When planning our trip to Iceland we knew we’d be stuck inside for a majority of our time. Between the four hours of daily sunlight, the cold winter weather, and considering the fact that the city shuts down entirely for two full days, we wanted a hotel with a pool that we could take the twins swimming and help...
Hallgrímskirkja Church, erected high on the hill in the city of Reykjavik, brags of her immense beauty, as she can be seen from nearly any point within the city. She stands as a beacon, with the wings of the church flanking her towering peak and resembling the pipes inside her. Yet, the exquisite beauty of Hallgrímskirkja is nothing compared...
Iceland is one of the most intriguing places we’ve ever been. It was unique unto itself, and the culture was fascinating. The way that the people in Iceland honor the land, and the sea, and they way that they celebrate life and respect their ancient beliefs of Norse mythology was compelling to be a part of. We were treated...
When we visit a new place, we love living as the locals do - participating in local customs, eating the native foods, walking through their neighborhoods, and everything else. When we came to Iceland for Christmas, we wanted to have an Icelandic Christmas. We wanted to eat skate on Þorláksmessa, (dish of putrefying shark), and reindeer on Christmas. We...
We started a tradition the year we went to Iceland: Buy a book in each place we visit. We started this tradition in Iceland, specifically, because we celebrated Christmas here and it is an Icelandic tradition to give or get a new book on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading it. This practice is called jólabókaflóð. We absolutely...
The Volcano House in the city center of Reykjavik doesn’t sell batteries, but they are open on Christmas Day. They are the only place we could find open on Christmas Day in Iceland, when my insulin pump ran out of batteries and we were desperate. That is just the how of why we came to the Volcano House, (you...
Driving in Iceland in the winter can, and most likely will be terrifying and treacherous. Many of the roads are actually closed during the winter because driving conditions are so poor, including the entire northeast region. Driving in Iceland isn’t too bad in the city, but once you leave Reykjavik, country roads aren’t a priority for snowplows. In addition...
Iceland is an enamoring country where in winter the locals walk outside to go snowboarding, in summer they write books under the midnight sun, have a crime rate that is so low even the police don’t carry guns, and celebrate Christmas in Iceland with 13 different Santa Clauses!
Iceland is one of the top 10 most festive places to celebrate...
Good luck trying to pronounce anything in Icelandic! It is one of the hardest languages to learn - it’s actually considered the 5th hardest language to learn. The vowels don’t sound like they look, and they have extra characters in their alphabet that are extra fancy and curvy. The Icelandic language contains sounds and letters that have vanished from...
Believe it or not, Iceland wasn’t the last time we went winter swimming. There is something entirely primal about confronting below freezing weather in your skivvies and jumping into a slightly less cold pool. It kick-starts your heart, makes your bones jump and fills your lungs with the breath of a dragon. Swimming is a natural pastime in Iceland,...
