ICELAND: Day One

Oh, Iceland. How I love thee. I've said it before but I'd move there in a heartbeat. Going through all these photos has got me wandering around expat forums, looking for jobs and pricing out apartments. (You know-- just educating myself!) Apologies for posting the photos out of order. I originally wasn't planning on sharing all of them but since they came out so utterly fantastic, I had to. These are pictures from our first day on the island. If we look a little dead around the eyes, it's because our red-eye flight got in around 7AM. We waited in line for our rental cars for about an hour then headed straight to Reykjavík. So yeah, we were pretty sleepy and very, very hangry. 

(All photos by Violet Short Photography.)

Our first stop (after coffee and a little breakfast) was Hallgrímskirkja. (A little more about that from my post here.) The rest of the family used this as an opportunity to sit down and rest while also trying to not fall asleep. The sanctuary was, after all, warm and welcoming. (Albeit full of penises... which made us laugh because we're immature Americans.) Brenden, Danielle, Violet, Grant and I decided to forego the tiny respite and took the elevator to the top to check out Reykjavík from above.

These views were just what we needed. They jolted us awake in the most pleasant way. The air up there was brisk and fresh and the panoramas were stunning. Tiny colorful houses, a fog-enveloped mountain range, and water as far as the eye could see. If I close my eyes, I can almost feel it now.

This was one of the moments I consciously paused to enjoy a moment with Brenden. Though it was far from private, I didn't want to get lost in the moment. I wanted to get lost in him. Briefly, it was just the two of us there in that tower. The whole trip went by so quickly that moments like this became a necessity. There was so much hustle and bustle, and the peaceful moments were fleeting. My fondest memories of the trip are of the moments like this: unexpected kisses, stopping for a second to just look into each other's eyes, and smiling at each other from across the room.

Back to reality, I'm not sure what Danielle and I are laughing about here but it was probably pretty funny. (Or we could just chalk it up to the sleepy haha's.) 

Always time to stop and pose for some outfit pics, am I right, fellow bloggers? Also time to stop and admire the colorful buildings. Seriously, every single one was so bright! The fog made them even more beautiful. I brought a lot of cute shoes but these Docs got the most wear, even in Paris, where I'm pretty sure they were frowned upon. Whatever. They're comfy.

We wandered aimlessly around Reykjavík for an hour or so before finding a place to settle down and grab a snack. We learned quickly that there's no such thing as a bad meal in Iceland. (Though I will say that we didn't try any fermented meats.) 

One thing I loved about this trip was that we had a definite list of things we wanted to see, we had one rule. "If it looks cool, go to it." We pulled over to the side of the road a few times to take some pictures and just soak in the landscapes. And once to pee. And another time because my dad wanted to touch the moss on the ground to see what it felt like. (Now I'm kinda wishing I did the same thing.) These photos are from one of those times. While we were searching for food, we got a little distracted by this view. We walked down to the road and pulled out our cameras and phones to take some pictures.

We still haven't figured out what this thing is. It's just a cool-looking, kind of odd mystery. We asked the guy working behind the counter of the restaurant this was hanging in what it was but all he could say was "baby angel." I guess it's still a lot less creepy than the naked little cherubs that come out every Valentine's Day. 

And just like that, we were off. Driving along the ring road was beautiful but a little scary. There was one point at which the ground was covered in a very light layer of snow. Slowly, more and more snow appeared on the ground until I found myself driving in blizzard conditions that resembled those of the Ice Planet Hoth. I looked back to see if everybody else in the car was as astonished as I was. Lo and behold... they were all asleep. Then, as quickly as the snow happened, it was gone. Maybe it was all in my sleep-deprived mind?

I'm still in disbelief that Iceland is a real place. I mean look at the view from that petrol station. Nothing even close to that in the states, especially not by your neighborhood refueling joint.

Until next time! Check out my photos from Reykjavík, more on exploring South Iceland, and our first look at Jökulsárlón.

xo,
e.m.