It was a whirlwind adventure.

It was a breathtaking and nerve-racking trip.

It was bliss and an adventure that I will not soon forget.

Iceland.

You are majestic.

My little short trip to Iceland happened and it was everything that I thought it would be and more.

It is simply a beautiful and majestic place. It is an adventurists and hikers’s place. It’s beyond words.

The few weeks before the trip was the most anxious I had ever been for a trip. For some reason, I was nervous.

I was worried about the weather, driving in the snow, driving in a foreign country, and I think most importantly, I was worried that I might not be able to see the Northern Lights. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I went to Iceland, to chase the lights, and I feel that I might be disappointed and that not seeing it might ruin the trip and leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Worried. Nerves. Just anxious to just go and hope that everything went okay.

I set off early on Saturday morning, having dropped Pickles off the night before. I made sure I left out enough food for Relish and I was off.

There were no problems at any of the airports. I got through customs/immigration okay.

It was on.

At first I didn’t know how I was going to get to my rental car agency, but apparently they send a driver for each flight.

When I booked the trip, I rented a full size SUV, hoping but wasn’t sure if it was going to be a 4X4 or not, but it turned out it was. So, already, a lot of things were falling into place.

Just a few days before, I found a offline map app that I could download onto my phone and it’ll give me driving directions without the need for any kind of data/wifi service. I researched and put down all of my POIs on the app and I was set.

I landed in Reykjavik at 10:30PM PST, which is about 7:30 AM Sunday morning in Reykjavik. By the time I got my car and everything, it was about 8:30 and I could either get to Reykjavik and just play or go to the hotel and hope for a early check in. I opted for the early check in and it was the best. I ate some breakfast and napped for about two hours and then I was gone.

I wasn’t expecting much in Reykjavik. I didn’t research the city that much in terms of what to do and what to see. I had a general vague sense of what I want to see and some POIs to check out, but nothing concrete. So, I do what I do best and just head out the door and walked to the heart of downtown.

I was hungry, and I decided to find some food. As I got closer to downtown, I saw my first stop, the big church of Hallgrímskirkja. It’s a big towering phallic, with a clock at the top and a bell. It was a sight, but it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.

I wanted to get to the top so I can take one of the iconic pictures of Reykjavik. I lined up in the giftshop to get my ticket and it was my turn, and my credit card didn’t work.

I didn’t pull any cash while I was there. I read on blogs that credit cards are accepted everywhere and cash isn’t necessary. I followed the merchant’s instructions, sliding my card at the bottom slot of their machine, but it didn’t read it.

Apparently, that machine takes the kind of credit cards with the security chip on it. My Venture card didn’t have that, so I couldn’t get my ticket. Defeated, I went to get lunch at Cafe Loki, ’cause I was hungry.

I ordered the Iceland Plate II with the hakarl in it, ready to taste how nasty it is. When in Rome, do what the Romans do. I had to try it. As I sat there, waiting, I was watching how people are paying for their food. Some people are putting their cards in the bottom as instructed by the waitresses, then a man came and slid his card on the right hand side of the machine. It worked! I was saved.

I got really worried that I wouldn’t have any money for the trip. I was looking for banks to get some cash and I only brought one card. My new Chase card has the chip, but unfortunately it is at home. I’m a smart one. Very smart. But, everything turned out right. I just had to slide right.

I think it is funny and fascinating that it seems that even most of the Icelandic merchants didn’t know about the whole sliding right option. It’s like they had never seen it before.

So, I ate and enjoyed my Icelandic Plate II, with the smoked lamb on flat bread, the smashed fish on rye, the trout and cottage cheese on rye, a few small pieces of hakarl and a dried fish. The smoked lamb was okay. The best thing on the plate was the smashed fish. That was pretty tasty.

Now, onto the hakarl. It is….different. I was actually expecting much much worse than how it actually was. It smelled funky to say the least. A strong pungent smell of urine, and like the strong nasty urine that had been stewing in your bladder for like hours. The smelly yellow kind. It is like the shark had been sitting in a large vat of said strong urine for months and months and finally it is ready to serve.

I put the first skewer of it in my mouth and chewed, waiting for the flavor blast. After you get past the pungent putried taste of it, comes a little spicyness. It was different. It definitely wasn’t as bas as I was expecting or how other people had put it. I wouldn’t ever eat it again, but if I had to, I’d chomp down. Bring it on.

The next up was Skyr. I kept hearing about it. It’s an Icelandic yogurt, but it isn’t yogurt. It’s a cheese. I totally wasn’t expecting it to look like that, with all the water, but it wasn’t bad. It’s….yogurt.

Lunch was over and I had some coffee and caffeine in me. With my new found knowledge on how to use my credit card, I headed back to the church to buy my ticket. I went to the top and just looked out at the stunning view and snapped a few pictures.

Next up, was to just wander around, for I didn’t have any other destination. I saw a stunning sight of a far off mountain range under the clouds off the coast and that’s where I headed. I wanted to get a picture of that view, that sight and so I walked and then I took a right somewhere. I just wandered and got lost in this strange city.

I got to do what I love most in any city that I visit, I walked it, explored it, saw it not on a bus or a tour, but by feet pounding.

I don’t think it was an hour after Cafe Loki, I found the hot dog place, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. Holy shit, this was fucking good. The Pylsur in the name is the special sauce that they put on the dog. Let’s start with the hot dog. I don’t know what it is, but it’s fucking good. There’s a good snap to it when you bite into it. The fixings on the hotdog included fried shallots and raw onions, mayo, and the pylsur sauce. It’s fairly simple, but hot damn, probably one of the best dogs I had ever eaten. The Pylsur sauce is a little sweet and a big tangy. Definitely interesting.

Having already three meals in Iceland already, I noticed that Iceland isn’t a cheap country. It’s a pretty expensive country. Food is spendy, and gas is most definitely spendy. Gas is about $6/ga. Just ridiculous. But I’m on vacation, cost shouldn’t be an issue.

Then I walked around the city some more, chasing a mound far off in the distance. This mound is just off the coast in their shipping bay area. At the top of the mound is a little shack/hut where they dry fish. It’s the only one that I saw. Very curious to why it was there and why it is the only one. But the sight of the distant mountains across a small bay of water was just breathtaking. Just beautiful.

I got me some ice cream there also. It was pretty damn good.

While exploring I did notice a lot of solo travelers, and solo girls just exploring and walkiing the city alone, snapping pictures like I was. It’s always great to see solo travelers like myself on trips. I take solidarity in that.

Now, let’s talk about the weather. The weather for the most part wasn’t that bad that day. It was dry, with small snow flurries that didn’t amount to much. It felt like Seattle/Chicago in terms of their temps. When the wind isn’t blowing, their 30s was just fine walking weather.

I layered up of course, a base/thermal layer, then a cotton sweater, then my Uniqlo light down jacket, and then my final layer is a thin waterproof windbreaker from Columbia. That didn’t add any warmth, but definitely helped with the wind and came in handy later.

Without any destination and after finding the mound, I continued to walk around and to head to the Perlan, a mile or two away. It’s a big weirdly shaped building with a glass dome on the top and a restaurant/cafe at the top. It seemed to be a most shi shi restaurant, but I don’t know where that was. It can’t be that cafe up at the top.

I got me an ice cream and rested. Then, I went outside and snapped a picture of Reykjavik from all angles. It’s a small city surrounded by mountains and it was beautiful.

Tired, I walked back to the hotel and saw quiet neighborhoods along the way. Houses and duplexes and small apartments passed by as I walked on.

I got back to the hotel and seemed like the food did a small number on my stomach. It wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t normal. I took a nap, just a few hours to make up the lack of sleep I have and to adjust to the time difference.

Then I went to dinner at the hotel restaurant, not knowing that it was the hotel restaurant that I had breakfast a few hours before. It was expensive, but it wasn’t bad. The lobster cream soup was definitely interesting with the curry taste. The lamb was pretty good. I liked Icelandic lamb, which is one of their more common dishes.

I rested for about any hour or two and then I was off to chase the light and a interesting unexpected adventure began.

While I was napping, it started to snow non stop. By the time I was ready to go on my adventure, there was a good inch or two on the ground.

I decided to go chase the light at the Grotta Lighthouse at the western point of Iceland. I unpacked my tripod and got my camera bag with me and headed out. I got to my car and put my stuff inside, started the engine to warm it up and waited for my windows to defrost. While I was sitting and waiting, there came a knock on my window.

A girl was knocking and she was asking where I was going. I told her I was going to see if I can see the northern lights. She was just on the phone with a northern lights tour that just cancelled on her that night. They forgot to call her.

She took the opportunity to ask if she can tag along with me to chase the lights. Her mom would be coming too and I told her, no problem.

In the end, it ended up just being me and her.

I drove in the accumlating snow. It’s been the first time in years and I’m a little anxious. I was trying to follow the navigation, drive, and chat with Nan all at the same time. I missed a turn somewhere and had to turn back, and then that’s when I spun out on the road. That’s when I realize that I could turn on the 4×4 mode and I felt so much better.

So Nan is from Belgium and she loves to travel. She works for an airline at the airport, booking tickets and assisting customers. She was in Iceland for a total of a nine day trip. Her mom joined her in the last three days. She had gone out on the Northern Lights tour twice before and they cancelled on her the third time that night. She hadn’t seen it. She saw the beginning of one before the clouds took it away.

So, Nan was hoping that that night would be her night, but unfortunately it just continued to snow harder while we were at the Lighthouse. While we were there, cars and cars would come out with the same idea as we had, to see the lights. But it was a bust.

While there, I met a girl from Maine. We chatted for a few minutes. She’s staying in a hostel in downtown and walked all the way there. It was a 15 minute drive for us, so it took her about an hour.

Seeing the weather take a turn for the worse, most everyone had left. Nan and I got back in the car and waited for about 10-15 minutes before we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. On the ride back, we picked up Jen from Maine and dropped her off at the hostel.

I got back to the hotel and was deciding on where to park my car. I pulled up to the front of the hotel and had Nan get out. I didn’t want to have her wait for me to try and figure out parking. We sat there saying our goodbyes and finishing our convos that we had while we were together. She asked for my name and friended me on facebook and took a picture of us. It was nice.

I now wonder what would have happened if we walked in together?

I wonder.

So with a snowy night ahead and our chasing the light turned into running away from the snow, I went to bed because I had a long and early day the next day.

* * *

Day 2.

That day was the big day. It would the longest and most who the fuck knows what is going to happen today day.

I woke up early and had the usual breakfast. Looking out the window at the restaurant, the road conditions doesn’t look promising. Snow was falling and it was falling hard. It was white out and there were inches upon inches of snow on the ground. I was getting a little anxious already.

I was ready to go. I packed up my laptop in my messenger bag, grabbed my camera bag and was ready to go. My tripod was already in the car from the night before. Nan was a distant memory as I am focused on not dying on the road. I scraped off the now and ice that collected from over the night and was ready to go.

I was careful turning onto the first street but fishtailed on the second street, but managed to keep it in control. 4×4 rolling and I’m on my way at a careful speed.

The drive was harrowing to say the least. Snow kept falling and the wind kept blowing. Visibility was really low and cars were moving at a craw on the Ring Road.

There was ice on my windshield wipers, so it wasn’t very effective in wiping the windshield. I had to pull over to rescrape my windows and knock the ice off of the wipers. Eventually, I was on my way and things just got better or I just got braver in driving in the weather.

It was a nice and calm drive, weather not withstanding. The scenes that I passed were breathtaking. It was a snow covered and stormy paradise.

My first stop was Seljalandsfoss and it was glorious. A tall falling narrow stream of a waterfall. By the time I got there, it was already a little crowded for my taste. Many tourists were making their way to the side/back of the fall. I held back with my tripod, getting a long shuttered shot of the fall, where the water just turn into a misty milky white falling from the cliff. I got the shot, but people are in it. I can’t bitch or moan about it. Move on.

As I stayed a little longer, the wind and snow storm came blasting. Conditions weren’t good at all. Not one bit. As I got closer to the fall, my lens got soaked and I kept wiping away and shooting and wiping away and shooting. I didn’t get that many great shots, but I manged to get a handful. I guess that is all that I can ask for.

I kind of went to the back of the fall, but not full on from behind. The dirt path was iced over and I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make it back up, me being on my own with a full tripod and what not. I should have done it, but c’est la vie. It is what it is.

Then it was time to move on again, braving the falling snow and the white out conditions.

During this drive, I pulled over so many times just to take pictures of the scenary. It was just that beautiful. I think this was technically my first nature trip outside of the states, in a way. I don’t think I ever put on music during this trip at all. So, good for me.

My next stop is Skógafoss. It’s another waterfall, but much bigger in terms of width and girth and more powerful. Again, by the time I got there, tour buses were parked and waiting to be refilled and go. Here, I decided to take a few pictures on the ground first without my tripod and then make my way to the top of the falls.

The small hike up to the top should have been an easy one. You have stairs to help you along the way, but maybe I am just out of shape or maybe it was just cold and my body wasn’t use to it (it really wasn’t that cold at all), but I was a little winded by the time I got to the top. Need to work out. Those were my thoughts that came to me as I was struggling to get to the top.

I managed and the view from the top was marvelous. Looking out and down, it was just white with blacks cutting through the landscape. Beautiful. I hopped over a fence and walked along the river for a few hundred feet.

It got crowded on the little platform so I made my way down to the ground, grabbed my tripod and went to take another slow shutter picture. I struggled because once again, the snow and storm blew in. It had a thing for me and waterfall pictures. Curse the weather.

I managed to get one shot and then I was off again, continuing down the road. Our next stop, Dyrhólaey.

Dyrhólaey.

Wow. This was probably the first place in Iceland that had truly taken my breath away. To think I almost gave up on this site because I missed the road like three times.

But I made it and it was the first time I get that giddy feeling whenever I travel that it is shaping up to be a spectacular trip. Oh, Dyrhólaey, you are beautiful.

This is one of the southern most points in Iceland. Below you are the black sands beach of Vik. At the edge is the Atlantic ocean crashing into the rocky shores. The low hanging sun just sets a beautiful golden glow around everything. Breath taking. Words and pictures doesn’t do it justice.

Big smile. It was a contagious big smile.

Beautiful.

But hell it was windy though. Fucking wind.

Sadly, I had to bid adeiu to Dyrhólaey and make my way to my next stop, which I can already see from where I was the basalt sea stacks at Reynisdrangar. It was about 15-20 minutes away. Not that far away as the bird flies. I can actually see it.

When I got there, the weather changed. It was a blizzard. Snow. Wind. Dark. Not ideal conditions.

When I went exploring, I saw that how high the waves came in and it then shrunk back down. I thought it would be safe to take a picture of the three towers that was just around the corner. I got myself turned around and the saves came crashing in at my legs.

Shoes. Socks. Jeans. Soaked.

It then happened again. Yay me.

Done, I took off my socks and dried them in the car with the front window defrost. Surprisingly, it dried pretty fast. It was almost dry by the time I got to Vik.

At Vik, I drove where I wasn’t supposed to drive. I saw other cars there and I didn’t see the sign until it was too late. I just parked and took the picture fo the three towers. It was a beautiful sight.

I had to decide whether I was going to get lunch or keep going to my final destination. I checked the map and it told me I had about another two hours three hours to go to where I needed to go. The map was wrong of course. Took me two hours instead.

I wanted to get to Jökulsárlón before sunset so I can actually see it with light. So, here I filled up on gas. I bought a gas card, loaded it up in the machine and filled up my tank, which was about maybe a little over quarter gone by now.

Filled up, I was on my way. The road got emptier the further east I went. Also, the conditions got worse too. Visibility really down to zero. Snow. Wind. White.

White out conditions.

I pulled over a few times to take some pictures of the empty white roads and to pee. I peed a lot. It was fun.

The further I drove, the lower the clouds got and the whiter the scene. But then it cleared up.

I wonder how much scenary did I miss. How many beautiful seascapes and mountains that passed me by that I couldn’t see because of the weather. Definitely have to go back and do the drive again when the weather is nicer in the Summer time.

Jökulsárlón.

Wow.

Just wow. It’s a quiet landscape that I have never encountered before in all of my travels. It was weird, strange, but beautiful.

Big chunks of floating glaciers in a beauitful blue float tranquil in the little lake. Far off in the distance is the mountains and the solid whole glacier. Magical. Wonderful.

I’m just in awe of that place.

I got there when the sun was about to set. I maybe had about a half an hour worth of light. I took all the pictures that I could have taken with that amount of time and I was rushed. Looking back, I do wish that I would have just stopped focusing on taking pictures and just be in the moment and just enjoy what is in front of me.

That is one thing that I did notice in my Utah trip last year and more so on this trip, I felt rushed and I was so focus on the photography that I forget to just stop and enjoy.

Patience. I just need to be in the moment and stop focusing on capturing the moment.

This also happened when I was taking pictures of the Northern Lights.

So, as the sky got darker, I had about 30-40 minutes before the sky got fully dark, I drove down the ways to a restaurant to get some dinner. It wasn’t a bad lamb dinner. It was great to have a beer after the long long day also, but then I loaded up on coffee. I was tired and I needed some help staying up for the light show I was going to capture and also for the long drive home.

I drove back in the dark and almost missed the turn, but I managed to get there.

I sat in the car for a bit waiting like all the other cars out there. Then I decided to get out and take pictures of the stars instead before the Northern Lights, hoping that they would come out soon.

Then, I saw small shuttle buses come from the night tours. Eventually they left for other destinations.

I started to take more pictures and I see the colors of green and red show up on my camera. I packed up my gear and hiked up the small hill and started to take pictures.

They were out but my eyes can’t see them.

Eventually, as the night went on, it got stronger, but it wasn’t a vibrant green that I thought it would be.

I did feel a little disappointed as I realize that it wasn’t going to be a strong show or I thought that what I saw was what the aurora reallly looks like.

To my eyes, it was a light gray haze in the sky. At it’s strongest, I got to see it move and snake through the sky, but it was just that faint gray instead of the vibrant colors that I’m use to seeing on the camera or in pictures.

But it was still something to see with my eyes and it’ll be something that I’ll never forget.

Like earlier, I was so focused on taking pictures that I didn’t really take the time to really enjoy the show. I snapped and snapped away and only watched on as I waited for the exposures to be finished.

Next time. I need to take my time to just enjoy the moment. Be present. Be there. In that moment.

Just be.

As the show dimmed and faded away, I decided to start my long drive home.

That drive back to Reykjavik was the scariest drive in my life. Pitch dark with nothing but my headlights cutting through the black. When there wasn’t any weather, the drive was fine.

It was only when the strong winds kicked in and snow blowing in sideways whiting out the road and what you can see. You have to hope that you see the reflectors on the side of the road and hope that they aren’t turning.

But I made it back. Along the way, I saw so many auroras similar to the ones I saw in Jökulsárlón. It was hard for me not to just stare at them. They were just dancing away in the clear sky above. It was magical.

I even saw a few close to Reykjavik. I was on the main freeway in Reykjavik, close to 3AM where I saw a vibrant green one dancing in the sky. I saw it. But I couldn’t stop to take pictures. Plus it was a small one too. So, in a way that gave me hope that yes, there are different variants of the aurora and depending on the intensity of the aurora, they are different colors. The ones I saw at Jökulsárlón and the on the drive back weren’t that active. I’ll definitely be going back to Iceland to chase the lights and see strong ones.

Definitely.

I was excited and in awe, but tired at the same time.

I got to the hotel, posted a picture letting people know I’m back at the hotel safe and slept for a few hours.

* * *

Day 3: Golden Circle

After a few hours of sleep, I woke up around 9ish to start my day. It was a little later than I wanted to start my day, but after the long night that I had, it was the best.

Showered and geared up, I went to get a cup or two of coffee from breakfast and a few rolls and then I was on my way.

It was a nice day that day. Clear skies and now wind. You were able to see the mountains clearly in the distance.

My first stop was Þingvellir National Park. The drive there was just beautiful. I would have to say it is one of the most beautiful drives, if not the most, that I have taken in my life.

Maybe it was just snow everywhere and the low hanging sun that casts an eerie glow, but it was just magical. I was smiling ear to ear during this drive. I stopped so many times just to take pictures. Breathtaking.

I got the Þingvellir National Park and just explored it for a bit. It was another white snow scape. There I saw a few people getting into diving suits to brave the ice cold water. Brave souls. Brave brave souls.

Then I continued my drive. The next stop is Geysir.

I stopped to get some gas and some lunch. Two more hot dogs. So good.

A few miles before Geysir, I saw a bunch of horse riding the fence close to the road. There was another car stopped already and I pulled up next to it. I’ve always wanted to take close up pictures of the horses and pet one, but they have been far off those past few days. This was my first chance to get up close and personal.

The horses were so cute. They were very nice and can get chompy, wanting to get food. But once they realize you don’t have anything, they let you go and tolerate you petting them. I had a selfie with them.

Then to Geysir.

Geysir was pretty small. I expected the place to be bigger, but it wasn’t. It had the biggest gift shop/exhibit of all the places though. There was a diner too. I didn’t stop for food, but I should have. It was cold, so I roamed around the diner and gift shop trying to get warm.

I roamed the area and waited for the Geysir to explode. I never thought that my first geyser wouldn’t be in the states. I always imagined that it would have been at Yellowstone and it being Old Faithful, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Geysir, the Icelandic geyser took my cherry.

After Geysir, I drove the short few miles to Gullfoss, the famous waterfall. It was beautiful and roaring and huge, but it was fucking cold. By that time, the snow and wind was howling already. I got my gear and made it to the view point and set up. The wind was just blowing hard in your face. My body was well protected, but not my face. Left my scarf in the hotel, AGAIN.

I did my photos but not many of the slow shutter ones turned out that well because the wind was blowing so hard, the tripod and camera was shaking.

I did some handhelds and then continued to the next viewpoint. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any closer to the fall because that path was closed.

I quickly got my pictures, put my gear away and looked around the gift shop. Of course I didn’t buy anything, but I just wanted to roam and look and see how expensive everything was and to warm up.

Once more stop, Kerið. It was a long drive to there and the nav system got me worried and turned around. Eventually I made it. The snow was on worse now. I went up there, snapped a few pictures and quickly ran down to the car and headed home.

The drive back to the hotel was bad. Horrible. Slow. It’s a crawl and scary. I got stuck behind a snow plow after I was very cavalier in passing a tour bus. I was impatient and didn’t realize that everyone was slowed down to a crawl.

One thing for sure, I will not miss driving in the snow in Iceland.

But, I made it back. I stripped and got warm. I started to transfer my pictures to my computer and I took a nap. I needed the rest. I didn’t do much of anything that night.

I went out into the snow storm, which was blowing sideways and upwards, to find dinner. The closest restaurant that I managed to find was a hamburger joint. It will have to do.

The burger wasn’t bad. They put steak sauce on it, but it was intersting. Instead of a circle, it is a square. I had some wings and a dessert. I get decadent while I’m on vacation.

Full, I went back to the hotel and relaxed and backed up everything on the computer and posted a few pics. I finally was able to decompress from the trip and the scary drives. The next day was going to be a rainy and warmer day. My last day.

* * *

Day 4: Last day. Spa day.

That night was the first night that I got a decent’s night sleep. I felt refreshed when I woke up. With not much planned today, I woke up a little later than I would have, but still early enough for breakfast.

Showered and ready, I stepped out of my room and saw a cute girl waiting for the elevator. My room was directly next to the elevator. It got annoying at times with the sound, but in the end, I didn’t mind.

Back to the girl. We said our good mornings and we waited for the elevator. When it opened, another girl was in there, a friend of hers got out and told here that there was nothing at breakfast.

We entered and I spoke first, asking what her friend meant. From there we just chatted on our way to breakfast, each asking the other about our visit and our stay. It felt natural and it was nice.

After I got my food and drinks, she asked if I wanted to join her and her other friend for breakfast and I did. So, we just sat, ate, and talked about our trips, traveling, and why we visited Iceland. The Northern Lights was the cute girl’s reason. The same as mine. She’s really cute. I introduced myself and they each in turn. They’re from Toronto.

They were going to do the Golden Circle that day, wanting to only see Geysir. I told them that it might be a tight drive, since it took me most of the day yesterday.

Also, our flights were leaving around the same time. So, they went their way and I sat and had another cup of coffee before I checked out of the hotel.

Blue Lagoon.

I got there just a little after it opened. I opted for the comfort package. A little expensive, but since I’m there, why not.

It wasn’t a cold day at all. There was no snow, but a little rain. I got undressed, showered, and went on my merry way to the pool.

It wasn’t that crowded, since it was a off day and also it was so early in the morning.

I stepped out side half naked. The wind was blowing. Fucking cold. I got into the warm water and only got a little warm. I got me my free drink and waddled my way to find a clear spot. I found one, chugging my beer and just people watched. The place I found had a hot spot too, so that was a plus. The downside, everyone was converging on me.

It got crowded for my taste, so I trashed my cup and found open waters.

It was relaxing and nice that I was out in a pool in the middle of winter. As I floated there, trying to get warm, relaxing, I thought how it seems I’m very social and nicer whenever I’m traveling.

Maybe it is because I’m traveling alone, but I’m not sure, but I do seem more social and nicer.

I don’t think I would ever had said yes to Nan coming along with me or even having breakfast and chatting with the Toronto girls that morning. But I did while I was there. Maybe there’s a romanticism to meeting new people and fellow travelers. Who knows?

Seems like the case while I was in Utah too or even when I traveled alone to the Grand Canyon. There’s just something special about it.

I should definitely travel a lot more than I already do. Most definitely.

I was at the pool for about two hours and then I showered and left for the airport. I got lost while I trying to get to the airport ’cause I put in the wrong destination on the map.

Managed to turn in my car and checked in and went to security without any issues.

I couldn’t get to my gate so I just chilled in the airport. I got some food.

The Keflavik airport was very interesting. Many of their workers travel around on kick scooters. Also, many of them were dressed up as if it was Halloween. I didn’t ask why, but accepted it for what it was, as interesting.

Eventually, I got to my gate, but my flight was delayed. The Toronto flight was right next to mine and I bumped into the Toronto girls again. They barely made it as their flight was in the process of boarding.

We said our goodbyes and I kind of forced a hug, which I felt bad for, but it was nice.

The rest of my travel back home went as well as can be expected.

Looking back at the trip, it is definitely unforgettable for me. With meeting new people and chatting and making new friends to exploring and almost dying and just doing what I loved to do, which was exploring.

If I had to do it again, definitely, I would, but I think I would have spent a few more days there, especially on the Southern Coast. That drive/day was really really rushed. It would have been nicer I spent another day or two out on the East side and just chased the lights, but alas, hindsight is 20/20 and I just didn’t know any better.

Next time. Next time, it’ll be a longer and less rushed trip.

Iceland. You are majestic.

Thank you for giving me such a great experience and we shall definitely meet again.