Iceland - Part 7

02 Jan 2016 . category: Travel . Comments
#Iceland

Day 8: FREEDOM!

We woke up and saw that the roads had finally improved enough for us to chance it! We bid the Elda Guesthouse goodbye, and set out for a long day and scary day of driving. For much of the day, Route 1 (Iceland’s major highway) was just a single lane plowed out from the snow, which in places literally (and I really do mean literally) towered several feet above our heads. We came across the snow plowing machines that had to deal with this snow once. Given the sheer amount of it, the truck-based snowplows that I’m used to from VT evidently didn’t cut it. Instead snow clearing was being done by heavy-duty construction vehicles and snow blowers that launched the snow twenty feet into the air. Here’s a random photo from the internet to give a sense of the snow:

Of course, we couldn’t leave Iceland without one more waterfall, this one is Godafoss:

We briefly stopped in Akureyri before continuing onwards to Borganes, where we spent our final night in Iceland. This day was mostly about booking it through NW Iceland so we were close enough to the airport the next day. With the weather having improved, we drove out late that night to make one final attempt at the Northern Lights. While we got a great look at the stars, and perhaps a little bit of green close to the horizon, we definitely didn’t properly seem them, Perhaps a reason to return!

Day 9: The End

We began the day at the Blue Lagoon, a sorely needed bit of relaxation after a stressful week. Though probably overpriced and the quintessential Icelandic tourist spot, it was still wonderful to be there in the (unfortunately artificial) hot spring. The constrast between the warm water and the frigid air (it actually started snowing!) was stark, and made exiting the water each time absolutely horrid. Highlights included a super-cool steam cave, as well as exfoliating silica mud - my skin was in tiptop shape for our return to America!

Next came the scary part: returning our rental car. We filled out the necessary paperwork, and put 2079 euros on Aaron’s credit card…an expense that would’ve doubled the total cost of our vacation. Thankfully, in the end VISA really pulled through and completely covered the cost due to their rental car protections, even including the foreign transaction fee. For anyone reading this, definitely take advantage of VISA’s rental car benefits!

At the airport, our jar of peanut butter was sadly confiscated, a devastating loss given our sentimental attachment. So of course, we chose to drown our sorrows, and celebrate our survival, with a glass of wine. And after an uneventful flight, we did indeed make it back to Boston alive, only one day behind schedule!

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