Those who know us know Lara, and I have travelled a lot for our jobs. We have been fortunate enough to meet so many cool and interesting people over the years, we are going to start writing about some of the people and places we have experienced over the years. Since travel has been put on hold for a bit, why not take our readers on trips of a lifetime! First up, the Ice Queen goes to Iceland!
I had always wanted to visit Iceland, not sure why, I don’t like the cold and I’m not a winter sports person. I do better when my feet are firmly placed on the ground with no apparatus attached. I tend to be a bit clumsy. Skiing, ice skating um, not for me, snowshoeing maybe, haven’t tried it. Walking in the snow with thick rubber (I’m talking about the sticky rubber not this hard plastic stuff) that’s my kind of winter sport. Just staying upright and I’ve won a GOLD MEDAL.
I would fly to Europe every so often for work and would see the offers from certain airlines like Icelandic Air to make a couple day stop over in Iceland. Well that’s convenient I thought, kill two birds with one stone. So I mention this to my friend Sue one day, that it’s on my bucket list. She’s says “well let’s do it”. So we got to planning.
We decided the best option was at the end of my work trip to fly to Iceland to and from the UK. That way were weren’t messing about trying to find one another, arriving at the same time etc. Just go and come together, easy. Sue surprised her husband with the trip, so the 3 of us would be off.
Blue waters ahead.
I was super excited. I had always wanted to swim in the Blue Lagoon and see the Norther Lights. One of which sadly is still on my bucket list. We booked a 2 night, 3 day trip to Iceland. To be honest, unless you really want to explore (and if you do I would suggest doing it in the summer) that’s all the time you need to hit the “major” sites. I’m sure people from Iceland may disagree with me but after going once, I’m ready to go back again and maybe a 3rd time.
The ONLY downfall other than the cold for Iceland is the cost. Since it’s and island everything needs to be brought in. Just keep that in mind when you are planning.
We opted to book our flight, hotel and airport transfer. Now this was no regular transfer, we were headed straight to the Blue Lagoon. Since our time was limited, we wasted none of it! It was November, so their nights were long only about 8 hours of daylight.
We had pre-booked an entrance time along with the Premium Blue Lagoon day package, WORTH IT (thank God our flight was on time and everything worked like clock work, a risk we took). Our Premium Blue Lagoon experience included entrance, robe, towel, mud masks and a drink or two. Now I have never been outside in my bathing suit in the winter and I can’t remember using a hot tub in the winter, but now I can and what a giant hot tub it is. Getting into the Blue Lagoon was a bit surreal. The steam was rising off the lagoon. There was lighting near the main building but as you went out into the lagoon the it became darker but your eyes adjusted.
The water has a different feel to it, and the heat is welcome against the cold air. After swimming around and floating for a bit we did our first mud mask. Oh I loved this! You do it right in the Lagoon. Swim up to a mask bar and they give you the silica to apply. Ah, away with you my wintery dry skin. Next, naturally we hit the swim up bar. That’s right in the middle of the Lagoon while its snowing we found our cocktails.
After I think 3 hours it was time to get on the bus to downtown Reykjavik and out hotel. Still dark outside by the way, no concept of time. We immediately spoke to the hotel desk to see what other activities we wanted to do. Of course we wanted to see the Northern Lights. The guys working at the hotel sold us on another excursion I never thought I would do, snowmobiling. Not sure why I have never tried it. Winter sport, nothing attached to my feet, ride on a vehicle….this may be the winter sport for me. When in Iceland, let’s snowmobile on a glacier. WHY NOT!!!!!!!
So the next day we took off on a full day of sight seeing and adventure. First we stopped to see the Geysir. The Geysir is a famous hot spring that shoots water from the ground 65-135 feet in to the air. That was cool! We stopped at a National park and of course a snack bar/gift shop, but of course. Driving from sight to sight was beautiful. I would love to see it in the summer as well. It was snowing so we could see Icelandic horses and sheep in the background on the hills. It was quite relaxing. It was time to turn it up a notch.
Let the real adventure begin!
When we arrived at our destination we became very excited. There was a large bus that was up on the extra large monster tires. The Mountaineers of Iceland were our guides. We all boarded that for a drive up to the second largest glacier in Iceland. Now I will be honest with you, aside from someone telling me I would’ve never known I was on a glacier. It was snowing so everything was white. This photo is what we could see at points out the window, nothing.
When we made it up to the “base camp” we all changed into our snowmobile outfits and helmets. Got back on the bus and were taken further up the glacier. STUNNING. We off loaded and made our way to the line of snowmobiles. Sue decided her and I would go together and that way her husband Dave could speed ahead.
I made Sue drive, she had done this one other time. In reality they keep you in a line up, there’s no really speeding ahead. You need to keep your distance between you and the snowmobile ahead of you. The adrenaline. White for as far as the eye could see. Literally, I’ve never experienced anything like it. The ground, the sky everything white. Similar to those movies when people go to “heaven”, white everywhere. It was so stunning.
We stopped to make snow angels at one point and I just took it all in. The sound of nothing, seeing nothing but white. That was the hook. I want to return. Next it was my turn to drive. You had to really gun it a bit to keep the snowmobile from sinking into the snow, but you also had to watch the divots or holes in the snow where people ahead of you had stopped or ditched a bit. That could make you turn over if you weren’t going fast enough.
We tried to see the Northern Lights one night, but it was not to be on this trip. It just means I will be returning. Some people we spoke to back at the hotel said they did see them, it wasn’t our lucky day. But we had our champagne on the bus, because we know how to pack, a day like today required a glass of bubbly and a cheer to a new accomplishment.
I was nervous when signed up to do this activity. It was exhilarating, but at the same time, it was new, so it came with a bit of fear. I had never done it before. It was my WOMENT! Sometimes you need to shake things up a bit, get the blood flowing and try something new and exciting. To some this may not be a very adventurous activity, but each of us has our own level of adventure. I’ve set my bar, you can set yours too.
I can’t wait to go back again!
Thank you for sharing this experience!!
We are happy you enjoyed it.