Our final stop! We flew into Europe with WOW Airlines, an Icelandic company, and also booked through them for the return. We highly recommend them for a budget airline! All of their flights stop in Reykjavik, Iceland. Our first one (arriving in Europe) was just an hour layover and then to Sweden. The airport had pictures of attractions in Iceland for us to enjoy as we waited, which sparked our interest. We decided to spend our last couple days exploring Iceland, since we would have a layover their either way.
When we first arrived, it was 1:30 in the morning. Yet, you would never know because it was SO bright! This is the time
of year when there is almost no darkness. It was nice to arrive to a bright city, but it made sleeping very difficult. Even with closed curtains in the room, it seemed like our bodies knew it was light out so we never slept enough. The sun set around 11:30pm (according to Google) but we honestly never saw it completely dark while we were there.
It was good to have a couple days in Reykjavik because it was beautiful and not very touristy. It was good to only have a couple days there because Iceland is PRICEY. Here are a few examples:
One banana at a grocery store: $1.50
A cup of black coffee: $5.50
A beer at a bar: $12
One breakfast plate at a cafe: $22
A bottle of coke: $3.50
Iceland is known for its outdoor activities, so it would have been nice to have a few more days to go hiking or take a puffin/whale watching tour. Since we didn't have a car, we couldn't really explore many places besides what was near our hostel. There are buses but the tickets were around $30 each. So we walked as much as we could.
The city of Reykjavik feels very much like a ski town. Mountains and water surround the city. All of the shops and restaurants are in one central area. While it had an antique feel, some of the aarchitecture was very modern and there were several buildings projects in the works. The weather was almost cold enough for skiing, too- our mid July visit included 50 degree temperatures and even some hale.
What better way to beat the cold than in a giant hot tub, right? Iceland is famous for the Blue Lagoon- a water runoff from a geothermal plant over top of a lava bed. The lava bed sits 6500 feet under the lagoon, and is 464 degrees. The water in the lagoon is 100 degrees, and it felt wonderful! The down side, of course, was getting out of the water and feeling those 50 degree temperatures again. It's called Blue Lagoon Spa because the water contains minerals that are healthy and rejuvenating for the skin. Also, a natural silica mud mask is provided for guests to enjoy and there are three different sauna rooms around the lagoon. Although we just purchased the basic pass, the experience was not cheap. It's one of those unique things that you probably will never do again and in our opinion, it was definitely worth doing! This was literally the last activity we did in Europe, as we flew out a few hours later. It was an amazingly peaceful and reflective time for us in such a fitting environment.
While Iceland is beautiful and totally worth the visit, it's good to know ahead of time that it will require a larger budget. But in our opinion, don't let that steer you! We would love to go back for a longer stay!
I plan to write a summary post of our Europe trip. What are some things you would like me to include?
When we first arrived, it was 1:30 in the morning. Yet, you would never know because it was SO bright! This is the time
of year when there is almost no darkness. It was nice to arrive to a bright city, but it made sleeping very difficult. Even with closed curtains in the room, it seemed like our bodies knew it was light out so we never slept enough. The sun set around 11:30pm (according to Google) but we honestly never saw it completely dark while we were there.
It was good to have a couple days in Reykjavik because it was beautiful and not very touristy. It was good to only have a couple days there because Iceland is PRICEY. Here are a few examples:
One banana at a grocery store: $1.50
A cup of black coffee: $5.50
A beer at a bar: $12
One breakfast plate at a cafe: $22
A bottle of coke: $3.50
Iceland is known for its outdoor activities, so it would have been nice to have a few more days to go hiking or take a puffin/whale watching tour. Since we didn't have a car, we couldn't really explore many places besides what was near our hostel. There are buses but the tickets were around $30 each. So we walked as much as we could.
The city of Reykjavik feels very much like a ski town. Mountains and water surround the city. All of the shops and restaurants are in one central area. While it had an antique feel, some of the aarchitecture was very modern and there were several buildings projects in the works. The weather was almost cold enough for skiing, too- our mid July visit included 50 degree temperatures and even some hale.
What better way to beat the cold than in a giant hot tub, right? Iceland is famous for the Blue Lagoon- a water runoff from a geothermal plant over top of a lava bed. The lava bed sits 6500 feet under the lagoon, and is 464 degrees. The water in the lagoon is 100 degrees, and it felt wonderful! The down side, of course, was getting out of the water and feeling those 50 degree temperatures again. It's called Blue Lagoon Spa because the water contains minerals that are healthy and rejuvenating for the skin. Also, a natural silica mud mask is provided for guests to enjoy and there are three different sauna rooms around the lagoon. Although we just purchased the basic pass, the experience was not cheap. It's one of those unique things that you probably will never do again and in our opinion, it was definitely worth doing! This was literally the last activity we did in Europe, as we flew out a few hours later. It was an amazingly peaceful and reflective time for us in such a fitting environment.
While Iceland is beautiful and totally worth the visit, it's good to know ahead of time that it will require a larger budget. But in our opinion, don't let that steer you! We would love to go back for a longer stay!
I plan to write a summary post of our Europe trip. What are some things you would like me to include?
Comments
Post a Comment