Breaking up our engagement session recaps today to share some more adventure photos, this time from our trip to Iceland from 2015! I shared some of our favorite images from Scotland last week, and after we left Scotland, we headed to Iceland for five days (highly recommend IcelandAir’s stopover flights!).
Iceland was unlike anything we have ever experienced before. By the end of the trip it was almost like our brains were shut down from overstimulation haha. Around every curve in the road was a new landscape that was completely unique and incredible. And the weather could change in an instant (for instance, it was clear when we drove up to the Dyrhólaey lighthouse, then we saw it was dark out over the ocean, and within minutes the wind was so strong we could barely stand and heavy snow wasn’t far behind!). Wild is probably the best word to describe Iceland.
After we landed, we drove to the town of Vik for our first night, home of the incredible Reynisdrangar rock formations. There’s one main road that goes around the entire country, and it’s unbelievable how many sights are just a short distance off the road. Giant waterfalls, glaciers, picturesque churches and homes, shaggy horses. So awesome. From Vik, we stayed several nights in Kirkjubæjarklaustur (Klaustur for short!) and made that our home base for our adventures. One of our favorite stops was the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where the glacier “births” icebergs out to the ocean. I’ll make note of some of our other stops under the corresponding photos below! It was snowier than usual for the end of March/beginning of April when we were there (we ended up pretty much stuck at the hotel one day while 10 inches of snow fell in one afternoon with heavy winds!), so we would definitely love to go back some time when everything is green and see all of these sites covered in moss instead of snow!
We only spent one night in Reykjavik, the last night of our trip. It’s such a colorful and beautiful city, but we were way too wiped out to really explore. We did, however, have some amazing coffee at Reykjavik Roasters (thanks to our friends Jenn & Dave for the tip, along with several other travel tips!).
The view as we were approaching to land–it looked like another planet!
Vik, Iceland
Skógafoss
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Svartifoss (Left)
Restaurant right around the corner from our hotel, which was a lifesaver!
Svínafellsjökull. Ok. This glacier was truly one of the most unbelievable things we’ve ever experienced. The power and energy from this area was overwhelming with it’s wildness and danger and beauty. As we pulled up, there was also a sign noting the disappearance of two German tourists, who had set out to hike the glacier in 2007, and disappeared without a trace, leaving behind their tents. It was not hard to believe it could just swallow you whole (we stuck to the dirt path, staying off the ice for sure!). This was also the filming location for part of the ice planet in the movie Interstellar.
Hiking back to Seljavallalaug, the hidden pool (thanks for the rec, Jenn & Dave!). Such a cool place! We didn’t get in the water (which was warm from the natural hot springs!), but still a cool stop. Not sure if we would have found this one without being able to follow the footprints in the snow of earlier hikers haha.
Seljalandsfoss
Gljúfrabúi: The Hidden Waterfall. Absolutely one of our favorite stops! A short hike from Seljalandsfoss is the hidden waterfall. Absolutely stunning at any time I’m sure, it was extra magical because every surface in the cave like area was completely covered in ice and ice bubbles. We had a short walk through the water to get in to the cave, then trying not to bust it on the ice and destroy any camera gear, so we didn’t get a ton of photos (and did get soaked from the spray haha!), but it was so gorgeous!
Reynisfjara
Reykjavik
Chris had been dying to try this beer (which we have since found at home!), and we finally tracked one down at the airport before we flew out!
Thanks so much for sharing in our adventures! We can’t wait to see what travels the next few years bring. What’s at the top of your bucket list? Are you a “stick to the favorites” kind of traveler, or prefer to always go somewhere new?
We have a few more sessions from last fall to recap still on the blog, so check back soon! Happy Monday!
