Iceland was absolutely fantastic. Iceland Air started doing direct flights from Vancouver and my wife and I got on the inaugural flight, despite her being several uncomfortable months pregnant.
Some highlights:
* We saw geysir, the first geyser known to modern Europeans and the source of the name "geyser" [0]
* We went inside of a volcano [1]
* We did not get fooled by Icelandic polar bears [2]
* We (well, I) ate an average of two hot dogs per day [3]
* We saw a viking home which they unearthed during construction and then built a museum around [4]
* We boiled ourselves like happy lobsters [5]
* We had te og kaffi, which smelled and tasted like the best cafe I'd been to in years [6]
We went in April and were really glad we'd bought sleeping masks for the flight as the midnight sun did throw us for a loop. We were walking down the street one day wondering why all the stores were closed already, then saw a group of young women in glittery dresses and platform heels walking down the street. Checked my phone and it was 11 PM on a Saturday. Oh, okay, clubbing. Right, it's bedtime. Okay.
When we got back from Iceland, my wife was starting a new position at her company where she had to show up at 6:30 AM, so we ended up keeping the same sleep schedule and getting up at 3:30 every morning to have breakfast and commute together. Working in tech meant I had about six hours alone in the office before anyone else really showed up, which was quite peaceful.
Highly recommend Iceland, even if you don't go for New Year's!
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir
[1] https://insidethevolcano.com/
[2] https://fooledbyiceland.tumblr.com/
[3] https://theculturetrip.com/europe/iceland/articles/how-this-...
[4] https://reykjavikcitymuseum.is/the-settlement-exhibition/exh...
[5] https://www.bluelagoon.com/
[6] https://goo.gl/maps/QCDLW6DPyLSeKumF9
Some highlights:
* We saw geysir, the first geyser known to modern Europeans and the source of the name "geyser" [0]
* We went inside of a volcano [1]
* We did not get fooled by Icelandic polar bears [2]
* We (well, I) ate an average of two hot dogs per day [3]
* We saw a viking home which they unearthed during construction and then built a museum around [4]
* We boiled ourselves like happy lobsters [5]
* We had te og kaffi, which smelled and tasted like the best cafe I'd been to in years [6]
We went in April and were really glad we'd bought sleeping masks for the flight as the midnight sun did throw us for a loop. We were walking down the street one day wondering why all the stores were closed already, then saw a group of young women in glittery dresses and platform heels walking down the street. Checked my phone and it was 11 PM on a Saturday. Oh, okay, clubbing. Right, it's bedtime. Okay.
When we got back from Iceland, my wife was starting a new position at her company where she had to show up at 6:30 AM, so we ended up keeping the same sleep schedule and getting up at 3:30 every morning to have breakfast and commute together. Working in tech meant I had about six hours alone in the office before anyone else really showed up, which was quite peaceful.
Highly recommend Iceland, even if you don't go for New Year's!
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geysir
[1] https://insidethevolcano.com/
[2] https://fooledbyiceland.tumblr.com/
[3] https://theculturetrip.com/europe/iceland/articles/how-this-...
[4] https://reykjavikcitymuseum.is/the-settlement-exhibition/exh...
[5] https://www.bluelagoon.com/
[6] https://goo.gl/maps/QCDLW6DPyLSeKumF9