Iceland day 1

Mark has been talking about visiting Iceland for about 2 years now. I had suggested we visit it for a couple of days after the camino last year, but Mark really wanted to dedicate a whole trip to the country. So, finally, here we are! 

We flew into Keflavik on Sunday morning, picked up our rental car, and drive straight to Reykjavik. We spent a couple hours exploring the city before hitting he ring road. 

Here is a view of the city from the top of the church: 

And the front of the church:

Most people that know me know I love fries so when we saw this giant thing of fries, our lunch plans became pretty obvious. 

So many delicious fries with 2 different dipping sauces: a garlic mayonnaise and a sweet mustard. 

We wandered the streets a little longer and checked out a few shops. 

Then we started our drive. 

Our first stop was Haifoss: a giant waterfall. 

It was pretty windy out. 

Next up: more waterfalls! It quickly became obvious that what Iceland lacks in anything else, it makes up for in waterfalls. 

These next two were within walking distance of each other. The first fall (Gljufrabui) was semi-hidden, so we walked into a sort of cave area to see the whole thing. 

Then we hiked on top of the cave-like part that blocks the view of the fall. 

Falling water meets falling hair:

I needed a drink after the small hike. 

The second waterfall (Seljalandsfoss):

This one has a path that goes behind it so you can see it from very angle. 

Look! The backside of water (and Mark striking a pose): 

Our next stop was Seljavallalaug. Supposedly this was the first pool built in Iceland forever ago. It is filled with hot water that comes from a thermal spring nearby. It just sits there, hidden in a valley waiting to be swam in. Here are a few photos with different angles, because every way we turned the views were amazing. 

The water was a little slimy. Notice how my arms look tinted green under the water. But the temperature was very pleasant and you just can't beat that view! Also, note that this picture was taken about 9:30 pm. The sun really does not set in Iceland. 

We hiked back to the car and drove to a nearby town to set up camp. Mark made us a lovely dinner: 

And set up the tent (though I did help some). This picture was taken at probably around 12:15 am by the way.