We Go With Kids!

Category: iceland

  • Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Logistics and Itinerary

    Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Logistics and Itinerary

    The inspiration for We Go With Kids came last summer, as Catherine and I were busy sharing notes following our respective vacations to Iceland and South Africa. For years, I’ve been intrigued about traveling to Iceland, which numerous friends and family have recommended as an ideal honeymoon or baby moon location from the East Coast. My husband and I never quite made it to Iceland, however, largely due to lack of time and availability of fight options. In 2012, Wow Air, an Icelandic low cost air carrier, began offering incredibly affordable direct flights from Baltimore International Airport to Keflavik. As a serious miles and points junkie, however, I never seriously considered flying Wow Air until after reading about Catherine’s experience. Prior to reading about Catherine’s experiences, I truly did not consider Iceland with kids to be a viable option.

    On a whim, last November, I happened to check for flights to/from Baltimore to Keflavik and found round trip flights over Memorial Day weekend for $225/person. Within a matter of hours, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to jet off for a long weekend with my oldest son, who would be just two weeks shy of his ninth birthday on our trip.

    View of Reykjavik from Hallgrimskirkja

    Booking Flights:

    In November 2017, I booked two round trip tickets on Wow Air from Baltimore to Keflavik for $567.06. The total includes the $99.98 fee for checking a bag to/from, but otherwise, I did not pay for any other up charges or services, including advance seat selections or carry on baggage. The flight was scheduled to depart on Thursday night, arriving at Keflavik at 5am on Friday and departing Keflavik on Monday at 9pm.

    Booking Accommodations:

    With four full days and three nights to fill, I consulted with Catherine who strongly suggested I make it over to Jökulsárlón Lake. Luckily for me, I was able to take advantage of her Iceland With Kids: Suggested Itineraries post before deciding that we would spend two nights in Vik and one night in Reykjavik. At Catherine’s prodding, I also began looking into accommodations in Vik and Reykjavik around Thanksgiving of last year, which seemed extremely early to me, until I remembered that Catherine’s family experienced difficulty securing accommodations despite beginning their search five months prior to their trip.

    Our rental cabin, taken from Reynisfjara beach

    After a few hours of poking around online for options, I discovered that Catherine was quite correct and that numerous guest houses were showing up as rented through early May and up to mid-May. Spurred into action, I decided to book two nights at a cottage on Reynisfjara Beach and one night at a guest house in Reykjavik. Having previously had only a less than stellar experience with an Airbnb rental, I had originally hoped to stay at a hotel. But, there aren’t very many hotels and certainly none that were affordable. A basic Hilton in downtown Reykjavik was asking $300/night, whereas our one night stay at Nina’s Guesthouse was a much more affordable $185. Our two night stay at the cottage on Reynisfjara beach $515.99.  Since both the cottage and our room at the guest house included a private bath and free parking, I decided they were our best bet and went ahead despite my initial misgivings.

    Booking Rental Car:

    I knew I wanted to rent a car to get around Iceland, instead of relying on tours or groups. After searching around online, I decided I wanted to rent from a local Icelandic rental car company (versus a national chain) and I ended up on the Holiday Autos website, which provided me with quotes for various local Icelandic rental car companies. I secured a vehicle from Route 1.IS via Holiday Autos. The rental for the four days, three nights cost $359.36, and provided for an automatic transmission, four wheel drive vehicle, which included taxes, airport fee, breakdown assistance, collusion damage waiver, personal accident insurance, third party liability protection, and unlimited mileage. Although there were certainly cheaper options, knowing that I would be traveling solo with my eight year old, I really did not want to have to worry about anything beyond ensuring that we were safe, so this seemed to offer the most security and peace of mind. Unlike most rental car reservations, however, Holiday Autos charged us at the time of booking (November 2017), but the cancellation policy provided for a full refund if the reservation was cancelled 24 hours prior to pick up.

    Scheduled Itinerary:

    Having booked our flights, accommodations, and rental car, I mapped out the following itinerary:

    Day One:

    • 5am arrival at Keflavik Airport
    • Viking World, located just 15 minutes from the airport and opening at 7am
    • Driving to Reynisfjara Beach, visiting Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Eyjafjallajokull, Skogafoss, Solheimasandur Beach, Solheimajokull, Dyrhalaey rocky outcrop, and Reynisfjara sand beach along the way.
    • Staying at Reynisfjara cottage

    Day Two:

    • Making the 2.5 hour drive to Jökulsárlón for the glacial lagoon amphibious boat ride, visiting Eldhraun Lavafield, Fjaðrárgljúfur, and Vatnajökull along the way
    • Returning to Reynisfjara beach cottage for the night

    Day Three:

    • Driving back to Reykjavik and staying at the guest house

    Day Four: 

    Although I had a long list of things I wanted to and hoped to see on the drive to/from Reynisfjara, I purposely did not over schedule our third day with activities, knowing it was extremely likely that we would not actually be able to see everything we hoped to on our first day. This ended up working out great, because after our red-eye flight, my son slept most of the way from Reykjavik to Reynisfjara on our first day, so we ended up using the third day to make up for what we missed on Day One.

    Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids?  Continue reading about our Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: Getting to Iceland and the First 18 hours, and be sure to check out our listing of all Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland.

  • WGWK’s Fun Family Beach Wrap Up

    WGWK’s Fun Family Beach Wrap Up

    Our series on Fun Family Beaches gave us the chance to live vicariously through our contributors and their idyllic beach destinations but also reminded us of some of our favorite beach visits.  Even if visits to any of those stunning Australian or South Pacific beaches have been only in our dreams, we have been fortunate to visit quite a few amazing beaches around the world and look forward to our next beach vacation.  Putting together our list of beaches reminds us that some beaches we visited pre-kids are not necessarily ideal family vacation destinations, and so we haven’t planned recent return trips.  While not all the beaches we’ve visited with kids are picturesque sand beaches, our boys have a lot of fun skipping rocks.

    Some of our favorite beaches, both close to home and far away:

     

    Alleppey Beach – Kerala, India

    After a day on a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala, we stopped at a beach to dip our toes into the Arabian Sea.  Our driver did not understand my need to take the kids to this practically empty beach with no amenities, but I admittedly have a thing about dipping my toes in a new body of water and didn’t want to miss this chance for my kids to experience the Arabian Sea.  Years ago, I arrived in San Diego close to midnight and practically skipped down to the beach for my first touch of the Pacific Ocean.  The salt water even stained my pants in the process.  The boys are always up for a visit to a beach – new or old, and we were all glad we made the stop on the way back to our hotel. – CMD

     

    Boulders Beach – South Africa

    As part of our tour of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa, we stopped at Boulders Beach, which is definitely one of my favorite beaches on earth. Definitely not your typical beach experience, Boulders Beach is an enclosed, protected penguin habitat. We enjoyed walking along the newly constructed enclosed boardwalk, which provided great views of the penguins and were in awe of just how amazing it was to see these beautiful birds in their “natural” habitat. – NKC

     

    Clearwater Beach – Clearwater, Florida

    We recently spent an afternoon at Clearwater Beach during a long weekend escape from the cold Ohio winter.  Clearwater Beach, which received the Traveler’s Choice Award for the best beach in the US by Trip Advisor in  2016 and 2018, had beautiful powdery sand and gentle Gulf Coast waves.  After a delicious lunch at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, we rented two lounge chairs and an umbrella.  The water was a bit too chilly to fully enjoy during our February visit, but the kids had a blast in playing in the sand and kicking around a beach ball.   We grabbed milk shakes from Ice & Cream on our way back to our hotel. – CMD

     

    Conneaut Beach – Conneaut, Ohio

    We make a day trip to Conneaut, Ohio each summer with my parents.  We always eat a picnic lunch at White Turkey and grab ice cream at Heavenly Creamery, which is housed in a former church.  However, the highlight of Conneaut is spending the afternoon at the beach.  Honestly, the safety of the water quality in Lake Erie is something that concerns me, but the numbers looked good on the day of our visit last year, so the kids enjoyed some time in the water with their seven cousins and also found some sea glass. – CMD

     

    Geneva Beach – Geneva, Ohio

    One of our favorite weekend day trip destinations is the Grand River Valley wine country in nearby Northeast Ohio.  After lunch at Ferrante Winery and Ristorante, we often visit the beach at Geneva State Park.  While this can be much rockier than a typical sand beach, our boys have a great deal of fun skipping (or throwing) them into Lake Erie. – CMD

     

    Kaanapali Beach – Maui, Hawaii

    Once named America’s Best Beach, Kaanapali Beach in Maui offers three miles of pristine white sand and blue waters. Even with a large number of resorts lining the shore, we never felt crowded and some of our favorite memories are of kite flying at dusk. – NKC

     

    Naples Beach – Naples, Florida

    I spent a weekend in Naples with a friend years ago.  We stayed at her parent’s beach-front condo and split our days between the beach in front of their condo and the pool behind.  The Gulf water was warm during our March visit, and the white sand was particularly soft.  I’ve been dreaming about retiring to beach front property ever since this trip. – CMD

     

    Playa Bavaro – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

    The first all-inclusive my husband and I visited together was Punta Cana’s Iberostar Bávaro, which has recently been renovated and rebranded as Iberostar Bávaro Suites.   The Iberostar Bávaro included the preferred club rooms of three affiliated resorts.  So, we had access to the facilities on the other two resorts, but guests of those resorts could not use the Bavaro’s facilities.  The Caribbean Sea water was a crystal clear blue, and the sand was pristine white.  I thoroughly enjoyed the week of rest and relaxation bouncing from the beach to the pool and read a record four books during the trip. – CMD

     

    Playa Nacascolo – Papagayo Peninsula, Costa Rica

    Located just a few minutes away from the Andaz Papagayo Peninsula Resort, the Andaz Beach House located on Playa Nacascolo offers beautiful white sand beaches and stunningly clear, blue water. It’s truly the perfect place to enjoy a drink or two while watching your children splash safely in the mild waters. – NKC

     

    Puerto Morelos Beach – Riviera Maya, Mexico

    We so enjoyed our visit to Riviera Maya during my maternity leave with our second child that we repeated it when our third was born.  The all-inclusive Now Jade and Now Sapphire were ideal resorts for our family.  Between meals, we spent most of our days lounging at the pool or the beach.  The Caribbean Sea was warm, and the waves were calm.  The Now Sapphire had sailboats available for guests to use, and my husband took our oldest on an extremely memorable snorkeling trip.  These resorts also offered nighttime family entertainment and on-site local marketplaces so that it was not necessary to leave the resort to purchase handmade souvenirs. – CMD

     

    Reynisfjara Beach – Southwest Iceland

    Reynisfjara Beach is one of the most stunning beaches we have ever visited, even though it is not one where visitors spend the day lounging in the sun.  We didn’t actually see the sun when we were there during a typical June day, which was cold, wet, gray and windy.  Nevertheless, this a black sand beach on the Atlantic Ocean, which featured the stunning Reynisdrangur sea stacks and phenomenal basalt sea cave, Halsanefshellir, was breathtakingly beautiful.

    It’s important to note that Reynisfjara was also the most dangerous beach we ever visited.   We took note of the cautionary signs regarding recent tourist deaths that occurred in 2016 and 2017 due to the dangerously unpredictable waves and strong undertow.  We thought we were keeping more than a safe distance from the water’s edge, but our nine-year-old tripped and fell running away from a sneaker wave that came inland much further than previous ones and was immediately covered by the water. My husband was able to safely pull him out before the wave retreated, but it was a very scary experience for all of us.  Luckily, the only casualty was the pair of shoes he was wearing that had to be discarded due to the overwhelming stench of sea water. – CMD

     

    Santa Monica State Beach, Santa Monica, California

    The Santa Monica Pier was my favorite spot in Los Angeles.  The Pier adds a great deal of excitement to the otherwise typical Pacific Ocean beach.  Pacific Park, the amusement park, features the world’s first and only solar paneled ferris wheel and eleven other rides, including a roller coaster.  I particularly loved how the bright colors of Pacific Park popped against the ocean and sky.  On our stroll down the pier, we passed musicians, artists, magicians, souvenir shops, carnival games and various food stalls.  My son was particularly intrigued by a magician doing tricks for a crowd and a painter who was painting the pier on a piece of slate.  As the sun began to set, we headed off the Pier and onto the beach.  It was a pretty amazing end of a quick trip to feel the sand between our toes while we stood at the water’s edge and listened to the waves ebb and flow.  We really savored those moments as we waded into the Pacific. – CMD

     

    Treasure Island Beach – Treasure Island, Florida

    During our recent visit to Treasure Island, we stayed at Treasure Island Beach Resort, a new beach front property.  The sand is not quite as pristine as it is at the nearby Clearwater Beach, it was still great for sand play and also much better for collecting shells.  The Gulf Coast waters are relatively calm but were still pretty chilly in February.  We spent time on the beach each of our days in Florida but only rented an umbrella and chairs on the one day that we really dedicated to Treasure Island beach.  We definitely enjoy the quieter beach as our home base, especially with the amenities of a resort nearby. – CMD

     

    Vieques Beach – Vieques, Puerto Rico

    My husband and I honeymooned on Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island years ago.  Vieques’ Mosquito Bay is the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay and a remarkable nighttime experience.   We recently saw Mosquito Bay featured in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s recent special exhibit, Creatures of Light.  While we would love to take our kids to Mosquito Bay, we have not prioritized Vieques as a family travel destination because of the challenges associated with its remoteness.  We rented a Jeep so we would could travel on the unpaved roads that lead to some of the most beautiful and secluded beaches in the Caribbean.  These beaches were certainly pristine and breathtaking, but ultimately, we decided that we prefer beaches with nearby services, particularly when traveling with kids. – CMD

     

    Villa Caletas Beach – Jaco, Costa Rica

    My husband and I traveled to Costa Rica pre-kids and spent a lovely few days at Hotel Villa Caletas, which is probably our favorite hotel ever.  Hotel Villa Caletas is a small resort, and we saw the most fantastic spider webs, macaws and other exotic birds during our stay.  The beach is extremely secluded and accessible by an hourly hotel shuttle or rented 4×4 vehicles.   While we were often the only guests at the beach, services were available.  I enjoyed relaxing on a sun bed while my husband explored the wildlife in the rock pools, including the crabs.  Even though the beach was rocky, our kids would absolutely love the animal sightings on this luxurious property.  Unfortunately, Hotel Villa Caletas does not offer rooms that accommodate families with three children. – CMD

     

    White Sand Beach – Paia, Hawaii

    One of our favorite ways to to travel is to rent a vacation home and stay for a few days. It’s a great option when traveling with kids as you generally have more space and can cook some meals at home, without always having to rely on restaurants or take out. One of the most unexpected surprises of our vacation rental in Maui was access to a private beach. My son’s favorite memories of Maui are of running from the ocean in his pajamas every morning.  – NKC

    Now, we really wish we were headed to a beach vacation.

  • Iceland Packing List With Kids

    Iceland Packing List With Kids

    Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, We Go With Kids will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Opinions are the author’s.

    Packing for Iceland’s potentially very cold, wet and windy weather has challenges, especially when traveling on Iceland’s budget airline, WOW air, which charges additional baggage fees for bags larger than a personal item (e.g. a small backpack).  We are often asked what to pack for Iceland.  It’s further complicated by the fact that clothing and gear in Iceland can cost many times the average for similar items in the US, so it’s not wise to plan to pick up needed items upon arrival.  However, we were able to fit the luggage for our family’s 10-day trip into one large checked suitcase and five small backpacks.  We packed most of our clothes in our individual backpacks that we carried as our free personal items.  This method kept our clothes separate and organized.  We packed all our gear and large items in the suitcase, which almost exactly hit WOW air’s size and weight limits.  If I went back, I would definitely be even more efficient in terms of packing.  Note:  The link to the links to our Iceland packing list is at the bottom of the post : ).

    Iceland Packing List – Rain Gear

    It is essential to bring layers and good rain gear to Iceland.  None of us had ever owned rain pants, and I was a bit skeptical about whether or not they were really necessary when I purchased a pair for each of us.  (Toddler sized rain gear was hard to find, so we brought a pair of light snow pants for our two year old instead.)  We chose Mountain Warehouse Pakka for the boys and Swisswell for my husband.  I even left the tags on to return if they ended up not being needed.  However, we discovered in the first few hours in Iceland that rain pants were definitely necessary and served as great protection from both the rain and the wind.  Don’t head to Iceland without a rain jacket and rain pants for everyone traveling to Iceland.  These are not optional items, but feel free to leave the tags on the pants just in case.  Due to high winds, I don’t think we ever found umbrellas to be helpful, but we probably brought one or two in hopes that any rain we experienced would not be accompanied by crazy wind.

    Iceland Packing List – Layers

    Layering is key in Iceland.  We purchased base layers from 32 Degrees Heat (check out women’s top and pants and kids’ set).  On cold/wet days, we wore hats, gloves, base layers, shirts, fleeces, rain jacket and rain pants. On warmer and sunnier days, long-sleeved shirts were sufficient, but we generally needed to have a light jacket available.  Even during our trip in June, we wore our heavier coats on occasion when temperatures were in the low 40s with high winds.  With a fleece, rain jacket and heavier coat for each of us, that was a lot of luggage space dedicated to jackets.  The perfect fleece/rain jacket combo could have replaced the heavier coats, but especially after heavy rains, we were very happy to have a dry alternatives.

    Iceland Packing List – Clothes

    We selected clothing items for versatility and quick dry capabilities.  We only brought casual clothes and did not need more formal attire anywhere we went, and the weather was never warm enough for shorts.  Because we wore rain gear and jackets most of the time, our clothes were rarely visible in pictures.  We found we had more changes of clothes than we really needed, especially because we did laundry every few days.

    Iceland Packing List – Shoes

    I had read that waterproof hiking boots were absolutely necessary in Iceland.  We purchased hiking boots for the boys during our local Stride Rite‘s store going out of business sale but discovered on a practice hike that even with additional waterproofing, they did not repel water adequately and chose not to bring them.  With the relatively high cost for each pair of waterproof boots and no plans to do any serious hikes during our trip, we decided not to invest in waterproof hiking boots but brought two pairs of sturdy shoes each.  Our shoes were sufficient, and we didn’t regret not springing for more appropriate footwear that we would likely not use at home.  While visiting the muddy Hverir near Myvatn, we did wish that we had disposable shoe covers that the tour companies clearly were giving out.  Luckily, none of our shoes were destroyed by the mud, but if someone was selling them by the entrance, I probably would have been willing to pay many times their actual value.

    Iceland Packing List – Swimming Gear

    Iceland is not a beach destination, but geothermal pools should not be missed.  Packing for Iceland’s pools is definitely unique, though.  When swimming outdoors in cold temperatures, pool side lounging is not a thing.  Flip flops are not permitted in changing rooms, and the only geothermal pool we saw them used at was the Blue Lagoon.   Even in June, it was too cold to wear them outdoors, so they are really only usable in hotels and at the Blue Lagoon.  Personally, I wish I left our flip flops and also my pool cover up at home.  Floaties are provided at all pools, and I’m not sure if ones brought from home would be permitted.  Also not needed are beach toys.  The black sand beaches are gorgeous, but not the ideal location for sand play.  We brought suits, pool towels and goggles with us.  It was possible to rent suits and pool towels, but the rental cost was equal to the cost of pool admission (and renting suits was not something I would want to do).  Although not typical “swimming gear”, visitors to the Blue Lagoon who want to take pictures while bathing with their mobile phones will want to bring a waterproof case, such as the Lifeproof case, to avoid shelling out some ridiculous amount on site for something similar to a ziplock bag.  We left our phones in the lockers and brought our waterproof camera instead.

    Iceland Packing List – Medicine

    Over the counter medicine is available in Iceland, but not 24/7.  As usual, we brought both children’s and regular ibuprofen and a thermometer but luckily did not need it.

    Iceland Packing List – Food

    Food is widely available but expensive in Iceland.  It’s helpful to pack snacks for the plane and at least food for breakfast upon arrival as most flights get in before groceries open.  Our favorite grocery stores in Iceland were Bonus, Kronan and Netto.

    Iceland Packing List – Stroller/Carrier

    Iceland is not a place to bring a stroller as there is virtually no use for it outside of the Keflavik Airport where free strollers are available.  The terrain in most of the country is just not conducive to stroller use.  In heavy rain, wind or particularly rocky terrain, I carried our toddler in our Beco Baby Carrier, which worked out great.  The only place we could have used a stroller was during our brief visit to Reykjavik’s mall, Kringlan.

    Iceland Packing List – Car Seats

    WOW air permits a free stroller or a car seat for each child under seven.  Because we were not bringing a stroller, we brought a convertible car seat for our daughter. We knew there was a chance that our LATCH system convertible car seat might not work with ISOFIX.  We brought installation instructions for the seat and its safety clips but were pleased that the seat installed perfectly with ISOFIX.  For each of our boys, we brought an inflatable BubbleBum Travel Booster Seat. These fit into our suitcase easily but needed to be re-inflated frequently.

    Iceland Packing List – Miscellaneous

    When traveling to Iceland in the summer, an eye mask may be helpful if sleeping during day light is an issue.  Also, neck pillows are especially helpful for travel on Wow air as the seats do not recline.  We brought our Garmin GPS, which includes European maps.  It was helpful, but we wished we had a good map of Iceland as soon as we arrived.  Also, there were some complications due to the complexity of the Icelandic alphabet, so we wished we needed to record the GPS coordinates of our destinations in advance.

    Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids?  Check out our listing of all Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland and our Iceland Trip Packing List (use tally marks to keep track of what is packed).

  • Attending Mass on Vacation: Our Five Most Memorable Experiences

    Attending Mass on Vacation: Our Five Most Memorable Experiences

    Vacation is often a time when Catholic families forego attending weekly Mass due to inconvenience or lack of familiarity.  However, we make a point of attending Mass when traveling and have had some pretty amazing experiences along the way – even when the service isn’t even in English.  By attending Mass, we have the opportunity to see how Catholics around the world are united by this weekly ritual, which is not something you can generally experience by merely touring a church or cathedral.

    Attending Mass while on vacation requires advance planning, especially when we are traveling with or visiting non-Catholics.  We regularly consult Mass Times online before our trip to find Mass schedules for churches near by our accommodations.  The Mass Times site has helped us locate a services for Easter Mass in Toronto, near a work retreat in Columbus, a few blocks from our friends’ Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan and a newly constructed church in Frederick, Maryland.  One of the most unusual Mass experiences was at Basilica of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando.  The Basilica is not a parish and does not have weekly bulletins but was built to service Catholics tourists.  It’s congregation is almost entirely made of up tourists each week.

    St. John Vianney in St. Pete

    Following our favor of fives, here are the five most memorable Catholic churches we visited around the world.

    #1: Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in Goa

    The time we attended Mass in Goa under the protection of armed guards made me realize that I too often take religious freedom for granted.  We spent Christmas 2006 in Goa, where a terrorist alert was issued indicating that Al Qaeda was targeting the area for an attack on tourists.  The church where we attended Midnight Mass was heavily protected due to the large gathering of Catholics.  Luckily, no attacks occurred, but that truly an unforgettable experience.

    #2: Saint Anthony’s Friary Church and the Holy Ghost Church in Bangalore

    Spending Holy Week in Bangalore was another unforgettable experience.  While Hinduism is the most common religion in India, there are also almost 20 million Catholics.  Holy Week services at our church at home are well attended but the church is not packed.  If you arrive 20 minutes early on Easter Sunday, you are pretty much guaranteed a seat.  The services we attended in India gave “standing room only” a new meaning.  Multiple services are held almost hourly in different languages, and hundreds of chairs are set up outside with large screens live video streaming the Mass.  We attended Holy Week services at Holy Ghost Church and Saint Anthony’s Friary Church.  We arrived at least 30 minutes before each service began to park and then wait outside the doors for the prior service to finish.  As soon as the prior Mass ended, people rush in to find a seat.  Nonetheless, everyone is dressed up and reverent and patient with the large crowds.  The Masses we attended in India were all in English but celebrated with very different music and crowds than we were accustomed to.

    Waiting for Mass

    #3: Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in San Juan

    Attending Mass on vacation often includes language barrier issues.  While honeymooning in Puerto Rico, my husband and I attended Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas and conveniently located in Old San Juan just across the street from our hotel.  The entire Mass was in Spanish, and while we didn’t understand the exact words being said, we could follow along during the readings, songs, prayers and homily.  The service gave us the opportunity to quietly reflect – a rare opportunity in the excitement of the past few weeks.

    The Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Saint John the Baptist

    Our experience in San Juan helped us realize that attending Mass in another language can be quite special as well.  On a recent trip to the D.C. area, the most convenient Sunday Mass for us to attend happened to be in Spanish.  Due to our scheduling Jenga necessary to fit in everything we had planned, we decided that the timing was more important than attending Mass in English.  We forewarned our boys, but our two year old daughter was quite confused and stated rather loudly at a quiet moment of the service that she did not understand what they were saying.

    #4: St. Peter’s Parish in Akureyri, Iceland

    Our visit to St. Peter’s Parish in Iceland was definitely an experience we will never forget.  The entire population of Iceland is only about 330,000, and the country has about 12,000 Catholics, seven Catholic churches and about nine priests.  We were lucky that we stayed in Akureyri, the second largest metropolitan area outside of Reykjavik (with a population of 17,000) because one of the few churches outside Reykjavik is located here.  St. Peter’s is located in a building the size of a house.  The sanctuary was comparable to a large living room and seated maybe 25-30.  The priest flew in from Reykjavik for  Sunday Mass, which was said in Icelandic.  After the service, we were invited to the church hall in the basement for coffee and pastries.  The priest could not attend because he was headed to the airport for another Mass.  Our kids never want to miss our church’s monthly Donut Sunday and were thrilled to find a similar tradition in Iceland.  We sat with a few parishioners and had lovely chats.  My daughter was mesmerized by an older gentleman with a long white beard who she was convinced must be Santa.  We were pretty far north, after all.

    St. Peter’s Parish

    #5: St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City

    We have had some pretty extraordinary experiences even during “typical” English Masses.   While attending Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, my mom and I were fortunate to hear Archbishop Edward Egan say Mass.  Our visit was just a few months after Egan participated in the 2005 papal conclave.  He served as Archbishop until his retirement in 2009 and died a few years later in 2015.

    St. Patrick’s Cathedral
    Archbishop Edward Egan

    When I was leaving for a recent work trip, my daughter reminded me that I needed to go to church in Phoenix.  I wasn’t able to fit Mass into my short, packed, mid-week trip, but was thrilled that she sees travel and Mass to be intertwined.  Our tradition of attending Mass on vacation gives us the opportunity to spend an hour not as tourists but as fellow worshipers.  Despite different songs, prayers and even languages, we are united with Catholics all around the world in our weekly celebration.  This cultural and spiritual experience only enhances our travels.

  • Kids’ Blog: Iceland

    Kids’ Blog: Iceland

    Guest Author:  Our kid blogger, Messi Jr., is a nine year old fourth grader who loves travel and soccer.

    My Iceland trip was awesome.

    Iceland Day 1

    On day one, as soon as my family and I got to the Icelandic airport, everyone was wide awake because we slept the whole flight.  When we got out of the airport, it was very cold and rainy.  My family and I got on the bus that would take us to a place that we would get a rental car.

    On the bus, I saw two strange things.  The first thing that was strange was that out of the window I saw rocks.  Some were the size of pebbles and others were the size of cars.  The rocks were all different shapes, but many were the size of backpacks. There seemed to be millions. And, there were planes and planes of them.  But, they were covered in something.  I didn’t know what it was so I asked my dad what it was, and he said it was moss.  I thought it was very strange, but I could believe it when I saw it.  The other thing I wondered about was the rocks.  When I looked closely, there were many holes.  I recognized it as a lava rock.  I wasn’t surprised since I knew from a book I had read about Iceland that it said that Iceland was formed by volcanos.

    Once we got off the bus, we went to a place where we rented a 4×4 car, which meant it can drive through harsh conditions.  With the car, we drove to the convenience store and bought some food that we ate at the shop for breakfast.  At the store, the Cool One and I both found coins.  The Cool One found a 1 krona coin, and I found a 2 krona coin.  Next, we went to Costco.  At Costco, we bought squeezies for my sister, water bottles for the car, Nutella to put on our bread for breakfast, and rotisserie chicken for our sandwiches.

    Before we ate lunch, we went to the lava tunnel, but the noon tour was full.  For lunch, we went to a nearby town and picked up some very yummy pizza, which we ate in the car heading toward the lava tunnel.  In the lava tunnel, we had to wear headlamps so we could see around the tunnel.  We learned that before headlamps and flashlights, all people saw in the tunnel was pitch black.  The only way you could see was from small holes on the roof.  We also learned that lava once rushed through the tunnel.  My sister was the youngest person to ever go in the tunnel.

    The next thing that we did was we drove, well we tried to drive to Kerid crater, but we drove into another crater.  In that crater, there were many lava rocks. We could also see all the layers of the crater.

    The next stop was Kerid crater.  The cool thing about Kerid is that the deep crater has a lake at the bottom of it.  My dad also said that Kerid was formed 6,500 years ago.  On our way to the apartment, my brother, sister and I took a nap in the car.  I thought that I had slept for the whole night!  We watched some TV, but it was only in Icelandic, so we didn’t understand a thing.  We tried to take a shower, but the drain was plugged, so that made it pretty challenging.  The day ended with everyone having a good night sleep.

    Iceland Day 2

    Once everyone had woken up and dressed up, we went to Seljalandfoss, which is a famous waterfall because you can walk behind it.  Seljalandfoss is a very tall waterfall.  When my family and I walked behind it, we got soaked, but it was worth it because it was amazing.

    As we were driving to Skogafoss, we saw Eyjafalljokul, which is a volcano that erupted a few days after my brother was born, which delayed my grandma from flying back to England.
     
    Once we were at Skogafoss, we saw a huge waterfall, and when the water hit the river it had been forming, mist shot up and formed a huge circle.
    We also saw a huge glacier that turned out to be the biggest glacier outside of the North and South Poles.
     
    In a bird sanctuary, we saw a few puffins.
     
    At Renisjfara beach, the sand was black!  It wasn’t just normal sand, it was volcanic sand!  We also saw a lot of basalt rocks.  There were also strong waves.  My brother, my dad, and I were standing about 2 yards away from where the waves end, then suddenly, a huge wave came and everyone started running, but I tripped over a big rock.  I fell down and before the wave went back in, my dad pulled me out.  I was wet, so I had to change all of my clothes.
     
    As we drove, we passed the beautiful city of Vik, but we didn’t stop.  The next place we went was Vatnajokull, which is the biggest ice cap (other than the North and South poles).  It was a very beautiful sight.
    The next stop was Jokulsaron.  One of the reasons Dad wanted to come to Iceland was to see this site.  Jokulsaron is a lake with icebergs.  The icebergs and lake come from a glacier that was constantly melting.  The ice on the beach was my favorite sight of Iceland.  On the beach, when Dad was taking a picture of my brother and me near the iceberg, as he walked backward to get a good shot of us, he tripped over ice and fell backward.  When he put his hand down to save himself, he went down so hard he broke the thick ice and hurt his hand a lot.
     
     
     We went as fast as we could to Hofn hoping to get to Hofn before the guesthouse closed.  hoped that we would make it in time so we wouldn’t have to sleep in the car.  Luckily, we just made it in time.  For dinner, we had pasta with rotisserie chicken.  Even though we tried our best to keep my sister quiet, she was still very loud.  We eventually got her quiet watching Netflix.  We had a good night of sleep.
    Iceland Day 3
    We woke up in the morning to nice blue skies, which ended up to be a nice, blue, dry, and sunny day.  We woke up so late that by the time my family woke up, everyone else in the apartment had left for the day.  My mom lost her ring that she was very sad about, but it was a good thing she found it later in the trip.  As we drove to Netto, we had an amazing view of a glacier.
    For lunch, we stopped on the side of the road where we saw a bench that overlooked the ocean.  We ate some of the food we bought at Netto.  My sister made a rock collection, which she loved and added to during the trip.  We stopped in a tourist office, and we got even more maps!  Next, we stopped on the side of the road where we saw a stream, and there was a wonderful view of everything around us.  My brother and I skipped a few rocks into the stream.
     
    As we kept driving, near a farm we passed, we saw amazing hovering birds.  My dad took a few photos of them hovering and trying to find food.

    As we kept driving along, we went into two tunnels.  One tunnel was 5 km, and the second tunnel was 6 km!  We stopped at Kronan where we got fish, fish stew, and French fries.  We spent the night in the fishing village of Eskijfordur.  We stayed in a very nice apartment.  For dinner, we had the fish and fish stew with the French fries, and we also had peas, and for dessert, we had ice cream.  But, that still wasn’t the end of the day!

    At 9:30, there was great weather as we were driving to the mine that was famous because it had the most spar crystals in the world.  We saw many animals running across the road.  Some were so close, the car could have ran over them.  Once we got to the walking path, we walked up a big hill seeing thousands and thousands of spar crystals.  The mine shaft was blocked off by the rocks, but there were still many spar crystals.  My sister, brother, and I made a huge spar crystal collection and left it on a rock.

    As we headed to our apartment, we saw the most amazing midnight sun we had seen on the whole vacation.  At end the day, we had a good night sleep.

    Iceland Day 4

    We woke up in the morning and had a quick breakfast.  We had a very quick breakfast because we wanted the maximum time at our first hot pot in Iceland.  It was a very cold day, which is the best pool weather in Iceland because every single pool is heated by natural magma and lava.  My family and I were the only people in the pool.  We all had fun on the slides, and when it was time to go, my sister didn’t want to get out.  The rest of the day all my sister wanted to do was go back in the pool.

    We had lunch in the apartment.  It was raining very heavily, and the sky was very ugly white and gray.  It was still raining, but we drove to Dettifoss, which is a popular waterfall.  On the way, we got gas and looked for reindeer, but we didn’t see a single reindeer.  Dettifoss was one of the best sites we saw in Iceland.  It is amazing how much water comes down.  My sister nearly walked the whole hike by herself to the waterfall.

    The first four days in Iceland were lots of fun.
  • Kids’ Blog: Iceland Highlights

    Kids’ Blog: Iceland Highlights

    Guest Author:  Our kid blogger, “The Cool One”, is a seven year old second grader who loves travel, soccer and piano.

    Three of my favorite things in Iceland were whale watching, Gulfoss waterfall and the Blue Lagoon.

    Whale Watching in Dalvik

    In Iceland, on day five, my family went whale watching in Dalvik.  We went on a boat.  It was a big wooden boat.  It looked like this one:

    There were a lot of people.  We saw a lot of humpback whales.  They were big and blue, and they had a hump on their back.  The whales sprayed water.

     
    I thought that the whale would hit the boat.  I was scared.  Then, we went fishing.  I caught a cod fish.  My brother caught two.
    They cut up the fish on the boat.
    We ate it after.  It was good.  I had fun.
    Gulfoss
    On the seventh day of the Iceland trip, we went to the Gulfoss waterfall.  It was my favorite waterfall in Iceland.  It looked like a cake with two layers.
    We went on a long walk along a path to view Gulfoss.  We saw a rainbow.
    Blue Lagoon
    On the eighth day on the Iceland trip, my family went to the Blue Lagoon.
    On the way to the Blue Lagoon, I saw a part of the lagoon.  It was very blue.
    When we arrived, there was a long line to get in.  When I got in the lagoon, the water was warm.
    Everyone had a silica face mask.  It felt really soft.  We went into a cave.  We made hand prints on the bottom of the bridge.
    I really liked our Iceland trip.  I would like to go back.
  • Visiting Thermal Pools in Iceland

    Visiting Thermal Pools in Iceland

    Bathing outdoors in volcanically heated pools has been a tradition since Viking times.  Thermal pools heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit are available all over the country and relatively inexpensive.  Because the water is so warm, Icelanders enjoy thermal pools all year around.  Geothermal pools in Iceland are significantly less chlorinated than pools in the US because of strict hygiene guidelines and the water is completely replaced about every other day.  Thermal pools in Iceland were definitely a highlight of our trip.

    We loved visiting thermal pools around the country.  Our first thermal pool experience was in Eskifjörður on a 50 degree wet and windy morning.  It was definitely an experience we will never forget and would also definitely do again. We tried all the water slides and the hot tubs (aka hot pots) of varying temperatures.  We had this great idea to break up the journey from Akureyri to Reykjavik by stopping at a thermal pool.  Unfortunately, it turned out that the Laugarbakki pool was “just a hot tub at the moment.”  It would have been helpful to have consulted this listing of Iceland’s pools in advance.

    Thermal Pool Necessities

    You can rent a towel and even a suit at thermal pools, but the cost of rental is equivalent to the cost of admission.  Despite the cost, our preference is always not to rent swimwear, so we each brought one suit and also packed small beach towels to use at the pools.  As a an additional benefit, they also come in handy to dry off on rainy days.

    Flip flops and bathing suit covers are not used in thermal pools.  Also note that use of cell phones and cameras is not allowed.  Thus, I have no pictures of our four visits to public thermal pools.

    Thermal Pool Etiquette

    There is strictly-adhered to pool etiquette regarding hygiene and dry floors.  After paying our entrance fee (which was generally about $20 for our entire family), we received directions on how the lockers work.  Then, we took off our shoes and socks off outside the appropriate locker rooms and left them on the shoe racks or carried them with us in one of the provided bags.   In the locker rooms, we would undress completely and put everything in the locker except our towels and suits.  Then, we would leave the towels on the towel racks by the showers and carry our suits into the shower and hang it on the faucet.  A soap/shampoo combo is provided in the shower area.  Notorious signs identifying “problem areas” to pay attention to are visible in the shower areas of all public pools.  After washing, we would put our suits on and finish rinsing off.  I would then tie up my long hair into a ponytail or bun before heading to the pool and pick up provided arm bands for my daughter to wear.  These were generally available near the pool entrance.

    We would shower again after swimming and make sure to towel dry our hair before entering the changing room.  It is imperative that you do not track water from the shower area into the changing room.  Luckily, most pools have bathrooms in the shower area.  Most pools have centrifugal dryers next to the sinks to spin excess water off of wet suits.  Put one suit in, close the lid and hold it closed for about 10 seconds while the dryer spins.

    Preparing Children for Thermal Pools

    We explained to our boys that showering in a communal shower before swimming was both customary and required at Iceland’s pools well in advance, and it was no issue.  Young children can go into locker rooms with either parent.  Because both my husband and I were always there, the boys went with him, and I took our daughter.  Our toddler needed no forewarning and was completely unaffected about the communal showers, but adding a toddler to the changing room regimen did complicate the process for me on our first visit.

    Blue Lagoon

    The best thermal pool in Iceland is the Blue Lagoon, which is the most popular tourist destination in Iceland and costs significantly more than the public thermal pools and also has slightly different rules.  At check in, we each received a wrist band.  It was important to make sure this did not come off while we were bathing because it can be used to make food and beverage purchases and was also needed to access our lockers.  Several times, guards notified me that my band needed to be tightened.

    Showering naked before bathing (people do not really “swim” in the Blue Lagoon) is required, but there are private shower stalls.  Because of the silica and sulfur in the water, it was important to leave conditioner in our hair while we were in the Blue Lagoon.  Also, there are no towel racks inside the locker rooms; instead, we brought our towel or bathrobe with us and hung it on the hooks outside.  Flip flops are permitted, and children under age eight must wear arm bands.

    Use of cameras and phones remain off limits in the changing rooms, but they are most definitely permitted in the Lagoon itself.  In fact, we saw more cameras in the Blue Lagoon than anywhere else in Iceland.  We used our son’s waterproof camera rather than our phones, but most people had their phones with them in the water.  Waterproof cases are highly recommended and not so surprisingly are rather expensive to purchase on site.

    After we were done bathing, we showered and washed our hair again.  There is a special area in the locker room for drying after your shower that offers Blue Lagoon lotion.

    There are so many opportunities to visit thermal pools in Iceland, and we’re sad that we missed the Secret Lagoon while touring the Golden Circle, but it’s high on our list the next time we visit Iceland. Planning a family trip to Iceland?  Check out our listing of all Iceland posts.

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  • Iceland With Kids: What I Wish I Knew

    Iceland With Kids: What I Wish I Knew

    Our first few hours in Iceland were rough.  Although we read a number of guide books and blogs and asked friends who had traveled with children for advice, we did not find a great resource for families traveling the Ring Road.  Lonely Planet’s Iceland guidebook states, “It may be a good idea to limit yourselves to one part of the island to avoid boredom induced tantrums and frequent bouts of carsickness. Reykjavik is the most child-friendly place simply because it has the greatest variety of attractions and facilities.”  We did not have issues with boredom induced tantrums or motion sickness, and Reykjavik was one of the least exciting destinations for them.  While I believe traveling the Ring Road with children can be an amazing experience, we could have been better prepared for our trip before heading to Iceland with kids.

    We arrived at about 6 a.m. after a six-hour flight. While we had prepared ourselves and the kids for the time change by going to bed and waking up very early in the preceding week and all went to sleep rather quickly on the plane, none of us slept more than six hours. We stepped out of the plane without putting on the fleeces, gloves and hats packed in our backpacks into a cold, damp and windy morning to board our shuttle for the airport.  Herding our luggage to the rental car office was further complicated by our daughter unexpectedly getting sick, twice.

    After completing paperwork and installing the car seats, we plugged our first destination into the GPS to find that it was not identified because our GPS did not have an Icelandic keyboard. GPS coordinates, which we had not recorded, were often necessary.  Also, the helpful Geysir employee who processed our rental warned us that speed limits were strictly enforced by speed camera and police, but when we set out in our car, we found that it was pre-set for miles.

    After heading out of the airport, we decided to pick up something to eat, but the only available option was a convenience store near the airport, which was probably the grocery that was the most expensive with worst selection that we visited in Iceland. It would have been better to eat the protein bars we brought with us, taken a nap in the car and held off shopping until Bonus, Netto or Kronan opened.

    When we visited AAA in preparation for this trip, we found that AAA did not have a map of Iceland or really any helpful tourist information. This was a first for us – we usually rely on AAA to provide backup maps for any road trip.  We hoped to pick up a good map of Iceland at the first visitor’s center we found, but we did not get one until that first evening.  So, we spent that first day in a bit of a sleepy daze and mostly unsure of where exactly we were.

    Early arrival in Iceland after a night of not so great sleep is practically inevitable, and our daughter’s fluke (but luckily short-lived) illness was purely unlucky, but you can substantially ease first day stress by being prepared with your itinerary and all the directions you might need to navigate. If you are using a GPS, try to preset the Icelandic alphabet and kilometers and make sure you have GPS coordinates (which are included here whenever available) pre-programmed and, if possible, a map of the country with you when you arrive.

    It took us a few hours to get organized, but we ended up having a rather astonishing day. From the moment we left the airport, we were in awe of the views we saw along the side of the road.  The purple flowers (Alaskan lupine) growing everywhere were an instant favorite. We made an unscheduled stop at Reykjavik’s first Costco, which had opened only a few weeks earlier, took the Lava Tunnel tour and visited Kerid Crater before stopping for the night.  Our kids were all asleep when we reached our guest house and slept while I made dinner.  When our oldest woke up, he thought he had slept a full night when it was time for dinner.  Despite the late naps and 24 hours of daylight, none of us had trouble sleeping that night (or any other night of our trip, for that matter).

    Want to find out more about Iceland with kids?  Check out our listing of all Iceland posts.

  • Sample Iceland Itineraries With Kids

    Sample Iceland Itineraries With Kids

    After we booked our 10-night trip to Iceland with kids, we were not exactly sure how to divide our time.  I read one guide-book we consulted suggested not to travel the Ring Road with kids because of boredom and carsickness.  Our kids are not prone to either (and certainly loved our Ring Road trip), but I wish we were able to locate suggested Iceland itineraries for families with kids before booking hotels.  Luckily, our guestimated pace worked out great.  My key advice to anyone planning a trip to Iceland for at least three nights is to try to fit in a trip to Jökulsárlón Lake.  I’ve never met an Iceland traveler who wasn’t wowed by this amazing glacial lake.

    Our family spent 10 nights in Iceland and traveled the Ring Road and then ended our trip with 4 nights in Reykjavik that allowed us to take several day trips.  Our itinerary was an extended version of the 9 day trip.  For families planning a trip to Iceland with kids, here are some suggested itineraries to consider:

    Iceland Itinerary 3 Days

    Day 1 – Keflavik Airport and Reykjavik

    • Pre-book at Blue Lagoon in morning to coordinate with your arrival
    • Hallgrímskirkja
    • Shopping in Reykjavik
    • Harpa
    • Baejarins Beztu Pylsur – hot dog stand

    Day 2 – Golden Circle Day (via rental car or pre-booked day tour)

    • Thingvellir National Park
    • Geysir and Strokkur
    • Gullfoss
    • Kerid Crater

    Day 3 – Reykjavik to Airport

    • Shopping in Reykjavik
    • Visit Harbor Area
    • Return to Keflavik Airport

    Iceland Itinerary 4 Days

    Day 1 – Keflavik Airport and Reykjavik

    • Pre-book at Blue Lagoon to coordinate with your arrival
    • Hallgrímskirkja
    • Shopping in Reykjavik
    • Harpa
    • Baejarins Beztu Pylsur – hot dog stand

    Day 3 – Golden Circle Tour (via rental car or pre-booked day tour) Stay in Vik

    • Thingvellir National Park
    • Geysir and Strokkur
    • Gullfoss
    • Kerid Crater
    • Seljalandfoss Waterfall

    Day 3 – Vik to Reykjavik

    • Reynisfjara Beach
    • Dyrhólaey
    • Sólheimajökull Glacier
    • Skogafoss Waterfall
    • Eyjafjallajökull Volcano

    Day 4 – Reykjavik to Airport

    • Shopping in Reykjavik
    • Visit Harbor Area
    • Return to Keflavik Airport

    Iceland Itinerary 5 Days

    Day 1 – Travel from Keflavik Airport to Vík, stay in Vík

    • Seljalandfoss Waterfall
    • Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
    • Skogafoss Waterfall
    • Sólheimajökull Glacier
    • Dyrhólaey

    Day 2 – Travel to Jökulsárlón Lake and back to Vík (many tourists do not travel East of Vík, but you will really be missing out if you do not see Vatnajökull Glacier and Jökulsárlón Lake, which were absolute highlights of our trip).

    • Reynisfjara Beach
    • Vík
    • Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
    • Vatnajökull Glacier
    • Jökulsárlón Lake
    • Return to Vík

    Day 3 – Travel from Vík to Golden Circle to Reykjavik

    • Thingvellir National Park
    • Geysir and Strokkur
    • Gullfoss Waterfall
    • Kerið Crater

    Day 4 – Reykjavik

    • Hallgrímskirkja
    • Shopping in Reykjavik
    • Sun Voyager sculpture
    • Harpa
    • Baejarins Beztu Pylsur – hot dog stand

    Day 5

    • Pre-book at Blue Lagoon in morning to coordinate with your departure
    • Return to Keflavik Airport

    Iceland Itinerary 7 Days

    Expand on the 5 Day Trip by extending stays in Reykjavik and Vík adding on whale watching, lava tunnel tour, a day-trip to Snaefellsnes Peninsula, visit to Reykjanes Peninsula and Bridge Between Two Continents in Reykjanes, Laki crater or a show at Harpa. 

    Iceland Itinerary 9 Days 

    Day 1 – Travel from Keflavik Airport to Vík, stay in Vík

    • Seljalandfoss Waterfall
    • Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
    • Skogafoss Waterfall
    • Sólheimajökull Glacier
    • Dyrhólaey

    Day 2 – Travel from Vík to Höfn

    • Reynisfjara Beach
    • Vík
    • Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
    • Vatnajökull Glacier
    • Jökulsárlón Lake
    • Höfn

    Day 3 – Travel to Egilsstadir or Eskifjörður

    • Picnic lunch along ocean
    • Spar Crystal Mine (Eskifjörður)

    Day 3 – Travel to Husavík

    • Eskifjörður pool
    • Dettifoss Waterfall

    Day 4 – Husavík Whale Watching and Myvatn

    • Whale watching tour
    • Myvatn Lake area
    • Stay in Myvatn (if you can find accommodation) or in Akureyri (stopping at Godafoss en route)
    • Goðafoss Waterfall

    Day 5 – Akureyri

    • Goðafoss Waterfall
    • Explore Akureyri – shops and Akureyrarkirkja
    • Akureyri Thermal Pool
    • Back up day for whale watching in Dalvík or Husavík in case of inclement weather on Day 4 or Myvatn Lake area if you did not have sufficient time on Day 4

    Day 6 – Travel to Reykjavik

    • Travel to Reykjavik
    • Laudardalslaug Thermal Pool

    Day 7 – Golden Circle

    • Thingvellir National Park
    • Geysir and Strokkur
    • Gullfoss
    • Kerið

    Day 8 – Reykjavik

    • Hallgrímskirkja
    • Shopping in Reykjavik
    • Harpa
    • Baejarins Beztu Pylsur
    • Sun Voyager sculpture

    Day 9 – Airport

    • Blue Lagoon (pre-booking required)
    • Bridge Between Two Continents – Reykjanes

    Iceland Itinerary for a Longer Trip 

    Expand on the 9 Day Trip by extending stays in Reykjavik and Vík adding on whale watching, lava tunnel tour, a day-trip to Snaefellsnes Peninsula, etc. 

    Find Out More about Visiting Iceland With Kids

    Continue to Iceland Part X – What I Wish I Knew or check out our listing of all Iceland with kids posts.

  • Things to Do in North Iceland

    Things to Do in North Iceland

    We traveled from East Iceland through the highlands to reach North Iceland, which is known for whale watching, Lake Myvatn and waterfalls. The largest metropolitan area in Iceland outside of Reykjavik is Akureyri, which is located on a fjord in North Iceland.  Some of our favorite things to do in North Iceland include:

    North Iceland Waterfalls

    Waterfalls are among the many highlights of Northern Iceland.  During our three days in Northern Iceland, we saw three stunning waterfalls – Dettifoss, Hafragilsfoss and Gulfoss.

     

    Dettifoss Waterfall in North Iceland

    Dettifoss Waterfall  is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River, within the Vatnajökull National Park. The milky-gray water comes from the Vatnajökull Glacier. There is about a 10-15 minute walk on a gravel path with steps from the parking lot to the overlook.   We really enjoyed the Dettifoss hike and viewing this powerful waterfall from the top.  65°48′52.8″N 16°23′04.1″W

    • Dettifoss Waterfall Facts:  The stunning Dettifoss falls are 330 feet wide and drop 144 feet down to the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon
    • Dettifoss Waterfall Kid Moments:  Count the steps leading down to the waterfall to make the journey more exciting
    • Dettifoss Waterfall Kid Caution:  The walk to the falls was more strenuous than most, but our two year old did most of it by herself.  The view of Dettifoss is from above, and it is an extremely powerful waterfall.  I held my two younger children’s hands at all times and left the picture taking of Dettifoss entirely to my husband.  Make sure children stay well back from the edge, especially on a windy day.

     

    Hafragilsfoss Waterfall in North Iceland

    Hafragilsfoss is a waterfall just downstream from Dettifoss. 65°49′57″N 16°24′00″W

    • Hafragilsfoss Kid Caution:  We visited Dettifoss and Hafragilsfoss on a particularly windy day, and the hike up to the Hafragilsfoss viewing area was steep with cliff edges.  So, I chose to stay in the car with the kids while my husband took hiked up to view the falls and take a few pictures.

     

    Godafoss Waterfall in North Iceland

    Godafoss Waterfall in Iceland is a beautiful waterfall with amazing rock formations surrounding it located right on the Ring Road between Myvatn and Akureyri. It is considered the “Beauty” to Dettifoss’ “Beast.” 65°40′48″N 17°32′24″W

    • Godafoss Falls Facts:   Goðafoss means “waterfall of the gods” and was named by Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi Thorkelsson, who made Christianity the official religion of Iceland in 999 or 1000.  At that time, he threw his pagan statues into Godafoss.  A window in Akureyrarkirkja illustrates this story.

     

    Places to Visit in North Iceland

    Husavík, Iceland

    Husavík is an idyllic fishing village known for whale watching.  Whale watching in Husavik is so popular because visitors are more likely to see different species of whales than any other whale watching destinations in Iceland.  The humpback is the most commonly viewed whale in Iceland, but tourists in Husavik often see other types of whales.

    Photo credit Asa Brandis from Pixabay

    We spent a night at an adorable apartment right near the harbor specifically to take a whale watching.  The three whale watching tour providers in Husavik are:  Gentle Giants, Salka Whale Watching and North Sailing.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us, and whale watching tours were cancelled due to weather.  We thought about trying to ride out the storm, but the radar did not look favorable, so we headed to the Myvatn area instead. It was wet and rainy the whole time we were there, but the view was still beautiful.  We picked up take out fish and chips and ate in our apartment.

    Photo credit:  Christian Klein from Pixabay

     

    Lake Myvatn

    Lake Myvatn is a pretty significant tourist area with many attractions. There is a tourist office in Reykjahlid next to the supermarket that offers great maps of the area and advice.  We spent an entire day in Lake Myvatn, and families with more time in Northern Iceland could easily spend longer exploring the beautiful natural wonders surrounding Lake Myvatn.

    • Dimmuborgir is a lava field with volcanic caves and unusually shaped rocked collections. There are paved and unpaved, kid-friendly trails that our family particularly enjoyed exploring. There is a tourist center with a gift shop and restaurant located off of the parking lot.  The Dimmuborgir area was formed about 2300 years ago by a collapsed lava tube where lava pooled over a small lake.  Lava pillars were formed by vapor that rose through the lava.  “Dimmu” means “dark”, and  “borgir” means “castles.”   Our kids were amazed that Dimmuborgir’s geology is so unique that the only similar locations exist on the ocean floor. 65°35′25″N 16°53′58″
    Dimmuborgir

     

    • Holfdi Viewpoint is a peninsula that stretches into Lake Myvatn. There are a number of hiking trails in this forest. We took the one that went up to the overlook and saw more trees on this hike than anywhere else in Iceland. It was buggy, but none of us were actually bitten.

     

    • Grjótagjá consists of two portals into a small lava cave that each have a thermal spring filled with blue water that used to be a popular location for swimming, but the water temperature has risen after volcanic eruptions and is now too hot. Apparently, the temperature is falling, and there are times when it is safe for people to enter, but no one was in the water during our visit.  Grjótagjá was closed in the summer of 2018 to protect it from damage and may not be open to visitors.
      • Grjótagjá Facts:  Kids may be interested that Grjótagjá was the filming location of an iconic Game of Thrones scene, but the actual scene is not kid-friendly.
      • Kid Caution:  The climb in is a bit steep, but our seven and nine year old boys had no difficulty.  We chose not to bring in our toddler due to the risk of hot water.
    Grjótagjá

     

    • Hverir is a large geothermal field of bubbling mud pools, steaming fumaroles and cracked mud that seems right out of Star Wars. It was the muddiest part of our trip, and many tourists had those blue shoe coverings, which I was a bit envious of for the first time in my life. The kids enjoyed exploring but wished there was some way to cover up the sulfuric smell (like rotten eggs). While Yellowstone’s geothermal area is more extensive, Hverir is unique in that you feel like you are truly visiting another planet.   Hverir is a great place to talk about what it would be like to live on another planet.
      • Hverir Facts:  A fumarole (meaning “smoke”) is an opening in the Earth’s crust often found near volcanoes that emits steam and gases.
    Mud pools

    Akureyri, Iceland

    Akureyri in Iceland boasts a population of 18,000, which makes it the largest metropolitan area outside of Reykjavik and the fourth largest municipality (after Reykjavík and two of its surrounding municipalities).  Akureyri is a quaint town located on the Eyjafjörður fjord. We stayed at an AirBNB in the center of town, around the corner from the Lutheran church, Akureyrarkirkja. There are a few shopping streets, similar to those around Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik. There are also both Chinese and Thai restaurants and Indian takeaway. You can go whale watching in Akureyri, but most people choose to go in Dalvík or Husavík. We also visited the Akureyri Thermal Pool, just outside the center of town. We had a lovely time even though construction was underway on slides at the time of our visit.

    • Akureyri Facts:  Guðjón Samuelsson, the State Architect who designed Hallgrímskirkja also designed Akureyrarkirkja, which was completed in 1940.  Akureyrarkirkja contains a 3,200 pipe organ, and its central window above the altar came from Canterbury Cathedral in England.
    Harbor view from our AirBNB
    Akureyrarkirkja

    Whale Watching in North Iceland

    Because our whale watching trip in Husavik was rained out, we opted to go whale watching in Dalvik, Iceland the next day  Dalvik is a town located on the Eyjafjörður fjord north of Akureyri that offers whale watching. We chose to do a tour through Artic Sea Tours because of Dalvík’s proximity to Akureyri and because the tours include a fishing portion, which interested my sons. My daughter had just woken up from a nap when we arrived at the office and was not happy about the red jumpsuit she was offered to wear.  Although she had never before had an issue with the color of clothing, she yelled, “But red is not my favorite color!” for about 10-minutes straight on the bus we took to the boat.  Luckily, the others in our tour were highly amused, and she ultimately decided that putting on the red jumpsuit was a wise choice.  The humpback whales were amazing, and the views of the Eyjafjörður fjord were breathtaking. We particularly enjoyed bird watching. Near the end of the tour, fishing rods are distributed, and all fish caught are cleaned and grilled upon your return to be shared by the members of the tour. My boys caught a total of three large cod, which they enjoyed possibly as much as seeing humpback whales. Our picnic afterwards included the freshest fish we had ever tasted.

    Many Iceland visitors miss North Iceland, but we were glad it was part of our itinerary!  On our trip back to Reykjavik, we ignored our GPS’ suggestion to divert from the Ring Road and immediately shaved an hour of time off our journey.

    Continue Iceland Part IX – Suggested Itineraries or check out a listing of all of our Iceland with kids posts.