ICELAND PT. 10 // BLUE LAGOON

Our very last full day in Iceland! We chose to spend the morning at the Blue Lagoon, I'm so glad we planned it this way.  After all the driving and walking it was so relaxing to soak in the hot springs before heading back home.  We had lunch at the Blue Lagoon, which was delicious.  The night before we stayed at Northern Lights Inn which was recommended by Blue Lagoon since the hotel there was already booked.  If you want to spend the night, you definitely need to plan ahead.  Also, booking the first slot in the morning seemed much less crowded.  We spend our final evening wandering / shopping around Reykjavik again and flew home early the next morning.  

I can't believe I finally made it through all of these photos. There are so, so, so many. I am going to do a complete itinerary / favorites round up soon so stayed tuned for that. Thanks for following along as I share some of my personal adventures along with illustration ones! 

Happy Monday! 

XO

ICELAND PT. 9 // THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

Finally rounding up the last bit of my Iceland photos! It's proven quite a task to keep up after traveling yet again this past weekend (hence the silence here this week). 

These photos were from our second to last day in Iceland.  We drove back from northern Iceland (about 5 hours) and stayed in Reykjavik for our last two nights. One thing we wished we would have known is how close these sites were to Rey.  We moved several times to different hotels and we could have just booked one for several of the things we wanted to do (more to come on this in my itinerary roundup!).  Although it was fun to check out different hotels and apartments (aside from carrying our 50 pound suitcases up and down stairs, haha).  

Gullfoss waterfall and geyser were amazing.  The highlight for me though, was snorkeling at Silfra in Phingvellir National Park.  The clarity of the water was incredible. You can't tell how deep it was from the photos but you can see how crazy clear (I used my go pro for this). The visibility is about 100 meters and the water is so pristine you can drink it. Yes, it was freezing cold water. We wore a dry suit which was not fun to get on but I really couldn't believe how warm I stayed in that water.  This is definitely something to check out if you have time.  We booked the tour through sulfur.is.  Silfra is a crack in the North American and Eurasian continents, the only place in the world you can dive directly in the crack between the plates. SO AMAZING. 

ICELAND PT. 7 | JOKULSARLON GLACIAL LAGOON

A quick stop off at Jokulsarlon before we stayed in Hofn for a night.  This is literally right off the Ring Road (which we knew before hand but couldn't believe you can actually see some of it while driving past). There are several look out points to walk around at take photos.  The main area is more crowded but it provides such a good view and you can walk across the street to this beautiful black powdery beach where a few icebergs escape too.  Breathtaking! Some of this beach photos will be finding a place on our gallery wall very soon. 

Happy Monday! 

XO

ICELAND PT. 6 // GLACIER HIKE AT SKAFTAFELL

I wasn't sure what we would be in for when we signed up for a "glacier hike" at Europe's largest glacial mass.  It proved to be not so strenuous and provided an incredible view of the glacier (as you are literally walking across it with crampons and ice axes, yep).  This was unlike any glacier I've ever seen. The black color on the ice is volcanic ash... the contrast in these colors, the jagged mounds of ice, and deep crevices make this scene feel completely otherworldly.  If you ever saw interstellar, the second planet they visit in the movie when the ship blows up...yeah, that was all filmed here (makes sense, right?).  We opted for a two hours hike with a guide, there were only about 7 people in the group which was nice.  We could have totally done the 4 hour which takes you further into the glacier, but we just didn't know what to expect when we signed up.  In the winter you can also tour ice caves here which would have been amazing!  If you have a couple hours it is surely worth fitting in.  We did this after visiting Vik, it was only about an hour or so drive from the beach.  We found an adorable guesthouse to stay in this night in Hofn, about another hour from the glacier.

More on Iceland soon. XO