Warning: long post and massive amounts of pictures ahead! Months of planning and preparation resulted in one epic trip! This is the first time I've traveled internationally by plane since before I was married...and the very first time Jeff and Jonas traveled like that. I'm not even sure how to wrap up all of our adventures with only words and pictures, but that's all I've got to work with so here goes...
Jeff, Jonas, and I set out on our adventure on Saturday, September 21st. That entire day (and into the next) was spent on an airplane or in an airport. Thankfully, the travel was smooth even if long. Jonas, however, didn't seem to mind. He had videos to watch and meals to eat. That's what he was most excited about...finally being able to be served a meal on the plane. I tried to warn him that plane food wasn't always the best, but he was still excited and, thankfully, enjoyed it.
We landed around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 22nd. After clearing passports and customs, we grabbed our bags, shoved them in our rental car, and took off. First, we stopped at a grocery store to stock up on snack/lunch items for our trip. Nothing, other than the easily identifiable produce, seemed familiar so we looked at pictures and did our best guesses as to what we thought would be good. (I'm happy to report that, other than some strangely flavored crackers, everything we bought was good.) Jonas was enthralled with the grocery items...and the grocery cart. He liked the way it could be wheeled in all directions (forward, backward, and even sideways). I had to keep reminding him that it was not a race car.
After stocking up, we headed to the only thing really open at that time, the Viking Museum. The highlight was the authentic replica of a viking ship. It was amazing to walk in, on, and under it. You could see the meticulous work that was put in to building it. Jonas also liked trying on the viking helmets. They are a lot heavier than you think! Other than that, this stop was more about killing time than the quality of the venue. They had some interesting exhibits and informative plaques, but it's not something I would say is a "must-see" for anyone else visiting the country.
We then inched our way closer to the capitol city, Reykjavik, but still had one more stop to make - church. After all, it was Sunday. We attended one of the two Icelandic branches in all of the country. (There is surprisingly a third branch for Spanish speaking members too.) Iceland is actually ranked as the 6th most atheistic countries in all of the world. The people are known to be highly irreligious; yet, even amongst all of that disbelief, the work of the Lord still moves forward. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to serve a mission here. The language, for one, seems near impossible to grasp, but with how remote the country is and how little faith abounds, it would be hard for sure. Still, there were members there to greet us. Many of those in attendance were the missionaries and (not surprisingly) fellow tourists. Because of the amount of English speakers in attendance, the meetings proceeded in English (with Icelandic translations). I have to be honest, the lack of sleep overpowered Jonas and I. I tried my best to remain alert, but by the time the first talk started, I was dozing off. Jonas had preceded me in slumber so I simply laid my head on his as he rested on my shoulder.
Finally, it was time to make our way to Reykjavik! It is a lot bigger than I had imagined. However, it seemed so small when we narrowed our scope to just the downtown area. We had a couple of hours to explore before we all succumbed to the exhaustion we felt from traveling overnight and making a 6 hour jump ahead in time. We wandered the streets and drifted in and out of stores before meeting in the city center for a walking tour. Did you know the Iceland has the oldest and longest continually running parliament? Did you know that there is an annual award given for the best tree in the city? (Most of the trees were cut down and used for housing when the country was settled in roughly 900 AD so planting and growing a new tree is kind of a big deal.) Also, did you know that you can only name your baby from a list of 2,000 approved Icelandic names (most of which are either biblical or norse names)? These were just some of the fun facts we learned on our tour. We saw their version of the White House (which is actually white), the parliament building (which is black), a school (where kids have to learn 4 languages! Icelandic, English, and Danish are required.), the old stone dock where ships would come into harbor, a statue of the first settler of Iceland (Ingolfur Arnarson), and more. We learned that the site for Reykjavik was chosen by Arnarson after he threw a couple of ship poles into the water and stated that he would settle where they landed (hence the insignia on the sewer covers). It was a fun and informative tour. Once we finished, we headed to Hallgrimskirjka, the iconic Lutheran cathedral in the middle of the city. It towers over any other structure. We were able to go up to an observatory for a Birdseye view of Reykjavik. I think that's when I realized how big the city actually is. We enjoyed the views then headed back into the streets of downtown in search of dinner before calling it a day (or actually two days because that's what it felt like). The food in Iceland was really delicious. We ate a lot of fish and a lot of lamb. By the end of the trip, though, all Jonas wanted was a good burger and fries (and yes...we found a really good one in Stykkisholmur!). The ice cream, however, was unbeatable! The dairy products (in a country of mostly sheep) were very creamy. We enjoyed our delicacies then crashed...all in preparation for the marathon days ahead.
I'm only slightly kidding about the marathon. We circumvented the entire country, including stops in the eastern and western fjords. Typically, we only drove a total of 4 hours a day, but there were a couple of longer drive days. Still, those drives were picturesque. Anywhere there was a crevasse in a mountainside, we knew there would be a cascading waterfall. The landscape colors ranged from bright green in the southern coast to fall colors further north to snowy mountain passes in the fjords. We witnessed unforgettable sunrises and sunsets...and even the epic northern lights! (More on that later.) Sheep dotted the countryside and charming churches popped up in the most remote, unimaginable places. For not being a very religious country, these beautiful churches were everywhere. There is over 350 churches in all of the country of only 350,000 inhabitants. Some of these places of worship were literally in the middle of nowhere...nothing surrounding them. Sometimes they were adjacent to one little farm and yes, there were some larger (more gaudy, less charming) churches in the larger (but still small) cities. I, however, loved seeing these sacred spaces and longed to visit each one. Sadly, we only got close to a few and none of them were open. There were interesting homes with both bright and subdued colors. Some of those were partially built underground with turf roofs - a very iconic Icelandic look. Jeff and I soaked in all the sights. Jonas was hit and miss. One day, he slept the entire 3 hour drive! The jet lag hit him hard. (Here are just some of the random sites and tons of sheep we saw along our drive.)
Monday (September 23rd) we started out on the Ring Road. We drove it counterclockwise. Our first stop was Seljalandfoss (you quickly learn that "foss" means waterfall). This waterfall drops over a large grotto allowing anyone to walk behind it...and get soaked in the process! Thankfully, we were prepared. We slipped on our waterproof boots and coats and enjoyed the onslaught of water that constantly misted us as we walked around the beautiful falls. Adjacent to these falls was another waterfall tucked into a small gorge. There was a line of people waiting to tiptoe across the exposed rocks in the stream at the base of the falls, but we were able to hop right into the stream and walk up to the base with no problem.
This was only the start to our waterfall journey. Not only did we admire the hundreds we saw from the car, we hiked to at least one almost every day...and each one took our breath away. That day, we hiked to countless more! From Seljalandfoss, we headed to Skogafoss. This waterfall was much bigger and much taller than the last. The sheer drop of the water created a thunderous sound...and just about as much mist as the last one. When we got to the falls, we decided to hike up to the top first. We ascended the 527-step staircase only to discover an entire trail of waterfalls at the top. We hiked for about 2-3 miles up river and encountered waterfall after waterfall after waterfall. I remembered reading about this trail but didn't give it much thought because I wasn't sure it would fit in our schedule. There was no way we were going to be able to see or experience all of what Iceland had to offer so we had to pick and choose our stops. From Skogafoss, we were supposed to head to the site of a plane wreck on a nearby black sand beach. However, after the first few falls, we decided that we wanted to see more of this hike and decided to skip the plane wreck site. I'm glad we did! The hike was a highlight for all of us. We finally made it to a point where people had created a large cairn. We decided this was an appropriate spot to turn around. We each grabbed a rock and added ours to the others before hiking back down. It was our way of leaving our mark yet adding to the beauty of the ebenezer (in biblical times, ebenezer meant "stone of help" and was often raised to remind the Israelite people of God's mercy). When we descended the staircase, we finally walked to the base of the falls to culminate our experience.
From there, we slowed things down a little and headed to Reynisfjara beach. This was a black sand beach near the town of Vik. On the way, we diverted to what is referred to as a glacier tongue that we could see. The glacial ice (and snow...and lava rock) was inching its way closer to the coast. We tried to hike onto the glacier itself but didn't have the appropriate shoe spikes so we turned around and headed on to the beach. It was our first experience with the mesmerizing black sand and the enticing basalt columns. Every time Jonas encountered basalt columns (or any rock he could climb on) he woulds scramble up, over, and around them. The beach had several tourists all clambering for the perfect, Instagram worthy photos. Still, we were able to walk down the beach aways and find our own quite place to climb on rocks and skip stones in the ocean. The water was so clear and reflected the most brilliant shades of blue. We were reluctant to leave that place, but we had one more experience for the day.
We made our way into Vik where we attended the Lava Show. This was actually pretty cool...and very hot! This is the only indoor lava show in the world. Essentially, after a brief introduction to what lava is and how it's produced, the operators of the show literally recreate lava from the volcanic flow remnants of Katla (the large volcano underneath the massive tons of snow and ice of the Myrdalsjokull glacier). It had been pretty active until its last eruption in 1918. It's from that lava field that the owners of the Lava Show collect rock to then reheat and reproduce real lava. As soon as the lava started to flow into the show room, the room immediately heated up...and it was only a small amount of lava! The man facilitating the show (who was from Norway and totally had an accent like Oaken on Disney's Frozen) then manipulated the lava to demonstrate some of its properties and dangers. It was such a unique experience!...and probably the closest I will ever get (or want to get) to actual lava. Jonas and I even got a piece of cooled lava (from a previous show because lava takes a long time to cool) to take home with us. It's scary to think that the Katla volcano could erupt at any time. Thankfully, modern science and technology will allow there to be some warning prior to the eruption because, if not, the people of Vik will be swept away in a torrent of glacial water that the volcano will melt before the lava even makes it to the surface. Finally, after a yummy soup dinner (followed by some Icelandic chocolate treats), we called it a day.
The next morning was an early one (Tuesday, Sept 24th). We got up and headed back into Vik (we stayed at a small guesthouse about 15 minutes away) for a morning tour to an ice cave near Katla. While it was a little earlier than our tired bodies would have liked to get up, we were rewarded with an incredible sunrise over Vik. We had some time to drive up to the church that overlooked the town as we watched the sun slowly bring in the new day. We took a moment to soak in the beauty before meeting up with our tour. The tour lasted about 2 hours. We drove in a large, lifted shuttle with tires that the drive could inflate and deflate to traverse the rugged terrain. This landscape almost seemed other-worldly (and, not surprisingly, has been used as the backdrop for some sci-fi movies, including the opening scene of the last Star Wars trilogy). We had the glacier/ice cave to ourselves. We were each given shoe spikes then our guide took us onto the glacier. The ice cave was incredible (although short)! It was interesting to see the bubbles locked in the ice walls and the different shades of blue reflected by the little sunlight we had. Jonas also loved being able to use a pick ax to chop into the icy surface. All in all, we enjoyed the tour, but it wasn't our favorite. Still, the fact that we were hiking on a glacier on top of a volcano was pretty cool.
After the tour, we made a quick stop at the Yoda cave before making our way to our next waterfall. The cave openings resemble a silhouette of Yoda. It was kind of fun to see it (and the mounds of filming equipment that was there! There was some movie or show set being constructed. I was curious as to what it was, but who knows?). We took a little time to explore the beach and climb up on the mountainside before continuing our drive.
Next stop, Svartifoss. This hike reminded me that we were in the season of Fall. The autumnal colors were bright! Again, there were so many more hiking trails that we could have explored in that area (which was actually an Icelandic National Park), but we just headed to the falls. These falls were unique in that they were surrounded by the iconic basalt columns. We drank in the views before climbing back in the car for a couple more stops.
From there, we deviated a little to visit Hofskirkja. This small turf church is the last of the old churches built in the turf style. It was constructed in 1883-1885, but a church has been on that site since the 1300s. I love that each of these churches also have a graveyard. I think of all the people who may have worshipped there and what their lives might have been like.
Finally, we made our way to Jokulsaron Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. This lagoon was breathtaking! The crystal blue waters of the lagoon were dotted with every size and shape of iceberg you could imagine. As these icebergs broke down from the influx of salt water from the ocean, blocks of ice would float out into the salty waters and sometimes be washed back up on shore. Because of those large crystal-like chunks, this beach earned the name Diamond Beach. I'm pretty sure this was another favorite spot for all of us. Jonas seems to gravitate toward the water. He enjoys building dams of sand or skipping rocks. He probably could have stayed there for much longer than we had time. I enjoyed seeing the chunks of ice illuminated by the setting sun. Jeff simply strolled along the beach and found, what we assume to be, the spinal cord of a seal. Crazy! Like Jonas, I didn't really want to leave that beautiful place, but I knew we would return the next day for a boat tour of the glacier lagoon.
We made our way to our hotel for the night and, not surprisingly, there was a waterfall behind the property. After dinner, we decided to hike up to the falls. This really is an incredibly beautiful place...that kept amazing us! When we checked into our room, the front desk staff asked if we would like a wake up call if the northern lights appeared. I excitedly agreed because I knew the next few days would probably be too cloudy to see the lights. Around 11:30 p.m. our room phone rang with the notification that the lights were out. I jumped out of bed to answer the call. Jeff knew what the call meant and got up as well. We had to wake up Jonas, who wasn't quite sure the lights were worth his interrupted sleep. We all grabbed our coats and shoes and headed outside. Upon our first scan of the night sky, I wondered if the call had been made in error. I couldn't see the dancing waves of lights I had seen in photos, but then the sky started to change. The change was subtle. The black sky began to take on hues of greens and blues. It became brighter as the clouds painted shapes on the canvas of colors. It was incredible! To be honest, the pictures capture an even brighter image than what was seen with the naked eye, but we had seen them! The incomparable Northern Lights!
It took me a minute to drift back to sleep but eventually the sheer exhaustion I felt overtook the excitement of seeing the lights. In the morning (Wednesday, September 25th), we headed back to the lagoon for our tour. This, along with our whale watching tour, were my favorite excursions! We spent over an hour floating around the lagoon on a small motorboat. We even got as close as we dared to the glacier itself. The sun was shining and the icebergs were mystifying.
Once the tour was over, we continued on our journey. Today was one of the longer drive days...at least longer consecutive time in the car. However, we made one more stop before the four hour drive in and out of the eastern fjords. This time we drove to Hofn where we visited a replica of a viking village. This village had been meticulously built for a movie that was supposed to be filmed there. The set was abandoned by the filmmakers but the structures remained. Several other TV shows and movies have since used the location for scenes. In fact, there was more film equipment there like what we saw at the Yoda Cave. The village itself gave us a sense of what a viking community could have looked like, but it was partially run down and none of the structures were open. Still, we enjoyed fantasizing about what life would have been like for the first permanent settlers of Iceland in the early 900s. We snapped a few pictures then moved onto the beach...again. We just kept going back to those black sand beaches and the crash of the blue waves. This beach is at the base of the Vestrahorn mountain, which gave a stunning backdrop for pictures. We wandered as far down the beach as we could go before reluctantly starting the long drive to our hotel for that night. The fjords, however, were worth the drive. Jeff and I loved moving in and out of the fjords and seeing all the small fishing villages along the way. That evening, we drove to one final fjord (that actually overshot our evening's destination by a half hour) - Seydisfjordur. We were glad we decided to drive the half hour out and then back to our hotel. The town was idyllic. It had a quaint church with a quiet rainbow road. (Rainbow Roads were frequently found in the towns to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.) We wandered around the dock area where we found a delicious place to eat before calling it a day.
Thursday (September 26th) we moved on. We first made our way to Studlagil Canyon. This canyon has iconic basalt columns that line the cliff edges where the river flows. It is a unique look...and a fun place to climb around. Jonas was more than excited about the hike. We had to walk about a mile to get to the canyon, but there were beautiful waterfalls to admire and lots of sheep to see. Once we got to the eastern side of the canyon, we scrambled down to the water's edge. Jonas loved carefully climbing around the basalt columns. We felt like we had the place to ourselves because not many other visitors took the initiative (or the slight risk) of climbing to the bottom. It was another favorite stop for all of us.
Next, we headed to Dettifoss, Europe's 4th most powerful waterfall...and it was thunderous! Because of an early winter storm, the east side (that would allow us closer access to the falls) was closed. Still, we enjoyed the view, the mist, and the thunder from the upper viewpoints on the west side. We even walked down to Selfoss a little further up river. Jonas liked that hike because there were plenty of rocks to jump around and climb over.
Finally we made it to Husavik for the evening. We had completed our hikes so quickly that we had some time to actually explore the little town. Most places, until then, we had rolled in at night and out early in the morning. We drove some of the streets then decided to visit the whale museum. The museum was much more immersive than the viking museum in Keflavik. They had actual whale bones! These animals are massive! After exploring the museum, we headed to our last experience of the day - a thermal bath (or hot spring). Iceland is kind of known for its thermal baths. It's one of those must-do experiences for tourists. The most visited or famous ones are near Reykjavik, but what I liked about the GeoSea Baths in Husavik was that they were right on the cliff's edge overlooking the bay that lead out into the Arctic Ocean. We were only 50-75 km away from the arctic circle. The baths were very soothing (even if the locker rooms were not. I forgot how confident Europeans are with their bodies. Poor Jonas saw one too many bare bums. Thankfully, Jeff found ways to shield him and allow him privacy). We enjoyed allowing our muscles and bodies relax as we scanned the bay for signs of wildlife. We didn't see anything then, but it only intensified the anticipation of the next day's adventure.
Friday (September 27th) we anxiously checked my messages to make sure that our whale watching excursion had not been canceled. We had received an email the previous evening that suggested that it might be if the weather did not improve. Thankfully, the weather improved enough to allow us to go. It was cold (although we were prepared for that) and a little choppy (we weren't as prepared for that! By the end of the nearly 3 hours on the water, both Jeff and I had thrown up overboard. Jonas was a trooper and didn't feel ill at all! In fact, he enjoyed the hot cocoa and cinnamon bun the crew served at the end. I think the smell of the cocoa is what made me finally empty the contents of my stomach. Thankfully, both Jeff and I felt better after throwing up so it was still an incredible excursion), but we still got to go! As we floated out, the marine biologist onboard educated us about the bay and why it is such an attractive place for whales to be in the summer. We were at the end of the summer season and not entirely sure we would see a whale...until Jonas spotted a spout! Yup...he was the first on one board to find a humpback whale. From then on, we followed this same whale as it crested and dove for the next couple of hours. It was incredible to be so close to such an amazing animal. And...I got to see its tail! Several times! I have seen whales in the wild before (mainly on my Alaskan cruise with Jeff and my parents), but never got a chance to see them dive. This time was different. Our last sighting of the whale was the most incredible! We were so close as the giant beast crested a few times then dove for one last sighting of its tail. Did you know that the markings on a humpback's tail is how you can identify each one? The markings are like our fingerprints. Every tail is different.
Sadly (and with some physical relief from the motion sickness), the excursion came to an end...and off we went again. Next stop, Godafoss (or the waterfall of the Gods). I still absolutely loved the hike behind Skogafoss, but Godafoss, and later Dynjandi, were my favorite waterfalls. Godafoss was so big with so much character and texture. I felt so small (and later smaller at Dynjandi) at its base. We were able to walk along both sides of the canyon walls and eventually made our way down to its base. Jonas again loved this part because he could scramble on the rocks. I took some time at the bottom of the falls to simply close my eyes and soak it all in (thankfully not literally). Here, at the waterfall of the Gods, I gave thanks to my God for the beauty of this world. Life is hard sometimes (ok...a lot of times), but He cared enough to give us places like this to remind us, even at our lowest points, that we are loved.
We enjoyed a few more moments at the falls before making our way to Blonduos for the night. On the way there, we stopped in Akureryi, the second largest city in Iceland. We strolled along the downtown shopping district, wandering in and out of the stores, collecting little souvenirs for the grandkids, and finally experienced an Icelandic hot dog. It was actually really good. It's different because of the sauces they use and the meat involved, but it was good. Even Jonas thought so and he doesn't normally like hot dogs. We spent about an hour or so there before we moved on. We finally made it to accommodations for the evening. This was the most charming B&B style lodging on the whole trip. The house was near the coast with a long seawall. Before dinner (which our host prepared and we ate family style with the other guests), we walked along the sea wall as we were hypnotized by the rhythmic ebb and flow of the crashing waves. And yes...eventually we found a little waterfall that dumped out into the ocean. Our dinner was delicious and our rest that evening was renewing.
Our trip was quickly coming to an end. I couldn't believe that we had reached that point. It's like a gourmet meal that takes hours to prepare but mere minutes to consume. Thankfully, we still had a couple more days of consumption ahead. Saturday (September 28th) morning we checked out of the B&B and headed towards Pingeyraklausturskirkja (yes...that is really its name). This is the oldest stone church in all of Iceland. It sits atop a small hill overlooking the land around it. Again, it wasn't open and the caretaker wasn't home so we could only admire its exterior and peek inside its interior. It was still a beautiful monument of the faith that did exist in the country, even if that faith is currently waning.
After the church, we made our way to Borgarvirki. This natural rock formation provided an easy place to set up a medieval fort. Remnants of rock walls and a possible well are all that remain, but it was another cool place to imagine what life was like and for Jonas to scramble on some rocks. As we left that location, we also stopped to see (from afar) a couple dirt mounds that marked the location of a winter homestead of one of the early permanent settlers, Ingimundur.
After that, we moved on. This day was our longest drive day, but we loved the scenery as we wound in and out of the moody western fjords. (I just didn't love the 6 km long tunnels through the mountains. They made me nervous!) As we were driving, I was admiring the beauty of the water when I saw a spout! Yup! It was another humpback whale! We quickly stopped and watched it crest a few times before we saw its tail as it dove for food. It was so incredible! (Thankfully, the height of the tourist season was over and the roads were largely abandoned or else it wouldn't have been easy to find a place to stop to watch. The Icelanders don't believe in road shoulders or anything other than two lane highways.) We also saw more churches, waterfalls, and even another historic Icelandic house. (It wasn't super significant so we only stopped to snap a picture because of how striking the black house was.) In the end, we made it to Isafjordur for the night. Again, we had dinner and drove around the town before we called it a day.
That night, it snowed, which made the morning's (Sunday, September 29th) drive an adventure. Thankfully, Jeff has ample experience driving in snowy mountains (and we were lucky enough to follow a plow for part of the drive)...and the drive to our first stop was more than worth it. This was Dynjandi... probably all of our favorite waterfalls. I didn't think the waterfalls could get any better after Godafoss. We had seen so many shapes, sizes, and strengths of falls. What could another one possibly offer us? I was wrong! This was the most awe-inspiring waterfall experience of them all...and we had it all to ourselves! I guess the snowy roads deterred most people from venturing out that early, but by the time we made it to the falls, the snow had succumbed to the vibrant fall colors that reminded me of the season we're in. The falls were gigantic! I felt so miniscule standing at their base. We enjoyed the smaller falls that cascaded off the river from the larger falls as we hiked up the trail, but there was something about standing at the base of the falls that reminded me of how inconsequential life can be at times. There is something greater out there than me or any of the seemingly insurmountable things that I encounter in this life. I'm grateful that I get to call that greater power my divine Father.
We stayed at the falls until other people started to trickle in. We then wound our way out of the western fjords onto the Snaefelsnes Penninsula. The drive was again beautiful (with a random stone bust of some unknown person along the route). We made our way from the falls to Eirikstadder, the authentic replica of the home built on the original stone foundation that Leif Eirikkson was reportedly born in. Leif is credited with being one of the first European people to step foot in North America (Newfoundland). We did a little tour that included stories of life as a viking. It would have been a tough life. I can't even imagine how harsh it would have been to settle this area. The laws and customs seem very foreign to us now. Much of their perspective of life was shaped by their belief in Norse gods and mythology.
Finally, we made it to Stykkisholmur. This was probably my favorite little town that we stayed in (next to Husavik). We got there with plenty of time to explore. We had hoped to visit the Norwegian house that acted as a museum of that region, but it was closed. Still, the black house was quite striking so I, of course, had to take a picture. We then drove over to a hill that provided a foundation for a lighthouse. We climbed up the hill and walked around the cliff's edges before driving through the town. That evening, Jonas begged us to find a place that didn't serve fish or lamb. Haha! We enjoyed a delicious burger at the Skipper Restaurant before we retired for the day.
Monday (September 30th) was our final day in Iceland. As I pulled my tired body out of bed, I noticed the vibrant oranges, pinks, and reds of the morning's sunrise. I hurried outside to soak it in. Since the day after we'd seen the northern lights, we had experienced a series of cloudy, rainy, snowy, moody days, but Iceland was gifting us with a beautiful sunny day for our final day.
Once we packed up, we headed to our final waterfall, Kirkjufellsfoss. The waterfall was beautiful, but what was even more stunning was the solitary mountain as it reflected in a nearby fresh water pond. We hiked out to the falls and down to the cascading base, but then we decided to walk along the trail that led back toward the nearby town. It was then that we could see the mesmerizing mirror reflection of the mountain. Jonas had not noticed this reflection. Instead, he just saw a body of perfectly still water that needed a stone to be tossed in it. There were some other people at the pond that were trying to take pictures. Thankfully, we stopped Jonas's desires while these people snapped a few photos then left. At that point, we walked a little further down the short shoreline and allowed Jonas to toss in a rock. The ripples were amplified as they blurred the once clean, sharp outline of the mountain's reflection. Jeff and I encouraged Jonas to walk up to the top where he was able to view the ramifications of his simple choice of tossing that seemingly small rock. Each of us witnessed a visual representation of how consequential our choices can be in life...for good or bad. Jonas actually cried a little as he realized how his choice could have affected the beauty of the reflection that others were seeking, but his soul was calmed, just like the water, when he realized that the One who can calm the waters can eventually erase the ripples in our lives, just like, with time, the ripples in that little pond calmed and once again reflected the clean, sharp image of the mountain. It was a lesson that all of us will not soon forget.
With full hearts, we continued on our journey that would eventually lead us back to Reykjavik. Next stop was the Raudfeldsgja gorge. This mountain fissure hides a secret path to a secluded mossy grotto. Legend has it that the half-man, half-troll, Bardar (the guardian spirit of the Snaefelssnes Penninsula), threw two boys, who had pushed his daughter onto an iceberg that floated away, into the gorge to die (because he assumed his daughter had died). While not a warm, fuzzy legend, the gorge was indescribable. Again, because we had the right footwear, we were able to climb into the grotto. We followed the trickling water up a few small falls until we hit the mountain wall and could not find another route to climb.
Before leaving the peninsula, we stopped in the little town of Arnastapi to walk along the distinctive coastline. The rock formations were so unique! There were even a few places where the ocean waves had carved out natural stone bridges.
It was finally time to make our way back to Reykjavik, but not before one more quick church stop. This striking black church was beautiful!, but again, it was not open so I simply admired it from outside. Jeff and Jonas didn't even bother to get out at that time.
Back in Reykjavik, we had more time to explore. We wandered through the shopping district getting any last minute items before we stopped at the Harpa Concert Hall. This unique glass building was beautiful with the sun shining through it. We enjoyed one final dinner and even some rye bread ice cream. Yup...another Icelandic delicacy...and yes, it was actually pretty good! My heart was heavy as we drove away from Reykjavik toward Keflavik, where the airport was. That was it. The next morning we would be leaving this breathtaking country. In all likeliness, I will never return to Iceland. If I have the money or time to travel internationally again, I'm sure we would choose another location. That thought made me a little sad, but I knew I would take a lifetime of memories with me. We checked into our last hotel, organized and repacked our luggage, and fell asleep for the last time in Iceland.
However, the next day (Tuesday, October 1st) wasn't the end of our adventures. We flew from Keflavik to Newark, NJ. In planning the trip, we purposefully chose the flight with an 18 hour layover in the NYC area. Yup...we took Jonas into the city. We landed around 12:30 p.m. and spent the next several hours dragging him to some of the iconic NYC places. We didn't really have time to explore, in depth, any of these locations, but he at least saw them. We saw the Statue of Liberty from the ferry we took from NJ to NY then made our way to Ground Zero. He saw the water pools and the survivor tree. We then found some NY pizza before walking (I think our urban hike was longer than any waterfall hike in Iceland) over to Federal Hall (the site where George Washington was inaugurated as our nation's first president) and Trinity Church (where Alexander Hamilton was buried). The church was gorgeous...and this time we got to go inside and even hear a little bit of an organ concert. We walked along Wall Street and saw the Charging Bull and the Fearless Girl. At that point, Jeff decided Jonas needed to experience the NY subway. We took it uptown to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and the Empire State Building. We quickly breezed through or by each of these iconic stops. Jonas only recognized them from the classic Christmas movies, Home Alone 2 and Elf. One day I'll bring him back to the city when we can explore these places more in depth and when he can appreciate them better. We made our way back downtown to end our day at the One World Observatory. We arrived at dusk and got to appreciate the city lights gradually illuminate the night sky. It seemed like a perfect way to end this most epic adventure!
