Iceland

We just got back from an amazing trip to Iceland.  Iceland is definitely one of the most unique places we have traveled to thus far and is such a beautiful country.  What made the trip even better is we went with 14 of our good friends from London and we all participated in the Reykjavik marathon events (well, most of us.)  Dan ran a half marathon with 3 of the guys and the rest of us ran the 10K (except our friend Jess who ran the 3K fun run...ha.) We arrived in Iceland Friday and made our way straight over to the marathon expo to pick up our numbers and chips for the race.  After getting settled into the hotel, we set out (in the freezing cold and rain) to explore the city of Reykjavik.  Reykjavik is the biggest city in Iceland and by far the most populated, but it still felt like a small town.  All the Icelandic people we met were so friendly and happy to tell us about their country.  After strolling down the main street, our first stop was the Hallgrimskirkja church.  It is the largest in Iceland and was built to resemble a volcano.  The interior was very plain and simple, in keeping with most of the architecture and design we saw in Iceland.

 Hallgrimskirkja:

Leifur Erikkson statue (viking discoverer of America):

After visiting the church, we walked towards the center of town, checking out the Tjornin lake and the old harbour.  We met up with all the married couples for dinner that night at a great restaurant called Hofnin right on the harbour.  

 Tjornin lake:

old harbour:

 our first Icelandic beers:

Saturday morning we were up early for our run.  The boys running the half marathon left first.  It was freezing cold and still drizzling rain when they started but had stopped raining by the time the rest of us took off for the 10K.  Out of the 7 of us running the 10K, I was third and ran it in about 54 minutes.  I felt really good the whole time and the scenery was gorgeous.  The run took you through town and then out along the water and there were lots of supporters the whole way.  Dan did really well; ran the half marathon in 1:53.  We were both really glad we decided to run, it was a fun event to be a part of.

half-marathon runners:

 the whole crew after the race: 

After the race, Dan and I headed over to the Blue Lagoon for some much needed relaxation.  The Blue Lagoon is a natural geothermal spa heated by underground hot springs.  The landscape is all lava rock with built up white calcium deposits which creates beautiful powder blue water.  It is a huge area where you can relax, swim around, stop in at the swim-up bar, or go for a sauna or a steam.  They also have buckets of silica mud for you to spread on your face; it dries like a mask and leaves your skin feeling really soft and smooth.  We both used it 3 or 4 times for good measure;)  It was a great way to spend the afternoon after a tough run.  

 landscape just outside the lagoon:

 sauna:

After a relaxing afternoon, we headed back to Reykjavik for their annual culture night.  There was a band playing in the main square, lots of people out in bars on the main street, the art galleries were open late, and there was a firework show at the end of the night.  As it was cold and rainy, we opted out of the outdoor concert and instead just bar-hopped along the main road.  We checked out a pretty cool bar on the ground floor of a hostel, spent some time in The English Pub (lame seeing as we all live in England, but a good bar none the less, with decent live entertainment), and eventually found our way to the Whisky Bar where we ran into some (authentic?) vikings!  It was a fun night.

black death shots (a lethal Icelandic liquor):

 Bunk Bar (in the hostel):

 getting "cultured" with the creepy viking:

The next morning we were up bright and early for our "cram it all into one day" Jeep tour of the island.  Our first stop (after a brief leg stretching at a miscellaneous waterfall) was the Geysir hot springs area.  The biggest geysir is Strokkur, which erupts every few minutes.  As we waited for Strokkur to erupt, we stood right next to a guy posing for his picture with the geysir with his smile all ready for whenever that geysir went off.  For fear of him ruining my picture (although, the picture Jess captured of him was actually hilarious), I decided to move around to the other side of the geysir.  Unfortunately, that put me down wind and I was literally soaked by it!  Luckily, Jess had an extra sweatshirt so I wasn't miserable for long.

 waiting for the geysir in the rain:

 soaked by a geysir:(

 looks like he got his shot!:

After the geysir we headed for Langjokull glacier.  The glacier was absolutely the highlight of the trip.  Driving up to the glacier, the landscape changed drastically from green and mossy to barren and rocky.  As we were driving, our friend Jay said, "I feel like I'm on the moon" and our tour guide said, "Actually, the Apollo astronauts trained here before their missions because the terrain is very similar to that of the moon."  Because the fog was so thick, we couldn't actually see the glacier until we were driving on it!  We parked and were able to get out and walk/slip around a bit.  It was awesome; totally a surreal experience.  

driving up to the glacier:

 glacier!!

 Dan licking the glacier (the glacier water was delicious):

 our Super Jeep:

From the glacier we headed to Gullfoss; a huge two-tiered waterfall.  Before checking out the falls, we had a traditional Icelandic lunch of delicious lamb soup, at the Gullfoss visitor center.  The falls were really impressive and well worth braving the spray to get up close.

enjoying the bumpy ride to and from the glacier (serious off-roading):

 Gullfoss:

Our last stop of the day was the Thingvellir National Park.  Thingvellir is located on Iceland's major fault line where the European and American tectonic plates are literally tearing apart.  It is also the site where the vikings used to hold parliament, starting in about 930AD.  The most beautiful feature of the park is the Thingvallavatn lake; the largest natural lake in Iceland, it's water coming from the Langjokull glacier.  We were lucky enough to have the weather clear up just before arriving at the park and the bright sunshine on the dramatic landscape and crystal clear water was stunning.  

Thingvallavatn lake:

 Tim and Dan trying to connect Europe and America:

 walking along the fault line:

It was an amazing day and a great way to see the country.  That night we went out as a group to one of the most renowned restaurants in Reykjavik, The Fish Market.  We had the chef's tasting menu, which included minke whale (delicious!) and smoked puffin (not great.)  After dinner we stopped by The English Pub again to squeeze in a few more rounds of our favorite drinking past-time, the finger game, before closing.  

minke whale:

 smoked puffin:

finger game:

The next morning, our last, Dan and I braved the weather and headed out on a boat for whale watching.  The rain held out for most of the trip and we were pretty lucky with sightings.  We saw 4-5 minke whales (just like the ones we ate the night before!) and a few dolphins.  Although the rocking of the ship made us both pretty nauseous, it was cool to get out on the water and see the wildlife.  

plus, they gave us these sweet rain suits to wear:

We had a wonderful time in Iceland...it is one of the most beautiful places we have traveled to and it was fun to experience it with such a great group of friends.