Iceland: Out Of This World

Iceland....Where IS Iceland?

I remember seeing Iceland on the airplane TV a number of times when flying over the Atlantic ocean. But that's about all I knew about Iceland. 

I heard only great things, mystical things about Iceland, but tickets were always more than I was willing to spend on five of us. I actually gave up on the idea of visiting Iceland until early this year when I saw really inexpensive tickets for our family! So things changed:) I had to be flexible and Katya had to miss three days, the boys had to miss two days (we went over the UK bank holiday) but it all worked out at the end. 

We had a really early flight from Luton with Easy Jet. But that also meant an early arrival  to Iceland as Iceland is an hour behind us in England. 

First thing that was different--super cute spotless airport with these cute trolleys.

The moment we came outside, the kids were like "Ahhhh! The air smells so different, so fresh!". We got our rental car (and a lot of complimentary hot chocolate that the kids went crazy about) and headed pass Reykjavik towards the place where we were staying. 

The weather was very strange. It was raining a lot and it looked really dreary. 

It was Sunday, but we still had to stop at the supermarket and get groceries. One of the Bonus stores was on the way, so we stopped here. Prices were insanely high:) I am not quite sure how people can effort living here and eat fruits and vegetables. I guess they get used to everything being imported or not fantastic quality. But they did have many choices of healthier pre-made salads and sandwiches for lunch. Somehow we settled on buying a jar of pasta sauce and some pasta, plus veggies and that was our plan for dinner, so we didn't have to go out. 

Let me tell you about Iceland really quickly. Iceland's population is 332,000, covering an area of 40,000 sq miles, thus making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The first settlers in Iceland came in 874AD from Norway. And then a few more followed from other Scandinavian countries. Norway and then Denmark ruled Iceland till the 19th century. Iceland became independent in 1918. For the longest time, Iceland mainly relied on fishing industry, but after WWII, with the help of the Marshall Plan, it jumped on the industrialization wagon and jump started its economy. The quality of life is pretty amazing here and people are healthy. The country relies completely on renewable energy, it makes it a very clean place to live. After the economic crash of 2008, Iceland has been recovering slowly and steady, mainly due to a great touristic surge. Iceland Air even invites people who fly from the states to Europe and vice verse to stop for a week in Iceland with no extra fees. So that's an option always:) 

Well, there is a lot more to tell you about Iceland, but for now we'll get back to our drive from the airport inland towards Laugarvatnsvegur (yes, it's a mouthful).

We drove pass, a national park Þingvellir, (Thingvellir).  The weather was changing really quickly and it was actually snowing and blowing wind. It was fun! 

So this is May 1st. This is what it looked like. 

We drove a bit further to a parking lot to visit the place where two tectonic plates--American and European--collide. It's not the EXACT place, but it is very close. 

Very interesting landscape. 

This national park is the place where in 930 the first government was established and continued to meet till the 1700s.

I am sure it's a lot greener when it's summer but just for a couple of short months.

I have never seen a road sign like this;)

You can dive or snorkle into the very clear waters at Silfra Lake. You can't really see how clear it is from this picture though.  

We are pretending this is where the tectonic plates meet. 

Alex is inspecting the insides of the earth. 

I think Iceland suits Robert, especially when the sun comes out. 

And Alex. 

And Mark:) 

Just a sample of Icelandic language and names.

Oh, this picture makes me laugh:) In a happy way:)

As we were walking back to the car, it started to rain again. The weather was changing every half an hour, seriously.

We literally had to run to our car before it started pouring. And then we drove to our house, that we found after a few detours, guessing, and u-turns:) 

The house was located in a great place, with not much around it but nature. The hot tub was a bonus and great fun on this freezing afternoon. 

And that was the end of Day 1.

Lyana.