiking to the end of the tunnel when their cell phone batteries wore out. You see, light is critical because once you get deep within the cave, it’s pitch black. Any extended amount of time in pitch blackness can cause Cave Blindness! These girls forgot an extra light source and had to be rescued. During the tour, the guide turned off all the lights and it was indeed dark! Other senses were heightened and we could hear the drip drip drip of the melting ice.
Lava tube tour – we will end up 100 feet under ground 
We wore our helmets with lights. Crampons and hiking poles were options but since it’s no longer “winter” the ice is melting. 
The ice is slowly melting for the summer months.
It’s never the same cave!
About 5200 years ago, this cave was formed as a lava tube during the Leitahraun eruption 🌋 
These are natural skylights (holes in the cave) and typically are how the tubes are found—someone or an animal falls in! 
So many different types of rocks and minerals—lava, iron, sulphur and even a living thing which is white bacteria. It’s called Cave Bacteria and it isn’t found elsewhere. They believe that the Cave Bacteria may be found on Mars so scientists have been studying it. The tunnel is 4,500 feet long (900 meters) and up to 30 meters wide. We did the walking tour but you can also do the more strenuous tour where you go beyond where we stopped, and climb your way to the end.
There are no echoes in lava tunnels because it’s a porous rock that absorbs the sound. Our guide told us that people have weddings here. In addition, there was a movie premiere for Descent—a horror flick that took place in a cave. 🫣 -
April 19th, 2023 – a day of watching and pampering🇮🇸
The day started off with some whale watching and we saw a few humpbacks off Reykjavik. We were on a larger boat so I feel like the sound probably frightened them off, although humpbacks are curious.
Then we went to The Blue Lagoon for dinner and a dip in the pool! A-Maze-ing! There has been a lot written about why you should go and why you should not. I say definitely GO! It was quite the experience and I would go again.
The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa outside of Reykjavik. It’s in a lava field in front of Mount Þorbjörn where the water comes from the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power station. The water is high in minerals and white silica mud. Both are said to have healing properties. In fact, a guide told us that people with psoriasis are healed with repeated use. It tends to leave your hair stiff and dry so we ensured not to get that wet! (And I lathered on hair conditioner as a preventive measure).
When you’re in the lagoon, the steam rises up and at times, it’s difficult to even see in front of you. This simply adds to the mystique of the lagoon. 
Time to soak and relax!
Icelanders know how to do it right.
Silicon mud masks for all! I did 3 other masks after this one – the clay scrub, the anti-aging algae, and the mineral. The water was a very comfortable 98-104 degree Fahrenheit (37-40 Celsius) and there’s a swim up bar. What a relaxing evening at the lagoon. 💙🤍🩵 While it’s technically man-made, the Blue Lagoon was formed from the runoff water of the nearby geothermal power plant. That said, the water is as natural as can be as it comes from deep underground where it is heated by geothermal energy. Speaking of water, we DO NOT need to buy bottled water in Iceland. I saw something funny about how to drink the water—1. Turn on the faucet; 2. Put your cup under to fill it; 3. Drink it. It’s as cold and fresh as can be!
Want to go? Book your experience here, stay overnight if you wish, and eat at their gourmet restaurant: https://www.bluelagoon.com
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Around the town of Reykjavik🇮🇸
The last couple of days have been about exploring Reykjavík. Here are some of my favorites!
Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran Church stands 74.5 meters tall (244 feet tall). Construction started in 1945 and it was consecrated in 1986. The outside of this Expressionist church is made of concrete to resemble Icelandic nature, especially the basalt columns around the Svartifoss waterfall. I read that it also was designed to resemble Thor’s hammer, with the handle facing up. 
The church was named after the Icelandic poet and cleric, Hallgrimur Petursson (1614–1674), who was the author of the Passion Hymns. 
The pipe organ was designed and constructed by Johannes Klais of Bonn and weighs over 25 tons and is 15 meters tall. It has four manuals and a pedal, 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes. 
The statute of Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Erikson) was done by American sculptor, Alexander Stirling Calder, and a gift from the US to Iceland in 1930 to commemorate the millennial anniversary of Iceland’s legislative body, the Althing. Founded in Thingvellir in 930 AD, this was the world’s first democratically elected parliament. Leif was a Norse explorer who was thought to have stepped foot on North America 500 years prior to Columbus. 1300 hours (1:00 pm). Up in the bell tower with an outstanding view of Reykjavík from all sides. Famous Icelandic Hotdogs from the hot dog stand called Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. I had the Bill Clinton (mustard only) and Mike had the Kardashian (ketchup only). Yes, these people actually had hot dogs here!
Tjornin Pond, a small lagoon next to a barrier beach and home to 40+ water birds. In the winter this pond becomes an ice skating rink. 
A kitty cozies up on an Icelandic wool blanket in one of the local shops We have switched to The Edition. Both hotels are comfortable, conveniently located, and have unique amenities.
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Take a deep breath and enjoy!🇮🇸
Today we’re in the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Game of Thrones fans – does it look familiar?
Kirkjufell (AKA church mountain) rises up from the ocean and is the perfect background for the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall(s).
When I think of Iceland, this is it!
There are 10,000 named waterfalls in Iceland —there are an unknown number of others that are not named! I was surprised to learn that many of Iceland’s geographic wonders and tourist sites (like this one) sit on privately-owned land. Icelandic law allows the public to access these sites. 
Wow, Wow, and Wow!! -
Another outstanding day exploring the Snaefellsnes Peninsula🇮🇸 (April 16, 2023)
We made it back to the hotel last night (early morn) about 2:00 am. No Northern Lights so we will try again tomorrow night as it’s supposed to be clearer.
Up early and ready for the Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour, which started at 8:30 am. The weather isn’t so great—rain and wind. By the way, it’s not Snuffaluffagus, rather it’s pronounced sni (as in snider) fells – ness.
Where: The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is located northwest of Reykjavik in what’s considered Western Iceland. Get ready for some breathtaking scenery!
What: there was so much we saw today. I will break it down in chronological order.
How: We went with Julian from EastWest – a small group tour. There were only 7 of us. Julian is from France and loved Iceland so much that he stayed! He deserves so much credit for our safety today. At one point when we were driving, I thought the wind would blow us right off the road!
1. Gas Station – don’t laugh. We have stopped at a lot of gas stations on these tours. They are like QT at home with food, groceries, drinks and clean restrooms. Oh and gas. I had a skyr parfait at the one this morning—I have become a huge Skyr fan! Take a look at this big map on the gas station wall—you’ll see the Snaefellsnes Peninsula on the part that jets out to the left. That’s where we explored today!
2. Seal stop – that’s right, we went to Ytri-Tunga beach to watch the Harbour and Grey Seals. We watched 3 of them—two were casually relaxing on a rock and the third was keeping watch in the water.
On the lookout for seals! Peekaboo! 🦭 
Remains of a stranded whale on the beach 3. Gotta eat…And that we did! Lunch was at a beautiful countryside home — they rent a couple of rooms and have a horse farm.
Lamb lasagna was one of the main dishes. Icelandic lamb is well known and 100% natural. We also had chicken, vegetable, rice, potatoes and bread. Dessert was a pear cake, which you can see sitting in the distance 
Here are the beautiful Icelandic horses with two extra gaits. If a horse leaves Iceland, they can never return. 4. Another picturesque church! One of my favorites called Búðakirkja (Búðir is the hamlet; Kirkja = church) that dates back to 1703, although it’s been reconstructed many times since.
Set against nature’s backdrops — the ocean, the mountains and Búðahraun lava fields—breathtaking! 
The church is painted black with pitch – the same as a hull of a ship to protect against the harsh Icelandic elements. There is a small cemetery on-site as well. 
Peeking through a window to see the Búðakirkja altar. This church has a lot of cultural significance for Iceland based on the strength and persistence of one Icelandic woman. From my research it remains the home of some original relics, including a bell and chalice. 5. The Peninsula is named after Bárður Snæfellsás, 1/2 man and 1/2 troll. He sailed from Norway with his men in the 9th century and came ashore, built his farm a little further east on the peninsula, and became well known. Wait until you see what’s right down the path…
6. Continue the path you reach the sea cliffs at the village of Arnarstapi. The power of the waves smashing on the rocks was awe inspiring!
As you look at the ocean, THIS was to the right. 
Staying warm on a chilly, windy, rainy day!🩵 7. Gatklettur, or Hellnar Arch, is a natural rock formation on the peninsula in the village of Arnarstapi
And THIS was to the left! Constant wind and the beating of ocean waves have created a wonderful work of nature! 8. Djúpalónssandur Beach is a beautiful black lava sand and pebble beach with an even prettier pathway to get there. But it’s more than just black sand. It’s situated in an arch-shaped bay where strong waves beat against it with a force that mesmerizes!
The pathway to the beach, surrounded by amazing lava rock formations 
Djúpalónssandur black sand and pebble beach 
There were ruins scattered on the beach that were left here intentionally when a British fishing ship called The Epine GY7 wrecked on March 13, 1948. Fourteen men were killed and five survived. The ruins remain in memory of these brave fishermen. -
Silfa – snorkeling between the tectonic plates🩵🤿🇮🇸
Today we really stepped out of our comfort zone and into 35 degree Fahrenheit glacial water!
We snorkeled Iceland’s Silfa Fissure, located within Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir) where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates can be found. They have been moving apart about 2 centimeters per year.
How did Silfa happen? Earthquake! In 1789 Thingvellir experienced a major earthquake and this opened up several fissures. Silfa Fissure collected the glacial meltwater from the Langjokull glacier and thus the name, Silfa, which means silvery.
Mike and I doned our dry suits (not for the claustrophobic) and explored the amazing rock formations in the deep Silfa crack, Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Lagoon. Visibility was unbelievable (up to 300 feet) and parts were up to 60 meters deep.
Our route through the Silfa Fissure Now you may ask, were we cold? The only exposed parts were the face that wasn’t covered by the mask and then when water seeped in the gloves and a bit around my face. For some people it may be a shock but I thought it was quite refreshing. And we were moving so it warmed up quickly. We were in the water, traveling the outlined path, for about 30-45 minutes. No hypothermia!
All ready! 
Entering Silfa with our group of 6 + our guide, David, from Dive.is 
Some divers below us Snorkeling 🤿 in Silfa Hall After a quick dinner at Rossopomodoro (with really delicious gluten free pizza for me), ice cream at Valdis, and some shopping in the city center, we’re off to chase the Northern Lights!💚💚💚
Did you know…Iceland has between 70-100 earthquakes daily—26,000 detected each year, sometimes more. Yesterday we saw one of the largest active volcanoes, Katla.
It’s north of Vik and over 4,900 feet tall.
It last erupted in 1918 and many believe it’s long overdue. It’s one of largest volcanic sources of carbon dioxide on our planet. 🌍 -
(Part 3) April 14, 2023 – Picture Perfect Day on Iceland’s🇮🇸 South Coast concludes…
We then headed to Reynisdrangar to see the basalt sea stacks. The black sand on Reynisfjara Beach is almost always wet. This is one of the rainiest parts of Iceland but not today. The weather was perfect, the beach stunning, and the water = menacing! Be careful of sneaker waves. We experienced how sudden they can be! 🌊 ⚠️
Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks. And, it was on the beach that we saw two Icelandic horses with their distinct gait called the tölt. It was like watching poetry in motion! Most horses have 3 gaits and the Icelandic horses have 5. 
Column rocks at Reynisfjara Beach on Iceland’s South Coast. Impressive! 
Selialandsfoss
We hiked behind the waterfall at sunset.Ahhhhh! 
The Northern Lights (and a few stars) showed up! 
Northern Lights from the city (rooftop at the Canopy by Hilton) – not as good as what you’d see in the countryside.
This was, and will always be, one of my favorite days ever ☀️🩵🌟
Note – lots of people speak English here. In fact, when I said Tak Tak (thank you), the reply is usually You’re welcome (in English). Here are a few useful phrases I have been using: Hello = Hallo; Goodbye = Bless (or Bless Bless); Thank you = Takk (or Takk Takk); Good Morning = Góðan daginn (go-thah-n die-in)
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(Part 2) April 14, 2023 – Picture Perfect Day on Iceland’s🇮🇸 South Coast continues (Part 2)…
Back at the glacial lagoon on a short hike to take in another view. 
Now I am taking it in! 💙🩵🤍 In your life you remember the best days—this was one of my best days. 🩵🤍🩵 
Another countryside church – Hofskirkja. it’s one of 6 remaining Turf churches in Iceland and this was the last one built. The walls are rock and the roof is stone slabs covered with turf. The church is still holding services today. Those mounds are graves—some dating back to the 1800s. 
See the date on here?
The parishioners have been using this rock to wash their hands before entering the church since 1343.This one reminded me of a bundt cake with icing drizzled over it. 
Another foss with eye-catching rock colors -
(Getting the day started – Part 1) April 14, 2023 – Picture Perfect Day on Iceland’s🇮🇸 South Coast
Our day started at 7:30 pm with a pick up at Bus Stop #6 by our tour guide, Gummi, with Gateway to Iceland. Btw- he’s going to get the best Trip Advisor review! Not only is he an expert tour guide, but one of the company’s founders. 21 years of educating and story telling. Probably the best guide I have ever had. To top it off, there were only 3 of us on the tour—Mike, me, and our lovely new friend, Amikha, from South Africa. Thanks for all the pictures, Amikha!❤️
Over 500+ miles and nearly 16 hours of touring, we learned about the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, bridges, flooding, the Vikings, waterfalls (foss), the geothermal power plants, the people, the Sagas / history, each other, the legends and folklore, the swimming pools, and the list goes on! We ate lunch and dinner, had hot chocolate, and finished with ice cream as a night cap. I was on sensory overload because everywhere we stopped, there was something even more unbelievable to see, hear, smell and touch.
I could write a book about today but we didn’t get back until after 11:00 pm and I am once again exhausted. PLUS, The Northern Lights were in action and we watched from the rooftop of our hotel. I am sure they were more vivid away from the city lights.
Here is Part 1 of my 3 part summary in pictures!
Not sure what it is about a waterfall that makes a person want to throw their hands up in the air. We had the same urge, especially with a rainbow 🌈 right next to us! Welcome to our first waterfall today—Skógafoss. This beauty has a 200 foot drop (60 meters) and measure 82 feet wide. It’s now 3 miles from the coastline but it used to be on the coastline. Game of Thrones fans will recognize it from the the final season. Justin Bieber fans – this was in one of his music videos.
There’s got to be a book somewhere about all the little amazing churches in Iceland. Here’s the one in the small seaside village of Vik, perched up high on a cliff and overlooking the ocean.
Reyniskirkja Church (Lutheran) 
Walking in the lava fields within a designated area. The rocks are covered in woolly fringe moss, and it’s important to protect it.
The moss is between 1-2 feet deep!
I booked this tour for a few reasons. This is one of them—Jökulsárlón. A glacial lagoon in the southern part of Vatnajökull National Park,
and at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier.This is another reason — Diamond Beach! Chunks of ice wash up on the gorgeous black sand from the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon after they are broken into smaller pieces at sea. They sparkle like diamonds! 
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend! 💎
Especially these diamonds.
Pictures cannot capture the beauty 🖤🤍 -
Day 1 in the books 🇮🇸
I can barely keep my eyes open. No sleep last night and a quick hour nap today wasn’t enough.
What a full day—we explored Reykjavik and went to 3 different museums: Maritime, Whales of Iceland, and Northern Lights Center. I learned so much about noise pollution and how it’s impacting and even killing our whales.
We walked down Rainbow Street 🌈, which was painted by the citizens of Iceland in 2019 to represent “respect, inclusivity and love.”
Me with my ❤️ -
Reykjavik, we’re here!🇮🇸
And the power is out in the entire downtown Reykjavik area. So we are having breakfast at our lovely hotel and enjoying some of the famous Icelandic Skyr — yum!! (And we’re pretty tired from flying all night!)
Blueberry Skyr for breakfast.
The recipe for Skyr is over 1,000 years old!
It’s like yogurt only different—and better for you. It has more protein than Greek yogurt and is lower in sugar and fat. It’s creamier and more nutrient rich!The flight was eventful as the Northern Lights guided us for about an hour. I have seen the Northern Lights one other time. Also from an airplane. And also while flying over northern Canada (on our way to Alaska). Let’s hope this is a foreshadowing of what’s to come in Iceland! Note to self—don’t book an aisle seat on a flight where Northern Lights are possible! I had to do a bit of gymnastics to get this photo, which doesn’t do it justice.
Our driver from the airport was Arny. What a wealth of knowledge! Did you know that the Icelandic people don’t have a traditional last name? They follow a patronymic system, which mean that their last name is their father’s first name plus the words for “daughter of” or “son of”. So if Arny’s father’s name is Jon, Arny’s name is Arny Jonsdottir (daughter of Jon). If Arny has a brother named Gunnar, his name would be Gunnar Jónsson (son of Jon). Now you know!b
We will be staying at the Canopy by Hilton for the first 5 nights and then switching over to The Edition for the final 4 nights. I would love to drive around the island but this time we will use Reykjavik as our home base and do day tours from here.
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Why Iceland?🇮🇸
Why not? My obsession with this island country started in 2nd grade. Mrs. Pippins assigned us a “country project”. We could choose any country and had to produce a report, filled with pictures and facts about the geography and culture. This curious little girl chose Iceland. I am not sure I fully remember the “why” behind that choice but I have to believe it’s because of the mystery of this island that is about the size of Kentucky and officially sits on two continents, Europe and North America.
I remember coloring Iceland’s flag 🇮🇸 and noticing it has the same colors as US flag. The red cross symbolizes fire and the ~32 active volcanos 🌋 ; the white is the ice 🧊 as ~10% of the island is made up of glaciers; and the blue is water 💧 as the island sits right where the northern Atlantic and Arctic Oceans meet.
In addition, what child isn’t fascinated by the legends of Vikings, elves, and trolls? Plus I remember someone saying to me, “Iceland is Green, and Greenland is Ice”. Hmm…something my 8 year-old self pondered. In fact, information about Iceland was barely in the encyclopedia I used for my research (there was no internet and therefore no Wikipedia). And while it wasn’t Canada, or Italy, or one of the more commonly known/visited countries (especially in 1976), it sparked a curiosity that remains today.
Let me dispel a few common beliefs from questions I have been asked or my findings through research:
1. There are no penguins in Iceland, only puffins! And puffins are a delicacy to eat.
2. There are no polar bears in Iceland. In fact, there is only one land animal native to the country and that’s the Icelandic Fox. There are whales—humpback, Orca, Minke, Fin (similar to what I saw in Antarctica). And, there are also Icelandic horses—they are beautiful in pictures so I hope we have the opportunity to see them in person! Another fact is if an Icelandic horse leaves the country, they can never return. That’s to preserve their pure-breed (Iceland hasn’t imported horses since the 11th century).
3. Iceland has a long and rich history. It’s also relatively “new” as the Vikings are credited for the first settlement around 874 AD (although I have read some articles that say the Irish Monks were there before). They passed the years under Norwegian and Danish rule, and became an independent republic in 1944. In addition, The Althing is one of the oldest parliaments in the world, starting in 930 AD.
5. Iceland has never won Eurovision. I am not sure what the Icelandic people think about Will Ferrell’s movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. It was filmed in Iceland and the scenery is drop dead gorgeous. I hope some day they take home the coveted title but for now their beautiful country wins the scenery prize!
4. Iceland does more with their geothermal energy than just take a bath in it. They use it to heat their homes/businesses and generate electricity. Iceland’s goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2040.
6. This and That: Icelandic is their official language. The currency is the Krona. Today the exchange rate is 1 Krona to .0073 USD. More than half of the population of 340,000 people live in the capital of Reykjavík (and almost all live near the coastline).
7. In preparing for this trip, I used Duolingo to practice some common Icelandic word/phrases. Let’s just say I have a lot of work to do! Whew. Speaking Icelandic will take a lot more practice and I am not confident anyone will understand me anyway. 🤣 I read Rick Steves Iceland. Rick is the travel guide king!
I also looked for my report so that I could learn from my 2nd grade self—I think it’s somewhere packed away in a box, but “where” is the question! Oh well, I will be able to write a new report after this visit.
Time to start writing!
Leaving on a jet plane! -
We’re off on a new adventure!🇮🇸
This time my hubby is coming with me to the land of fire and ice. Where Northern Lights, active volcanoes, thundering waterfalls, and hot springs abound. Where elves and trolls are folklore passed down throughout the generations. Where icebergs appear as diamonds on a black sand beach. I went south in January 2023–now it’s time to go North for springtime in ICELAND
Christina’s Journey Journal 