We got up extremely early this morning to catch our first flight, but it wasn't too bad because we were still on Reykjavik time.The flights were short and uneventful, and thankfully our bags were the first ones on the claim! It was odd to finally get home after so long- 3.5 weeks, almost a month! We immediately began doing laundry, and our estimate is that it will take 8 loads to get it done... Anyway, this is it for the blog at least until the next trip (don't know when that will be, this one was pretty major). Bye for now!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Flying to Minneapolis (Mon 8/2)
Sascha left for the airport VERY early this morning. After we had said goodbye to him, we went back to bed and got up a few hours later. Once we were all packed and ready, we took a shuttle to the Keflavik Airport, where we said our goodbyes to Edith and Juergen. It was difficult to say goodbye not knowing when we would see each other again.
After saying goodbye, we went through security and ate some lunch. Our flight was running a little late, but it was smooth and uneventful. The best part was that when we flew over the east coast of Greenland, there were no clouds. We could see the glaciers, frozen ocean, icebergs, etc. The clouds were really pretty as we descended into Minneapolis, too.
Customs was surprisingly pleasant (we didn't have a very good experience returning from Switzerland), and after checking into our hotel, we walked to Granite City for dinner. It felt very weird to be back and almost like our other half was missing. As my dad put it, we felt like the Hobbits (from Lord of the Rings) sitting in the Shire's pub after their journey (of course on a much less epic scale). By the time we got back to the hotel room, it was around 10 p.m., or 3 a.m. Reykjavik time- we all crashed pretty quickly.
After saying goodbye, we went through security and ate some lunch. Our flight was running a little late, but it was smooth and uneventful. The best part was that when we flew over the east coast of Greenland, there were no clouds. We could see the glaciers, frozen ocean, icebergs, etc. The clouds were really pretty as we descended into Minneapolis, too.
Customs was surprisingly pleasant (we didn't have a very good experience returning from Switzerland), and after checking into our hotel, we walked to Granite City for dinner. It felt very weird to be back and almost like our other half was missing. As my dad put it, we felt like the Hobbits (from Lord of the Rings) sitting in the Shire's pub after their journey (of course on a much less epic scale). By the time we got back to the hotel room, it was around 10 p.m., or 3 a.m. Reykjavik time- we all crashed pretty quickly.
Whale/Puffin Watching and Blue Lagoon (Sun 8/1)
Today was our last day together in Iceland. We got a slow start to the day and left for a whale/puffin watching tour around 1.
The first thing we did on the boat was to go past "Puffin Island", where puffins come to nest once a year. There were so many of them on the island and flying around! They were a lot smaller than I had expected, but still extremely cute!
Then we went much further out into the bay to watch for whales. For about an hour, we followed 2 or 3 whales around and watched as they surfaced and dove.
After returning to land, we stopped for a short lunch before my mom, James, Sascha, Edith, and Juergen hopped on a bus to the Blue Lagoon.
My dad and I had had enough with touristy things after the Golden Circle Tour, so we decided to stay behind. While they were gone, we took a long walk along the bay. The lighting and color of the water was amazing!
When they got home, we stayed up late talking, taking pictures, and enjoying our last night together.
The first thing we did on the boat was to go past "Puffin Island", where puffins come to nest once a year. There were so many of them on the island and flying around! They were a lot smaller than I had expected, but still extremely cute! 
Then we went much further out into the bay to watch for whales. For about an hour, we followed 2 or 3 whales around and watched as they surfaced and dove. 
After returning to land, we stopped for a short lunch before my mom, James, Sascha, Edith, and Juergen hopped on a bus to the Blue Lagoon. 
My dad and I had had enough with touristy things after the Golden Circle Tour, so we decided to stay behind. While they were gone, we took a long walk along the bay. The lighting and color of the water was amazing! 
We also stopped at the site where the Cold War was ended.Then we went back to the house and got everything organized and packed.
When they got home, we stayed up late talking, taking pictures, and enjoying our last night together.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Golden Circle Tour (Sat 7/31)
Today we went on the Golden Circle Tour on a tour bus with a big group. We stopped at a bunch of places, and there is not a ton to say about each one so this entry will be mostly pictures.
The first place we stopped was a geothermic power plant that heats a lot of Reykjavik. Next we stopped at a very small crater lake. Our tour guide had a pretty heavy Icelandic accent and at first he kept saying "we are going to go see the creator (instead of crater)." That said, see the picture of my dad to the right.
After the crater, we made two short stops, one at a church with a view of the valley. Inside the church there was a string quartet practicing- the music was really pretty. The other stop was at a small waterfall. We stopped for much longer at our next stop- the Grand Geyser- for walking around and eating lunch.
Our next place was Gullfoss, also known as Golden Falls. The last stop on our trip was Thingvellir National Park, where there are remains of one of the first parliaments in the world. The view and the clear glacial waters were spectacular, too.
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