final iceland



I know, I know, finish up already. But Iceland was just too awesome not to share everything. The rest of Sunday was spent all things ice. Instead of driving until dusk toward our Monday destination, we decided to camp next to a glacier. In Iceland it's legal to just pull off the road - anywhere - and set up camp; it's also legal and safe to hitch hike but that's not something I supported. So camp is what we did after watching some of the World Cup final in a petrol station. Iceland cities are pretty scarce in certain areas and restaurants are hard to come by. We found a gas station nearby that was serving pizzas and pulled a screen over the windows to project the game. Half of the station was this set-up and half was the actual "convenient store." I bet 100 people were in there by the end of the match. Considering we were in a city with population of maybe 20, it was impressive! It was quite the fancy establishment!

It poured rain all night. In the morning we walked around the glacier base before hitting the road for a long(er than normal) 5 hour drive west.

Out on the open road... I loved the landscape changes from east to west; lava fields to open fields and in between beautiful waterfalls.

Our final destination and relaxation spot was Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa located in a lava field. We weren't planning to pay for camping Monday night so this doubled as our shower stop! It was nice to end the trip here. They had silica mud mask stations set around the hot water and you could buy lava masks at the bar so everyone sort of looked ridiculous.

We decided to make our last camp for the night on the sea. Back to our roots, I suppose. Below is my "I'm sick of damp-camping and ready for warmth" look. But it also showcases the inside of our home for the week. It was rainy. I knew it could be but of course all the pictures of Iceland debut sunny skies and people hiking in shorts.

We finished up the trip with a stop in Reykjavik to drop off the camper and wander the city before hopping a bus back to the airport. Iceland was somewhere I wasn't even really aware of but it was one of my favorite trips so far. I feel like a broken record; this year, each trip has gotten better and better!