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John says that "the Land of Fire and Ice" is Iceland's slogan.  I don't know about that, but on this day, the moniker certainly fit, so we'll roll with it. We decided to hit "the Golden Circle".  Doesn't that sound so cool?  Like something out of The Lord of the Rings.  Turns out, it's the most popular ring of sites to visit in Iceland, and for good reason. Our first stop was Strokkur Geysir.  We weren't sure exactly what it would be.  Turns out, the lava rock isn't so thick here, and our connection to the middle of the earth is easily apparent.  According to the literature, surface water works its way down to an average depth of 6,000+ feet where it contacts hot rocks.  The water begins to boil, and the pressure builds up, resulting in the geyser effect of hot water and steam spraying out of the geyser's surface vent. The first impression of just driving up to the area is impressive to say the least.  The earth has steam comi

Before I even begin I have to say this.  Iceland feels like a dream.  Or a movie.  That's it.  I feel as if I'm living in a movie.  It's one of those places that you see and you think, "Is that place really somewhere here on earth, because if it is, I want to go there."  Well, I AM here, but every moment still feels surreal. The Trip Advisor app is my new traveling best friend, and when I was planning this trip and looked up "Best Things to Do" in Iceland, riding Icelandic horses was near the top of the list.  I think of them as ponies because they aren't near the size of any horses I've seen in either Germany or the US, but here in Iceland they are actually called horses. I signed us up for a morning tour of the Icelandic countryside on horse.  I had no idea what to expect, but even if I had had some expectations, they would have been nothing compared to the reality of the experience. We showed up at the farm (just a short 20 minute drive

I know what you're thinking.  You're a SCUBA diver.  Why not try diving with a dry suit? I tell you now:  don't do it. Yep, you're still thinking about it.  I tell you again:  don't do it. Don't even give me that.  It doesn't matter than your father and I are middle-aged, and you are young bucks and does.  Don't do it. I have birthed four behemoth children.  I have run and finished two complete marathons.  But what I did today puts those other challenges to shame. I have never, ever, done anything has physically hard as what I did today.  I could birth four children at the same time while running two whole marathons, and it would be easier than dry suit diving. And from what I hear, I'm not alone.  According to our divemaster, pretty much everyone hates it the first time. Glad that was mentioned on the website.  NOT! When I was looking for things to do here in Iceland, imagine my surprise when I saw SCUBA diving as one of the top-rate

I used to think that visiting a new place was rather scary, especially when it's a country that speaks a different language.  There are so many new things that it can be overwhelming.  However, as we have become master travelers (:-)), we actually look forward to these new experiences now.  It is always exciting! Today, was an unplanned day.  We arrived at the airport, and with a four hour time difference (and no sleep on the plane), I knew that we would need time to sleep.  However, I figured we would spend the rest of the day just wandering around Reykjavik, getting to know the place.  We ended up doing that...and MORE! First, I assumed that our "international" Nuvi GPS would work in Iceland since categorically Iceland is in Europe (and our GPS works for Europe).  What a surprise to find that Iceland apparently is not in Europe according to Nuvi.  And an even greater surprise was to discover that I needed to find Wi-Fi, plug the destination into the Maps app o