Dear Ariel, sorry but my experience sitting in the blue lagoon was much better than yours. No eels, no guy same your name is “kinda pretty,” blablabla.

 

Before getting into the water, you must shower and put conditioner in your hair. Leave the conditioner in your hair and try not to get it wet in the lagoon! The silica in the water turns your hair blue. Just kidding, but it will dry it out for a good two to three weeks depending on your hair type. It’s best not to risk it. Some spots in the water are warmer than others, so find those and stay there. It was freezing cold and windy outside so many people stayed by the entrance to the water to muster up the courage to get out and run to their towels and back inside! There is an exfoliating and revitalizing face mask to put on, found in stations around the lagoon. You leave it on and rinse it off all in the water. There is also a bar on the water, but the prices are not so fun. Just enjoy your time in the lagoon. I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures of the lagoon this time, but I will be sure to next time when I have a GoPro.

I am now on the bus to go back to the airport. I don’t want to leave! There are only a few birds here during winter, the landscapes are amazing even when covered in snow, you get used to the ever-changing but always cold weather (just layer properly and you’ll be fine), awesome people, and lack of hysteria about terrorism and guns and social issues in general. Honestly it’s been really refreshing.

The PTSD-like flashbacks of the fermented shark experience have mostly subsided, except for when I take my shoes off and get a whiff of that. The bus ride from the Blue Lagoon to the airport is less than half an hour. The perfect time to go to the lagoon is on the way to and/or from the airport. Well I am at the airport now, and past through security in two minutes. Now it’s time to go home. There is a layover in Minnesota, and there are puppies everywhere!!!

My roommate and her boyfriend picked me up from the airport, although it took a while for them to find me since we were in different terminals ahha! On the way back, we went to In n Out because, well, it’s In n Out. I pulled out my credit card to pay, but Evan said he got it. Thank you Evan! I put the card back, or so I thought. I traipse around a country on the other side of the world for two weeks, and the moment I get back is when I lose my credit card? Hmm. (It has since been handled and I am good to go!).

Today is my last day of active adventures, so I’m going all in with climbing an ice wall, Game of Thrones style. It’s really snowing right now! It’s coming straight at us as we drive and it looks like we are transitioning to light speed. I still have yet to see the new Star Wars film, but I guess I don’t need to now because it is my life.

I had a bacon wrapped hotdog for breakfast. Oh my it is so good! It comes with fresh onions and fried onions too.

We hiked up the glacier to our climbing spot, and encouraged each other during everyone’s turn. I was the second to last person to go, and the second fastest to climb. If there was more time, I would have done it with one ice pick instead of two. It was really cool and I kind of felt like a badass!

After walking and climbing around on ice for four hours or so, I trip and fall on the step of the van when getting back to the car. Why. Whenever I am doing crazy things that normally hurt people, I am totally fine. But the simple things like avoiding walls, or tripping over things that aren’t there…those are my downfalls.

So many of us bought sandwiches in the morning and are just eating them now at 17:00 (5PM), because it’s cold enough to properly refrigerate our food! Today’s adventure is over. So worth it! This was definitely one of the top three highlights of my trip! Tomorrow I am going to the Blue Lagoon on the way back to the airport to go home. I can’t wait to come back! Iceland is like no other place in the world, from its ever-changing and unpredictable weather to its versatile landscapes that make you feel like you’re on a different planet!

 

Golden Circle and Fontana Wellness Center is on the agenda today! I woke up in the middle of the night and there was another guy in the room sleeping. When the hell did he get there? I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and what not, but when I came back to the room he was gone. I’ve lost it. Oh there he is, I am not crazy. He’s from Brazil and is cool. He asked if he could turn the lights on, and since they don’t really work to well it wasn’t much of a bother.

I’m really spacey today. I didn’t miss the bus though. If you don’t come outside, the driver will come inside and call your name. Usually I see them and go out to the bus, but we met halfway by the time I realized the bus was here. This driver is a little crazy.

There is an airport by the bus terminal, built by the British during World War 2, but they built the airport without asking for permission. That’s nice.

Aaaaand I got sick. I am not sure why, but probably something I had for breakfast this morning. Great. I was an upside down geyser.

The guy behind me is smacking his food…in my ear! I am mostly a tolerant person in regards to people’s behaviors, but for some reason this behavior really bothers me when it happens a lot.

We drove through the Rift Valley where the tectonic plates split then onto the geyser-filled area. So many geysers!

For lunch I had lamb soup (of course) and bought a couple of traditional pastries and a Swiss mocha. I put too much whipped cream on the top so it kinda exploded out of the whole you drink from haha.

The kleinur, which are like thick, dry donut pieces, without any frosting, was good but not my personal favorite. It was too dry and cake-y. I am not really that big on cake or similar desserts, unless they are really good! That probably played a part in my lack of favoritism towards this particular treat. It wasn’t bad, just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t finish it. I tried. I thought, “What would my family do?” So I tried it with better, which helped!

Onward to Gulfoss! Wow this waterfall is amazing. I would love to see it in person when it isn’t snowing, but it is still astonishing. There was a sign that said no walking…so I crossed it to get a better view.

Afterwards, it is time for spa time! Fontana Wellness Center is a hot spring bath and sauna, but they also make their own rye bread (baked in the hot springs). It was so relaxing. I haven’t been to a spa in so long, but it really does need to happen more often.

There was a walkway to a very cold lake that crazy people could jump into…so Shannon and I did it twice. I would do it again! Why? Why not?

Today shall be interesting as I will be hiking ON a glacier.

There are 134 volcanoes on Iceland, mostly near the Mid Atlantic Ridge, which we are driving over now. Years ago, an earthquake created a hot spring right inside a guy’s living room. He had to move.

The environment/weather depends on the glacier you are driving by. Some are nicer than others. I went back to Skogafoss, but the weather was nicer so I hiked up the hill to get a view from the top of the falls.

When renting a car, get insurance or you’re basically screwed because they’ll ding you for scratches small things caused by weather, even though they know the weather is unpredictable.

The glacier I will be hiking on is called Solheilmajokull, which means “Home of the Sun” glacier.

In the last seven years, three polar bears got stuck on an iceberg in Greenland and floated over in Iceland. They have to shoot the bears because they are predators, and can and will kill you. They try to put them to sleep first and ship them back to Greenland, but that doesn’t always happen. 😦

I am eating chocolate covered bugles which tastes like chocolate covered puffin cereal I used to eat as a kid.

There is no army or navy in Iceland. There is also no need. There are not many police spotted anywhere either.

Another visit to Black Beach. There was a cave with an opening about 5-6 meters high, semi close to the water but far enough to be safe for now. Every 12 hours or so, the water will reach the cave and the waves are tall enough to reach the top of the cave. It was getting close to that time so I left.

There is a large volcanic eruption that has been due for many years. They are just waiting around to see when it will happen. Would it happen when I was standing on a glacier? Or how about when climbing it? Or when I was in a cafe eating fermented shark? Or maybe the day I am supposed to leave? We will see…

I had the fish and chips for you, Sheila! Yeah, I am not the biggest fan of fried food but it was good. However, I am really excited to eat an Icelandic hotdog wrapped in bacon.

Non alcoholic beer. But why? Okay it was pretty good actually. It was sweet and almost like a cold but flat soda, but in a good way.

I went back to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall and walked behind it this time. It was so worth getting showered with icy cold waters! There were chunks of ice everywhere like perfectly shaped crystals, I felt a little sad walking on them with my crampons.

In the van before we drove off again, the van moved. “Woah, what was that?” “We call that an icy road.”

Fun fact: Skyr yogurt, as creamy and thick as it is, contains less than 1% fat. The actor who played the Mountain in Game of Thrones eats it all day every day. Many bodybuilders do. Seriously, we need this stuff in the States!!!

Aaaand my gloves are frozen. It’s colder with them on than with out. I have hand warmer things that go inside the gloves, but they don’t do much good in my hostel room when I am not there.

“Can you drink and drive in Iceland?” “You can, but you’re not allowed to.”

“Oh look, a police man”-Andres “They’re probably looking for drunken Americans”-traveler from India. Americans have a reputation…thanks *sips non-alcoholic beer*. (I will be going out for a beer later haha).

Due to weather conditions, I will not be hiking on a volcano tomorrow. That means I have a full day for food experiencing. I still have to try the fermented shark, puffin and whale. As good as lamb soup is, I think three times is enough when there is much more out there to try.

Today I am exploring the South shore of Iceland. “Please buckle your up your seat belt the whole tour. We’ve got winter out there, and it’s the law in Iceland.”

If you are going in winter time an want to see the Northern Lights, just book one tour because they may end up being canceled due to weather. You can reschedule and keep trying for free, so keep trying.

I rode past Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano whose eruption shutdown flights around Europe in 2010 and put Iceland on the media map.

I gots my snacks! I have my dried fishies, paprika pringles, sparkling water, and some kind of candy. I will have a more balanced meal for lunch later.

I stopped at Skogafoss waterfall. “Foss” means waterfall. “Jokull” means glacier. I got really close to the waterfall, but any step closer would be shower time. It would be refreshing on a hot day, but as seen in today’s pictures, it was not a hot day. I played around in the snow and there were some slippery ice spots so I did some “skating.” It is much easier to ice skate with ice skates, not hiking boots, but I still didn’t fall!

The bus had to stop for a bit because the wind was so strong, it couldn’t get around the curve until the wind died down. Welcome to Icelandic winter. The weather gets worse the farther east you go (fjords). The wind, just like any other weather in Iceland, lasted only a few minutes.

Black Beach in Vik is not the kind of beach you want to be near. Some time ago, a woman died, but it is fairly typical for issues to occur. The waves are extremely strong and come high up on the shore, easily dragging out unsuspecting visitors.

Warnings from anyone who visits this beach:

“Do not go near the water. Do not turn your back on the sea. The wind is very strong, the waves are strong. It will take you and drown you. If you are so unlucky, there will be no rescue.”

My face. I can’t feel me face. It is so windy it stings when snow hits your face and the wind pushes you. It pushed me over last night but I dug my feet into the sand for stability. The wind works on the same team as the water, searching for its next human meal to engulf.

I hiked to Solheilmajokull glacier, which is blue when not covered in snow. This is the glacier I will be climbing either tomorrow or the next day. I forget my plans already. I just look at what time the bus arrives, set my alarm accordingly, and the day’s adventures will be a surprise.

Apparently phones can die due to the cold. My phone has overheated and turned off before when I did my 5.5 hour drives in summer, 2015, to and from Northern and Southern California without working air conditioning. Good to know it doesn’t like extreme weather on either end of the spectrum.

Someone is putting eye drops in on the bus while going over a bumpy road. That is a little unnerving, but that is quite a talent!

I am attempting to see the northern lights again. Curse the full moon. Even when the sky isn’t cloudy or windy, the light from the full moon affects the Northern Light visibility too.

Fun fact: At Skogafoss waterfall, it is said that a Viking had a box of silver that he had two people hide in it. He killed them to ensure their secrecy. Unfortunately he killed them before having them tell him where exactly they put it, so even he didn’t have access to it. That was poor planning dude. Semi recently, the chest was found but when people tried to pull it out of the water, the handle broke off. The handle is in a nearby church.

“It takes five beers to become a poet, and ten to become a Viking.” I will become a viking on this trip. There was an old Viking village that had houses and a church from way back when. The buildings were so small, even I almost had to duck!

Iceland uses nothing but clean energy. All the electricity comes from waterfalls, and they only use a small amount of the energy produced.

My phone charger decided to stop working completely. The hostel gave me one to borrow until I am done using it. I may or may not have accidentally taken it home with me, and my phone may or may not be plugged into it right now.

Okay so today is the correct snorkeling day. I started my day off right with some lemon green tea, and bringing Skyr yogurt and biscuits for the road. Today is definitely the right day. They are here and now I am on the bus this time.

Ok Mr. Kentucky, it was nice talking to you but I just want to sleep now rather than talk about people in Russia not speaking English. They’re not obligated to. Yeah, it would help to learn some Russian too since you know…you’re going to Russia… (Retrospect on the way back: I was just tired and cranky and was hoping to sleep on the bus haha he was nice though). He did actually mention that he and his family only eats food from the restaurants that serve food from the country they’re in. Absolutely no McDonald’s, and I can absolutely respect that. My exception would be going to one that has something unique about it, like Macca’s in Australia because they have so many other options than we do here in the States. Mind boggling.

There is another guy who keeps complaining about everything from the cold to the sulfur-smelling water. Some of the water smells like sulfur, but it’s not bad and it’s certainly not bad to drink. The bus driver said a lot of Americans end up buying bottled water. You don’t need to. Save your money, the water is clean and tasty. And this is coming from a girl who hasn’t really been the biggest fan of water.

The bus is wavering in the winds. They have special tires and lots of experience for winter driving so we’re okay, but it is certainly an interesting experience. At least I am not trying to pee like I was when Hurricane Sandy hit New York City. There is very low visibility due to the wind and snow.

Okay we have arrived and are now getting geared up to go into the 1-2 degree Celsius water. Since it is so cold, we use a dry suit. The suits are a bit like Vegas, what happens in them tends to stay in them….so take that however you want to and use caution. The first step of the suit is putting on the warm suit which makes you look and feel like a gigantic marshmallow. It’s great! Then the dry suit which is hard to get into when it is stiff and possibly partially frozen on the outside. The best part is when you get the residual air out because you lunge down and everything gets tight and toasty warm as you stand up. WARNING: you hold a space up by your neck to get the air out…do. not. fart. or forever hold your peace. I didn’t do this so I am not speaking from experience this time, but I can only imagine the awful experience that would be. The gloves and of course everything were too big. The gloves were frustrating because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to take pictures since I couldn’t bend the fingers properly. I should get a GoPro and just strap it to my head. The pictures could have come out better, but oh well.

It was freakin’ cold outside! Colder than in the water. Today I believe was -5C outside. My feet are freezing and my picture taking finger is too. Oh and also my snorkel. Everything thaws when its in the water, which is good so then I can breathe haha That’s fine, breathing isn’t necessary. I can drink my way through the water. With the water here, you actually can. It’s so clean. There is no sea life in this water, only crystal clear water. The driver does it all the time and my God he was right. This was the best damn water I have ever had. It was like swimming in Evian.

The water is crystal clear and indeed felt much warmer than the outside. Towards the end, my right foot started struggling, and I thought it was because my fin fell off. No. My foot ended up sliding out of the boot part of the dry suit haha and getting back towards the stairs to get out of the water was interesting. Actually, getting out of the water was even better because I grabbed the rail for stability since I only had one foot in a shoe, and my glove with my hand inside froze to the pole. I’m talking full on Christmas story status. I couldn’t move it and had to use all of my might to pull it away, but of course my hand was closed around the rail so there was a curve involved. Why me? Right, because it makes for a good story. It would make for a really boring blog if everything always went smoothly, so you’re welcome.

I fixed my boot and off I went on my merry way back to the van. I took off my hood and someone warned my to be careful because my hair was frozen. Don’t touch or bend it or it will snap off. I have seen this happen. I instantly thought of the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, when the guy accidentally breaks his frostbitten toe off. Ha okay so it’s just hair, not my toe, but I worked too damn hard to get my hair this long. No I didn’t, I just eat protein and it grows. Plus, I’ve gotten to the point where I need to take care of the split ends and redo my layers anyway, but I don’t think this would be the way to take care of that.

Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes, in summer. Would I recommend it? Yes, in summer. The water is 1-2C year round, but the outside air is not. It would be much nicer to prepare, get into the suit and out of the suit without subzero temperatures. Plus you won’t have to deal with the risk of pieces of frozen hair being broken off. Unless you don’t have hair, then go whenever! 🙂

I tried to see the pictures I took but the camera was off and the on/off button was frozen so I guess I will have to wait until they send me the pictures. Hopefully it’s a less grueling process than it was getting the pictures from diving at the Great Barrier Reef.

I’m hungry. I think my yogurt is bad because I left it out which sucks. I will stick with my biscuits. I am not sure what I am having for lunch and dinner yet, but I assume I will be unable to get food at a restaurant for dinner due to Christmas time. They really like their Christmas here! I want more of that dried fish stuff but the store across the street didn’t have any.

Time for another shower and of course a nice blow dry in lieu of a towel. Resourcefulness makes up for stupidity.

I ended up being able to get a reservation for dinner. It’s fancy, but I won’t be tonight. I wasn’t the only one in hiking shoes, and at least I had a nice shirt and skinny jeans. For lunch I had to walk down Laugavegur for a little bit, but found a cafe called Durum. I had a Swiss mocha and smoked salmon panini that was so big, they serve it with a knife and fork. They warmed the sandwich, which changed the salmon a little, but it was still marvelous.

I am at a larger table by myself, partially because there is nowhere else to sit, but it also means others will have to join and share the table, which means potential conversations with whoever. It worked! A couple originally from Turkey now living in Atlanta sat down. The woman was also in psychology. We talked about their travel plans, and I was able to recommend some things since I’ve been here long enough to know my way around now. It’s one thing to make recommendations and what not here on my website, but people may forget by the time they go, if they go out all. In person, people will be more likely to go out the next day or so and do the stuff you talked about as it is more fresh in their brain. Also at this time, I can warn them about what’s closed. They left and a Scottish couple joined me. We talked for a little but then I had to pee so I left because I was on the inside of the table and there was a couch in the way. I’ll go back and charge my phone for a little before dinner. I probably shouldn’t have as big a sandwich as I did. The Christmas buffet was 10500 krona ($85), yikes! But I would rather not starve. There were no labels on anything so I had no idea what I was eating some of the time, unless I asked. High school and younger me would rather starve than be in a position like this, now I love it!

Walking home was interesting. It wasn’t a long walk but there was lots of wind and slippery ice. Not the best combination if you don’t weigh much. The wind literally pushed me and I fell ahaha no one was around to witness this which I suppose is a good thing.