At the beginning of October 2015, we took a trip to Iceland. We being myself, my spouse and our friend C. Since we all live in the Detroit area, our flight connections were through Washington DC, Boston or New York. And all three of those choices meant a night in a hotel on our return, due to the lateness of the flight. So we decided to fly direct to Reykjavik from Toronto International. The airport would normally be a 3.5-4.5 hour drive, but rain and a freeway closure slowed us down. Finding parking was another story, once we got to the airport – a story I’d rather not relive. But we checked in on time, and went off to find food and drink near our gate. After a round of tequila shots, we were ready to board and nap our way to Iceland.
Actually, flying from Toronto had a number of advantages, the first being that it was non-stop redeye. Only five hours – five bumpy hours, due to the weather. Secondly, when you depart Iceland, the Immigration lines going to Canada were much shorter. Third – price. Next time, we leave from Windsor, or take the train. And I will get a Nexus trusted traveler card.
After a very bouncy landing and deplaning onto the tarmac into a sideways downpour, we exchanged some money, bought some bottles of wine and a SIM card, and waited none too patiently for our car rental shuttle driver. Collected the vehicle, loaded up and headed off to the Blue Lagoon; tiredness and nerves about nagivating navigating, driving, and foul weather made for a tough start. Getting to the check-in (after another walk in the downpour) and finding out the lagoon was too cold for soaking was almost enough to get us on the next plane outta there!
We drove about an hour and a half to reach our rental cottage near Geysir. It was one of a group of cottages situated in a lovely valley nearly around the corner from the geyser Strokkur. There was a mixup regarding which cottage we were booked into, but once that was sorted out, we all crashed for a nap before heading around the mountain to Geysir. Rest and food helped to restore us, and an early night to bed meant we could begin our adventures the next day – hoping to find some sun!
After checking the forecast, I decided we should head our toward Akranes and Bogarnes – the west coast had the best weather forecast that day. If you’re from Michigan, you’ve heard the saying “Wait five minutes, and the weather will change.” Well, in Iceland that is just a fact of life.
Our route took us through Thingvellir, a National Park situated near the junction of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We could see a large waterfall, and decided to go take a look. We found Oxararfoss, where C and I took a short walk for some photos, while hubs stayed out of the drizzle.
Still chasing the sun, we kept driving to the northwest, until we got Akranes, where the sky lightened and the sun made a brief appearance. So thankful it finally stopped raining! We enjoyed a delicious lunch and then a little walk about town to admire the architecture and stretch our legs.
I love photographing the churches.
Icelandic towns are very colorful, with metals roofs and bright paint jobs. You need some lively colors to brighten up long dark nights, and dreary days.
Who wouldn’t want to live in a purple house?
We drove through Borgarnes and out onto the Snaellfesnes peninsula. There was no particular destination, except for someplace with a great view, or something interesting to photograph. If I ever do get back to Iceland, I want to spend more time exploring the northwest.
Church of One 
These are lovely! The terrain and all that yummy fog. Great pictures!