Iceland! In Brief

Some of my friends kind of balked when I mentioned I was weekending in Iceland (sigh... doesn't "weekending" ANYwhere sound so, I don't know, classy... weekending in the Hamptons, weekending in the mountains, weekending in Cincinnati... well, whatever, you get the idea).

I'm not exactly sure WHY people would be surprised. I mean, Iceland is known for its natural beauty and outdoorsy-ness, and if I'm not one to fully and wholly appreciate nature and... well, outdoorsy things, I don't know who IS.

Okay, okay. So maybe I'm not exactly the most outdoorsy/rugged/sporty kinda gal. But I DO love being outside (so long as the temperature is within 65-80 degrees, preferably with minimal to no humidity)! And I DO love hiking (for a few hours at a time, that is. People who go on these hiking trips for like days at a time really deserve a medal, in my personal opinion)! And... well, enough justification. I wanted to see Iceland!

I was more than a little shocked when my sister agreed to come with me on this journey. Why? A picture says a thousand words, right? HERE is what she decided to bring along as her little tote bag for our outdoorsy adventures.

Yes, my friends. You are seeing things correctly. That is, in fact, a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag (how/why that's different from a normal Marc Jacobs bag is beyond my realms of caring)*.

And I'M not outdoorsy?

Anyway. Moving quickly on...

Feel free to help yourself to a handy dandy dose of outdoorsy, nature-y goodness... Maliyacular style.

1. Iceland! Part 1: Frigidity with a Side of Whale Watching http://bit.ly/nmB6U2

2. Iceland! Part 2: The Gold Mine That IS The Blue Lagoon http://bit.ly/nOsmUx

3. Iceland! Part 3: Stuck on a Deserted Island http://bit.ly/o7m62C

4. Iceland! Part 4: The Golden Circle - A LEGIT Photo Essay http://bit.ly/pxq9wr

5. Iceland! Part 5: Horseback Riding and... Well, That Should Pretty Much Say It All http://bit.ly/o83ti5

*Apologies for the sideways shot... why in heaven's name you can't rotate pictures in Blogger is beyond my realm of understanding.

Iceland! Part 4: The Golden Circle - A LEGIT Photo Essay

Day 3 of our journey was total tourist central... but SO well worth it! If you go to Iceland, you are 99% likely to embark on the Golden Circle tour, which takes you from Reykjavik to central Iceland. While the tours may vary in terms of the stops that you make, you are DEFINITELY going to be hitting up the national park (Pingvellir), a waterfall (Gullfoss), and this valley (Haukadalur) which contains two popular geysers.

It really was quite amazing to see some of Iceland's finest natural beauties. I couldn't get over how well-PRESERVED everything was! This is what happens when people actually have respect for and take care of their environment as a natural duty in life. Sigh. Love those Icelandic folks.

The BEST part of the tour was our GUIDE! His name was something that sounded like the name of that volcano that erupted last year, so instead, he went by the name of Gummi. Sigh. Heart goes pitter patter. My only, ONLY regret of this day trip was that I didn't snag a picture with good ol' Gummi. SIGH- he seriously is a winner in that Adorable Little Old Man department. He knew EVERYthing about his country and the PRIDE that he had in Iceland's history and folklore was clearly evident. PITTER PATTER PITTER PATTER is going that heart of mine, believe you me!

In any event, I think the pictures from this trip speak VOLUMES more than I can justify in the writing of a blog post (a first, I know), so without further ado, I present to you some highlights of the beauty that can only be the Golden Circle of Iceland...

The start of our tour... not such a bad view, huh?

Gullfoss! AKA: One spectac waterFALL.

One of my favorite pictures of the entire trip... just a simple little stream, but with the most unbelievably clear water you can imagine (unfortunately, the picture doesn't do the water clarity justice...).

Just driving along... you know, the usual.
Weee! Mountains!

I'm not sure WHAT this was, but doesn't it look like such marshy goodness? It's hard to tell we're even on planet Earth at this point.

Speaks for itself, yes?

If you squint just a tad, you can make out the glaciers in the (VERY) far distance!!

That geyser was just about ready set to ERUPT.

I want to frame this.

An amazing crater that was one of the last stops on our trip... check out those COLORS! Unreal.

Sigh. A+, Iceland. Gigantic round of applause, if you will.

My Shortest Blog Post Ever... You Can Thank My Smartphone for It

i am officially obsessed with blogging. here i am, sitting in ohare, awaiting my flight abroad for the holiday weekend and here is what is consuming my thoughts... and not necessarily in this order, just to clarify...

passport, check

glasses/toiletries, check

checked in, check... haha no pun intended

blog post update...

full stop.

hello. i cant have my blog go without an update at least explaining that i may be slacking on the blog posts till next tuesday. dont want my avid followers to think ive lost steam or anything... haha im sure you were all waiting on the edge of your seat and everything.

sooo... this ones for you, blog fans. from my droid and everything. whew typing a whole post on an itty bitty keyboard is trying with a capital t. not to mention i dont know why in heavens name my keyboard doesnt allow for any exclamations, caps, etc when im updating on blogspot... travesty. utter travesty. soo, im cutting off my post right... now.

till next week, my friends... off to iceland i go... wish me and my oh so outdoorsy self luck..