“The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it’s possible.” -Anonymous

As a follow-up to posts about my trip to Iceland, I definitely wanted to tell you a couple of important things to know if you plan on going there.

Reykjavik is a HUGE party town! If that is your thing you will love it. And by party town I mean that the party goes until 6 in the morning on Friday and Saturday nights. And it’s crazy. And by crazy I mean people screaming at the tops of their lungs and breaking bottles.

You don’t have to choose a hotel/apartment based on location alone. By that I mean that Reykjavik is a VERY small town and almost all hotels are within only 1 mile of the city center. You can literally walk from one end of the main part of town to the other in 10 minutes or so. There are some places that are outside of walking distance, however, so make sure you’re within 1 mile. If you do choose to be in the center of the city, you will definitely hear the parties that take place on the weekend.

It is also a very expensive town. I never paid less than $12 for a glass of wine. And a cup of coffee alone will set you back at least $3. Don’t get me wrong, there are places where you can find cheap eats but I never found any cheap drinks 🙂

If you plan on walking outside – even down the street – bring a waterproof jacket. They say if you don’t like the weather in Iceland, wait 5 minutes. I know many towns use that phrase but in the case of Iceland, it is definitely true. It would pour on my head and then 10 minutes later the sun would be out. Out of the 7 full days I was there, it rained on 6 of them. And it’s not a sprinkle! So bring a waterproof jacket and if you plan on doing any outdoor activities, bring waterproof pants and boots too.

If you have problems walking on stone in heels, leave your heels at home.

Ask your tour guides questions. They are a wealth of information. I’ve found that some of them aren’t as forthcoming with information right off the bat and need to be asked questions. You can find out so much about not just your tour but the country in general or something specific.

Guys, the women are just as beautiful as you’d think they’d be. Stereotypically Scandinavian – blonde, blue-eyed, porcelain skin – the works.

Get out of the city! The scenery outside of Reykjavik is extreme and beautiful and even creepy – but it’s so much more impressive than the city alone.

Finally, for anyone traveling abroad, use Skype. It’s awesome. Anywhere that you can get WiFi, you can use Skype with other Skype users for free. Yes, free. I was sitting in the Blue Lagoon talking on the phone with my mother in Lockport, NY for free. It doesn’t get better than that. Oh – did I mention it’s free?!

And if you have any questions, please just ask. I truly love sharing what I’ve learned during my travels.

Last night was the first night that I was way too exhausted to post. But, again, it was a wonderful day. I finally did the free walking tour of Reykjavik. It is a tour put on by a company called Goecco Outdoor Adventures. A student does the tour for tips only. I definitely should have done this tour days ago because I learned a lot about the city and the country. And it was the same company I’d signed up to do the White Night hike with later on in the day.

The White Night hike is supposed to be to a ‘secret’ location so I can’t even say where it was that we ended up. But we passed lava fields covered with the softest, cushiest green moss you’ve ever seen. It was only a 30-minute drive and then we set off for the hike. We hiked about 3 km through fields filled with geothermal steam. It was a beautiful sight – deep green mountains and cliffs with steam rising from them. And little pockets of geothermal activity where the mud was so hot that it was boiling. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was gorgeous and creepy at the same time. And with the sun setting it was even more surreal. To make things a little more interesting, it started to pour down rain. And of course I was unprepared for the weather. But fortunately, the rain wasn’t cold and we were going to bath in a geothermal river shortly so getting wet wasn’t a big deal.

We made it to the river where we were to bathe and the rain really started to come down. At this point all of my clothes were soaked anyway so everyone stripped and made a mad dash for the river. The water was so clear and pure and wonderfully hot! It felt like paradise sitting there in a natural hot tub with the rain pouring down surrounded by the most amazing natural sights. To make it even better, our guides, Taylor and Tatur, provided us with wine 🙂 I didn’t think it could get better but, there you go, I was wrong. So we sat in this river drinking wine and telling stories.

The group consisted of 3 couples and me (story of my life, right?). But they were all such nice people and we got along famously. My favorite of the group were Kay and Metam. She is from Vienna and speaks like the queen of England. Apparently her grandmother taught the elocution lessons growing up so she’d have proper speech. It was lovely to listen to. And her best friend, Metam, is from India originally. They met working for the UN in Kabul. He still works there and she now works in Tripoli. Yes as in Libya. They both do this extremely dangerous job on a daily basis and had come to Iceland for R&R. They were absolutely fascinating as you can probably imagine. Their stories were extreme and dangerous and sad and exciting and inspiring. Again, I feel lucky to have met and spent some time with them.

After more wine and shots of Brennivín which is a brand of Schnapps that is Iceland’s signature liquor, we were given homemade soup and sandwiches. It was perfect because at this point we were starving. Then I finally got to try shark. I was nervous about it because the smell is extreme – and not in a good way. But it was actually very tasty. Rich and dense and not too fishy.

It was getting dark and time to get started on the 3k trek back. Luckily, because my clothes were soaked, Teitur gave me his nice, warm, dry coats to wear back. And gloves! Thank goodness for amazing guides. And then we were off. About 30 minutes into the trek back, it was completely dark. Taylor and one of our fellow hikers lit torches and we all had headlamps. Again, with the steam and the fog rolling in it was so surreal. And beautiful and very, very peaceful. No sounds of traffic or people. Its times like those where you realize how small you are. And you appreciate all of your surroundings! And the people you get to share the experience with.

It was around 11 when we got back to the van and we were all physically exhausted. It was a great feeling to just sit back and watch the world go by on our way back to the city. And now you can all understand why writing last night was impossible.

Today I’m off to ride the unique Icelandic horses. It should be quite an experience as Kay and Metam rode them 2 days ago and said it was quite a highlight. Either way, you’ll all hear about it soon!

Check out the pictures below. Such fun!

Today I did one of the coolest things I´ve ever done in my life (and I´ve done a lot of cool things). I went ice trekking. I decided since I´ve never seen a glacier in real life, I needed to do that while in Iceland. So I booked a tour with Arctic Adventures called Blue Ice. I didn´t really know what to expect. But it was un-freaking believable!!! I know I won´t be able to put into words how incredible it was. But I´ll try to at least give you an idea.

Upon meeting the group at their office, I immediately met some new friends – David, Richard and Joe from Florida. I knew off the bat that the day was going to be extraordinary with them. They had me laughing within 5 minutes!

We drove for about 2.5 hours from Reykjavik past Eyjafjallajökull, which was the volcano that erupted in 2010 and caused all the air traffic issues from Europe. You could just see the top of the crater peeking out from the clouds. That alone was worth the drive! But all around the dramatic mountains that we drove by were small – and not so small – waterfalls. You´d pass one that would be gorgeous just to pass another more beautiful one 5 minutes later.

We finally got to the glacier and I´ve never seen anything like it. I won´t say it was beautiful but it was. But more than that – it was massive and HARSH looking. Absolutely amazing. It made me feel very, very small. And it was surrounded by huge green cliffs and ash. I´ve included a picture below but it will never give you the idea of standing there and seeing it for yourself. As soon as we started walking to the glacier I felt like I was walking on another planet. The black ash and the blue ice were other-worldly. To add to the craziness of the experience, it began to rain/hail. I wasn´t prepared for the weather regardless and when this started, I was a little worried. But it did add to the atmosphere.

We spent a little while putting on our crampons and getting a lesson on walking on ice and using the pick ax. Then we were off up the glacier.

Our guides were amazing – Simi was studying geology at the University of Iceland and was full of knowledge on glaciers; this one in particular. He explained how the ice was melting so fast and how the glacier kept moving and how the lines of black ash were formed via the crevasses in the ice. It was fascinating and kind of spooky. He kept pointing out a website where we could we could see time-lapsed video of the changing of the glacier – www.extremeicesurvey.org. Pretty cool. We walked the glacier for about 90 minutes, stopping periodically to hear more explanations of the massive thing – and to take pictures of course. I can´t even count how many times I just stopped and my mouth dropped open and I was absolutely in awe! It was such an amazing, unique sight.

Finally it was time to try our hands at climbing an ice wall. Everyone got to do it and the guide said I was ‘like an expert’. I told him he probably said that to all the girls 🙂 It was so much fun! And difficult! And addicting. I can´t wait to try it again. And we only climbed about 20 feet. I can´t even imagine how incredible it would be to climb higher. Wow – that´s all I cay say – wow…

On the way back to Reykjavik we stopped at the magnificent waterfall called Seljalandsfoss. It´s the biggest waterfall I´ve ever seen and was like a picture out of a postcard. That and the Icelandic horses that were riding at the base of the waterfall were incredible.

We made our way back to Reykjavik and my new friends invited me out to dinner with them. Who knew we were going to the ‘best restaurant in the country’. Do keep in mind that this is a small country – but still! They made reservations at the Perlan which is a landmark building in Reykjavik with a revolving restaurant on the top that does a complete 360 tour of the city in 2 hours. So here I was at a gourmet restaurant with 3 dates – lucky girl or what?! Needless to say, we had an absolute blast – eating and drinking and telling stories. It was the perfect ending to an absolutely unforgettable day! And it was made all that much better by these 3 men. They were so kind and funny and thoughtful and really made my day one of the best ever!

How is it that each day gets better and better?! It certainly can´t continue, right? I´m hoping it does…

Tomorrow I´m off to go white night hiking – a hike to some natural hot springs at night. Can it be more amazing than today? Here´s hoping!

I finally got some good rest last night and slept in – woo-hoo! I had planned a big day at the Blue Lagoon so went to a traditional Icelandic cafe for breakfast/lunch. I had Skyr – which is their yogurt-like food. It reminds me of Greek yogurt and is soooo tasty. I also finally got to try Icelandic rye bread – which is so rich and hearty and really, really good. So I was fueled up and ready for what everyone says is a must-see in Iceland.

I met some people on the flight from Boston who invited me to hang out with them and we hadn´t had a chance to hook up but I managed to get on the same bus to the Blue Lagoon with them. It´s a group of about 15 runners from Boston who planned their trip around the marathon. Very, very athletic people – I believe most of them set a PR during the race and a few of them even placed. They´re pretty impressive and I had no leg to stand on to complain about my crappy half-marathon. Regardless, it was really nice to spend some time talking and getting to know them.

The Blue Lagoon…was…AMAZING! Seriously, I need a thesaurus to find more words to describe this incredible place and the things I´m getting to do here. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa and the most visited attraction in Iceland. It is smack dab in the middle of a lava field. The minerals in the spa – sulfur and silica – give it the blue hue you see in pictures. That, the surrounding lava rocks, and the steam rising from the pools give it the most beautiful, yet eerie look that I´ve ever seen. I´m attaching a picture below to give you some idea of how unique and creepy-cool it is. The silica in the lagoon is supposed to be very good for your skin and people are encouraged to slather it on their skin, let it dry and then rinse it off. So it looks like you´re sitting in a blue pool with white yogurt on your face. Did it feel phenomenal – absolutely! Will it provide my skin with healing powers – I sure hope so! It was a wonderful excursion added to by some new Boston friends who were very kind and accepted me into their group with open arms.

Yesterday I told a story of hearing my name called out in a park in the middle of the city. A similar thing happened to me today. I´ve read that this is a very small town and it seems to be the case. After the excursion, I decided to go to a Haitian cafe that I´d read about. I got my beer and was outside looking at the harbor and talking to a very drunk local man when one of the Bostonians came out to the patio and asked me to have dinner with them! Definitely a small town. We had a nice relaxing meal with wonderful Icelandic fish soup and local beer. They are off to camp for the next few days but I´m hoping to hook up with them when they return to the city. Again, I love, love, love that I get the opportunity to meet these incredible people! It´s why I travel.

Tomorrow I´m off to a glacier. I´ve never seen a glacier so it should be exciting! We´re going ice hiking and rock climbing and then to see one of the beautiful waterfalls this country has to offer.

Stay tuned…and thank you for reading…

Have I told everyone that my apartment sits right across an alleyway from 2 nightclubs. Does everyone know the kind of partying one does (well, one that´s younger than this woman) in Reykjavik? According to my ears, the party gets started around 12:30 am and goes until at least 5:00 am. So…that´s when I was finally able to take out my earplugs and get some sleep! Yes, I am old 🙂 But this morning I was able to make my own coffee and relax before the run in my room. It was a gorgeous day for a run – around 55 degrees and overcast. But the run itself was not so gorgeous. There´s nothing like a solo half-marathon to put a self-proclaimed ‘fit’ person in her place! Let´s just say that the ONLY thing that didn´t hurt was my lungs. Even my elbows hurt after that! But – one thing that I´ll try to bring back to a run in the states…around mile 11, instead of sports gels, they gave out bites of chocolate! That made me very happy. Needless to say, it wasn´t my best run; but I did finish and felt wonderful afterward. Friends and family, next time I say I´m going to do something like a half-marathon on my own, please gently tell me how STUPID that is 🙂

The rest of my day has been even better than yesterday and more than made up for my tired feet and aching back. It was the Reykjavik Culture Night – a yearly party that I´m equating to our Fourth of July celebrations. There were tens of thousands of people eating, drinking, dancing and playing music in the city. It was absolutely phenomenal. After a leisurely stroll (because I could barely walk!) through the city with a local beer, I went to sit down in one of the parks with my book when I hear my name being called. As I know all of about 10 people in this town, I was shocked. But it happened to be a couple that I met on the way from the airport on Thursday. So we hung out in the park and they invited me to dinner with them.

Dinner was a traditional Icelandic lamb that was out of this world! That and good wine and wonderful, fascinating people made the dinner so much fun. And we had tons of laughs. This is what I live and travel for – meeting incredible, interesting people that I would otherwise not have the opportunity to meet! It makes me so thankful to be able to do the things I do. Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent…we then decided we needed a bit more wine and took the party to their apartment where we shared more stories and laughs.

The Culture Night ends every year with fireworks across from the main stage. So we headed down to the park and caught the last few songs from the band. I´ve included a picture below of the crowd. Absolutely amazing!!!! I LOVE the feeling of experiencing something that so many aren´t even aware of; let alone get to experience. It was soooo cool. Seeing all of these different people from so many different cultures coming out to experience and celebrate the same thing – together. Wow…I don´t even have words. And the fireworks were pretty cool too.

It´s been a long, freaking amazing day and I´m exhausted. I´m hoping to sleep like a baby but thinking the party in the clubs outside may nix that idea. But here´s to trying.

Stay tuned…tomorrow I´m going to the famous Blue Lagoon.

Today was my first full day in Reykjavik and it was phenomenal. It´s the capital and a very small city in Iceland and right on the water. It reminds me of other cities in Europe with its quaint streets and cafes and bars on every corner. It was a beautiful day – sunny and around 60 degrees – so it seemed like everyone was taking advantage of the weather and enjoying their meals outside on tiny tables almost in the middle of the street. Most of the streets and sidewalks are cobblestone which is adorable. My feet, however, don´t agree.

I spent the morning walking the city and exploring the cute little homes and cottages and shops. I went to the Modern Art Museum and Hallgrimskirkja – which is a church from where you get an amazing, 360-degree view of the country from the tallest point in the city. Wow! I saw Reykjavik from the top – all of its rooftops are different bright colors – and Mt. Esja (a volcanic mountain range in Southwest Iceland) in the distance and of course the ocean. I can´t put into words how beautiful it was. But I´ll include a picture so you get a small idea.

I made my way to the Laugardalsholl Sports Hall where packet pick up was for the race tomorrow. At that point my feet were saying, ‘What the h*ll are you walking 3 miles to the EXPO for, knowing you´re running a half marathon tomorrow?!’ My feet were right – that was a stupid idea. Finally got my packet and proceeded to one of Reykjavik´s well-known thermal pools, called Laugardalslaug, for a bit of relaxation. My feet approved. There are many thermal pools in the city. To me, they look like a huge, crowded hot tub. Well, multiple huge crowded hot tubs. At these thermal pools, also called hot pots, the water is pure, coming from thousands of meters below the ground. It comes from the run-off of water used to provide geothermal electricity to the region. Pretty cool. And with it being only around 60, the water felt wonderful. And it was so clean! In fact, you are required to take a shower ‘without a swimsuit’ prior to going into the pools. There is a very specific drawing as you enter the showers as to where you must wash AND there´s a guard making sure you do! Let me tell you, guys, I saw more naked women today than I´ve seen in a year in Charlotte. Jealous??!!

With happy feet and a nice warm body I used the local bus system to make my way back to town. Again, my feet applauded me. Stopped at a little deli for a local beer and a panini. Candace, I hope you´re smiling as you read that.

I´m back at the hotel but off shortly to check out the wine scene in Reykjavik. Someone´s got to do it, right?! But it will be an early night for me as the half marathon starts at 8:40 tomorrow. Hopefully by the time my friends and family wake in the morning, I´ll be done and enjoying a celebratory beer with the rest of the finishers.

Stay tuned…