Iceland

On our 15th anniversary in December Scott took me ice-skating. After we went to lunch where he handed me an envelope that contained details for a trip he booked to Iceland!  Last week we took off on our anniversary adventure weekend to Iceland.  In sum it was more than I ever dreamed.  The scenery, the variety, the brutality of this place were all amazing.  But the best part was experiencing this adventure with Scott.  Just the two of us.  I just loved the long drives amidst stunning scenery talking for hours.

The northern part of Iceland is within the arctic circle, so going in February was a bit of a risk.  We hit the jackpot, however, with sunny beautiful skies and warmer than average temperatures nearly the whole time.



Our car rental company's name doesn't inspire much confidence, but we tried something new on this trip by renting a car that was over 10 years old from a no-name company.  It was fab and saved us 50%!




Our lovely rental with torn up seats


You gotta take the driving thing seriously here.  Lots of rules!






The two-hour drive from the airport to our hotel in southern Iceland




The long hallway in our wonderful little hotel


Not four hours off the plane and we were dining in the hotel restaurant when the manager interrupted our dinner to announce that the "lights were out."  Even coming to an Aurora-rich place during Aurora season doesn't guarantee you'll see them.  I read countless trip reports from people who came home without a sighting.  Everyone jumped out of their seats, including us (we were between the starter course and main course), to go outside to have a look.  I b-lined it straight for our room to grab my gear.  And there it was!  On Valentine's day no less.  It wasn't the most dramatic display, but who cares, they were at least making an appearance!  I was perfectly satisfied, thrilled really, that this would be my northern light moment.  Little did I know the next night would be even better!


Our hotel


Seljalandsfoss


























Eyjafjallajökull, that pesky volcano that disrupted European air travel for weeks in 2010
































Jokulsarlon












































Taking a conference call in the middle of nowhere in Southern Iceland.








Listening to our favourite Icelandic band (okay our only Icelandic band) along the long drives through southern Iceland


Night two at our hotel brought such a treat!  The Auroras were putting on quite a show!  It was spectacular!  I came armed with nearly 15 kgs of photo gear for this experience.  It was well worth it!












Gullfoss










Geysir, where the word geyser originates














Þingvellir a site that marks the mid-Atlantic ridge.  You can actually walk between the ridge!  It was also were the early Parliament was located.  




























We spent our final night in the capital of Reyjavik.  It is a charming little city.
































On our last day we spotted a brilliant rainbow on our way to the . . . Blue Lagoon.



The Blue Lagoon is probably Iceland's most well known sight.  It's certainly an attraction for tourists, but I wasn't the least bit disappointed.  Once you get over communal changing rooms and showers, it's great fun.  Even in the freezing cold of February the spring pools are nice and warm.