Nearly two years ago, when my husband and I were planning our wedding, we tossed around a few ideas for our honeymoon. Neither of us are beachy people, and the idea of sitting on a lounger all day for a week sounds like an odd form of torture to us. What we really wanted to do was go hiking, preferably in a place that would be cold. [We are always looking for ways to escape the Texas heat!] We tossed around the idea of honeymooning in Iceland for weeks before we decided to just take the leap and book the tickets. I’m so glad we did.
Opting for a “non-traditional” honeymoon in Iceland was such a wonderful decision. Additionally, we booked only Airbnbs for our accommodations during the trip so we could meet locals and really learn about what life is like in Iceland. Our favorite Airbnb was a private log cabin on a chicken farm near the Golden Circle. We spent a good part of our morning there talking with the owner about the country, her story, and life on the farm. It was a marvelous experience.
In all my travels, I’ve never visited a place as stunningly unique as Iceland. The lava fields were unlike any landscape I had ever traversed. We hiked the glacier in Skaftafell, which literally felt like another world because it was actually used as a filming location for Dr. Mann’s planet in Interstellar (one of our favorite movies). These and the volcanoes, geysers, fjords, craters, and larger than life waterfalls all come together to create the wonderland that is the Land of Fire and Ice.
During our trip we’d wander the streets of Reykjavik together, hand in hand, stopping in cute shops or the occasional café for some hot chocolate. We sat together by the harbor, marveling at the midnight sun and the gorgeous views of the mountains in the distance.
Several of the Airbnbs at which we stayed had hot tubs powered by geothermal and hot water from drilling down into the ground under the site of the house. Along with that, there are various hot springs (both naturally occurring and manmade) where travelers can take a dip and relax their weary bodies. And of course, there’s the world-famous Blue Lagoon with its trademark milky turquoise waters. With all of these hot springs, I still got to pamper myself and have “spa days” amongst all the hiking and exploring.
We walked and hiked over 70 miles and 500 floors of elevation during our adventures around the island country. At the end of every day, we were tired but so refreshed. The chilly Icelandic air was so good for our souls. And everywhere we looked there were views that took our breath away. There were many days when we would wander out and be alone in nature, just the two of us together. I think back on those hikes and I cherish that time where we were adventuring together in this foreign, otherworldly land.
