With all the home improvements going on around here, I seem to sometimes almost forget that my boyfriend and I are embarking on an adventure of a lifetime in less than three months!

I’m really not exaggerating here. This isn’t some trip to New Hampshire or the cape that I’m just building up to be more than it is. We are going to Iceland! ICELAND!

Land of fire and ice, landscape of extremes, full of volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, and elves! And yes, I’m serious about the elves. The belief in Huldufólk or ‘hidden people’ is part of Icelandic folklore (I’ve recently learned from Wikipedia). I really hope to see one while I’m there. They’re invisible, so that probably won’t happen, but I am really hoping to come back with an elf experience to share.

Anyways! We leave in the first week of September and are doing a self drive tour along the south coast. A self-drive tour is basically hiring a tour company that is familiar with the sights and routes to plan a route for you and book your accommodations along the way. We then get a rental car, a GPS, and a map…and off we go! The idea seemed perfect when we first started looking this late last year. Since most of the sights we wanted to see were outside of Reykjavík, and we don’t know enough about the country to try to plan something like this out ourselves. I also love the idea of exploring at your own pace, which allows you to spend a little more time on things that interest you and a little less on things that don’t.

Based on the itinerary provided by our travel planner, I’ve made a little collage of expected highlights from our trip. Please note that none of these images are my own (as they are clearly captured by professional photographers).Also, I haven’t been there yet to capture my own images (you’ll see those in September!). Links to the sources are included below the photo.

I still can’t get over the fact that I’m going to see these in person! I am pretty sure ‘Blue Lagoon’ is the only one I’m pronouncing correctly, that’s where the planned tour part comes in handy (picture having to ask for directions to Jökulsárlón). We are going to be researching some of these sights a little more as our trip draws closer, so there’s a good chance you’ll see some future posts on the topic!

Clockwise from top left:

• Seljalandsfoss
•  Jökulsárlón
•  Dyrhólaey
•  Blue Lagoon
• Thingvellir National Park
•  Vik
• Skogafoss
•  Skaftafell
•  Gullfoss

Related posts:

Iceland, A Road Trip Iceland, Continued Adventures in Apple Picking Iceland – Around The Corner!