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Iceland
  • Kelli Tolocka

Iceland

A short but fine adventure by Kelli Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 12, 2016
    Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Kirkjufell

    November 12, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    We arrived in Iceland early in the morning after a short “red eye” flight from Dulles. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the airline lost my luggage. We filed all of the necessary paperwork before picking up the car and heading to our first stop.

    Kirkjufell was over 2 hours away from Reykjavik. This iconic mountain is considered one of the most scenic and photographed spots in Iceland. The weather was cold and rainy which made capturing that perfect photography impossible. We still enjoyed walking around and getting our first taste of all that Iceland has to offer.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Roadside Sights ~ Part One

    November 12, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 3 °C

    There were waterfalls everywhere you looked. It wasn’t unusual for us to stop randomly on the side of the road to take pictures of random sights.

    During one of these times, we found an adorable seal hanging out in the middle of a pond. I’m not quite sure how he got here, but he seemed to be enjoying the himself. This was my first time seeing a seal in the wild so I felt very lucky that we randomly found him.Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Hellnar

    November 12, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    How many ways can you photograph the same church? Way too many! This church is located in one of the many fishing villages scattered along the coast of Iceland.

    Erected in 1945, the new structure replaced the original church that was first raised in 1833. It sits perched atop a cliff in a breathtaking setting. We wondered around for almost an hour enjoying the peacefulness and the views this hidden gem offered.

    Afterwards, we attempted to located a highly rated cliffside cafe. We think we found it but it was closed. We did discover a scenic cove not far from the parking area.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Arnarstapi

    November 12, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Our last stop of the day, this picturesque town offered a short walking trail that provided views of basalt columns, ravines and grottoes surrounding the Arnarstapi pier. Not one of my favorite places we’ve visited, but it was a quick and convenient stop on our way back to Reykjavik.

    It’s worth noting that food in Iceland is mostly fish oriented and quite overpriced. I had packed several things to eat in my suitcase which was still missing. We got lucky and found an American staple on our way to the hotel, Taco Bell! It was actually way better than it is in the US...the tacos were filled with real meat!    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler
    Stock photo because it was too cold to take one

    Snorkeling Silfra

    November 13, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    Sunday was our day of tours. Our morning tour consisted of snorkeling between the continental divide. It was freezing today. The wind was whipping and it was raining/sleeting most of the morning. We left a little early so we could stop at Thingvellir National Park. I knew we were going to see more waterfalls on our road trip the next day so I didn’t even get our the car. Dave braved the weather and hiked to the top to take a few photos.

    The weather could not have been worse for our snorkeling trip. I had packed so much long underwear to prepare myself for the cold but my luggage had still not arrived. I was ridiculously cold before I even got into the 35 degree water.

    The Silfra fissure is actually a crack between the North American and Eurasian continents, meaning that you dive or snorkel right where the continental plates meet and drift apart about 2cm per year. Silfra is the only place where one can dive or snorkel directly in the crack between two continental plates which is why we couldn’t pass it up. Right before we started our snorkel trip, they encouraged us to drink this crystal clear water. They said it was millions of years old.

    Snorkeling Silfra was a once in a lifetime experience. I’m glad we did it but I definitely wouldn’t do it again!    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Reykjavik ~ Part One

    November 13, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    We had some time to kill before our evening tour to the hot baths so we decided to spend some time exploring the sites of Reykjavik.

    Our first and third stop was the iconic Sun Voyager statue. This work of art is placed right next to the ocean. Photographing this at sunset is every photographer’s dream. We got lucky and the weather cleared up just in time to give us some amazing photos.

    In between our visits to the Sun Voyager, we walked to Hallgrímskirkja. I may never be able to pronounce this, but this Lutheran church is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen.

    We made a quick stop at Reykjavik’s equivalent of an REI before heading to the hotel to catch the bus for our Northern Lights/Hot Baths tour.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Skogafoss

    November 14, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Day 3 of our trip to Iceland would be an epic road trip that would take us to some amazing places.

    First stop was Skogafoss. One of Iceland’s many waterfalls, this one is unique because it is the only one that comes from two glaciers.

    We walked the 300+ stairs to the top where at one point we had the opportunity to walk behind the falls. Legend has it that a Viking named Thrasi hid his hoarded gold under the falls. Many have tried to find the chest of gold and it’s been said that a young man almost succeeded. He tied a rope to the chest handle ring and pulled. He only retrieved the ring, which was later used for the church door at Skogar.

    I hadn’t know this when we visited this waterfall, otherwise I may have gone diving for treasure!    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Reynisdrangar

    November 14, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Apparently, Iceland is full of myths and legends. Our next destination, Reynisdranger, has its own story. Legend says that the stacks originated when two trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they became needles of rock.

    This was top on my places to visit because it was once named one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world. I can see why. The black send is a stark contrast to the strange basalt columns. The columns were a climber’s dream...despite the risk of them crumbling in your hands. It was definitely worth the drive.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Roadtrip Sights ~ Part Two

    November 14, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Our next stop was over two hours away from Reynisdranger. There was no way we could drive all that time without finding a few unplanned stops along the way!

    We were getting hungry and knew we couldn’t go wrong with the famous roadside hot dogs. Apparently, these things are delicacies in Iceland. I wasn’t a big fan but if you added enough special mustard to it, it was edible. It was definitely better than some of the other alternatives.

    Somewhere along the way, we came across raging rapids. In the background was the most picturesque little house that i enjoyed photographing.

    Once we got closer to our last stop, we could see one of the glaciers in the distance. There was a roadside scuplture that provided an excellent view of the crystal blue ice. I’m not sure if we were supposed to do this, but we did climb to the top of it and used one of the pieces of twisted metal to slide down to the bottom.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Jokulsarlon ~ Part One

    November 14, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We finally made it to the main destination of the day. Jokulsarlon is a large glacial lake and is considered one of the Crown Jewels of Iceland. This place was one of the most incredible places I have ever visited.

    The lake is filled with these vibrant blue ice chunks that are floating like pillows on the water. It’s so peaceful. The sky was changing colors as the sun was setting behind the mountains in the distance. Our traveling wireless internet hub allowed me to make a FaceTime call to share this special moment.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Jokulsarlon ~ Part Two

    November 14, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Across from the lake is Jokulsarlon Beach. I didn’t think there could be anything more beautiful than the glacier lake we just experienced. I was definitely wrong!

    Words can’t describe this place. They call it “Diamond Beach” because of the large chunks of ice shimmering against the black sand beach. It really did look like hundreds of diamonds scattered along the beach.

    There were also huge chunks of ice being thrown around in the ocean surf. These things had to weigh hundreds of pounds. Dave thought it would be a brilliant idea to climb on top of one of them. He got on it just as a wave crashed into it. He survived and surprisingly didn’t get that wet.

    I could have spent all day on this beach, but unfortunately time wasn’t on my side. The sun was setting and a 4 hour drive back to Reykjavik awaited us. We prepared a quick backpacking meal in the parking lot before heading back to the hotel.

    If I ever make it back to Iceland, this will be at the top of my list of places to visit.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Icelandair Natura

    November 15, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    Our accommodations in Iceland were modest but nice. We stayed in an Icelandair hotel about 10 minutes from the heart of Reykjavik. The room and bathrooms were small which is typical of a European County. We were never there so it worked fine for our needs.

    We took a few moments on our last morning there to photography a few of the art pieces found around the hotel.    Read more

  • Kelli TolockaIcelandTraveler

    Reykjavik ~ Part Two

    November 15, 2016 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    Our last day in Iceland has arrived. Instead of driving to another waterfall, we decided to stay local and continue to explore Reykjavik.

    We started the tour with a trip to downtown where we explored local shops. I always got excited when I saw reminders of home and seeing this Dunkin’ Donuts made me very happy!

    One of our only meals in Iceland was at a restaurant known for its bread bowl soups. We were lucky to get a seat since there is a strict no waiting allowed policy. The soup was delicious. We finished it off with a hot chocolate before heading back into the cold.

    There is this weird hill on the coastline that I read about on a travel review site. We headed there and climbed to the top where we were rewarded with some awesome views.

    Our last stop was this random hot springs along the coast. It maintains its warm temperature year around. We almost decided not to get in but what fun would that have been? I went first and ended up getting soaked when I sat down to take my socks off. Dave was next. He made the mistake of running all the way back to the car in bare feet. Did I mention that it had started snowing by this point? It was a perfect way to end our epic trip to Iceland!    Read more

    Trip end
    November 15, 2016
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