Can I just say Iceland was more beautiful than I ever imagined? Around every bend was a gorgeous waterfall or beautiful mountains or a picturesque fjord or a field of purple lupines or sheep with sweet little baby sheep or Iceland Ponies with cute baby ponies or a group of swans with baby swans. It was fantastic for the senses!
After getting in at dawn - we proceeded to do some sight-seeing past Reykjavik going around a fjord and visiting some waterfalls as well as a War & Peace Museum (which was great by the way!) We made it as far as Borgarnes and our cute B&B right on the water (Borgarnes B&B for those interested).
The next day we did drive up north to pick up Jan's brother in Saudarkrokur (after stopping and taking pictures of numerous waterfalls (like Glanni near Bifrost) & various other scenic views) before heading up to Akureyri and their apartment there.
Enjoyed a fantastic dinner with Helga's sister's family the first night in Akureyri! Amazing fish stew & a dessert with enough cream in it to clog many arteries! :)
The next 4 days were filled with spent in north Iceland - featuring sight-seeing along the Iceland Coast with Jay with a visit to his homebase while he's here, a whale-watching trip in Husavik, a drive to Myvatn, a hike up the Hverfjall Crater with gale-force winds, viewing waterfalls such as Godafoss, Dettifoss, and Selfoss (all giving Niagra a run for its money). Have I mentioned this is all around the summer solstice which means it's daylight for oh, 23 1/2 hours a day?!?! Good thing the island has dark shades in all the bedrooms/hotel rooms!
Friday we picked up Helga's niece and Jay for our trek back down south to the Reykjavik for our final two days & nights in Iceland. Friday evening we spent in Keflavik another cute seaside town and Saturday toured around the Gardur point that included a lighthouse and many, many different kinds of birds (the bird-watching opportunities are amazing here!) Afterwards picked up sister-in-law Helga before going to Reykjavik and meeting up with some more of Helga's family and checking out the shopping, the massive church (Hallgrimskirkja) and finishing up with - get this - a jazz performance at one of the restaurant's patios in the tourist district. If you closed your eyes we could've easily pretended we were in New Orleans! (Ok, except for it was 58 degrees vs. 80 - but you get the drift.)
After another stellar seaside dinner, we said our good-byes to the family and had our last night & the next morning at the Marina - which was another very cool experience! Sad to leave, but we will be back another time for sure!
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