{"id":30765,"date":"2016-03-30T18:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T23:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=30765"},"modified":"2016-03-30T18:59:50","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T23:59:50","slug":"visiting-iceland-in-the-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=30765","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Iceland in the Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of weeks ago Yankee and I decided to take a babymoon, our last minute vacation before we become a family of three. \u00a0I have always wanted to go to Iceland, so, we booked some tickets, and we were off.\u00a0 Some might think we were crazy visiting Iceland in the winter, but it was a magical time to go. We highly recommend visiting Iceland in the winter, and now we want to go back and visit it in the summer.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Visiting<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

We took a direct six-hour flight out of\u00a0 BWI so my brother and sister -in-law who live in Washington, DC could “dog sit” Gracie.\u00a0\u00a0 It was a red eye flight, and the moment we arrived, we hit the ground running so we could make the most of a trip around part of the country. \u00a0Iceland is very small with less than 400,000 people for the whole country. Geographically, it is around the size of Kentucky.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland-<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Our first day was not very sunny, and it was cold. \u00a0 But we knew that because we were in Iceland. \u00a0We brought lots of layers and were able to handle the cold and wind.\u00a0 One of our first stops was at the famous Gullfoss waterfalls. \u00a0I actually enjoyed seeing it with the snow and ice.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Visiting<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Shortly after, we visited their version of Ole Faithful in Yellowstone. \u00a0This geyser was very consistent, and I was surprised how close they let us get to the geyser. \u00a0It seems to erupt around every eight minutes, so, we didn’t have to wait in the cold too long.\u00a0 We even watched it go off a couple of times. \u00a0While March was considered the shoulder tourist season, we were still impressed with how many other people were sightseeing. Iceland is making its way onto the list of must-see places.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

We made a quick stop at the beach! \u00a0It was a black sand beach, and since it was too cold for the toes shot, we took a photo with our hiking boots.\u00a0 We were so glad we took our hiking boots.\u00a0 Not only did they give us traction on the icy spots, but they also kept our feet warm.\u00a0\u00a0 This day did clear up, but I liked the overcast skies as we visited this area.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland-<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

The Northern lights were something we were hoping to see, and since we were there in the winter, we had a better chance of seeing them.\u00a0 It is never a guarantee so do not plan a trip just on the northern lights. \u00a0We faintly saw them one night, and they show up better on camera.\u00a0 We took our good camera and tripod so we could capture their beauty.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland\"<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

We spent a of couple days exploring the country on a tour before settling into Reykjavik. \u00a0One of the days we were able to explore Vatnaj\u00f6kull\u00a0, go to an ice cave and hike one of the glaciers. \u00a0Here you can see some seals hanging out of the icebergs waiting to catch some fish.\u00a0 These seals have a completely different lifestyle from the ones we saw on our trip to the Galapagos Islands.<\/a><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland-<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

One thing we both really wanted to do on this trip was to go to a natural ice cave.\u00a0 After we were picked up in a four-wheel drive vehicle, we had about 45 minutes of “off-roading,”\u00a0 Due to the weather warming up, the car became stuck both coming and going. \u00a0We learned that was the last day to explore the ice cave because the road was then closed down due to weather conditions. \u00a0If you want to do this, do it in the early part of the winter season.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland-<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

I actually enjoyed our stops as we waited for the car to get unstuck. \u00a0We got to play around in the snow and just have fun.\u00a0 In the picture on the right, I was trying to get some height and jump.\u00a0 I totally ate it and fell right on my butt. \u00a0At least the tons of snow made for a soft landing.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Icecave<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

The ice cave was so breathtaking and one of the coolest things I have done. \u00a0Beware!\u00a0 If you are claustrophobic, this is not for you. \u00a0To get to the main part of the cave we were in a tight tunnel on our hands and knees. \u00a0I am glad we had the hard hats because I did hit my head in the tunnel a couple of times. \u00a0However, once we made it through, the view was spectacular.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\u00a0We also did a glacier hike, and I enjoyed it just as much as the cave.\u00a0 On that day the weather was beautiful, and climbing the glacier was a nice little workout.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Along with crampons, they gave us an ice axe. \u00a0I used it more for the pictures.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland\"<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

The sights were hard to capture in pictures. \u00a0If you look back, you can see the glacier. \u00a0We also stopped at some waterfalls on the side of the road.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland-<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

These cute horses were everywhere.\u00a0 They were a lot smaller than our horses and had a lot of hair to keep them warm.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Iceland<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Once we were back in Reykjavik, we spent a couple of days in the city walking around and going to museums. \u00a0 I love seeing houses in other countries.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Blue<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0(Source)<\/a><\/p>\n

One day we took a side trip to the Blue Lagoon which I loved.\u00a0 It was so relaxing in the geothermal water. It was crowded, but they limit how many people can get tickets each day. \u00a0If you want to do this, book your tickets early.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Elf<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

During our research before booking our trip, we learned that 54 per cent of people in Iceland believe in elves and hidden people. \u00a0We found out there was an elf school, so, we signed up right away. \u00a0We spent one afternoon learning all about elves and hidden people. \u00a0I am happy to report we graduated and even earned a diploma. \u00a0We both loved elf school, and I would add it to your list of must-dos in Iceland. \u00a0They are working on an elf museum, and we hope to visit the next time we go to Iceland.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Overall, it was a wonderful babymoon, and I hope after reading this, you are interested in adding Iceland to your travel list.\u00a0 If you ever plan to go to any of the destinations we have visited (see them in the good times tab at the top of this page),\u00a0 we would be glad to answer any questions for you.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cheers!<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A couple of weeks ago Yankee and I decided to take a babymoon, our last minute vacation before we become a family of three. \u00a0I have always wanted to go to Iceland, so, we booked some tickets, and we were off.\u00a0 Some might think we were crazy visiting Iceland in the winter, but it was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30765"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30765"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30829,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30765\/revisions\/30829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}