Seljalandsfoss= Win!

We woke up early and had an awesome breakfast. The hotel had fresh bread, meats- my fave was a round one that looked like salami- Icelandic cheese (to die for!), fresh fruit, o.j., bacon and eggs, and kaffi. We set our destination as Vík, as well as a park east of there to hike (though we never made it because we had a 5:00 rehearsal back in Reykjavík). Around the time the road turned to gravel due to the glacier flooding from the volcano eruption, we saw 3 beautiful waterfalls lining the edge of a cliff so we had to explore!


We stumbled upon Seljalandsfoss (pictured above)! Reading up on it after the fact, I found that since the waterfall is very picturesque, it is often featured in calendars. It was also in season 6 of the Amazing Race. Anyway, we parked the car in a gravel lot along with a tour bus and other day trippers. What surprised me the most was how bouncy the ground was! We took pictures and headed toward the first fall which was the largest.


A small pool, a medium-sized pond, really, lay at the bottom of the fall. We took a rocky path (above) that led up the hill behind the falls. I even went down to the base of the pool and tasted the water- fresh and cold! Note to travelers: You will get soaked! The spray is intense, especially if you choose to venture along the backside of the waterfall. That's also what made the experience fun :)


We emerged on the other side, climbing down a slippery staircase, to reach the second waterfall. The path was lined with Alaska Lupine and the largest daisies I have ever seen. This waterfall didn't have much going for it in terms of size, but it was pretty against the verdant vegetation (above). We also spotted a pipe that sprung a leak causing two tall spouts of water to come out at its base. The color spectrum could be seen in its mist.


We followed the small stream along the bottom of the hill to the third waterfall. To get to it, we jumped across rocks where the stream widened and climbed up the steep hill. What was cool about this waterfall was that there was a large barrel at the base (above). Perfect spot for a photo op! Across the way, there was a shallow cave in the rock face nearby which made for an adventure for those willing to scale rocks to check it out. Eventually we made our way back down to the little hut with a grass roof (window shown below) and headed back to the car for the next leg of our journey.

We spent about 45 minutes checking out our first Icelandic waterfalls. The country is teeming with them- you can't drive the ring road and not see one :) Seljalandsfoss= easily accessible from the Ring Road + isn't too far from Reykjavík + one stop to see three waterfalls = Win!

Kaffi Kaffi Kaffi

If I learned anything in Iceland, it's that Icelanders love their coffee, or kaffi. As the world's biggest export, next to oil, it's no surprise that this island hopped on the java bandwagon and formed a kaffi-centric culture. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Beer was illegal until 1987 and alcohol is super expensive. Kaffi is the logical drink of choice.

My first Icelandic kaffi in the Keflavík airport. Notice the kaffi beans in the bar counter :)

Kaffi has made its mark as a staple of Icelandic society. Ironically the honor of highest coffee drinkers per capita goes to Finland (seriously? I think a recount may be in order). Icelanders serve the drink for just about any occasion. In my case, my choir was served coffee on our rehearsal breaks. This blew my mind! Never had I had coffee in the middle of a block of singing- it was always water and only water.

Kaffi break at rehearsal with Vox Academica. Such great hosts!

There are coffeehouses all over Reykjavík with wi-fi, reading material, and tasty pastries. Cafe Paris was my favorite place to enjoy a cup and people watch :) Unlike the United States, coffee is rarely ordered to go. Icelanders prefer to savor their brew (usually strong) and enjoy life. What a foreign concept for we on the go Americans haha! Also, there was not one Starbucks in Iceland- the coffeehouse chain thing never caught on. Iceland's kaffi is truly unique.

Icelandic pancakes, kaffi, and people watching at Cafe Paris.

Never have I had so much coffee in my life! I must have had 3 cups a day at least :)

Musings of a lively capital city 66° north of the equator.

A select few pictures in and around Reykjavík made enough of an impression on me to chronicle the experience in writing. The quotes below are excerpts from my travel journal reflecting thoughts/events that happened when I took each picture.

"Long, open windows lined the top and looking out we saw an amazing view of the small city."

"A guy on his balcony makes a noise like he was going to hock a loogie. We look up. He says, 'Welcome to Iceland.' We all started laughing- it was hilarious."


"Reykjavík was full of downward turned face statues [not sure what their deal was]. We put a mask on the statue because of all the ash. Awesome. We are officially those tourists!"

"It felt kitschy :) Knickknacks lined the wall as well as an old fishing net in the corner."

"According to the hostel guy we talked to, a knitter asked permission of Reykjavík to tag the city with her craft."

"On our way, we were cat-called by some local men drinking by the harbor. 'Americans!' "


"It's a very modern design, small compared to other European churches."


"It was about 1 am then. It was dusky out- but mostly ashy. I climbed all over that statue like a monkey."

"Our destination was a pretty, two story white building on the lake with a view of town hall."

"On the way back from the afterglow, we saw a lady wearing MC Hammer pants!!!! The guy didn't seem to mind. Their love was so pure hahahaha."

"A security guard at the front door appeared. 'NO PICTURES!' I asked if I could take a pic of the sign. 'All things that way are OK.' So I got a pic of the embassy sign by the road. We walked past, then the guard re-emerged and followed us for half a block."

"We kill the vodka and go out for round #2 (to no avail). We ended up using my self timer to take pics of us in front of the bridge that changes colors at night."

"The sun was out, the temperature just right and we were surrounded by the Reykjavík locals on their lunch breaks. It was a perfect morning."