I'm home from Iceland!

[Susie]

Thanks for encouraging me to go, MM

I am exhausted, but it was a really good time.

[Susie]

Aug 21, 2012 12:17:42 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Recap, please!

It was a quick trip:

Thurs AM: arrived at KEF around 9am off a red eye, bussed to hotel. Spent the rest of the day walking around Reykjavik.

Fri: Horseback riding on Icelandic horses for half the day, more touring Reykjavik and dinner at Fishmarket. Dinner was amazing. We kind of felt like we'd seen what we wanted to of Reykjavik by this point.

Sat: Much needed sleep in! Quick puffin tour in the AM, then Blue Lagoon in the PM. I don't care if it is a little touristy, Blue Lagoon was awesome.

Sun: full day Golden Circle tour - Thingvellir, Gullfoss, glacier, and Geysir. Dinner at a tapas restaurant in Reykjavik that was also pretty awesome.

Mon: travel day.

The pace was pretty frenetic, but that comes with it being a short trip. Ideally I'd have preferred renting a car to some of the bus travel for excursions, and to have spent a little more time outside Reykjavik. But for a quick trip with the girls I thought we did pretty well with what we saw.

[Deleted]

Sounds like a great trip. I've always wanted to go there.

[bliss]

Sounds like you had fun. That's awesome. It's definitely on my list of places to visit.

[kangaroo11]

I'd love to go to Iceland someday. Glad you had fun!

[Deleted]

What an awesome trip!

[Susie]

Aug 21, 2012 12:39:04 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Thanks for the recap! I think we'll do a Europe trip sometime in the next few years that incorporates a stop in Iceland on Iceland Air. Apparently they allow free multi-day layovers.

Yeah, they're pushing that option pretty hard, especially in combination with packages that take you to the Blue Lagoon. It would be a great option as long as they have service to whatever city you're continuing on to. Sadly for my next trip, Dublin's not on that list.

[Deleted]

Sounds awesome! My friend was telling me that it is pretty affordable to go there and I was wondering if you might share a general trip budget?

[Susie]

I can definitely share photos once I get them off my camera

As far as a budget, I would be happy to share that too, although I will need to look at my credit card statement to get useful numbers in USD. My calculations of what I spent while I was there were pretty rough, mentally converting between ISK and USD.

[slug*bug]

Yay! So glad you had a great time & can't wait to see pics.

[anna7602]

What city in the U.S. did you fly from and how long was the flight, if you don't mind my asking? I'm debating whether it's any easier to go from Paris than if I just wait until I am living in NY again.

[Susie]

I went out of JFK, and it was about 6 hours. A little less eastbound, a little more westbound.

[anna7602]

Aug 21, 2012 17:22:15 GMT -5 Susie said:

I went out of JFK, and it was about 6 hours. A little less eastbound, a little more westbound.

Most of the flights from here go through Germany or some Scandinavian city, so it ends up being 6 or 7 hours with the layover factored in. A direct flight (3.5 hours) from Paris is a lot more expensive.

[rubytue]

I really, really want to go to Iceland someday. For a short trip, that sounds awesome!

[Redpoppy]

Aug 21, 2012 12:48:38 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Aug 21, 2012 12:43:51 GMT -5 Susie said:

Yeah, they're pushing that option pretty hard, especially in combination with packages that take you to the Blue Lagoon. It would be a great option as long as they have service to whatever city you're continuing on to. Sadly for my next trip, Dublin's not on that list.

I would probably plan a trip around wherever they do go. I just checked and there are lots of great options (Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Oslo, Paris, Zurich, etc. for those who are curious). And I'm with you and would definitely check out the Blue Lagoon. Tourist spots are just that for a reason; I'm not ashamed to be a tourist!

This is what we did for our honeymoon. I think we spent 3 days in Iceland, flying out on the 4th to London. We loved Blue Lagoon too.

[marriedfilingjoint]

How fun! I've been kicking myself since college for not going to Iceland when I was studying abroad in Denmark.