Iceland Birthday Trip
- Oct 15, 2018
- 7 min read
As some of you may know, last year I decided to start taking annual international birthday trips. If you are knew to my blog see blog post "" for more details on my birthday trip last year to Puerto Vallarta, MX. This year my boyfriend, Marcus, and I decided to take a trip to Reykjavik, Iceland. I know, completely the opposite from the tropics of last year's trip. HAHA. Although I loved being on the beach I overall love any scenic places with beautiful landscapes and Iceland was definitely on the list for all it's outdoor mind-blowing views.
Our trip was from September 18th- September 24th. We planned the trip in July and booked our flights through JustFly.com with WoW Air and hotel through Hotels.com. We stayed at Nordurey Hotel Reykjavik Road in Hafnarfjordur for a very reasonable price compared to other hotels and AirBnB's. We had a late flight on the 18th and landed on the 19th at 4:45am. There was a five hour ahead time difference from Texas. Upon landing we rented a car and headed to the hotel. I must admit we were definitely in for a treat when it comes to weather. Winds were 10-26mph meanwhile the temperature ranged from mid 30s to mid 40s degrees Fahrenheit.
Now lets get into day 1 of activities. Because we landed so early we were able to get some shut eye before starting our journey. Perlan, The Sun Voyager, and Hallgrímskirkja Church were on our list for the day. Perlan- Wonders of Iceland is a must see museum. It was a great time for us to visit because they recently completed the first man-made Ice Cave in the world. We were able to take a tour of this exhibition that stretched 100 meters long and was built from snow from the Blue Mountains. This Ice Cave took over a 1.5 year to construct. Next we stopped to grab some lunch at Bastard Brewery. Hallgrímskirkja Church is the largest church in Reykjavík and second largest standing at 74.5 meters high. Our next stop was The Sun Voyager. It is a sculpture described as a dreamboat and many natives refer to this as a viking ship.
Day 2
On our second day we took a day trip to tour the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route south of the island. On our day trip we made three stops. Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park. It was such a beautiful day out to explore this incredible national park. We were able to see sheeps and Icelandic horses in Bláskógabyggð as well which was an amazing unexpected treat. I can't even count the times we pulled on side the road to take photos. HAHA. Needless to say, all the sights we visited we chose to drive to ourselves and enjoy as much time as possible in each place. I highly recommend renting a car and touring the island. It is far less expensive traveling this way. Prices can be $120+ per person for a tour which can definitely add up quickly for a long stay. Next, we drove to the Gullfoss waterfall and visited the Geysir and Strokkur. The night of the 20th we had a Northern Lights Tour. We were so thankful to have a native friend set us up with a tour. Unfortunately, on this night we were unable to see the Northern Lights. On the tours it is not guaranteed that you will see them, yet they do offer an option to reschedule if you are unable to see them the first time.
Day 3
Rest DAY! After our many adventures we needed a quiet day of local activities. We decided to take a tour of downtown Reykjavik. Our first stop was lunch at Hamborgarafabrikkan. Hamborgarafabrikkan is a burger factory that uses 100% fresh high-quality ingredients from Icelandic nature. Lunch was delicious. I give this restaurant 10/10. I had a chicken quesadilla and Marcus had the Morthens burger. Shockingly the restaurant is located across the street from the Höfði house. The Höfði house was built in 1909 and in 1986 President Ronald Regan held a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev which is said to be what may have put an end to the Cold War. The Harpa Concert Hall was next on our list. The architecture of this building is spectacular. This concert hall is one of the greatest landmarks in Iceland. We ended the night by eating dinner at the Ban Thai Restaurant. Thai is one of my favorite cuisines and we were fortunate enough to find this restaurant tucked off on the street.
Day 4
Today we wanted to try some Icelandic food and headed over to Mathús Garðabæjar for brunch before our hike in Hveragerði with native friends to a hot springs. The food was spectacular and much different than American. This was a buffet styled brunch that included mimos's. I mean how much better can it get. For a party of two the cost was $69. So this gives you a great gage on the pricing structure in Iceland. HAHA. Once we were done we were off to meet up with Adam. He decided to take us on this journey to a natural hot spring at the Geothermal park Hverasvæðið. This was an amazing hike with so many beautiful wonders to see and experience before getting to the peak of the hot spring. As we were on the hike we were able to drink from a stream and eat crow berries along the way. The sound of nature is unreal here. The water here was really clear and it was truly something special being able to see the streams and drink from them as well as being able to take a dip in the hot springs. Unfortunately we were unable to soak in the hot spring, due to us forgetting to bring our bathing suits, we were able to roll up our pants legs and put them in. I would highly recommend anyone visit a hot spring at least once in their life. These wonders are magical and so relaxing. After the hike our day wasn't over. We then drove to Seljalandsfoss which is a waterfall with a 200 ft drop that allows visitors to walk behind it. Being able to walk behind the waterfall is indescribable. Our next stop was Gljúfrabúi. Another waterfall down the road just hidden behind a rock north of Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall can easily be missed if you are not looking in the right place. Mostly considered a hidden gem because Seljalandsfoss is so popular. Although I will say that nothing compares to seeing Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss. We were able to capture a beautiful rainbow in the waterfall which was facsinating. Our day could not end there. Skógafoss was our next waterfall on our list of places to visit. Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfall's in Iceland. This waterfall is 82 ft wide with a 197 ft drop. WOW!! Can you imagine that?? By the time we got here we were losing daylight and the temperature was dropping. With that being said winds were around 25mph and 37 degree Fahrenheit. Lastly we were in for a special surprise on our drive back to the hotel. Marcus really wanted to catch the Northern Lights and looked forward to seeing them before leaving. He got his wish on this night. Around 10-11pm Icelandic time, he looked up into the sky and say a glint of something hovering above our car. The excitement was uncontrollable for him at this point haha. I immediately pulled out my iPhone and was actually able to see the Northern Lights. Right there in front of us was something so magical, something most aren't able to see, just riding the sky like a wave. At this moment peace, tranquility, and an appreciate for mother nature arose. Although the photos weren't of good quality nothing could have compared to this moment of seeing something so unique with the love of my life.
Day 5
Breakfast was served daily at our hotel. Majority of the days we spent eating the breakfast that was available from 7AM-9AM. Although the breakfast was delicious we wanted something different. Grái Kötturinn- The Grey Cat is a cozy little restaurant that offers breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Their pancakes are made from scratch and are by far the best pancakes we have ever had. Although they aren't the same size as American pancakes they are quite delicious. The restaurant also serves as a bookshop. After eating breakfast, we took a stroll around the streets sightseeing. Hljómskálagarður Park was minutes away. I can honestly admit I have never seen a park as beautiful as this one. Also I have only seen swans on TV and was finally able to see one up close in person. Such a majestic animal swimming in the lake. It was a great day to take a stroll in the park for us hand in hand arm wrapped around each other.
Day 6
LAST DAY! We saved the best for last. Have you ever heard of the Blue Lagoon?? Well, we booked passes for 9:00AM. This experience was totally unbelievable. I have obsessed over visiting this place for quite sometime and it is more than I imagined. The warmth of the water is incredible. The cold wind on your face is exhilarating. We booked the comfort passes that came with a free drink and unlimited access to the lagoon. Our trip here lasted an hour and a half. Although this is a hot springs it is no where near comparison to the heat from the first hot springs we visited. It was great being able to visit two different hot springs and getting the full view on each. The pictures will speak for themselves of this immaculate unique wonder. Because this was our last day we decided to visit places on the way to the airport.
Now I am sure many of you have tons of questions. Feel free to ask away in the comment section below if I failed to answer any you may have had by the end of reading this blog. We did not use a travel agent. I take joy in being my own travel agent and enjoy planning out events and activities. Needless to say Iceland is the fourth most expensive country. I would recommend having a budget in mind and sightseeing at your own expense by renting a car. Because Iceland is an island most people that visit I have noticed tour a new place everyday staying in hostels making their way around the entire island. We did not take this route. This was by far the best trip I have taken and being able to share this time with the love of my life definitely brought us closer. Due to Marcus working in the oil field we haven't been able to spend this much time together. Although we spend most of our relationship long distance we make the most of our time together and every chance we get to be together we take it. We are now in the process of planning our next extravaganza. Where do you think we will visit next??
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