OMG! I went to Iceland to see Bjork at the Harpa concert hall! The husband's friend asked if we wanted to go, and I am so glad I/we said yes! I know I could never (well not in a while due to covid) do this again, plus I secretly wanted to go. We haven't been on an airplane since Feb 2020 when we went to Florida for a get away, right before the pandemic. I quickly checked the infection and positivity rates in Iceland; they were lower than NYC! And I just got my newly renewed passport. It was a sign to go! Of course Iceland Air only offers red eye flights to Iceland, so I bought a travel pillow, new hiking boots, and an adapter for the husband, and off we went! First thing to know is we had to schedule a covid test 72 hours before our flight, fill out a form and get another covid test the day of our departure. We had to bring our vaccination cards and of course mask up during our flight and in the airport. After that, we went to our hotel. The red eye flight was fine, and I was able to sleep for several hours, but it was hard to breath since I had to wear a mask! Our hotel was over booked, so they had to send us to another sister hotel, which in my opinion was nicer. It had a hot tub outside and was in downtown Reykjavik rather than across the street from the Harpa concert hall which we planned. Anyway, we took a nap then walked around Reykjavik before the show. Bjork only played for an hour which was disappointing but we saw Olafur Darri Olafsson sitting 2 seats to the left of us! It was pretty cool to see him, and we love the show Trapped and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which he stars in! I have listened to Bjork since I was a teenager and we had tickets to see her in Queens, but it was canceled for some reason. I was glad to see her in her hometown. Aisling and I wanted to recreate her dress! Her voice is still the same and it was a magical evening. After staying at the Harpa for a couple of hours, we decided to go to the hotel's hot tub and prepare for the next day's adventure-Sky Lagoon. Sky Lagoon is closer to Reykjavik than the Blue Lagoon and is much smaller. But we had a blast hanging out there for 4 hours! Day 3 we walked around Reykjavik and visited museums. The weather was cold and windy, but I was happy to be back in Iceland. We first re-visited the Whales of Iceland museum. I loved it the first time around and noticed a couple of new things. I also tried to recreate the photos I took when we first visited. They added bones to the museum and also had a film about climate change. We also ordered drinks at their new cafe! Our friend Nell said she really like the Maritime Museum, which we agree with-it was super cool! We love any thing nautical and educational. The map with the sea creatures is pretty incredible! After the Maritime Museum we met up with our cool friends and visited the Icelandic Punk Museum which is in a public toilet! It was a very small place (2 rooms) and our friend Aisling actually when to the bathroom there! I played the drums while the husband played bass, and we listened to music that was hanging from the ceiling. We continued on to the Perlan nature exploratorium. It has an ice cave, a replica of the Látrabjarg cliffs, an observation deck where you can see downtown Reykjavik, and a planetarium showing the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. We also learned about the formation of Iceland about 20 million years ago. Later on that evening, Aisling cooked dinner and made the most incredible home made bread with garlic. I will always remember that bread after a long day of sight seeing. Day 4-Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon! We booked a daily excursion through Viator and visited Skógafoss waterfall first. Then we saw glacier tongues on the way to the lagoon. Monika was our tour guide and she was so passionate about Iceland, the weather, and music. It was so nice not to drive and sleep on the way. It was going to be a 14 hour day on the bus, but it was scenic along the way. We ate lunch and finally arrived at Jokulsarlon!! It was so magical and I was awe struck. It was formed about 60 years ago from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier where it started to retreat. The lagoon was formed and ice bergs broke off from the glacier, which moved towards the ocean. Remnants from the ice bergs wash ashore along the beach, called Diamond Beach. We took a short boat ride where we could get close to the ice bergs and take photos. It was so much fun, but I wish there were fewer people on the boat. It was kinda crowded and I couldn't take photos of the ice bergs where strangers were in the photos-which is one of my pet peeves. I did my best. After smiling and smiling from this experience, we headed across the street to Diamond Beach. I could stay there forever looking at the water and beautiful ice bergs. We headed back to Reykjavik stopping by a lava field and Monika offered to take photos of me and the husband. We also had dinner at Vik and visited the Seljalandsfoss waterfall at night. It was illuminated with flood lights and of course Monika was there to document us hanging out. Apparently you can walk behind the waterfall but it was too dark and we were so tired from the day. It was a very long day and we were very lucky to have amazing weather. Monika talked the whole time and we learned so much! We headed home and I took a bath and crashed at our Airbnb. Day 5-Our last day. We checked out of our amazing Airbnb house, got tested for Covid, then headed to Laugardalslaug swimming pool, before going to the airport. The pool was very affordable and memorable! We really enjoyed our time there swimming, hopping in and out of hot tubs, playing water basketball and just relaxing before our flight.
I am very grateful, honored, and lucky to have this experience. The husband suggested we come back to Iceland next year and circumnavigate the island! My mind was blown, and I can't wait to do this lifetime experience! Special thanks to Bob, Nell, Aisling, and of course the husband for an incredible, amazing experience. Everyone needs to go to Iceland and learn about the land of fire and ice.
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My short blog topics include: photography, music, science, crafts, vacation photos, movies, events in NYC, and of course stop motion animation.
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