Our Iceland Honeymoon 2016 Highlight Reel
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Monday, October 3, 2016
Day 7 - No Place Like Home
This is a bit post dated since life basically exploded since we have been home. I have never been so unorganized in my life! Chance is really having some separation issues and recurrent staph infections we have been addressing. It's becoming our main focus lately and I haven't blogged as much as I liked, but I will. I will blog of our wedding, of what we have been doing to help our poor Chance out and some of my crafts. I actually googled, "I feel like I can't keep up with life today" just to see what is said. Anyways, not a lot of photos since it was a travel day but here is the last day of our trip. I'm sure I missed things since I didn't blog it right away, but I tried ;)
Day 7 – No Place Like Home
We had to be up bright and early at 4am so that we
could make sure everything was packed and out of the room. We got up and
looked around packed the rest of our stuff and went down to the lobby to catch
our “fly bus” to the main bus station. They send a lot of little buses out to pick up people at their hotels and then we meet up at the bus station
and we take a huge bus to the airport. Our bus was late and we were the
first ones on at about5:20am. We had to swing by two other hotels and
as we went to them, no one was standing there waiting so the bus driver just
left. We then went to the bus station and got on the larger bus to take
us to the airport that is about 50 mins away. This was at
about 6:00am. More and more little buses dropped off more and more
people and it was filling up fast but it was taking a long time and our flight
was to depart at 8:30am. This is starting to become a problem
because it is now 6:20 and we have a 50 minute bus ride ahead of us
to the airport and my anxiety officially kicks in. It had started when we
were waiting for our fly bus at the hotel and he was late… but now- it was full
blown panic attacks. We finally set off for the airport and I swear it
was the longest ride ever. When we arrived, the line to check our bags to
Delta were out the door. The other airlines had shorter lines that were
moving much faster and by the time we were in line it was 7am. We
are supposed to board at 7:35am. The line is NOT moving. A
security guy walks up to us, asks us how we are doing and questions us about
everything from our luggage to our stay in Iceland- I know he was doing his job
but it was also nerve wracking when he wants to check your passports and ask
you 1000 things when you are running late to your plane. At about 7:20 we
are still in line. Only about half way. I looked at Brian and said
“we are going to miss our flight” I frantically was trying to think of other
ways to get our bags checked and through security- they only had two stations
to check us in and two people at them- there was a sky flyer line but that was
busy too- I guess they are the ones that pay more and get more attention
because of it- first class stuff lol – I wouldn’t know.
Anyways we look at the couple standing behind us and Brian
starts talking with them and we come to the conclusion that they are to be on
our same flight to JFK airport and that they are also panicking and as we talk
we realize that the entire line is there for our flight- there is only one
going out and it’s us. The anxiety settles a bit and we get to talking
(which made the line move faster, I don’t know what I would have done without
that couple to chat away the stress). We find out after chatting a while
that their final destination is also Pittsburgh, PA and that they are from
Cranberry- only a short distance North of us! What a small world! I
ask if they were just there on vacation and … get this… they are there on their
honeymoon!!! Um. Weird! We get through check in which was awful- the
girls at delta checking in the bags were giggling and carrying on as we were
trying to rush to get things taken care of. We fast walk to departures
and go through security. Shoes off, laptop out - I didn’t even get
to shop around the airport like I wanted. We rush off to the gate and
it’s literally boarding our section. We see our Navy friend in line- she
is on the same flight back! TOO FUNNY! We board the plane and I walk past
our new friends from Cranberry and she hands me an airplane bottle of brennvin. It’s basically a right of passage in Iceland
to drink this stuff. I’ve had it before
but Brian has not and I can’t wait for him to try it! Too cool though right!?
We get to our seats and head off to JFK.
I am just glad we got on the plane and made it in time! We land 5 and a half hours later, get our
luggage and head through customs. It
wasn’t so bad. They had some issues in
New York the night before and it was a little scary traveling but everything
was fine and running smoothly. Getting
off the plane, going through customs, then security again and getting to your
next flight area seems a little much though. LOTS of walking. We had a pretty long layover at JFK so we
decided to stop and eat at a restaurant called Palms (I think). We got in line (in our P.J.s mind you) and
waited to be seated. Then our friends we
made in Iceland showed up behind us! We
asked if they would like to join us for lunch and they totally excepted the
invite! We had a lovely lunch together
and talked all about Iceland and our weddings and how awesome it is to
travel. Lunch flew by and before we knew
it we were heading to our plane for Pittsburgh.
We got on the plane together and found out we were literally sitting
across from them on our plane. They were
in the next row over. We talked most of
the way home and I ended up giving them my email so they could get in touch for
a game night or to hang out and do dinner/lunch again. Just as we were about to land in Pittsburgh,
I looked out the window to find a Rainbow.
It was incredible and the best finish to our Honeymoon. I really do believe there are signs in life
to show you that you are on the right path and if this rainbow wasn’t one of
them…. I don’t know what would have been.
We got off the plane
and called Brian’s parents to come pick us up.
The honeymoon had ended but we took away so many amazing memories and
new friends! Brian and I can’t wait to
go back again someday! We arrived back
to the house with balloons that read “Welcome Back” and a cute little sign from
his Mom! I think it all still feels like
a dream and I’ve been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things
at home. I can’t wait to blog about all
my wedding crafts that I couldn’t blog about while all the planning was going
on. I didn’t want to spoil anything
before the big day! I also can’t wait to
blog about married life and our new chapter together.
Thank you everyone for reading along!
Much love,
The Martins
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Day 6 - Our Last Day
I'm so sad. It was our last day today. We really wanted to do another day trip or adventure but they were all VERY pricey - like 200-300 per person... So we decided to have a day exploring. We both agreed today that when we come back (cause we will someday) that we will rent a car for the entire week instead of half. It would have made things much easier. There are a few things we didn't get to do but we did SO MUCH! I guess I will never have enough of Iceland.
So we got up late and went to Brunch which was awesome! We had all sorts of foods to choose from since it was a buffet and they even had raspberry mouse cake! IT WAS SO GOOD! We took our time and enjoyed breakfast. The weather was actually beautiful today! Of course we would have a week of mostly rain and our last day was perfection.
We went up to our room to get our passports so we could go to the lobby to print our tickets and check into the airport for tomorrow. We will have to get up at 4am... ick. We have a shuttle to the airport and then our flight takes off at 8:30 am.
We finally got out of the hotel after we packed most of our things up and went to see the flea market that they have on weekends. I heard a lot of good things about it so I was excited to go. We walked for a while to get there and the weather was so nice, all the stores doors were open to let in the warm air. We got to the flea market and made a couple laps before my anxiety took over. It was so crowded. We then ventured to a really nice part of Reykjavik. The homes were so beautiful. We found a few stores to shop around in and founds some incredible book stores with cafes that were so interesting. We walked a while longer and decided to stop for happy hour at a pub. We ordered some Icelandic beers - Brian got a hoppy beer and I got the Viking classic since I'm not a hops fan. We both really liked them. The beer that Brian got (can't remember the name of it) was actually brewed at the bar we were at. It was really cool. We were a bit tipsy after just the one beer so we went on our way and came across a record store... A RECORD STORE! We went in, I was in heaven. We were looking all around and whatever they had playing was AWESOME! I was so interested I went up to the store owner and asked. He told me it was Sin Fang the album Spaceland. I picked it up and on the back it had a song featuring Jonsi and also was produced by Jonsi and Alex at their studio here in Iceland. Sin Fang is also, obviously, Icelandic. I picked it up right away. I had to have it- I was so excited! We ventured on and we were just talking about what we were going to do for dinner when we walked by Restaurant 73 (the first one that I wanted to go to but it was closed due to renovations and staff vacations) and the sign was down and said it was opening in 15 minutes!!! AHHH so happy! Brian and I walked through a few more stores and then back to 73. We had another beer (I got a fruit beer) and burgers. Icelandic beef that was so incredible! We had a wonderful dinner and then walked back to the hotel. We needed to finish packing and get our stuff together for tomorrow, bright and early. Six days here is not enough time... I want more! Sigh... until tomorrow guys - Thanks for reading about our epic Honeymoon adventure!
Yes, this photo above is of the penis museum here... lol
So we got up late and went to Brunch which was awesome! We had all sorts of foods to choose from since it was a buffet and they even had raspberry mouse cake! IT WAS SO GOOD! We took our time and enjoyed breakfast. The weather was actually beautiful today! Of course we would have a week of mostly rain and our last day was perfection.
We went up to our room to get our passports so we could go to the lobby to print our tickets and check into the airport for tomorrow. We will have to get up at 4am... ick. We have a shuttle to the airport and then our flight takes off at 8:30 am.
We finally got out of the hotel after we packed most of our things up and went to see the flea market that they have on weekends. I heard a lot of good things about it so I was excited to go. We walked for a while to get there and the weather was so nice, all the stores doors were open to let in the warm air. We got to the flea market and made a couple laps before my anxiety took over. It was so crowded. We then ventured to a really nice part of Reykjavik. The homes were so beautiful. We found a few stores to shop around in and founds some incredible book stores with cafes that were so interesting. We walked a while longer and decided to stop for happy hour at a pub. We ordered some Icelandic beers - Brian got a hoppy beer and I got the Viking classic since I'm not a hops fan. We both really liked them. The beer that Brian got (can't remember the name of it) was actually brewed at the bar we were at. It was really cool. We were a bit tipsy after just the one beer so we went on our way and came across a record store... A RECORD STORE! We went in, I was in heaven. We were looking all around and whatever they had playing was AWESOME! I was so interested I went up to the store owner and asked. He told me it was Sin Fang the album Spaceland. I picked it up and on the back it had a song featuring Jonsi and also was produced by Jonsi and Alex at their studio here in Iceland. Sin Fang is also, obviously, Icelandic. I picked it up right away. I had to have it- I was so excited! We ventured on and we were just talking about what we were going to do for dinner when we walked by Restaurant 73 (the first one that I wanted to go to but it was closed due to renovations and staff vacations) and the sign was down and said it was opening in 15 minutes!!! AHHH so happy! Brian and I walked through a few more stores and then back to 73. We had another beer (I got a fruit beer) and burgers. Icelandic beef that was so incredible! We had a wonderful dinner and then walked back to the hotel. We needed to finish packing and get our stuff together for tomorrow, bright and early. Six days here is not enough time... I want more! Sigh... until tomorrow guys - Thanks for reading about our epic Honeymoon adventure!
My new CD- I know- kinda morbid cover but hey - the music is so good!
Friday, September 16, 2016
Day 5 - The Blue Lagoon
Shout out to Jewelz on this one! (hehe hi friend!)
Today we had the Blue Lagoon and a shuttle to and from our hotel booked. We slept in a bit and got up to go downstairs for breakfast. We both ate pancakes, bacon, skyr and some orange juice. We came up to the room and got our things together for the lagoon. It was going to be different for me this time since I didn't have to book in advance last time. We went down to the lobby at noon for our scheduled pick up and also made sure to get the shuttle schedule for the times we could catch a bus back to the hotel. We had a dinner planned at 7 at LAVA at the lagoon and wanted to make sure we wouldn't miss the last bus back. The last bus was at 9:15 we were good to go. We also made sure to book our fly bus tickets to the airport on Sunday as well. We will be leaving the hotel at 5am on Sunday.... eeewww. Anyways the Hilton here has a great area in the lobby where they help you book all sorts of trips and answer any questions you may have. SUCH A GREAT HOTEL! We love it! Okay, I'm getting sidetracked, we got on our bus and off we were to the transfer station. You get off the small bus, get a transfer ticket and get on the next bus to where you want to go, such as the Blue Lagoon. We hopped on and were on our way shortly after- they also give you a transfer back ticket as well for the ride back. The weather is so crazy here! In the 40 minute ride to the Lagoon, we had wind, rain, clouds, blue skies, sun and then sun on one side of the road and rain on the other- it's just so crazy how much it changes!
We pulled up to the Lagoon and it was packed. We got there at 1:45pm and our entrance was at 3pm so we walked around outside the lagoon and snapped a bunch of beauuutiful photos and then went inside to warm up and grab a bite to eat at their cafe for lunch. Once we were finished with lunch we got in our Premium line (totally recommend getting the Premium package- worth it!) and they gave us a robe, towel and flip flops. You get a wrist band and it's used to lock your locker and buy drinks and then at check out, you pay the balance. We get our first drink free a reservation at LAVA and a free bottle of wine! We were really excited! Once we where inside the Lagoon area, Brian and I went our separate ways to get changed. I knew what to expect ... a lot of naked women. A LOT. It's so different here than home and they all walk around totally naked. I went into the changing rooms and there were only a few lockers open and they were so small compared to last time I went (I'm guessing it's changed since the renovations) and there were so many people shoved together. I threw my stuff in there and went to shower. I put my suit on at the hotel so I just went into the showers and took off my suit there and put it back on- made it much easier and yes, you really do have to shower completely naked and it is for sanitary reasons- so I'm okay with that. Ok - onto the lagoon. I met Brian downstairs and I should have left my towel in my locker and only brought my robe down. By the time we were done, Brian's towel was taken and my flip flops were gone and I may have stolen someone else's trying to find them but hey- oh well. We got into the lagoon where it's normally 100 Degrees Fahrenheit. The water is pumped from deep underground where the temperature is extremely hot and by the time it gets to the surface it's a "mere" 100 degrees! It's like one big hot tub. We did the Silica Mask and the Algae Mask and headed over for our first drink. There is literally a bar in the lagoon you swim up to. I ordered a Somersby Cider and Brian ordered a Gull Beer. As they were pouring my beer for me, they had to change the keg and the cup was just about full- I told her not to rush and that it was okay not to fill it to the top and she smiled and said are you sure? I confirmed it would be a-okay and she handed me a blue bracelet and said, "come back for a free drink later then!" ANOTHER FREE ONE! YES! It really does pay to be nice sometimes! We drank our drinks, swam around, went into the Sauna and Steam Bath and explored the lagoon to the fullest. It would rain and then get very sunny and sometimes very peaceful and other times loud with people laughing and having a great time. The day went by too fast and we deiced to get my free drink and Brian ordered another as well. We finished it up and since we were turning into prunes, wanted to see if we could maybe get in our reservations earlier so we could take an earlier bus back to the hotel. We got out of the lagoon- reluctantly- and went our separate ways to get showered and dressed. We brought nice clothes for dinner but ended up wearing the stuff we came in. Neither one of us wanted to get too dressed up. I think it was more crowded when I left the lagoon than when I went in and it was almost near impossible to get my stuff out the locker. I pushed my way in since excuse me wasn't working and grabbed my things as I went to a corner and changed. I managed to partially dry my hair the blow dryer and was on my way to dinner with Brian. It was a beautiful restaurant and we thought we would go all out but time was our enemy. They were able to take us early but we still needed to get home on the 7:15 bus or we would have to wait until 9:15... which was too long to wait. We got our wine and each ordered the Icelandic Cod. We did have to skip desert. The nice thing was that they understood about the bus back and gave us our check early so we could make there in time. We finished our food, which was incredible, and made our way to the bus just in time! The first stop was the Hilton! YAY! We got off and went upstairs to relax and shower. Even thought it was a relaxing day, we are still so tired!
We tried to spot the northern lights but it was too cloudy tonight- I think we will miss them this time which is so sad! We should have tried to get further away from the city when we had our rental. I think next time we will rent a car for the entire week!
I'm so sad that tomorrow is our last day. We don't have anything big planned yet and we may just wing it! :) It's been such an incredible adventure and I still love this place. Even though tourism has sky rocketed! I will forever have a piece of Iceland in my heart. I don't know what it is about this place... but I just love being here! Brian is really enjoying himself, I think he was really impressed with the lagoon and I'm so happy!
Here's to our honeymoon!
Don't judge, I look so tired without makeup!
You know, I'm sitting here typing a blog of what I did today. I went to the Blue Lagoon. I was in there and having the time of my life. I was with my husband who is sleeping on the bed behind me. I find myself looking back at him and smiling. It's strange to say the word husband but it doesn't feel strange that he is my husband. If feels so right and so perfect. He protects me and looks out for me but sits back and watches me run wild when I feel the urge. He means so much to me and it's so nice to be able to share my love for Iceland with him. I'm so glad he is here with me... and I'm so glad that I'm sitting here, on my honeymoon under a low glow of computer screen with the Iceland wind outside my window and my husband in bed behind me. I can't think of anything more perfect.... well- the dogs could be here ;)
Night everyone and tomorrow is our last day here. I hope you have enjoyed the blog- I will write again tomorrow and then once we get home. Thanks for reading along! <3
Today we had the Blue Lagoon and a shuttle to and from our hotel booked. We slept in a bit and got up to go downstairs for breakfast. We both ate pancakes, bacon, skyr and some orange juice. We came up to the room and got our things together for the lagoon. It was going to be different for me this time since I didn't have to book in advance last time. We went down to the lobby at noon for our scheduled pick up and also made sure to get the shuttle schedule for the times we could catch a bus back to the hotel. We had a dinner planned at 7 at LAVA at the lagoon and wanted to make sure we wouldn't miss the last bus back. The last bus was at 9:15 we were good to go. We also made sure to book our fly bus tickets to the airport on Sunday as well. We will be leaving the hotel at 5am on Sunday.... eeewww. Anyways the Hilton here has a great area in the lobby where they help you book all sorts of trips and answer any questions you may have. SUCH A GREAT HOTEL! We love it! Okay, I'm getting sidetracked, we got on our bus and off we were to the transfer station. You get off the small bus, get a transfer ticket and get on the next bus to where you want to go, such as the Blue Lagoon. We hopped on and were on our way shortly after- they also give you a transfer back ticket as well for the ride back. The weather is so crazy here! In the 40 minute ride to the Lagoon, we had wind, rain, clouds, blue skies, sun and then sun on one side of the road and rain on the other- it's just so crazy how much it changes!
We pulled up to the Lagoon and it was packed. We got there at 1:45pm and our entrance was at 3pm so we walked around outside the lagoon and snapped a bunch of beauuutiful photos and then went inside to warm up and grab a bite to eat at their cafe for lunch. Once we were finished with lunch we got in our Premium line (totally recommend getting the Premium package- worth it!) and they gave us a robe, towel and flip flops. You get a wrist band and it's used to lock your locker and buy drinks and then at check out, you pay the balance. We get our first drink free a reservation at LAVA and a free bottle of wine! We were really excited! Once we where inside the Lagoon area, Brian and I went our separate ways to get changed. I knew what to expect ... a lot of naked women. A LOT. It's so different here than home and they all walk around totally naked. I went into the changing rooms and there were only a few lockers open and they were so small compared to last time I went (I'm guessing it's changed since the renovations) and there were so many people shoved together. I threw my stuff in there and went to shower. I put my suit on at the hotel so I just went into the showers and took off my suit there and put it back on- made it much easier and yes, you really do have to shower completely naked and it is for sanitary reasons- so I'm okay with that. Ok - onto the lagoon. I met Brian downstairs and I should have left my towel in my locker and only brought my robe down. By the time we were done, Brian's towel was taken and my flip flops were gone and I may have stolen someone else's trying to find them but hey- oh well. We got into the lagoon where it's normally 100 Degrees Fahrenheit. The water is pumped from deep underground where the temperature is extremely hot and by the time it gets to the surface it's a "mere" 100 degrees! It's like one big hot tub. We did the Silica Mask and the Algae Mask and headed over for our first drink. There is literally a bar in the lagoon you swim up to. I ordered a Somersby Cider and Brian ordered a Gull Beer. As they were pouring my beer for me, they had to change the keg and the cup was just about full- I told her not to rush and that it was okay not to fill it to the top and she smiled and said are you sure? I confirmed it would be a-okay and she handed me a blue bracelet and said, "come back for a free drink later then!" ANOTHER FREE ONE! YES! It really does pay to be nice sometimes! We drank our drinks, swam around, went into the Sauna and Steam Bath and explored the lagoon to the fullest. It would rain and then get very sunny and sometimes very peaceful and other times loud with people laughing and having a great time. The day went by too fast and we deiced to get my free drink and Brian ordered another as well. We finished it up and since we were turning into prunes, wanted to see if we could maybe get in our reservations earlier so we could take an earlier bus back to the hotel. We got out of the lagoon- reluctantly- and went our separate ways to get showered and dressed. We brought nice clothes for dinner but ended up wearing the stuff we came in. Neither one of us wanted to get too dressed up. I think it was more crowded when I left the lagoon than when I went in and it was almost near impossible to get my stuff out the locker. I pushed my way in since excuse me wasn't working and grabbed my things as I went to a corner and changed. I managed to partially dry my hair the blow dryer and was on my way to dinner with Brian. It was a beautiful restaurant and we thought we would go all out but time was our enemy. They were able to take us early but we still needed to get home on the 7:15 bus or we would have to wait until 9:15... which was too long to wait. We got our wine and each ordered the Icelandic Cod. We did have to skip desert. The nice thing was that they understood about the bus back and gave us our check early so we could make there in time. We finished our food, which was incredible, and made our way to the bus just in time! The first stop was the Hilton! YAY! We got off and went upstairs to relax and shower. Even thought it was a relaxing day, we are still so tired!
We tried to spot the northern lights but it was too cloudy tonight- I think we will miss them this time which is so sad! We should have tried to get further away from the city when we had our rental. I think next time we will rent a car for the entire week!
I'm so sad that tomorrow is our last day. We don't have anything big planned yet and we may just wing it! :) It's been such an incredible adventure and I still love this place. Even though tourism has sky rocketed! I will forever have a piece of Iceland in my heart. I don't know what it is about this place... but I just love being here! Brian is really enjoying himself, I think he was really impressed with the lagoon and I'm so happy!
Here's to our honeymoon!
They serve the butter on lava rock!
I used my 50mm lens today- should have shot with that all week - I left my 85 at home since it's more for portraits but I should have used my 50mm more- I love these shots so much more! Damn camera drama! <3You know, I'm sitting here typing a blog of what I did today. I went to the Blue Lagoon. I was in there and having the time of my life. I was with my husband who is sleeping on the bed behind me. I find myself looking back at him and smiling. It's strange to say the word husband but it doesn't feel strange that he is my husband. If feels so right and so perfect. He protects me and looks out for me but sits back and watches me run wild when I feel the urge. He means so much to me and it's so nice to be able to share my love for Iceland with him. I'm so glad he is here with me... and I'm so glad that I'm sitting here, on my honeymoon under a low glow of computer screen with the Iceland wind outside my window and my husband in bed behind me. I can't think of anything more perfect.... well- the dogs could be here ;)
Night everyone and tomorrow is our last day here. I hope you have enjoyed the blog- I will write again tomorrow and then once we get home. Thanks for reading along! <3
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