The Beginning:

 

This was never on my bucket list! Yet, this was the first trip I booked on my quest to get back to International traveling. The idea came from another traveler in a group I'm active in online. There were deals popping up for Iceland (at the end of 2015) for WOW Airlines (they literally are the cousin of Spirit). We booked a ticket for $298 out of BWI leaving on a Friday night- arriving on Saturday morning with a departure home on Tuesday. It's a 5 hour flight from BWI so I arrived early that morning from ORD. The flight took off at 7:45PM and due to the time change we arrived at 5:45AM  the next morning!

 

Upon arrival we moved pretty quickly through the airport and made our way over to the rental cars. Due to the short length of our trip (and there being 4 people in my group) we decided it was best to rent a vehicle to cut on transportation costs. We started our Journey by doing our own tour of the Golden Circle. You can easily put the information into your navigation system (you can rent cars with Wifi access). If you are not one for self guided tours you can always book the "hop on/hop off" Golden Circle Tour- it will run you about $82 USD per person. The Golden Circle consisted of three stops: Pingvellir National Park- see the Unesco World Heritage Site, Great Geysir and Strokkur Geysir and the Gullfoss Waterfall. These are suppose to be the most intense views of nature. I included a few pictures in the slideshow.

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We were able to grab a quick bite for breakfast as we continued onto The Blue Lagoon. Now let me add that we chose to do this instead of joining the rest of the larger group at the Viking Museum. That is a great option as well- I believe they have an airport pickup that's inexpensive to take you to the Museum. It's a great way to get some transportation and kill time before The Blue Lagoon opens at 9AM (you may enter the building at 8:30AM). You still want to give yourself plenty of wiggle room in arriving to BL because lines form quickly. Which- is also why it's strongly recommended that you purchase your package ahead of time! You can read about my Blue Lagoon experience here: The Blue Lagoon.

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Once we finished up at the Blue Lagoon, we headed to our Hostel: HLemmur Square. You have the option of the dormitory or you could book the hotel side. Since we only had one night there we did the dorm room- it is a shared space with bunk beds and lockers for your stuff (bring your own lock). Our room was shared with others from our larger group. The cost was between $15-$18 USD for one night (the website offers discounts when booking). They have free wifi and breakfast is offered (at a price).

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There is a Food Tour you can book. I passed on it and chose a nap since we didn't really sleep on the plane. I have no details on what other's thought of this tour. I do know the meeting location was in front of Harpa, concert hall. On another note- there is a museum that generated a lot of interests amongst the women on the trip. It's called the Icelandic Phallological Museum or..."Penis Museum". I'll leave it at that- if you want to know more about it or visit it then google for more information.

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The evening consisted of finding dinner (there was a 7-11 type store across the street from our hostel). They had sandwiches to go, hotdogs, coffee etc... prices are medium to high (that's to be expected in Iceland by the way). We had a group party bus planned for the evening with the objective being to chase the Northern Lights! Due to the size of our group (roughly 125 people) we chartered two buses. We were told in advance that there is no guarantee that we would catch the lights that night. In reality we didn't- some people claim they saw some gray/greenish coloration in the sky but we didn't actually see the Northern lights in all their glory. So be forewarned and check to make sure you are going during a time of the year that they are still active. The party bus itself was a blast. We brought alcohol and mixers, snacks etc...music playing and people dancing in the isles and their seats. We started around 9PM and returned between 1AM-2AM depending on hotel drop off.

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The next morning brought a full day of activities that included ATV's and Swimming between two Continents. We had a pick up time of 8:45AM (which was hell trying to get up after only a few hours of sleep). We were starting off with ATV driving across the terrain. Many of us shared four wheelers (which made it cheaper) but you could opt to have one solo. The guide gave us a quick lesson on how to operate the vehicle. Then, off we go- it was more of a sight seeing tour. We wore jumpsuits and helmets which was good considering mud kept kicking up at us. The entire trip from start to finish was roughly an hour/maybe a little more since we did stop and take a ton of pictures. I highly recommend the tour because you get to see a lot of the mountain side of Iceland. There are a few different selections (for terrain options) as well as a sunset tour. The weather for us was "seasonably warm" meaning mid 40's. We were burning up in the jumpsuits and helmets. Layers will be key so you can adjust with the temperature.

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Once we left ATV we looked for food and headed to Pingvellir National Park to meet up for snorkeling between the two Continents. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to do the tour. The weather conditions shifted for the worse and while the first group was in the water- it started to snow and the wind picked up and created issues for the group. The tour guides spent over an hour trying to safely bring everyone back onto land. Apparently, there was a real struggle with swimming to shore because the water was really rough and caused swimming against the current. I'm not a strong swimmer and that would have freaked me out so I was cool with the cancellation. This is on my bucket list for next trip. 

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Once we left we headed to the Cottages for an evening of more partying, and watching for the Northern Lights outside in hot tubs. The location was at Minni Borgir- a spot that is prime for seeing the Lights. We had 8 Cottages including one dedicated for games and one dedicated for partying all night. Once again it was bring your own snacks and drinks which everyone contributed (via duty free for the alcohol). Long story short- we did see the lights very clearly and those pictures are included in the slide show. I will add it took until around 1 or 2AM for them to appear. You gotta have a great camera or download a Northern Lights app. You cannot capture the Northern Lights with a regular flash.

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The next day we packed up and my smaller group headed to our next destination which was a visit of the different waterfalls (seen in Game of Thrones). We saw Skogafoss waterfall, Seljalandsfoss and Solhumajokull Glacier (all pictured in the slide show). We also did a Glacier hike- which was nice and not too strenuous. We received a short demonstration and they provided the gear (bring your own boots/hiking shoes). While doing the hike- we got the opportunity to fill up our water bottles from a stream in the middle of the glacier. It was a great experience and again- wear layers because you start off cold but once you begin hiking you get hot quick! You can search online for a few different options for this tour and all the others mentioned. The bed and breakfast we stayed at out this way was Skogar Guesthouse. It is about 2 hours outside Reykjavik and near the waterfalls and glacier hiking location.

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Let me fast forward real quick to the airport experience. Make sure you allow plenty of time (at least two hours). This airport is full of lines so be observant and when in doubt ask questions. You have a line for security, passport control, line at the pre-boarding gate, a line at the boarding gate...just lines everywhere. Be sure you are paying attention and make your way to your gate earlier than the boarding time on your boarding pass. You should hear an announcement regarding your gate- regardless you should make your way there and get in line. They don't board the same as American Airline carriers, it's more of a first come first served process. 

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Conclusion:

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Iceland was surprisingly a great trip! I am not big on the cold but this trip was the right amount of time (four days and three nights) and the weather was better than expected (lucky I guess). I want to return to do Blue Lagoon again and swim between the Continents since I didn't get too this trip! There are a lot of flights to other places like Amsterdam that involve an extended layover in Iceland. Just remember this trip will not be cheap but it doesn't have to be super expensive either! Plan ahead of time the activities you want to do, decided which ones you can do on your own to save money, consider renting a car (if it's cost efficient for you), and bring snacks (pouch tuna, protein bars, & nuts) and a refillable water bottle. 

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