A bit of a re-cap; part I.

I wanted to remember our first "exotic" trip abroad when we went to Iceland two weeks ago so I actually sat down and wrote a bit before bed several nights. 

Let's start with Monday and Tuesday. I'm leaving these "accounts" as is, except for some grammatical edits, so the tenses {"We're here!"} might be a bit off.

Days 1 & 2.

We got in late Monday night after two flights. Arriving was so exciting because we had been thinking about the trip for so long and because we had no idea of what to expect as far as what Iceland actually looks like; and it's amazing. I would say that what we saw the first night was a bit like certain parts of Hawaii where there are lava-rock fields. And it smells like sulfur.

After an eventful hour or so packed into our friend's car, Mike and two of our friends got our rental car and followed our Icelandic bride to our home for the week - the hostel for the workers in her family's fish company. 

"Visir", our home for the week. Those bins are often filled with fish. This was at 2 AM; check out the lack of dark sky!

The fish processing/salting/packing plant is the first floor of our building and once we're upstairs you can't smell the industry, it's quiet, warm {still important in July!}, and, most importantly, our curtains block out the light really well since there is no darkness this time of year. 

The view from our room that first "night".

It's extremely surreal and I'm very glad to have this experience of no nighttime, though I had a dreadful time sleeping but I think it was mostly because I was a bit hyped up still from seeing so many friends {with even more in the days to come} so I only ended up with a few hours of shut eye.

Our view in the morning; pardon the window reflection.

On Tuesday, the next morning, we ate breakfast with friends and then set out to explore a bit. 

I can't remember the names but I'm sure I could figure them out if I saw a map, or read the above sign; this specific part of the area is called Seltún. 

Unbeknownst to us, the bride and groom actually got married RIGHT HERE on this platform; the bride majorly ♥s her home country...so sweet.

We visited a geothermal spring - thing/area. 

Geothermal activity.

Oh now that I've got some druthers, yes I can remember! The whole area is called Krisuvik!

Boiling mud.

There were boiling mud pits in the ground and steam billowing out from holes in a hillside. 

Investigating steam.

It was spectacular. 

I was getting hot with all the hill-climbing, hence the majorly disheveled look.

I love how there are barren volcanic rock fields and then the lush green {& electrric blue water!} you see in the background.

Then we checked out another set of springs {oh my memory ain't that bad after all, it was the Gunnuhver geothermal field} that included a crater filled with bluish water as well as story of a ghost {Gunna} that haunts the area. I'm not sure if we noticed her or any elves lurking around {there was a wonderful elf rock there} but at one point with the breeze and the copius sulfuric steam, we couldn't see but several inches in front of us. All of these springs smell strongly of sulfur and I think it's so neat to be that connected to the innards of the planet.

I didn't get any shots of Gunna but I did of the nearby sea cliffs.

That was a SHEER drop and made me a bit dizzy when got up close.

We met friends in Reykjavik for dinner that night and enjoyed some cold and windy walking around. It had been an all around clear day with sun which is a beautiful summer experience but it's by no means warm and Reykjavik is on the water so with a bit of wind it was a tad frightful. I had brought along my big down winter coat and I was sooooo grateful for it in those temperatures!

We made if back to Grindavik, our home base, the boys went over to their buddy's house to hang out a bit, and I conked out.

What an amazing country and how surreal that we're here for great friends and seeing so many wonderful people all together in one place; the several college crowds that are convening here for the wedding haven't been together in such large numbers and at this concentration for at least seven years - woah!!!
 
xoxo, natty ♥