Day 4:
After a very relaxing day of lagooning it was time to get back to hiking! The theme for the day was: Waterfalls.
Our first stop was Seljalansfoss (try saying that 10x fast). This stop was different because there are really two waterfalls to see AND you can go behind the main one and right up to the second one! This is where our rain wear started to come in handy and I mentally patted myself on the back for buying waterproof, fleece-lined leggings. Do yourself a favor and get yourself some! (link: here). We imbibed in some hot chocolate and coffee before hitting up the next stop: Skogafoss.
We all knew that Skogafoss was supposed to be amazing, but after seeing the first two waterfalls and actually getting to go behind them, was this one really going to live up to the hype? As we parked the cars and started making out way up to Skogafoss, it hits you how MASSIVE this waterfall is.
As we got into the general vicinity of the waterfall I suddenly see Blair get down on one knee to propose to Carly! She clearly had no idea and started freaking out, which caused all of the other tourists to look our way. As she said yes and he put the ring on her finger, people all over the site cheered! None of the girls knew that this was going to happen, but Blair had clued Kent (our “staff photographer) in on the secret and had given him a head’s up that this was Go-Time.
After the initial shock had worn off we gathered our emotions and got closer to the waterfall for some pictures. There is a massive stair system that then can take you to the top of the waterfall as well. Note: this stair climb takes FOREVER. Like, I honestly should have been in conditioning for this trip, but had no clue. My bad. So after (what feels like) 30 minutes of climbing these rickety stairs, we get to the top and enjoy the view. Victoria attempted to befriend some sheep, but alas, they were not feeling it.
We climbed back down the rickety stairs and then decided to go to this crashed plane site that I had see a ton of pictures of on Instagram. It looked really cool and I was excited since it was only right down the road. We drive up as it’s starting to rain and fortunately take notice of the Caution sign…. it warned us that it takes about FOUR HOURS to hike to the plane and back. Ummmm no thanks. We ditched that idea in about .2 seconds and decided to go grab some lunch before our next adventure.
We had lunch at this little cafe next to one of the famous Black Sand beaches. We all put our rain pants on and ventured out into the windy, chilly rain storm to see this beach. Let me just say, rain pants are worth every penny. I got mine from Columbia and while I doubt I will wear them again (unless I magically go on another rainy adventure between now and when I get my gastric sleeve) I do not regret buying them at all. I would have been MISERABLE without them. They added a layer of warmth and protection to my already waterproof leggings. I was all bundled up so the only annoyance was having to walk fairly far in sand. Victoria helped me gather some sand to take back home and now I am on the hunt for a cool glass bottle to display it in on my shelves.
After the beach, we checked into our hotel for the night. Since it took us so long to get to that part of Iceland and there was more stuff in the area we wanted to see we decided to keep our Air Bnb, but also get a hotel in the south for one night so we wouldn’t waste more time driving. I bunked with Becca and Kent in our cozy little cabin. The hotel had an attached restaurant and bar so we hung out in there until around 11 that night having a great time laughing, talking, drinking, and eating.
Day 5:
The next day we got up and got breakfast in that same little restaurant before heading out for our last day of adventuring. This day involved a lot of driving, but we did see another waterfall: Stjornarfoss. It was right by our hotel and we actually ran into some other guests that we recognized. The main attraction of this day was: Glaciers.
The first glacier we saw was in Sveitarfelagio Hornafjorour. I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually seen a glacier before to be quite honest. It was obviously really cold, but also blue! Some of us stood on pieces of it, giving other tourists courage to do it as well.
While we waited for the rain to stop before heading to our next destination, we finally tried the Icelandic delicacy of Hot Dogs! They were actually really good, much better than American hot dogs (and I don’t even like hot dogs). They kind of snapped when you bit into them and they served them with raw and crunchy onions underneath the sausage. I would definitely eat that again!
We then visited Glacier Lagoon and saw some black seals! There are boats here that can take you closer to the glacier, but it was $75 so we decided that was a hard pass (I told you, everything is expensive in Iceland!). Glaciers that break off in the lagoon then travel down this river that lets out into Diamond Beach, which was BEAUTIFUL. You could watch the ice flow out in the ocean or get stuck in different currents. Pieces of them washed up onto the beach, which was also a black sand beach.
Our last stop of the day was in this canyon called Fjaðrárgljúfur. I honestly was feeling terrible so I made it to the first stop on the hike, took the picture below, then made my way back to the car along with several others. I was not in the car long before everyone else started coming back too. It had gotten significantly colder, I was STILL sick, and now others were starting to get sick as well.
We all started driving back towards our Air Bnb in Reykavick (which was several hours away) and stopped for dinner about halfway through our drive back. Several people got Thor’s Hamburger (a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries – $23) while others got stew or salads. Our car was filled with good discussions about life, family, relationships, and the Gilmore Girls. We listened to Ben’s playlist one more time as the day started to end.
Back at the Air Bnb some immediately went to bed, but I decided to pack that night instead of in the morning. We all chilled for awhile, but eventually one by one made our way to bed for the early morning ride to the airport.
Day 6:
The airport was about 45 minutes away by car so we decided to get there a bit early to check in our bags and return the rental car. The airport is not large, which makes it easier to navigate, but beware: terminal D (international flights) is much farther away than you might realize AND you have to go through passport control before you can reach your gate. Fortunately., we realized this in time and made it to our gate with minutes to spare!
This flight was also pretty packed so Victoria and I did not get a free middle seat between us, but the girl on the end was cool so that helped. This flight also did not have personal screens, but I managed to sleep for nearly the entire flight, only waking for feedings. It felt like they fed us every 2 hours, and honestly for economy, the food wasn’t that bad.
We landed and made it back through customs fairly easily and everyone’s luggage was claimed. It’s always sad saying bye at the end of a trip, but I do get to see almost everyone fairly regularly so that helps to soothe the pain. My ears did pop this time so I was relieved that we ended on a high note.
I had a wonderful time in Iceland not only seeing the sites, but getting to be with the people I love. Not everyone has friends who can or want to travel together so I count myself extremely lucky. <3
Check out this video that Carly made of our trip!
Stay tuned for my packing list for Iceland!
Happy Reading!
-Savvy