| Laurie and Matt's Trip to Iceland |
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| Date of Travel: January 15 - 18, 2001 |
| Matt and I took a wonderful trip to Iceland through a package offered by IcelandAir Holiday. It was called the, "Midweek Madness" Package, and we were truly "mad" when we booked the flight a mere two weeks before departure, but what the heck- who do you know that's ever been to Iceland? I surprised Matt with the trip as a Christmas present and two weeks later, on my birthday, we were off in the air flying to Reykjavik, Iceland. The flight out of Baltimore couldn't have been nicer, with plenty of room to stretch out. (I guess not too many visitors go to Iceland in the dead of winter! Now I know why its so cheap!!!) |
| Matt exploring a fishing village |
| Feeding swans in the center of Reykjavik |
| Two continents dividing - North America and Eurasia |
| Volcanic Haystack rocks off the coast of Iceland |
| Day One: When we arrived in Iceland, it was morning and we were tired. However, we didn't want to waste a minute because we only had three days and two nights. We headed from our hotel straight towards center city Reykjavik and explored all around. The city looked very European, but we were amazed that it was still dark at 10 am. People were heading to work with their headlights on. At one point, I looked down and realized I was walking on a path made out of lava rock, truly an experience. In the afternoon, we took a bus tour of the city and ate lunch at the McDonalds. The best cheeseburger outside of Japan that I've ever eaten! |
| Day Two: Matt and I again walked around Rekjavik, but this time we headed to the mall. "Utsala" (meaning sale) was advertised everywhere, and I remember fondly how they kept playing the Bee Gee's "Massachusetts" over and over for the entire two hours we were there! (To this day, I can't listen to that song without laughing!) There was a little snowfall in the morning, during our walk, but most of the time, it rained lightly. Sunlight lasted from about 11am to 4pm, so that is when we walked into town. At the end of the day, we congratulated ourselves with a dip in the city's "hot pots," which are a little like jacuzzis, but much hotter! They really were wonderful and took away the remaining jet lag. |
| Day Three: Definately the best day. We took a tour to the Blue Lagoon, which I consider to be a natural paradise. The mineral-rich water was nice and warm, a pleasant surprise to the frigid air. After a delicious soak, Matt and I ate lunch in an old fishing village and just walked around admiring the old houses and taking lots of pictures. We ended our day at the coast, where we just looked in awe at giant lava monoliths jolting out of the demanding ocean. Driving around felt like we were on Mars or something, looking at lava fields all around us. What a memorable trip, we cannot wait to return! |
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| Matt relaxing in the Blue Lagoon |
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| Hofdi House - Where the Cold War Summit was held between the USA & the USSR in 1984 |