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[#1]

“Iceland?!!”

My one-word reaction when Gabby suggested that’s where we travel on our next vacation. How on earth did she come up with that one? Her response:

“Just look at these pics, Mom!”

And just a quick glance at all the photos she’d pulled up online was all it took for me to agree with her. Stunning landscapes, exotic animals, and infographics showing the Icelandic people as among the friendliest in the world. I’ve never been known to be against a crazy, spontaneous adventure…so Iceland it was!

Gabby and I have been a two-person wolf-pack since she was born. We are mother/daughter, bffs, coach/coached at all times. And our vacations, big and small, are both bonding rituals and educational journeys at the same time. But even we had no idea what we were in for! My ever-adventurous father, retired from the railroad and now travelling the globe, happily joined us and off we went! I’d love to share some snippets with you here.

What we learned as soon as we landed at the Keflavik Airport (the only international airport in Iceland, pop. 320k): Icelanders LOVE their chocolate! It’s everywhere! And for very good reason. Delish! I stopped short of sampling the most popular variation, though: chocolate-covered licorice. Who knew?

Their currency is the Krona…we called it the cutest money we ever saw:

We headed straight for the Blue Lagoon after grabbing our rental car. It’s one of the hottest tourist spots in Iceland, for good reason! It’s a gorgeous geothermal-heated pool, and the clay beneath it is said to be super-nourishing to the skin. Aaaaahhhh…

We rented a cozy cottage by Lake Hafravatn. The water heater broke the first day so we were taking chilly showers for a week! Nice balance to the hot springs lagoons teehee. That photo of Gabby doing a yoga pose was taken by the Lake at 10pm…this time of year the sun never really sets! The locals told me “it will be night again in September.” Wild!

Waterfalls are EVERYWHERE. The largest is Gullfoss...stunning!!

Gabby researched and found out about the beautiful Black Sand Beach at Vik. We drove three hours to get there and boy am I glad we did. That photo has no filter...how cool is that??

We went whale watching ...I was in tears when we snagged this photo. It’s been on my bucket list forever and I finally got to check it off!

We spent a whole day walking Reykjavik. Half the country’s population lives there! Everyone was so friendly, and while they all started out speaking Icelandic they easily switched to English once they realized we weren’t locals. The incredible feat of architecture Hallgrimskirkja (that’s a mouthful) is at the center of the town. Beautiful!

Gabby now calls Iceland “The Cutest Country in the World”...it’s things like this “WaffleWagon” that prompted her to give it that name!

Oh and we goofed off in Reykjavik quite a bit too as you can see. Well I did, anyway  

Also, if you’re a hiking lover you are in for endless treats in Iceland! We spent a half day hiking past geysirs to a beautiful hot springs nestled among hills. The water was almost TOO hot! Our only regret: no bathing suits. Next time!

As with all our trips, this one was yet another journey that brought me closer to my angel. We laughed, got lost, learned a new culture, made friends, explored, and bonded. That’s our goal whether we travel across the globe or across town. Thank you for letting me share it with you...now we are brainstorming our next trip! Suggestions??