Day 198 – 25th May – Reykjavík

We landed in Reykjavík at about 9:30am from our overnight flight from New York. We got the shuttle bus to our hotel and went to check in. Our room wasn’t ready so we left our bags and went to explore the capital. We had a brief look around and then went to get some breakfast in a nearby cafe. While we were there the hotel had sent us a message to let us know our room was ready so after we finished we went to the tourist information to pick up some leaflets for tours and then went to the room. The room was really nice and had a kitchen area as well. We had a look at the brochures and leaflets we had picked up and booked a couple of trips for the next two days. We then had an afternoon nap as neither of us had slept very much on the flight over! When we woke up we then went to do a food shop in a local supermarket. We also had a look at the shops on route and there were a lot of nice boutique style shops to look in. Our first impressions of Reykjavík were really positive and we were looking forward to our stay even more so in Iceland. We got back to the room about 6pm and had a pretty chilled out evening watching some tv and Dan cooked us some pasta for dinner.

Day 199 – 26th May – Reykjavík & Golden Circle Tour.

We both woke up really early this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. We weren’t sure whether it was a bit of jet lag or too much of an afternoon nap the day before! We set off at 8:20 to the meeting point for our 8:30 tour to The Golden Circle. This tour was a full day tour visiting different sights in Iceland. Our tour guide was called Siggi and he was very knowledgeable and informative about lot of things throughout the day. There was a lot of steam in the air as we were driving and he explained about how Iceland use a lot of geothermal energy to create electricity and the steam is created by drilling holes deep into the ground and find the hot water. This water is also used for the households in Reykjavík and is transported via a 20km pipeline. Our first stop on the tour was to a shopping centre which was about a thirty minute drive out of Reykjavík. The shopping centre was damaged by an earthquake in 2008 and instead of repairing the floor, they have turned it into an earthquake exhibition and covered the damage with glass and you can walk over the top of the floor that has been ripped apart. We only stopped here for 15 minutes but it was cool to see. From here we then went to Kerid Volcano Crater which was about 10 minutes from the shopping centre. This crater was created in an eruption over 6000 years ago. There was a lake in the middle of the crater and we spent some time walking around the walked around the outside and then went down closer to the water.

From here we then drove to Faxi waterfall which was very picturesque and spent about 10 minutes here observing the waterfall. About 20 minutes from here was the next stop and the incredible Gullfoss Waterfall. This waterfall is a two tiered waterfall that originates from the Hvítá (White River). This is a glacial river that flows southward straight from the glacier Langjokull.  The flow of the waterfall was extremely powerful and this is seen moreso in the summer as the glacier melts more. When we walked to the lower walkway you could feel the mist of the glacial water on our faces. After spending some time here we left and went to our next stop which was Geysir.  This was a geothermal area that contained a variety of different geysers. One of the Geysers was called Strokkur and this was very active and erupted every few minutes. We had lunch first and sat on a bench in the sun and had our picnic before going to look at the geysers. There was a lot of geothermal activity and the air had a very strong sulphur smell to it! There was also water flowing through some of the geysers that reach a temperature of between 80-100 degrees Celsius so we made sure we kept well away from that! We spent some time watching Strokkur erupt and one of the times some of the people near to us got soaked as the eruption was extremely powerful! It was really cool to see!

After leaving here we went to the last stop of the day which was the Thingvellir National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is the place where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. Over time they have been slowly drifting apart and you can see the two tectonic plates separately. Apparently they move away from each other by 2cm each year. The National Park has also a lot of history and is known for the Althing which was the site for the Iceland parliament from the 10th to the 18th century. After spending some time here we got back in the bus and went back to Reykjavík which was about 30 minutes away.

After getting dropped off we went to the supermarket to pick up a couple of bits for tea and had a nice relaxing evening in.

Day 200 – 27th May –

We had an early start this morning as we had to meet at 7:30am for our pick up to the depot. We got dropped off at the depot and went to check in and then board our coach. We had booked on a day trip to see the south coast of Iceland and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. We had a guide on the bus and as soon as we set off he told us some interesting facts about Iceland and its history. The first main stop we did was for a photo opportunity of the Eyjafjallajokull   volcano that caused the ash cloud in 2010 that stopped a lot of aviation around Europe. There were photos where we stopped that showed pictures of before and after the volcano erupted and how much ash there was in the area. From here we drove a short distance to Skógafoss waterfall which was impressive. This is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland at 60m  in height and 15m wide. We spent about half an hour at the waterfall before driving onwards to the town of Vik. We had our packed lunch on the beach here which was a black sand beach. We then drove for about 2 & 1/2 hrs to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. On the way we drove past a lot of other glaciers as well. The Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon was stunning to see and I think one of the best places we’ve seen on our entire travels.  We had booked on a boat trip however there was a slight mix up with the tickets so we were told to have a walk around and take some pictures and come back for the next boat, twenty minutes later. We did this however the next boat was full so we were told to come back in half an hour. We went for a walk down to the beach which was also a black sand beach and saw the icebergs in the sea. We then went to get on the boat trip around the lagoon. We were told again that the boat was full however after some persuasion from Dan we were allowed on! The boat trip was really cool and we saw seals swimming in the lake amongst the giant icebergs. The boat trip lasted about 30 minutes and we then got back on the coach for the long journey back to Reykjavík. On the way we stopped off at Vik again for dinner and Dan and I had some traditional lamb soup. We drove for another 40 minutes and then stopped off at the final stop of the day which was the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This was a waterfall that you could actually walk around and do a loop behind the waterfall if you were prepared to get wet! I wasn’t wearing the best clothes for this so I just walked up to the viewing platform and waiting while Dan walked behind the waterfall. After about 20 minutes here we then drove back to Reykjavík and arrived about 11pm. It was still light outside so it didn’t really feel that late. It had been a very long day but also a really good day.

Day 201 – 28th May – Reykjavík

We were up early again today as our pick up was at 7:30am. We were taken to the bus depot to get our shuttle to the Blue Lagoon which was about a 45 minute drive away.  The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa with a large outside bathing area. The water is heated by a local geothermal power plant and it was lovely and warm when we got in, especially since it was only 9 degrees outside!  The water inside the lagoon is a milky blue colour and this is due to the silica content in the water. We also had the option to get a silica face mask which we did! There was also a sauna and steam room which Dan took full advantage of. We spent about two hours in the lagoon and then went to get changed and get the shuttle back to Reykjavík.

We got back to the hotel about 1:30pm and had lunch and then went for a wander around the city. The first stop was the famous church; Hallgrímskirkja. The church is a grand building which is also one of the city’s best known landmarks. We went into the church and saw the impressive pipe organ which has 5275 pipes. After visiting the church we went for a walk around the city of Reykjavík and had a look in the many quirky shops.

After a short nap we got ready and headed out for our last night in Iceland and travelling. We went to the bar next to our hotel for a drink and then went out for a lovely steak meal. On the menu there was also horse steaks and whale which we avoided! After our meal we headed to a couple more bars to enjoy our last night. We headed back to the hotel about 1am and it was still light! In fact in our whole time in Iceland we didn’t see any dark!

Day 202 – 29th May – Reykjavík – Manchester

We got up and checked out of the hotel at 11am. We then went into town to do a little bit of shopping and then went to pick up our bags and got the shuttle to the airport. Our flight was a little bit delayed and we arrived into Manchester at 9:15pm and we’re greeted by Dan’s parents at the airport. We set off and met my parents at a half way point and then after 202 days Dan and I went our separate ways for the night to see our families who we’d really missed whilst being away. 

And so this is the last blog entry as our epic journey has come to an end. 202 days, 11 countries and 33 flights. Over the past 7 months we have had a blast, I couldn’t have asked for a better travel companion than Dan, my best friend and partner in crime. We’ve seen some beautiful places, experienced so many different cultures and experiences and met some fantastic people along the way. Although our bank balance is considerably lighter, the memories made will last a lifetime and we’re so lucky to have been able to do it. While we are a little sad to be going home, we are also very excited to be seeing friends and family. For anyone thinking of travelling, life is short, you only live once and a wise tour guide gave us some good advice, cover the earth before the earth covers you! So go ahead, live life and enjoy it, you definitely won’t regret it!