Bless Iceland (Goodbye Iceland)

From touring the cities of Iceland to horseback riding to hiking a glacier, Iceland has been a great adventure. The cold weather, the sulfur water,  and the sun never setting are a few things we had to adapt to. But that didn't stop us from having a great time. Reykjavik, Hofn and Akureyri were the small towns we got to explore and experience the Icelandic lifestyle in. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel and to get to know my leaders and travel companions. 

Akureyri

We left Hofn and have spent the last few days in Akureyri. Yesterday we went whale watching. There was a Humpback whale and a Blue whale. Blue whales are the largest animals on earth. After whale watching we had soup and bread at a little restaurant near the harbor. Then we went to the Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe. On the way back to Akereyri we stopped at a crater. Today we went horseback riding. My horses name was Bylur. We went on a two hour ride. After horseback riding we went on a scavenger hunt through the city.

Hiking and Vikings

Today we took a four hour hike to an abandoned movie set of a viking village. The viking village was built for a Mel Gibson movie that was never made. 

Last few days

We arrived in Hofn yesterday after two nights of camping. On the way to the campsite we visited many waterfalls. After a long night of camping we went on a glacier walk, we spent 6 hours hiking, eating lunch and meditating on the glacier. The next day we rode on a Zodiac through a glacial lagoon, then arrived in Hofn. Today was spent walking around Hofn and meeting many interesting Icelandics and tourists.

Leaving Reykjavik

Today we left Reykjavik. We spent an interesting day on the road going to a lake, to a geyser that blows every 8-10 minutes, and to Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall).

Another Day in Reykjavik

Today for we went into the city to eat lunch with our small groups. On the way to lunch we ran into some interesting people who were dancers hired by the government to promote voting of the citizens of Reykjavik. We asked for any suggestions for lunch and they suggested a hot dog stand called "Bæjarins beztu pylsur" which means "Best hot dog in town." Iceland has famous hot dogs that contain  lamb. After lunch we walked down to the harbor and stopped in a little cafe called Cafe Haiti to get out of cold and warm up with hot chocolate and tea.

We took a bike tour of Reykjavik. It was bit crazy with twenty people on bikes but we all made it to the end alive. Our tour guide had many interesting theories about intelligence, politics, marriage, church and elves. Many Icelandic people believe that elves exist. There are little houses for them all over town. On our tour we stopped by a rock where there are supposedly elves, because this rock is home to elves it is illegal for anyone to build on the area and move the big rock.

We ended our day by  going to the Viking Festival. There were people from Iceland, Norway, Germany and many other countries that came to this festival and dressed up like vikings to sell handmade goods. There were many kids who were happy to be dressed up and loved running around the festival.

Exploring the City

After waking up in Iceland and having a good breakfast at out hostel, we went to visit a cathedral and see iceland from the top of it. Then we split up into groups to see around the city of Reykjavik. We stopped in a cute little cafe called Fish to get directions.

Across from Fish we met a photographer named Ari Sigvaldason at his shop Fotograph. He began taking pictures around the age of 20 with one of his friends and he only uses film. Most of his pictures are shot in black and white, and he said he prefers street photography rather than landscaped because people are more interesting than "dead mountains." For lunch we ate at a Sea Baron and tried whale.