Seydisfjordur & Skaftafell, Iceland

Today we departed for Seydisfjordur. Along the way we stopped at some beautiful waterfalls along the way. It’s bad but I cannot remember the name of any of them. There are seriously so many waterfalls here in Iceland. There are more waterfalls than there are trees and that's saying something. As we were about to reach the town of Seydisfjordur we came upon the “Walter Mitty” hill where the iconic long boarding scene was filmed. We drove down the hill and then halfway through we spontaneously stopped the car and ran to a waterfall that was by the road while blasting the Walter Mitty soundtrack. It was one of those moments where you are just truly happy. One of those moments when you can’t keep yourself from smiling and you feel happiness illuminating from you. But the thing was everyone I was with was feeling it too. We were just running through the hills with our hands in the air embracing the moment for what it was.

Up until this point I kept waiting for Iceland to click for me. I kept waiting for me to fall in love with Iceland. And then suddenly in this indescribable moment Iceland clicked for me. Now I love Iceland and can’t get enough of its beauty.

Once we gathered back into the car we drove to the Skalanes Nature Center, which is also a hostel for students. I loved staying here. We had to hike in to this hostel since it cannot be reached by car. Skalanes Nature Center is an Eider bird farm that they use to harvest the bird’s feathers for duvet comforters. When you walk to the home you walk through the field where the birds have laid their nests in the lupine fields. The birds go crazy dive-bombing you to protect their nests. To trick the birds from attacking us we had to hold lupine flowers above our heads to keep us safe. It was the funniest sight and we all got great laughs from it, the birds even pooped on some of us! Our rooms at the farm were legit, we are staying in the attic! After a hearty pork and potatoes dinner we spent the night playing games.

The next morning was relaxing. We ventured outside on a hike to the sea cliffs where we were able to see puffins! I had been waiting and waiting to see puffins and I was finally able to see them. I was like a little girl in a candy shop seeing the puffins. After dinner we had a bonfire on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean. Okay how many people can say they have had a bonfire on the shores of Iceland!? The bonfire was unreal. All of us dared each other to dive into the water. It was freezing and I didn't last long. The water was straight from the mountain glaciers. Definition of cold! It was a good thing we were able to warm up by the fire. Being with everyone around the bonfire was just perfect. At one point in the night I was able to stand on the beach with Carly and Rachel. We wrapped our arms around each other and talked about everything we have learned on this trip. It's a funny thing how someone can go from a complete stranger to being a friend you travel the world with and knows you at a completely deeper level. It's a crazy thing but I love it. And I am so incredibly lucky that I was able to experience the entire process. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

The next morning we hiked back out to the cars and headed for Skaftafell. Along the way we visited the Glacial Lagoon. It was neat. And cold. After we checked into our hotels and then hiked to Svartifoss waterfall. This waterfall is unique compared to other waterfalls because the rocks around it are perfectly geometrically shaped.

So it’s settled. I love Iceland.

xx,

m.