SYDNEY HARBOR MARRIOTT

TORONGA ZOO

MANLY BEACH

SYDNEY WILDLIFE

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSUEM

SYDNEY TOWER EYE

SYDNEY SEALIFE AQUARIUM

ST.PATRICKS DAY IN SYDNEY

BONDI BEACH

QUANTAS

SYDNEY HARBOR MARRIOTT  

TARONGA ZOO

MANLY BEACH

SYDNEY WILDLIFE

BONDI ICEBERGS CLUB

Oh Iceland… where do I begin. We have always talked about going there, my husband wanted to scuba dive silfra and I wanted to go to the blue Lagoon. Two very different experiences but both extremely amazing. That’s the interesting thing about Iceland, you can have a relaxing experience or a much more adventurous one.  We went with dear friends of ours that we have traveled with before, that always adds to the fun when you travel with friends.
We flew wow airlines which was a first for us. It is a discount airline which means the fares are extremely affordable but in the back end, you end up paying for bags… carry on and checked bags. You are granted a free personal item to carry on such as a purse or backpack. For me always flying southwest … this was annoying to say the least. Plus for a flight overseas not to have WiFi or in cabin entertainment was also a negative. We made sure we downloaded movies on the iPad before, but I was a bit shocked that there wasn’t one or the other. Everything from food to drinks to bottled water was an extra charge. NOTHING was free.

We landed in Iceland extremely early in the morning.. headed to our hotel..a taxi from the international airport to Reykjavík was $200. When they say Iceland is VERY expensive, it is no joke. It has been the Most expensive place we have ever traveled to.  We were warned about Tokyo, Dubai and Hawai’i but Iceland was definitely the most expensive compared to those . We arrived sooo early at our hotel,   Reykjavik Lights, that our room was not ready and nothing was open being it was 7 in the morning, so we ended up sleeping on the couches in the lobby. We were so exhausted from the flight and time difference that we passed out on the couches and waited for our room to be ready.

The rooms were small and quaint but our view was amazing. The bathroom towel stand in the shower was heated so that was awesome. It reminded me of the heated toilet seats in Tokyo.

Every morning there was a complimentary breakfast for those staying in the hotel.  That helped out a lot since most tours left early and there really wasn’t any time to get out and go get breakfast.

The view form our room was beautiful, when it wasn’t bad weather.  You could see the mountains and snow in the distance…so beautiful!

Our first day there we went exploring the city. The weather was cold but not unbearable but I also came prepared. I wore a pair of thermals with a pair of athleta polartec pants, a thermal top and an amazing coat from spyder active wear. I was warm and felt very comfortable. Gloves and hats were a must. Plus usually two pairs of socks one being wool and snow boots by sorel. The town is quite cute, and the mounds of snow on the ground just made it even more adorable.
We ate in downtown Reykjavik for lunch at an great Italian restaurant. The lobster risotto was amazing. For dinnner we ate a pizza place next to our hotel.

Our second day was the adventure. We were headed to Silfra to snorkel and scuba dive. The drive there with the sun rising was amazingly beautiful. Silfra is where the two tectonic plates of Europe and North America  come together. It’s the only place in the world that you can touch both plates. My husband is a lover of all things adventurous, I am not! Haha. We couldn’t be more different and this excursion definitely showed that. There is sooo much to talk about on this experience that this will have to be a whole other blog, but it was beautiful and amazing and COLD!

That night we ate sushi right by our hotel. I was not impressed, WAY overpriced for what we got. The rolls were $25, compared to the same rolls in the states that would be $8-$10. My husband and I ended up getting a pizza when we left! Lol.

Our next day we did a tour of the south coast of Iceland thru Grayline. We visited two waterfalls, Seljalansfoss and Skogafoss, a glacier and the black sand beach in Vik. The first waterfall we stopped at had an extremely high steep set of stairs the led to the top…it was a workout to say the least and since the weather had been so bad half of the stairway leading up was snowed/ iced over… so that made for an interesting climb up. I’m afraid of heights so this was hard for me but I try to do these things because I know my husband has no fear and would want me to do it. It was beautiful at the top but very windy and cold.
Our next stop was the town Of Vik. We had lunch… fish and chips… because I figured “when in Rome.” It was great. We walked out on the black sand beach peninsula to see some great sights,and got some great photos of what the lava formations do. Then we headed not to far away to the Black Sand Beach. It was so windy at this beach that the sand ( more like pebbles) were hitting us in the face. It was extremely cool to see this beach and all the little caves and rocks around.
The glacier was next. So cool to see in person. Neat to see a huge piece of ice just sitting on land.

The next waterfall we stopped at had a cute little food stand and gift shop. This waterfall actually has a trail behind it that you can usually go behind but since it was all  iced and snowed over it wasn’t allowed. I would love to go back in summer to see it. That night we ended up heading back to Reykjavik and ate at some cute little French restaurant downtown, Le Bistro. The food was amazing.

Unfortunately our tour to go to the ice caves the next day was canceled due to bad weather conditions. That was a huge bummer so we ended up going downtown to walk around all day. We tried the Icelandic hotdogs which we had heard a ton about. The one we got was great. It snowed on and off this day. It was so nice just to be sitting in a cafe drinking a latte watching the snow fall. Great memories.

The next day they had extreme weather warnings across the country. Hurricane force winds and rain. Luckily our tour didn’t get cancelled to the Blue Lagoon, because this is what I  was waiting for the entire trip.  The water was amazing but randomly you would hit pockets of cold water and that was not cool when the weather outside is 35 degrees. They tell you to wash your hair and put tons of conditioner in it because the water is extremely drying on your hair. The problem with that is once outside you start to have ice form on your hair bc it’s sooo cold, which then makes your head even colder. You can swim up to the mud mask bar and get a silica mud mask while you swim.  No lie my face felt incredibly smooth that day and the next…kinda regretting not buying some to take home. It made my skin feel so amazing.  I also loved the swim up bar…who wouldn’t right?  This was by far the highlight of my trip! 

Our last meal of the trip was a great little Restaurant in Reykjavik called Messinn Seafood. I got the Ling, a white fish. It was sooo yummy.

All in all the trip was great! We unfortunately didn’t get to see the northern lights due to the weather each night and that was a bummer. I would definitely do things differently if we went back. I would go in the summer. The weather conditions definitely effected things we were suppose to do. We would rent a car and drive around to different destinations. Seeing the sights on a tour, you are very rushed and can’t take the time you want to spent at certain places. Our experience was great, it’s definitely different than any place I have ever been and the most snow I have ever seen.

The Lantern Fest is always something I have wanted to go to. I have seen it in pictures and it looks absolutely amazing. When I saw that one was coming to Texas, I knew we had to go. The bonus was that it was on Veterans Day, which I thought was a great way to celebrate and honor Scott and all other veterans.

Ennis, Texas is not that far from us, so we decided to drive there.  Once you get to check-in, the adults get a lantern, markers, and a lighter.  The kids get a s’mores kit.  We bring our own because our son has a severe peanut allergy and we never know if the food will be safe for him to eat.

We got there pretty early so there were still many fire pits to choose from.  Once we found our fire pit, we set up our chairs and stuff.  The blow up couches for the kids, we bought there.  I think they were a bit of a pain because they kept wanting to blow away and loose air, but the kids loved them so I guess that’s all that matters, right?

There were a ton of things for the kids to do.  They had bounce houses, slides, and games.  Before it got dark we decorated our Lanterns.  We decided to use the lanterns to honor all Veterans since it was Veterans Day.  My husband, Scott, father in law and grandfather are all veterans, so it is very near and dear to our hearts.

Once it got dark we lit the pit, which was a little difficult do to the wind.  The kids started to roast s’mores, and listen to a singer Alexi Blue.  The s’mores were oh so yummy!!!  It really was a fun time.

Once we were done with s’mores and the wind died down it was time to light the lanterns.  It was actually pretty difficult to light with the wind.  We struggled for a bit (next time I would bring my own lighter), but then it eventually lit.  Once it is lit you need to hold the lantern close to the ground.  You will eventually feel it start to lift up away from you.  Do not let it go to early or it will go straight forward into someone’s head(reason for the lengthy waiver, lol ) instead of lifting up.  Once it actually does lift up it is amazing.  They play uplifting music which makes it all the more beautiful.  It truly is something to see.

Check and see if a Lantern Fest is coming to a city near you.