More for the Reykjavik To Do List!

As is usually the case, my repeated references to our upcoming trip to Iceland is not a desire to show off (again, pride is not usually an issue when you're unemployed, living in your parent's basement and still can't fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes). Rather, it is my euphoria about getting off the rock.

So even though the trip is still eight months away, I've already devoured the Lonely Planet Iceland twice, and have counted, folded, recounted and refolded Ryan's winter wardrobe a few times! As you can imagine, it takes time to accumulate warm weather wear here in the islands, so if he outgrows any of the clothes I've gotten for him (and he shouldn't since I plan on feeding him only carrot sticks and water until then), he'll just have to stay home by himself. But that will be his choice. Let's hope he chooses wisely.

So aside from the Blue Lagoon and the Ice Bar (see prior Hallo Reykjavik! post), I'd have to say that turf houses are definitely on the to-do list. I looooove these houses, and recently read an article in Time magazine about how difficult they are to maintain. Technically, the article was about the maintenance of modern green buildings that have living gardens/plants on them, but I'm sure it's pretty much the same hassle. So I doubly, triply, quardruply (all real words I assure you) appreciate the efforts of the folks who chose to maintain these types of homes. And I hope the homeowners chose to acknowledge this appreciation by allowing me to hop out of my rental van, run up to the front of their house, position Ryan in front of it and snap a few pics of his squinty-eyed Japanese tourist 'smile.' ;-)

I am not sure if dogsledding as a tourist attraction is humane. Nor am I sure I can afford it (looks like it's close to $150 per person for the 1-hour ride) or tolerate it (I'm pretty sure that 5 min. into the ride, I'll be over it). Nonetheless, the idea of going dogsledding in Iceland sounds pretty darn sweet. So if it's not too far off of the beaten track and it's somewhere we can drive to (vs. cramming into a tour bus and taking a half-day tour), I would love Ryan to have this (eek, costly) experience if we can swing it!

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Indoor and outdoor Icelandic HOTPOTS!!!! Beaches are to Hawaii what hotpots are to Iceland (so sayeth the girl who's never been to Iceland), so if I have my way, I will be dipping into as many different ones as my body allows. Even though we live in a warm climate, I loooooove hot tubs and have great tolerance for them.

And no trip, even one at the tail end of summer there (late summer there is still in the 40s and 50s I believe) would be complete without a visit to a glacier. This one is called Jokulsarlon, which I'd imagine is as fun and easy to pronounce as our Hawaiian names like Kamakawiwo'ole or Kalanianaole.
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I think I also may have found a house for us to rent in a quiet suburb of downtown Reykjavik that should work out nicely in accommodating all 6 of us, and Rich has found a company that will rent us a minivan for about $175 a day (not bad for Iceland, but sheesh...for that price you'd hope that van comes lifted, with strobe lights underneath).

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But again, it's many moons away, so until then, we'll continue to enjoy the warmth of the islands. ;-)