Iceland September 2023

 Life has been crazy since we returned from Iceland, so I'm sorry for the delay in posting. 

We had a great time! If you have ever considered going to Iceland, or even if you haven't - GO! Mike was initially unsure if he wanted to go because he thought there was "nothing to do but look at scenery" but he really loved the trip and actually wishes we had stayed longer and seen more.  Be prepared with appropriate clothing, Iceland can be cold and windy at any time of year or you may get lucky and have some warmer weather. The weather was chilly most days we were there (early September) with some rain and a lot of wind. I'm talking strong wind! Mike thought he wouldn't need a fleece or other warm jacket and ended up buying a sweatshirt to keep warm. 

We would have liked to hike into the highlands a bit, but we saw too may scary videos of river crossings. Most of the roads into the highlands have at least one water crossing and some have multiple rivers to cross. The car rental agencies are also quite clear about not covering water damage in the insurance. There are tours you can take as well, but we actually saw a video of one of those huge, lifted buses being swept down the river. Yikes!

We concentrated our time on the south coast and and spent one day on the Snaefellsness peninsula. There had been a small eruption on the peninsula where the international airport is located about 2 weeks before we arrived but it had stopped by the time we got there. We weren't sure if we were relieved or disappointed by that lol. Since we returned, they have had a much larger eruption on the same peninsula. 

We did a lot of driving and had some long days, but we saw everything we had planned and had some fun adventures too. My picky eater husband never lacked for something to eat so all you other picky eaters out there needn't worry - Icelanders don't just eat fish and lamb. It is essential to bring waterproof jacket and pants! Even if it isn't raining you will still get wet at the waterfalls.

I'll cover the highlights in the next several posts....