Let's just say this time change thing is not working in my favor right now. It's 5:42 a.m. and I'm writing this post. I've been up since 4 a.m. trying to fall back asleep but let's face it, I'm not going to back to bed now so I might as well tell you about the last leg of our trip.
I should preface by saying that by this point we were very ready to be back home but we decided to book a long layover in Iceland, mostly because it was the cheapest way to get home and why not explore the country? Because it was the last part of our trip it was in the very back of our minds to plan. But it was probably the place that you need the most planning.
Plan Your Trip in Advance
This might seem like a no-brainer but since we did minor planning, it was difficult for us to navigate the country. Every other place we visited made it a little easier to navigate because of public transportation. Let's just say we're extremely lucky to live in a country allows us to ride share. Iceland on the other hand is an Iceland with a TOTAL population of 380,000 people. Once you arrive at the airport there are bus shuttles that will take you to the major city, Reykjavik. In our case, Robert booked a Airbnb close to the airport with the idea that it would be easier for us because we were arriving so late.
We were welcomed to the country with a brisk 45 degree weather and were a little disoriented from the flight. As soon as we managed to find a taxi (one out of the two available), our taxi driver told us he was having difficulty finding the address on his GPS. Once we arrived at the apartment (after a few wrongs turns from our taxi driver) we asked the driver to wait outside because we were unsure he had taken us to the right destination.
As soon as we stepped foot into the apartment we were felt a little more at ease. The Airbnb was extremely cozy and well decorated. Our hosts, Unnur and David, were kind enough to leave us some cookies and milk, which made us feel even that much more welcome. Unfortunately, we didn't spend more than eight hours in the apartment but I would have loved to stay longer.
The next morning we woke up bright and early to try and call a taxi to take us to Reykjavik. The one attraction we had hoped to visit, the Blue Lagoon, had been booked up months in advanced so we had to make a quick decision on what to do instead. We decided to take a tour bus through the Golden Circle which turns out is not golden at all nor is the route a circle.
Food and Attractions are Expensive
We got our first taste of how expensive this short trip would be when we order three pastries and a water for almost $20. The tour bus took us to a dining lodge half way through the tour which charged $19 for a bowl of lamb soup (authentic Iceland cuisine). and a small sandwich for $18 (tomato and mozzarella although now that I think about it...I'm not sure how they got those tomatoes). We were honestly blown away by these prices, even though friends had warned us about this.
Take as Many Photos as Possible
After all is said and done this island is extremely breathtaking. Everywhere you look is beautiful countryside. While I don't plan on visiting again any time soon, it was an incredible experience. However, if I ever do come back I would like to experience the Blue Lagoon and head towards the South coast with the Black Sand Beaches -- that area looks beautiful.