Seriously, who goes to Iceland? Well, evidently these two high adventure junkies! Kiff found a great deal & they jumped on it! They flew into Reykjavik & hit this volcanic island running - they seriously packed in a lot for a weekend!
DAY 1 - The Blue Lagoon in one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The spa is actually in the middle of a lava field near the airport. The warm waters are rich in silica & sulfur & bathing in them are believed to have great dermatological benefits. The lagoon is man-made but is fed by the geothermal waters unique to the area.
Reykjavik is the capital & largest city in Iceland, believed to be their first permanent settlement & the northernmost capital in the world...literally "the top of the world." It is known to be one of the cleanest, greenest, & safest cities in the world. And beautiful! Check out these rooftops & buildings...
A tribute to their Viking heritage, this Sun Voyager sculpture is a prominent feature on the Reykjavik harborfront...
Kiff called this sculpture "Blockhead Squared" - it is actually a tribute to the Unknown Civil Servant who often carry the weight of society as they keep it working day in & out...nameless & thankless individuals...
That evening they took a Northern Lights Tour by boat, traveling away from the city lights to enjoy mother nature's own light show. Kiff was disappointed in the pictures because the setting on the camera had moved, but I think we can get the idea of this spectacular display of color in the sky!
DAY 2 - The south end of the island has a plethora of waterfalls. Unfortunately, winter months don't offer enough daylight to be able to stop at all of them, so they had to drive by quite a few in order to fit them all in...such spectacular scenery!
The black sand beaches of Reynisfjara is literally crushed lava. It was very light weight & offered a dramatic contrast to the ocean's crashing waves...
These basalt columns were pretty cool, they almost looked fake!
The tour also included Solheimajökull Glacier, Skogafoss & Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls...don't try to sound them out - they don't even sound like they are spelled.
DAY 3 - The Golden Circle is the best know day tour Iceland offers. It's a 300 km loop that covers some amazing geological features & beautiful countryside!
Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvellir) is a unique spot where you can see the tectonic drift - where the earth literally splits apart by about an inch each year. It is where the Eurasian & North American Continents used to actually meet.
Kiff got to go diving between the rifts. Kiff got some great photos of his dive - at one point you can see where he is actually touching both continents at the same time! Pretty cool!
Unfortunately for Paul, new dive regulations designate what type of certification you have trained for & now actually print those designations on your dive card. Paul's been diving so long that his dive card does not include these new designation requirements & the park wouldn't accept his certification & allow him to dive. Kind of a bummer for him, but he didn't discover the issue in time to fix the problem. Don't worry, he's not bitter...not at all.
Strokkur Geyser is one of Iceland's most famous geysers, erupting about every 4-8 minutes 45-60 ft high, sometimes up to 120 ft high...
Gullfoss Waterfall is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. It falls in a wide curved tree-step "staircase" & abruptly plunges in two stages (36 ft & 68 ft) into a crevice (105 ft) deep. The crevice is about 60 ft wide & 1.5 miles in length.
Iceland is such an amazing place to visit & explore!
Lamb soup is a traditional icelandic staple. They literally sell it every where, even in gas stations!
They were able to find a unique "icelandic feast" - including smoked puffin, icelandic foal, minke whale, & lamb. They also tried a "wild game buffet" featuring reindeer meatballs, moose, kangaroo, whale, & a variety of fowl & seafood.
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