On our fourth day in Iceland we visited the Laxnes Horse Farm just outside of Reykjavik for a two hour horse riding adventure. Laxnes Farm is own and operated by the Jónasson family and they are dedicated to the quality of life of these horses.

Icelandic horses are characteristically small, stocky, and strong and almost looking like large ponies. All of the horses had course full manes and tails. They are breed with a double coat which keeps them warm during the winter months in Iceland. Many Icelanders credit the horse for the survival of the Icelandic people.

We shared a beautiful ride through the mountains with our horses. Cooper was riding Dreki, which means Dragon, who was super chill.

Juliette riding her horse stjörnu (Star)

Day 5 – Journey Into A Glacier

This unique tour took us to the north, our GPS sent us through a “shortcut” that turned out to be a 3 hour drive on a gravel road.  It was a beautifully bleak route with occasional boulders blocking our path. We were a bit concerned that our rental car wouldn’t survive the trip!  Later, we found out the landscape we traveled through is called the “cold valley” and it was where outlaws and murders were sent as punishment.  If they could survive 3 years out there they were allowed to return to the community. Think about that: 3 years out there is either a life sentence or the death penalty depending on how you fair.

When we arrived we got in a special retired NATO vehicle that was designed to carry missiles.  This missile transporter now transports tourist over glaciers to show them the danger of global warming. Did you notice the pneumatic hoses leading to each tire?  Believe it or not the driver is able to control the inflation of each wheel with a tablet interface to regulate the tire traction with the glacier ice. Which means at certain moments of our trek we were quite literally gliding along the snow and ice of the glacier #intotheglacier

We were on top of the Langjokull, the second largest in Europe.  At the top we came upon an entrance to the largest man-made ice tunnel structure of its kind. Inside we learned that 80% of Iceland’s water comes from glacier and about 60% of the U.S. water comes from glacial sources.  The glaciologists estimate we only have 100 more years of glaciers on this planet due to the warming of the atmosphere.  They also told us that this glacier may completely melt away in 50 years.

This tour was very special and we both enjoyed it as a once in a lifetime experience.

Since there was still light out (the sun sets at 11:30pm!) we drove over to the hydro-electric plant near Deildartunguhver Geothermal Area. The Deildartunguhver Hot Spring, the centerpiece of the geothermal area, is the most powerful hot spring in Europe and the one with the highest flow rate. The boiling water it produces emerges at 97 °C and is used for heating the houses in the area via a pipeline to places far away such as Borgarnes, 34 kilometers away and the town of Akranes, 64 kilometers southwest.

Day 6 – Viking Sail, Blue Lagoon, Anniversary dinner

On our final day in Iceland, we celebrated our wedding anniversary. In the morning we took a private viking ship out onto the harbor in hopes of seeing puffin. Luckily, there were still some families enjoying life on a small island nearby and because we were on such a small boat we were able to get closer then the larger Puffin tour boats.

While on the boat we learned about the history of vikings from an Icelandic historian. Iceland was uninhabited until 874, until viking explores from Norway and the British isles discovered the land in the ninth century. Christianity wasn’t established in Iceland until 999 under the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason. We learned that the Sagas of Icelanders, also known as the family sagas are highly honored stories that were passed down from generations and covered all of the historical events that took place in 9th, 10th, and early 11th centuries.

After our boat ride we traveled to the most visited touristy attraction of our trip the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. Located right next to the airport the Blue Lagoon is a spa, pool, and restaurant/bar. We bought tickets that included a free algae mask and alcoholic beverage.  The facilities felt very luxurious and relaxing. They have a strict hygiene policy, so be prepared to take a shower before entering the warm, rich mineral lagoon water.

The water temperature averages 99-167 °F, and once you enter there is a swim up bar and little hut that holds different types of skin masks. We spent the afternoon relaxing and recounting some of the places we had seen the days previous both feeling melancholy about it being our last day. Cooper started getting very pruney, so we took that as a signal to head out to make our dinner reservation.

We had reservations for dinner at the Fiskmarkadurinn, or Fish Market. The restaurant is highly rated and when they heard we were celebrating our anniversary quickly brought champagne with strawberries to our table.

We ordered items from their tasting menu: smoked puffin, whale, and salmon (YOLO). We also met a lovely couple sitting next to us that were traveling from DC. They were also celebrating their last night in town and it was nice to share some of our stories with them.

In conclusion, our trip to Iceland was phenomenal. I want to return again and see other parts of the island as well as the Northern lights.

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Each day was an epic adventure, and I’m so happy to have spent so much time exploring and experiencing new things with Cooper.

Day 1 – Reykjavik, Iceland Trip

On our first day in Iceland we fought our jet leg and visited a few key sites. Reykjavik celebrated gay pride during our stay and the main government building partnered with a local artist to paint the steps in rainbow colors to support the parade.

The gorgeous Atlantic ocean views near the Sólfar or the Sun Voyager, a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason were the next stop on the journey. The Sun Voyager is concepted as a dreamboat, an ode to the sun. Intrinsically, it contains within itself the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. I love the idea behind it’s construction, it was such a great way to kick off our trip. 

In the evening we took our own walking tour within downtown Reykjavik and saw the city  lit up at night. Who knew that Reykjavík would have it’s own Big Lebowski themed bar! Give it to Iceland to take the 1998 cult classic and make it a lifestyle. The bar boasts 16 varieties of “The Dude’s” iconic drink, The White Russian. The interior of the bar is divided into four separate themes—bowling alley, a southern-style porch, a ‘50s diner, and a kind of ‘60s playboy lounge bar on the upper floor.

We could not miss grabbing a beer and hanging out with the locals. It was quite windy walking through the streets hence Cooper’s wind-blown look.

Day 2 – Hiking | Brautarholtskirkja Church, Þingvellir National Park

Using Reykjavik as our home base we opted to take self driving day trips to the surrounding areas. Just a 40 minute drive out of the capital we were greeted with breath-taking views in Þingvellir National Park. The park is a UNESCO World heritage site and is protected as a national park due to its unique geology and natural features. The Almannagjá canyon is formed between two tectonic plates and is a stunning visual representation of continental drift.

Next we visited Brautarholtskirkja Church, located on the small Kjalarnes Peninsula. It was built in 1857 by a local carpenter and is in fact the oldest wooden church that has been in continuous use in Iceland. The Brautaholtskirkja Church was dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children and fishermen.

We encountered our first friendly Icelandic horses near the church, and fed them some of our trail mix. It was surreal watching these majestic creatures frolicking and playing with each other with this stunning mountainous background. On our return drive to Reykjavik we stopped to go on a hike through some rolling hills. We came across several beautiful babbling brooks, flora and fauna, and other friendly hikers.

While hiking we noticed vibrant purple fields of what we found out later was Alaskan lupine. These lavender like flowers bloom in the summers and were introduced to Iceland in 1945 to help with soil fertilization and combat soil erosion. The plant is also able to add atmospheric nitrogen to the soil by using bacteria in its roots.

After the long hike we took pleasure in the public heated pools that Iceland has to offer because our legs were burning. These public pools are visited daily by locals as a way to wind down and soothe their bodies.  They were fantastic, but we didn’t take our camera in with us.

Day 3 – Ignoring TLC, We Chased Waterfalls

Day three of our trip was very active and very wet! We woke up early grabbed an artisanal coffee from Reykjavik Roasters and hit the road determined to see the beautiful Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Bruarfoss waterfalls.

Skógafoss is massive, and we found that the best views to capture of it were from far away with a long lens or with a drone! Once we tried to walk close to it we had to zip up our rain jackets to keep from being soaked just from the spray.

Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall out of a fairytale. One of it’s special features is that you can walk inside of an open air cave to view it from behind. We took the opportunity to shoot drone footage of both Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls.

Cooper and I spent a good two hours trying to find the hidden Bruarfoss waterfall. He was surprised that I was so adventurous that day. As we stomped through overgrown grass creating our own desire path we heard the faint sound of rushing water. We came upon a small bridge and then our jaws fell open when we saw this crystal clear blue colored water flowing from a small but spectacular waterfall seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

“I lift my mind to the sky, and I let it take flight. The wind carries to my ears, precious sound of life. Soon I break all ties which bind me to this earth, and all that surrounds me seems to melt into blue eternal.” – Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson

 Part II

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