Howdy jannadoan.com followers!
First off, my name is Yen (@cremebroolay), Janna’s sister.
I’ve recently returned from a trip to Europe and Janna asked if I could write a short blurb about it on her blog. I said I would love to, since everyone needs to know about the beauty of a place called ICELAND!
Hello Reykjavik, Iceland!
In its spring and summer, Iceland is a beautiful country with an abundance of green pastures and picturesque mountains. It is not a frozen arctic tundra -- which would be Greenland. I know. Confusing. The Vikings are so smart.
Viking ship model
When visiting Iceland, the Blue Lagoon needs to be on the list of things to do/visit.
Yes, it's a touristy place, but I mean, just look and imagine... the water is a warm 98*F. The crisp spring air blows your baby hairs into your face. Your husband drops his GoPro into the murky water that is visually impenetrable 3 inches below its surface...
And there are so many waterfalls to chase. Totally my kind of thing.
Skogafoss
Seljalandsfoss
You can go behind this waterfall to take pictures, but it is SPLASH ZONE city. My clothes & phone were soaking wet.
Gulfoss
þingvellir
geothermal pool at Geysir
Notes on Iceland:
- English is widely spoken within Reykjavik. The farther you are away from the city's center, the more difficult it may be to communicate -- unless you're at a tourist attraction.
- Warm-ish to hot water smells like sulfurrr. Even in the shower. Even at blue lagoon. Frigid, cold, water does not and is perfectly safe to drink. Icelanders know this and don't buy bottled water, but they sell it for wary tourists.
- Lamb is supposedly the best in Iceland because of how they are raised and what they feed on, but I don't eat lamb and can't attest to that.
Now, SKYR, I ate a ton of. It's a skim-milk cheese that's high in protein but has the texture of yogurt. Think: really smooth and good tasting Greek yogurt. (Siggi's, sold here in the states, is not the same)
drykkur = drink
If you've ever considered travelling to Iceland, I urge you to go. Icelandair even as a deal where you can stopover in Iceland for up to 7 days, before making your way to a number of other European destinations, at no additional cost!
Iceland is a gorgeous country that's fun to explore and a great place to unplug. Seriously, my cell reception was spotty at best.
Signing off,
YD @cremebroolay