Iceland

Hello again so soon! On my way back to the USA, I made a pit stop. Many of you may remember Franzi from previous blogs (Christmas and Istanbul) and how much fun the two of us have when released upon the world. Well, we decided to start the summer off with a rendezvous in one of the COLDEST places on the planet, Iceland. If there is logic in that I can’t find it. 

            Iceland has about 300,000 inhabitants most of which live in the capital or the surrounding areas in the southern part of the island. The summer high temperature is about 20C and almost nothing grows there which is why fishing is a major part of the local economy.

Before I really get into the trip, let me just start off by saying that we may be the two most unprepared travelers ever to step foot in the tiny artic country. For some odd reason we were under the impression that we were headed to a climate similar to Germany/Holland, and boy were we in for a surprise! Although there was plenty of sun, the temperature never really got above 13C and while everyone else was clomping around in North Face jackets, beanies and thick soled hiking boots, Franzi and I had to rely on laying every piece of clothing we had for outdoor adventuring. As for footwear, we could choose between our running shoes and flats…not exactly warm, but we made do! We also had no outdoor gear what so ever and planned our daily activities each morning…not really Madi style, but I like to think of it as developing some “flexibility” and of course we really had a fabulous time anyway. 

            So after a delayed and chaotic flight, Franzi and I met in Reykjavik where we stayed for a few days enjoying the “city”. While there we also participated in the Midnight Sun Run, which is a half marathon starting at 9:30pm because the sun never goes down this time of year. What a trip!! Sadly it turned out to not be my day and although Franzi finished, I cannot say the same for me L BUT on the bright side (literally) we were able to have a great pre-run dinner with a local friend of ours who also ran. Thanks for all your help and advice Lara!! I appreciate the time you spend with us and hope to see you again when you are in The Netherlands next!! :D

            The day after the race we had our last “sight seeing” stroll around the city to enjoy the cold temperatures, the smelly harbor side, outrageous grocery prices and the Icelandic urban “architecture” (basically just hideous square blocks of concrete with windows).

That afternoon we rented a car and threw together a last minute itinerary that included a drive up the north west coast to the next peninsula. As we loaded the car we were instructed to watch out for stray sheep on the road and ash storms…seriously?! Only in Iceland!! Our navigational skills were something to be desired, but oh my word was the countryside pretty! It  continued to shock us for the next 3 days as we toured around with its steep cliffs, fiords, craters, caves, waterfalls, coastline and more!

            We first drove up to Shaefelisjokull (don’t worry I can’s say it either…), which is large national park on the tip of the peninsula. It has a lot of shorter hikes that we took advantage of and was the closest we were able to get to a glacier. We were SO not prepared for a glacier tour, but we took lots of photos and ohhhh-ed and ahhhhhh-ed appropriately. 

We stayed the night in a youth hostel in Rif called “The Freezer”, where we had our first encounter with Icelandic hospitality. Icelandic people are extremely friendly and almost too helpful (almost), but apparently hostels expect you to bring your own bedding…something that is not mentioned before arrival! Well being the SUPER prepared girls that we were on this trip, of course we didn’t have extra sheets or sleeping bags lying around! At “The Freezer” and all of the following hostels we were charged nearly 30% of the booking price EXTRA for clean bedding! Word to wise: When adventuring in Iceland, bring your own linens! Lesson learned. Moving on. 

            The next morning we drove along the northern side of the peninsula where we made a pit stop in Stykkisholmur for a picnic lunch near a seaside light house before driving then south again to Akranes where we rented a room for the night on a sheep farm. It was adorable and located on the north side of the Hvalfjorour Fiord, with easy access to our last hike up to Glymur Waterfall. 

It was beautiful and the weather was absolutely perfect! Did I mention Franzi is afraid of heights?! Well she is, and she did super on our trek and even made it nearly to the tippy-top! Way to go girl :D I am so proud! We were the luckiest girlies every as we ate our lunch next to some of the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever seen! It was really a great ending to our trip. 

            That night we stayed at a hostel near the airport (where I was afraid to let anything I own touch the ground it was so grimy! But hey, it had a bed and a hot shower, so what more do I want right?!). Franzi made us a super yummy last dinner together and we chatted about our favorite parts of the trip. We both decided that we should try to come back when we have more time (and money) and it was definitely worth the trip! The next morning after dropping Franzi off at the airport for an early flight, I went for a final seaside run, packed up my monster suitcase, returned the rental car and waited patiently at the airport for my flight to Seattle where Patrick Miles is waiting for my arrival!!! :D

Also, in case there is any doubt, I have it on good authority that Mr. Charlie Pants is safe and sound and very happy back in Groningen with Gerben where the weather is warm and he receives meat scraps in his kibbles regularly. I think he may forget me entirely! HahaLastly, for all of you reading this who didn’t already know, I will be in the western USA for the next 3 weeks, so if you have time and are in the area please send me a Facebook message as I would love to give you a squeeze!! Hope to see you all soon! Lots of love xoxo.