In the North - Egilsstadir, Dyrfyoll, Bakkageroi, Hallormstadur

When J and I discussed our holiday, I floated the idea of joining a tour and J was more than agreeable to the plan. He knew there was going to be a lot of hiking on this trip, and I have a feeling that he didn't want to trust just our sense of direction. I think he was still traumatised from the time I made him climb a million stairs and when we came across a herd of too curious farm animals during our hikes in the Lake District.

So on Monday morning, we flew out of Reykjavik's domestic airport to Egilsstador to begin our tour with the Icelandic Mountain Guides. Believe it or not, the domestic airports don't have security checks, which made flying so much easier! We met up with our tour guide, Herdis, and a father-son team that was also on our tour.

Herdis wasn't one for messing around, and we drove straight from the airport to our first big hike at Dyrfjoll mountains. But first, we stopped by a self-serve snack shack in case we needed any sustenance. There's a vending machine that's run on solar/ wind power once you open the doors, but unfortunately, it wasn't working and kept spitting my coins back out. Boo.

We drove up to where we were beginning our hike, and I thought that the view was pretty damn good from there, but Herdis promised that the view would be even better from the top.

We took her at her word and started our ascent. The ground was covered in a thick layer of moss that made it feel like we were walking on fluffy pillows, which was a nice surprise for these old bones of mine. It wasn't long before we were pretty warm and stripping off our many layers. And it turns out Herdis was right - the view was amazing!

We got bored of waiting for the others and decided to head back to the car on our own while the others enjoyed the view. I was also freezing from just standing around for so long! And I don't care what anyone says, going down is harder than climbing up!

Anyway, by the time we were all back at the car, we drove to a nearby coastal town, Bakkageroi, for lunch and a jaunt around town. We stopped in at Alfa Cafe, and we all had smoked salmon on brown bread. It was delicious, but the portion was quite small so I was glad I had also ordered a French Chocolate cake, which was a warm, chocolatey concoction similar to a brownie.

After lunch, we had a wander about town where we took in the various sights such as the turf house.

I also checked out this really cool wood carving, which was right by the water. I kept looking for something similar to this during the rest of my trip (in miniature, of course), but no such luck.

I couldn't help but walk down to the water to check the temperature, and it was freezing cold!

There really wasn't much to see so we drove to the nearby harbour to check if any of the puffins were still around.

Unfortunately, they had all flown the coop for the summer, and we caught a few faraway glimpses of the lazy stragglers that hadn't got a move on yet.

We continued to drive on to our next hike with Herdis pointing out interesting facts about area. In order to have a safe journey, you're meant to kneel and pray to God before you continue your journey, but I opted to take some photos instead.

We had a quick walk around a riverbed, where I amused myself by eating berries and picking wildflowers while the others explored the rocks. It was so odd to me that so much of the land that I saw was covered in vegetation - I was expecting it to be a lot more barren and desolate so I was more than pleasantly surprised to see wildflowers like heather and bluebells growing everywhere. J was nice enough to hold my little bouquet for me for a little while.

Our accommodations for the night were at Hotel Hallormstadur, which is in the middle of one of the few forests, and our room had an incredible view of the lake. Trees don't grow very tall in Iceland due to the weather and the wind, and there's a joke that if you're lost in a forest in Iceland, all you need to do is stand up.

We were pretty tired from our first day of exploring, so J and I stuffed ourselves at our buffet dinner and took a quick walk down to the lake before calling it a night.

Exploring Reykjavik and the Golden Circle

We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, ready to check out the sights of Reykjavik. I think we may have woken up a bit too early, as the streets were almost deserted when we ventured out.

We walked from Austurstraeti to Laugavegur and of course, we had to pose with the standard tourist fare on offer.

A polar bear (one of many) adorning the shop fronts.

I found this a bit strange, since Icelanders shoot them on sight if one happens to make it on shore. Understandably, it's not considered a good thing to have a ravenous, powerful wild creature on the loose, but it did make me a bit glum since polar bears are my favourite.

A special mailbox to Icelandic Santa.

I also found this a bit odd since Icelanders have the Thirteen Trolls of Christmas instead of the typical Santa, which I find a lot more intriguing. Thirteen trolls visit your home, one at a time, on the thirteen days leading up to Christmas day, and they all cause trouble according to their wont. There's the sheep-worrier, spoon-licker, etc. Children leave their shoes on the window sills, and they get a little treat if they've been good, but they find either potatoes or salt if they've been bad. I think J wouldn't mind being bad - baked potatoes for brekkie!

We were really lucky with the weather - it was the first sunny day in Reykjavik! J and I alternated with taking our coats off and on throughout the day as we explored more of the main drag.

One thing we noticed about Icelanders - they're really helpful and dead honest.

It wasn't long before we hit the end of the street, and we decided to turn our way toward the most famous sight of Reykjavik, the Hallgrimskirkja. Believe it or not, we actually managed to learn to pronounce it while we were there - it only took a week!

It's a very modern church made entirely of concrete and built in the 1940's. Unfortunately, the church was closed due to rehearsals for a concert later that night. They have a massive organ with 5,000 pipes that I would've have loved to hear.

In any case, we snuck in upstairs and managed to get a look at the interior.

We had just about finished when we realised that it was time to meet up with our tour to check out the Golden Circle route. By this time, the city had really and truly come alive, and you could see all the locals out and about eating ice creams and in short sleeves while I was still bundled up in my many layers. I felt like such a wimp - what happened to my badass days surviving Michigan winters?!

The Golden Circle tour encompassed Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. First up, Thingvellir, the place where the Vikings would meet in their thousands to hold their Parliament. They would hang out for a few weeks, party it up all night since the sun never set, and talk about everything. The key meeting points were marked with the Icelandic flag flying high.

You can also see the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which is happening at a pace of 2cm every year.

We didn't hang out for long but continued on our drive to the site of Geysir, the father of all geysers. Geysir is no longer active after a recent earthquake, but there are two other geysers that still attract the crowds, mainly Strokkur. It was a bit odd to see a smoking landscape!

We rolled up to Strokkur, taking care to stay upwind of the boiling water and waited for the geyser to go off.

It felt like we were waiting for a while, but it was definitely worth it when it went off.

We checked out some of the other inactive geysers, and I couldn't get over how clear the water was!

Our last sight of the day was Gullfoss, a beautiful waterfall not too far from the geysers. It was amazing, and the even more amazing part was how close we managed to get to the waterfall. If you can make them out at all, the tiny colourful dots in the picture are people!

We were thoroughly wet and cold from getting so close to the powerful waterfall, but it was worth it. The water was really clear and the sheer force of the water was wonderful to see. Definitely the highlight of the tour for me, and the pictures really couldn't do it justice.

The tour ended at 10pm, and the sun was finally starting to set as we started the long drive back to Reykjavik.

It literally was a long, long day!

The Big Getaway - Iceland!

Every August, most of Europe goes on holiday, which means that things slow down enough at the office enough for J to take a proper holiday. We had originally planned on going on safari, but with my recent trip to Namibia combined with sky-high prices, we decided on going to Iceland instead!

We landed in Reykjavik in the middle of the day on Friday and boarded the bus to take us to the Blue Lagoon, which are the go-to geothermal pools. I heard that it was quite touristy, but it seemed like something we should at least try once, and the prospect of playing in mud while soaking in hot water sounded pretty appealing. No pics since I didn't want to take my camera in the water, and no one wants to see us in our bathing suits!

Once we arrived, we stored our luggage in the baggage lockers and headed to our respective locker rooms to shower and change into our bathing suits. The Blue Lagoon doesn't use any anti-bacterial chemicals in their water so they require everyone to undergo a good scrub down before entering the water. 

The first thing that strikes you is the colour of the water. It's this other-worldy milky blue, and the water is extremely salty. I heard the mineral content does a number on your hair, so I made sure to coat every strand with conditioner before I went in. The second thing is the heat. That water is hot! Once J and I entered the water, we made our way to the swim up bar and ordered some cold drinks. I got a Krap slushie that gave me the giggles due to its name.

I was ready to play in some mud, so J and I found the wooden vats full of silica mud and proceeded to slather ourselves with it. J was a little squirmy, but he eventually gave in to me smearing mud all over his face. Then we soaked and soaked and soaked. Truth be told, there's not much else to do.

We stewed in the water for an hour and a half before we decided to finally head into Reykjavik. Our first impression of Reykjavik wasn't great - it looked a bit run-down and there was ugly graffiti everywhere. However, the city seemed to perk up as we got closer to the centre of town. Even the graffiti got prettier!

And although I had read about it in my guidebook, I wasn't prepared to see how many buildings were covered in corrugated iron. It must have been at least 75%! Apparently, the material withstands the weather quite well, and the Icelanders do paint it to make it look a bit nicer.

We were staying at the City Center Hotel for the first part of our trip, and it was a pretty chill hotel with everything we needed. I had been warned that hotels in Reykjavik weren't that great, so we really weren't expecting much. The best part was its location on Austurstraeti, which is right by the main shopping drag. It's also a short walk to the harbour, and we headed towards the water in search of Icelandic Fish and Chips where we had the best fried fish of our lives. The chips weren't great, but the fish alone is worth going for. 

We stopped by an IDA, a Icelandic book shop, for a quick coffee for J and a hot chocolate for me before heading back to the hotel. We were tired and full, and I think the sun was still up when we went to sleep!

Giving Away My Little Brother

Another big event that happened in the recent past - on June 22, 2013, my little brother married the love of his life.

I only had a week after I came back to London from Namibia to get sorted for a trip to LA for my brother's wedding. I was bringing the wedding favours and was part of the groom's party so I was pretty busy up right up until my flight to LA.

I spent most of the time before the wedding weekend with my family and decorating over 500 cookies for the wedding favours! They were a ton of work, but they turned out better than I expected. If for no other reason, this marriage had better stick as I am NOT ever doing that again!

J was swamped at work, but he still managed to fly in for the weekend. We booked ourselves into the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, which is right by a large outdoor mall, Fashion Island. The location was really convenient since I got some errands at the mall out of the way, and we got a chance to stroll around outdoors to enjoy the amazing weather.

It was awesome being part of my brother's wedding, and everything's so much more enjoyable when it's not your own! My brother and a groomsmen crashed our hotel room to get ready for the wedding, and we all headed over to the venue to meet the other groomsmen. They all had bowties, but no one knew how to tie one. Thank goodness for Google!

The bride and groom were doing a "first look" and I got a chance to catch a glimpse of the bride before she went out to meet him.

She looked absolutely stunning, and the dress... wow.

We actually got to peek at them from behind the curtain during their first look, and they made such a beautiful couple.

After their photos, we all got a chance to join in on the fun.

We wrapped up when it looked like most of the guests arrived, and then the wedding got started. I thought my parents made a very handsome couple.

It was fun strolling down with a bridesman. We ended up swapping flowers, and he rocked that bouquet down the aisle! I think I was smirking at J in the picture - he had warned me not to bully the poor bridesman. Oh well.

And eventually, the bride made her way down the aisle.

I think my little brother was a bit stunned by how beautiful she looked at that moment, and one of the groomsmen had to remind him to "go get her" when she reached the altar.

They had the same officiant that J and I did for our wedding, and I got sentimental hearing some of the same words again after nearly four years of married life. As before, he did a wonderful job of mixing sweet and funny moments into the service.

Husband and wife!

Welcome to the family, sis!

I swear, our family gets bigger and bigger every year!

The venue was beautifully decorated, and can you believe the bride's mom handmade the table linens?! They were gorgeous!

After the wedding party made their entrance, the happy couple jumped right into their first dance.

As beautiful as it was, the cake had to be cut and smeared on the faces of the bride and groom.

The dancing began in earnest, and it turns out that you can't have that many Koreans in one room without an impromptu Gangnam Style flashmob breaking out.

Even my mom got into the swing of things. I give her major props in being able to get down in a traditional hanbok!

And they lived happily ever after...

As for J and I, we flew back home to London so J could get back to the office asap. I was so happy for my little brother and that he found such a wonderful partner to be by his side for the rest of his life. At the same time, I was a bit sad with the realisation that the three of us kids are growing up, scattering around the world, and starting families of our own. Spending time together will no longer be a given, but a negotiated process with travel, in-laws, etc. But at the same time, there will be more loved ones around the Christmas tree and more to celebrate, so on balance, I think we'll be more than alright.