So for those of you who DIDN'T know, I got married like four months ago.
And unlike most weddings where the bride and groom run out of the wedding and are incommunicado for two weeks on their honeymoon, Allison and I had the weekend, and then it was back to work and school. Ugh.
So to say a honeymoon has been a long time coming is an understatement, and finally we're off! And to say we are packing all the fun we possibly can into this slightly-shorter-than-two-weeks trip is also an understatement. The official itinerary: Fly into Reykjavik, then drive up to the West Fjords in Iceland for some good ole hiking/kayaking/outdoor adventuring, go back to Reykjavik for a few days of bigger city Iceland living, and then a quick jaunt of 5 days at my old mission stomping grounds of St. Petersburg, Russia, complete with visas adorning our passports! Yep its going to be a busy, fun-filled two weeks(:
We left Friday night, ironically after the wedding of a cousin of Allison's. Granted it was a fun wedding, and Allison and I were the life of the dance floor, but we were really just counting the minutes until 10PM when we had to leave for the airport. First step in the trip: getting our luggage onto WOW air. For those who have flown with WOW, they have super cheap flights. The only catch? Everything outside of a "personal item" is charged extra. We figured a trip this length was going to need some checked baggage, but we did not want to arrive with what we deemed an item personal enough and it was too big to fit the "personal item" description. After days of deliberation and even measuring with rulers, it was a big sigh of relief to throw our backpacks into the personal item checking stations and see them fit with room to spare. A quick jump through security and waiting at the gate later, and we were on the flight!
Now to all those people who always comment on my height and how great it is, I've started saying (in jest) that they should see me in planes! Of course that always makes them and me laugh, but for real... Add in that the air travel business is having trouble making enough money to stay afloat, and the trouble of being 6'5" on a plane is compounded even more. Literally this flight I hit a point where I had to calm myself from claustrophobia by thinking about how excited I was to go to Iceland. Maybe next time Ill just pay the extra 60 dollars for more leg room...
But we made it! And right in the middle of the morning, so plenty of time to make the six hour drive to Isafjordur and still have time for dinner! First impressions of Iceland: open, no trees, lots of rocks, like Ireland but less green and a cooler look. Even the airport had some serious style with some kind of cool XMen mural. Not sure what for, but hey it's still cool.
Six hours of driving to Isafjordur means we saw actually a lot of Iceland before actually ending up anywhere. And the landscape changed pretty dramatically! Whereas around Reykjavik and the airport where we landed, where we drove on super straight highways and through towns, the roads nearer to the west fjords prefer to move WITH the landscape. This means that while driving you're doing one of two things; winding back and forth on the side of a mountain with a rising mountain on one side and a sheer cliff with a huge lake on the other, OR you're crossing one of said lakes on a land bridge. Although sometimes it's so isolated out here you have to opt for the first one because the local area hasn't built the second(: Overall awesome views, lots to see, and more than one moment of pure panic when you realize you're one twitch of the wheel away from certain death(;
Along the way we stopped to take some pictures too. It's kinda hard not to in a country like this!
By the time we got to Isafjordur, we were pretty tired, so that was most of that day. We did end up going to a local restaurant named Husid, where I got a regular hamburger (that ended up being a lot more than that) and Allison got the Fish of the Day: Salted Cod! Even before we came here we had heard that fish is what Icelanders do best, and it did NOT disappoint. Plus my burger came with some amazing potato wedges, which were definitely a step up from any regular fries...
While here we decided to stay with an Airbnb, to try and keep prices down. For those who don't know, Iceland has a pretty well set economy, so the Kronen is pretty strong compared to the dollar. Unfortunately that means that everything is rather pricey here, so Airbnb is the best option for a couple of fresh graduates of college. That being said, it's a pretty nice setup: a separate living space, room and bedroom from the owners, and an Apple TV. Cause let's be honest, one of the best things about traveling abroad is having new and much more expanded Netflix choices(:
Overall though, a long but solid first day in Iceland. Considering the only sleep we had gotten between yesterday and today was on the flight, I have a feeling we're going to sleep WELL tonight...
Peace till tomorrow.
And unlike most weddings where the bride and groom run out of the wedding and are incommunicado for two weeks on their honeymoon, Allison and I had the weekend, and then it was back to work and school. Ugh.
So to say a honeymoon has been a long time coming is an understatement, and finally we're off! And to say we are packing all the fun we possibly can into this slightly-shorter-than-two-weeks trip is also an understatement. The official itinerary: Fly into Reykjavik, then drive up to the West Fjords in Iceland for some good ole hiking/kayaking/outdoor adventuring, go back to Reykjavik for a few days of bigger city Iceland living, and then a quick jaunt of 5 days at my old mission stomping grounds of St. Petersburg, Russia, complete with visas adorning our passports! Yep its going to be a busy, fun-filled two weeks(:We left Friday night, ironically after the wedding of a cousin of Allison's. Granted it was a fun wedding, and Allison and I were the life of the dance floor, but we were really just counting the minutes until 10PM when we had to leave for the airport. First step in the trip: getting our luggage onto WOW air. For those who have flown with WOW, they have super cheap flights. The only catch? Everything outside of a "personal item" is charged extra. We figured a trip this length was going to need some checked baggage, but we did not want to arrive with what we deemed an item personal enough and it was too big to fit the "personal item" description. After days of deliberation and even measuring with rulers, it was a big sigh of relief to throw our backpacks into the personal item checking stations and see them fit with room to spare. A quick jump through security and waiting at the gate later, and we were on the flight!
Now to all those people who always comment on my height and how great it is, I've started saying (in jest) that they should see me in planes! Of course that always makes them and me laugh, but for real... Add in that the air travel business is having trouble making enough money to stay afloat, and the trouble of being 6'5" on a plane is compounded even more. Literally this flight I hit a point where I had to calm myself from claustrophobia by thinking about how excited I was to go to Iceland. Maybe next time Ill just pay the extra 60 dollars for more leg room...
But we made it! And right in the middle of the morning, so plenty of time to make the six hour drive to Isafjordur and still have time for dinner! First impressions of Iceland: open, no trees, lots of rocks, like Ireland but less green and a cooler look. Even the airport had some serious style with some kind of cool XMen mural. Not sure what for, but hey it's still cool.Six hours of driving to Isafjordur means we saw actually a lot of Iceland before actually ending up anywhere. And the landscape changed pretty dramatically! Whereas around Reykjavik and the airport where we landed, where we drove on super straight highways and through towns, the roads nearer to the west fjords prefer to move WITH the landscape. This means that while driving you're doing one of two things; winding back and forth on the side of a mountain with a rising mountain on one side and a sheer cliff with a huge lake on the other, OR you're crossing one of said lakes on a land bridge. Although sometimes it's so isolated out here you have to opt for the first one because the local area hasn't built the second(: Overall awesome views, lots to see, and more than one moment of pure panic when you realize you're one twitch of the wheel away from certain death(;
Along the way we stopped to take some pictures too. It's kinda hard not to in a country like this!
By the time we got to Isafjordur, we were pretty tired, so that was most of that day. We did end up going to a local restaurant named Husid, where I got a regular hamburger (that ended up being a lot more than that) and Allison got the Fish of the Day: Salted Cod! Even before we came here we had heard that fish is what Icelanders do best, and it did NOT disappoint. Plus my burger came with some amazing potato wedges, which were definitely a step up from any regular fries...
While here we decided to stay with an Airbnb, to try and keep prices down. For those who don't know, Iceland has a pretty well set economy, so the Kronen is pretty strong compared to the dollar. Unfortunately that means that everything is rather pricey here, so Airbnb is the best option for a couple of fresh graduates of college. That being said, it's a pretty nice setup: a separate living space, room and bedroom from the owners, and an Apple TV. Cause let's be honest, one of the best things about traveling abroad is having new and much more expanded Netflix choices(:
Overall though, a long but solid first day in Iceland. Considering the only sleep we had gotten between yesterday and today was on the flight, I have a feeling we're going to sleep WELL tonight...
Peace till tomorrow.
Comments
Post a Comment