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Day 1 To me Iceland was only about two things. The northern lights and the blue lagoon. There can’t be too much more to do in a country called Iceland. Two days should be fine to take those two things in. Plus, I hate the cold. The less time the better. Well don’t be naive like me. I pretty much fell in love with the country after leaving the airport. After leaving from JFK to get to Iceland, I was prepared to just die from cold. I was ultimately shocked it wasn’t that cold. It was way colder in NY. Iceland is more of a dry cold, compared to that wind chill in NY. I could stay here forever. We took a 7pm flight that got in at about 6 am. We couldn’t check into our airbnb till 11am. After getting our rental car it was barely 7am. What to do? What to do? Iceland is like a small town. I am secretly a small town girl at heart. I love when there is no hustle and bustle. That is exactly what you are gonna get in Iceland. I can count the people that were outside when we arrived. I could count them all day and there might be 100. That actually sounds like too much.  Everything opens late and closes early. We were able to find a restaurant open at Hotel Kelfavik. It was a buffet of an assortment of things we have never seen before. But, every morsel was delightful! I highly recommend if you have time stop by here for this breakfast. You will not be disappointed.  Breakfast at Hotel Kelfavik Now Iceland is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Columbia. Everything is a lot more pricey. The buffet was $2,000 Krona. Which is about $18US. That’s like 5 meals in Columbia lol. But, not so bad by American buffets so it evens out I guess. The Blue Lagoon We decided to the the premium package. This included a robe, flip flops, a drink, and a reservation at the restaurant. This was $9500 Krona($83US). We thought this was the best deal. We read that people like to just take whatever they see when coming out the water. So we were a bit hesitant, but luckily no one stole our robes. I highly recommend the robe option. Coming out of beautiful warm water to stark cold...  I loved everything about the lagoon. The mud masks are a nice addition. I also recommend the local hard ciders. Yummy. You should book in advance if you can. There was only a 7pm slot that we could get last minute. I would have loved to have seen the lagoon in the day, and stayed into the night.  Algae masks in the Blue Lagoon We heard one couple say they had been in the water for 8 hours. That’s kinda crazy, but I can understand. It feels amazing! Make sure if you don’t want your hair to get wet at all to wear a shower cap or something. The humidity will destroy your blow out.
Sadly, our time was up and we had to go for our dinner reservations. The premium package came with a glass of sparkly champagne. There were only about 4 options to choose from on the menu. Mia & I decided to split the the fresh fish of the day and the steak. The fish was very light tasting, and not particularly my favorite. You really can’t go wrong with steak. The meal was $5900 Krona. Which is about $51US.
Day 2 Our plan to get up bright and early didn’t quite workout. Plus, the sun doesn’t come out till 10am. Today we decided to tackle the Hallgrímskirkja, the golden circle, and northern lights hunting. You are literally chasing daylight here. The sun goes down at about 5pm. Iceland has a website where you can check out the road conditions for the day. Everything looked terrible. We couldn't come all this way and not try. So off we went with a hope and a prayer. Up first Hallgrímskirkja. Hallgrímskirkja  Hallgrimskirkja Church Hallgrímskirkja is a church and happens to be the tallest building in Iceland. It cost $8US to go up to the lookout up top. You’ll wait in line for about 45 mins for a 5 min lookout. It is an incredible view of the city. Be mindful that the church doesn’t offer public restrooms. Of course we all had to go..smh…
Golden Circle We had limited time so we went for the smaller circle. Which produces beautiful views as you are riding through the country. It is predicted that it should take about 3-4 hours. Keep daylight in mind when planning this trip. We only had about 6 hours of sun when we got going. We used up all that sun exploring the circle.
There are many opportunities to stop and have a snowball fight, make snow angels, and checkout the scenery. It was also very eerie. The fog was so dense you literally could not see in front of you. Cars driving in front of you just disappeared into whiteness. I'm not sure if this happens anywhere in the states. I'm from Texas and I've never seen anything like it. So it was a bit eerie, it was also a very cool experience.  Haukadalur We arrived at the first stop which is Haukadalur to check out the geysers. You follow a walkway with little hot springs bubbling away, until you arrive at the big mama. Strokkur shoots boiling hot water 100 feet into the air about every 10 minutes. It’s like a smaller Bellagio finale. Well worth the wait. If you have had enough after that wait you can head into the restaurant for lunch. We grabbed some sandwiches and the minestrone soup. I highly recommend the soup. Yummy! You can also grab a can of fresh air on your way out. lol  Gullfoss Waterfall Off we went bc there was no time to waste. Next up Gullfoss Waterfall. We got lucky and caught a glimpse of a rainbow. Just beautiful. A little scary walking to the edge. Feels like you are walking to the edge of the earth. The cold really creeps up on you so snap some pictures quick!
 Since this is our last day and the sunlight was already fleeting, we decided to skip the last stop Kerið Crater Lake. We had to start making our way back so we could hunt for northern lights. But, first...Icelandic horses. They are just too darn cute!
Hunt For The Northern Lights
Now the hunt for the northern lights was our biggest adventure in Iceland. We needed to get out of the city and the light pollution. We read somewhere that the lights are better in the north. So we just started driving north. We drove for an hour and were sadly disappointed. We decided if we didn’t see anything soon we would turn around and call it a night. Nothing!!! All my hopes and dreams shattered. I was really disappointed. That was my whole reason for this trip. Sadly, we started to make our way back. As we were driving back toward town we kept seeing big tour buses. After about 5 buses we decided to turn around and follow them. They clearly knew where they were going. So when they turned off the beaten path, and made their way to a secluded spot we got a bit nerves. Clearly, they knew we were following them. Then the bus stops and turns off its engine and lights. Well this is awkward. We quickly cut our lights off too. We are all just sitting there when the door to the bus opens and people start to come out. Should we just pretend we are not here? Or should we go ask one of the people is there a possibility of seeing theses lights tonight? Perhaps tell them that we looked online and this is where it sent us. Welp, that is exactly the lie I was nominated to go tell. One of the guys off the bus confirmed this was a good spot to see and all we can do is wait. And wait we did. An hour went by and again nothing. There was only one way in so we were trapped. Eventually, everyone filed back on the bus and off we went. Again, disappointed. We came to a fork in the road and the buses went left. It was pushing midnight and we had a super early flight to catch. So we decided to go right. Making our way back there again was again a slew of buses going back the direction we just left. Were we too early? These buses were just starting out. Maybe they knew where they were going this time. We thought what the hell...and turned right back around. These buses lead us to a different location. Other cars got the same bright idea and joined in on the caravan. We ended up at a huge open field. It is best to have clear skies, but it was a bit cloudy. Everyone went to the field. It was freezing! We wait and we wait. You would think these people are waiting for a sunset on a nice summer day. No one seemed affected by the cold. I on the other hand was dying. So I went back to wait in the car. About 10 minutes later the girls followed. Nothing was gonna happen tonight. Might as well head back to get a few hours of sleep. I do hope that you will have better luck on your hunt for the northern lights. Of course I am aware there are other locations to see the lights and they are on my list as well. I will see these lights one of these days. Iceland is a beautiful country that was not high on my list. After this small taste, I definitely want more. I would say the best tip is renting a car, and just following the tour buses lol. Not to say tours aren't great. You just can't beat the freedom of a car. Until we met again Iceland. Onward to Cuba!!!
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Hello 2017! This year we are planning so much. The goal is to travel somewhere every month! We usually do a few trips a year, but at that rate we’ll never see the whole world :) So up first for January--Cartagena, Colombia and Iceland. I know! Very opposite ends of the spectrum. Of course there is a good story behind the planning of this trip. We’ll get there later. For the last 3 years it has been tradition among my friends, to pick a different country to go to for each one of our birthdays. There are 4 of us and we are still going strong. So January is Mia’s birthday. She chose Colombia and Peru for a 2 week extravaganza. Now...if you know me, I was like Colombia?!?! Have you seen Narcos?! I have been adamant to NO COLOMBIA since seeing the show (which is amazing by the way). I know Pablo has been gone for a gagillion years, but I also know the country has been in a civil war with guerrilla warfare groups pretty much until present day. It just didn't seem safe to travel to. I was not on board. It took some coaxing and googling to see we would not be in too much danger. Cartagena is a touristy city. So off we went. I still wasn’t completely convinced, until our taxi ride to our apartment. There are tons of high rise apartment buildings all over the place. They are gorgeous! Most are just steps away from the ocean. They are throwing these high rises up left and right. It has a very Miami vibe. Boy, did we get lucky in the apartment we choose. The view from the 29th floor of this brand new ultra modern place was spectacular to say the least. We all pretty much threw our bags down and drooled all the way to the balcony.  You can see how quickly I was convinced I was never leaving. Amazing! We didn’t leave that balcony for at least an hour. We decided to pull ourselves away and start exploring the town. We picked a prime location. Pretty much anywhere along the beach might be prime, but look at above picture again :) We got a good view all the way down the beach and around the other side. When you come out of the apartment you are just steps away from restaurants, couple casinos(nothing on Vegas), a huge mall, and tons of souvenir shops. First stop is to the ATM so we can start playing. We all took out $400.000 Pesos. That came out to a total of $142US. Of course we didn’t know how for that would last. But, boy does it last! It’s very inexpensive in Cartagena. A good fancy meal (which we did for lidia’s bday) was only $29 US. That included food, wine, and tip! Jumping ahead a bit. That shows you can really have a great time here. Our lunch was only $12.50 pesos. That is $4.25 US for steak, fries, a small salad, and a drink! Now for the rest of the night we just wandered around and called it a night. We had a long day of traveling. Day 2 Alright! Up and at em! We are up and hungry. We are staying outside the old city so it’s time to check it out and get some breakfast.
It is beautiful walking the streets. The doors are amazing. Breakfast was yummy and at a fancy location. All for less than $10US. On to exploring the city. Great architecture and old world feel. There are a good amount of people walking around. It is so peaceful compared to Europe. We came at a good time because it is not really busy. Or perhaps like me people do not know a lot about the gem that is Cartagena. After walking around a bit we wanted to find a tour that could take us around the old city. What a great deal we got. We were able to just get in on a tour that was starting. The cost was $22US. This included the tour of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, Los Zapatos Viejos, Convento de Santa Cruz de la Popa, plus driving around the city and seeing the sites. This also included traveling by boat to the Rosario Island with lunch included for the next day. Score!!! Now luckily I have spanish speaking friends. The tour was in spanish. Not sure if there is english speaking tours. There might be some, but with that price my friends can translate. They didn’t translate the whole time, but just being there and seeing everything is incredible.
Day 3 Off to Rosario Islands. The van to the pier was provided. The guide was at our lobby at 8am sharp. We headed down to the pier where they check you in and you wait in blazing sun until you are called for your boat. Bring lots of sunscreen. All the street vendors sell hats. I recommend you get one. I bought mine for only $3US. After about 30-40 mins we were called to our boat, which held about 20 people. It takes approximately an 1 ½ to get to Rosario Islands via a high speed boat. You can see the water transform from dark & murky to beautiful Caribbean water. We arrived and there is no dock. You have to jump from the boat into the water, or there are locals that help you off the boat. Once your feet hit land it’s time to find somewhere to sit and relax. We found a great location. The locals rent out seats, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. We got four chairs and an umbrella for only $10US. The water is amazing! The locals are selling everything. Drinks, necklaces, bracelets, massages, and all kinds of local goods. They walk by like every few minutes which can become a bit much. In the water they sell all kinds of water related fun. Seadoos, banana rides, and other stuff for only $5.000 pesos for 15 mins. That’s only like a $1.70US. The girls had a good time taking advantage of all they had to offer. The lunch that was included was either fish or chicken. I got the fish and it was absolutely the best food I had on the trip. It was so flavorful. I was so sad when it was gone.
We befriended one of the locals that told us there is also a bus that can bring you to the island. He prefers that mode of travel as the boats can be unpredictable. He said they have also flipped over before. Well that was a bit discouraging, but we made it out alive :) I won’t say it was completely relaxing, because the locals are trying to sell you something ever so often. The water was really nice. We stayed about 2 ½ hours and back we went. Now upon arrival we thought the same van that came and got us that morning would take us back. Clearly we were wrong. We wish we had known that tid bit of info. Luckily, we didn’t live far. It’s very inexpensive to take an uber. It only costs about $3US one way to get to the old city from where we were staying. We get home, shower, eat, and prepare to hit the nightlife.  We asked our uber driver and our waiter what was the best club. There was not a consensus. So we got dropped off and headed into the square and found Eivissa Lounge. A club with a rooftop lounge. It was a great way to enjoy the scenery at night. We were there a bit early so it was like our own private lounge. So that calls for a photoshoot! Lol
Shortly after it started to fill up. It was a great vibe with great dance music. There is also a first level that plays Latin music that we also enjoyed. We met a lot of cool people. We ended up hanging with a few guys from Argentina and this couple from Bogota. At around 2am the Argentinian suggested we go to a local club. Walking the streets at night brought back my apprehension. I don’t know what was scarier. Arriving in Morocco or walking the dark streets of Columbia with strangers. Both ended well lol. We ended up at hostel party, that had a shallow pool and make-shift bar. It was fun until the guy from the couple got jealous of another guy that went to dance with his girl. Drama. We tried to help settle the matter, but that did not work. In the end, they talked the rest of time we were there. This lead us over to the shallow pool where a couple of the girls and the Argentinian proceeded to hop on in. Just splashing and dancing in the water. Nothing crazy. The water was just up to about mid calf. Shortly upon entering the party it was over :{ Music cut off-THE END. The Argentinian wanted to hit another party. Sounded cool until we got outside and the guy was still arguing with the other dude. We decided just to walk back and leave them. We were starving and there were tons of carts selling street food. I’m not one to try mystery meat on the streets. I have so many questions. Where did it come from? How clean is it? Will my stomach survive?! Kim and Betsy love eating street food so they hopped right on it. Mia and I on the other hand...But, we were starving so we took the chance. Oh man. Oh man! I’m so glad we did. That was the best marinade on meat I think I have ever had. I wanted him to bottle it up and sell it to me. It came with potatoes and salad for about $4US. I could eat at that cart everyday of my life and be happy! Eat the street food!! You will not be disappointed. I’m salivating just thinking about it. After sitting and talking to the locals and filling our bellies with yummy goodness, we decided it was finally time to call it a night. We got home around 5am. Phew! Fantastic day :) Day 4 Celebration of the birth of Mia :)  Now grant it we slept most of the day away recovering from the night before. The day before we were told by our uber driver there is a nice restaurant that also has live traditional dancing. We thought that would be a perfect place to celebrate Mia’s bday. It was called Cande. It was a very dimly lit, cozy restaurant. The servers were dressed in the traditional clothing. The traditional dance performance happened about every 20 mins. They danced in a very tiny area, but it was a delight to see. We had called ahead to notify them it was Mia’s birthday. It was gonna be a surprise, until the owner came to the table asking whos bday was it :/ Geez...later they did bring out a little dessert and sang Happy Birthday. It was still great!  We were still a little exhausted from the night before. We decided not to go to another club, and instead we walked to the Baluarte de Santo Domingo. There is a restaurant on the top. It had a low key vibe. It was a beautiful night, and you can look out and see the the city. The ocean is right there so the ambiance couldn’t be better. We sat and had a pitcher of pina coladas. I had been craving them. We just sat and enjoyed life. Day 5 Our last day. It was spent wandering around our local area around the apartment. We had been on a search to find a spa for Mia’s bday a couple days before. We wanted it to accommodate all four of us at once. Each swanky hotel we went to could only do two at a time and were already booked. So as we were wandering our neighborhood Mia & Betsy saw this hair salon that they wanted to check out. Turns out they have massage rooms upstairs, and they can accommodate all of us. Score! We were told it would be $95.000 pesos each. That would be roughly $33US. Sold! The massage was great. Very relaxing and much needed. When it was over(which is always way too soon) we came out and were told there was actually a special. It would only be $75.000 pesos( about $26US). Oh yea!!! We ended the night with crepes and coffee.  We went home to try and figure out the rest of our journey. The original plan was to head to Peru the next day. We didn’t plan that well. Apparently, you are supposed to get a ticket to be able to hike. There are only so many given out a day to hike Machu Picchu. We were unaware of that, and turns out there were no tickets for our time-frame :( You need to request days in advance. So that left us in a bit of a predicament. Where do we go next? We didn't want to go somewhere and just spend money in another city. So we decided to go home. We flew to JFK. Then the girls got this crazy idea to go to Iceland. It’s only 5 hours away.
Now we were only packed for beach weather. How were we gonna go to Iceland?! I was freezing already in NY. I couldn’t possibly go to Iceland unprepared. Welp, they had planned everything out so quickly that Iceland turned into the plan. I decided I was not gonna go, because I hate being cold. I would die in Iceland. I was convinced I was going home. They had other plans. They went to the dollar store and bought hats, gloves, and legwarmers. Kim had extra jackets to spare since she lives in NY. After all that effort I couldn’t say no. I was in. Next stop ICELAND!!! |
AuthorTraveling makes my heart happy. My mission is to use words and pictures to inspire you to get out there and take in the beauty of our world. Archives
December 2019
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