Iceland Day 5: Justin Bieber Fangirl, Diamonds are a Boy's Best Friend, Happy 44th to Brady!, and Cory and Shireen are Competitive

 When we decided on Iceland as our group destination, I started watching hiking videos and Iceland tips/tour videos during my Peloton rides. Justin Bieber's 2015 music video, "I'll Show You" also popped up early on, and I got a little fangirl and plugged it into our shared map.  I knew the underwear swim would never happen but I could hardly wait for the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon.  We learned they closed it down in 2019 because of all the fangirls and fanboys streaming into also shoot pictures swimming in frigid water in their whitey-tighties.  We also learned that the roll-in-the-moss footage was an absolute no-no because it can take 100 years to restore after being trampled.  The canyon was open and clearly a stop for every traveler in Iceland.  There were cords blocking cliffs and signs guiding hikers--both things we can appreciate but which certainly detract from the natural landscape.

Kristen's shirt means, "Make a Wish."

Next up, a long drive to Diamond Beach, where we joined the rest of the Iceland Tour groups.  But it is irresistible.  How could we not join the masses to explore the black sand beach littered with iceberg?  We were there for hours and the boys could not help themselves with the photographer's dream canvas.

Sitting on the berg: not so comfy but after watching influencers take hundreds of photos, we felt like we should join the fun.

We watched as the iceberg chunks raced down to the ocean, flipping and rolling, joining the seal who also paddled upstream for a straight hour.

Cory wanted us to all know that Brett was not the sole owner of a wool sweater.

Ísland: the Icelandic word for their country.

We walked up to the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon, the deepest lake in Iceland with icebergs composed of 1,000 year old ice.  

That red jacket and smile...

Love the blue and black striations.

The girls ended up in quite a few photos and the boys did not.

Not pictured: the tour groups in orange kayaks.

Rachel taught us the .5 selfie trick.  Attempting to make her proud.

Message for the kids:

As we were about to leave, I ran ahead and wrote a birthday message in the sand, forgetting that Brady was turning 43....NOOO!

We rushed back to Múlaglijúfur Canyon, agreeing to hike as far as possible and be back to the car in time to finish our 5 hour drive and check into our Hotel.  The hike for the best views of Hangandifoss was a little over 5 miles, so we knew we had to cook it for good views.  Thankfully, we left the crowds at Diamond Beach and had the hike to ourselves for the most part.  The views into the canyon were stunning and well worth the effort to hike up, up, up.  With the deadline rapidly approaching, we made record time.

Kristen's shirt means, "Make a Wish":

Birthday Selfie!

This was my favorite hike.

No guard rails here.  So much prettier.

Brady and Kristen cooked up to a higher elevation, and I chased after them.  We thought we could catch up with group on the way down, but never did!  Cory, Shireen, and Brett ran down the mountain, even with the ACL tear and the RA.  Unreal!  It turns out they are wildly competitive.

Note Cory's wool sweater.  Also note that hiking in wool is hot.

We finished with minutes to spare and made it to our Hofn hotel just in time to check in.  This hotel was the night we slept in triplet twin beds--boys in one room and girls in the other.  They had a bizarre, gigantic shower room and I borrowed all of Shireen's products for the most luxurious shower of my life.  Next we explored Hofn while waiting on our table, shocked by children playing at a waterpark in the chilly temps.

Our restaurant had the best service from our favorite server of the trip, and after deliberating and deciding against the $60/70 lobster, ended up bringing us a platter of it from the kitchen at no charge.

Birthday Dinner!

Birthday lobster!

Finished things off with this lava dessert (C and K), a birthday brownie, and a birthday rainbow.

The best thing about traveling where the sun never stops is going on outings after we shut down a restaurant at 11pm.  We drove over to Vestrahorn, hoping for a glimpse of the cliffs which were shrouded in mist and cloud cover.  Driving back to the hotel, we did get a spectacular sky.

Happy Birthday, babe.

Quote It:

"Uh oh."  Shireen when there is oncoming traffic in our lane and we are approaching fast.

S: "Go find another iceberg to see on your boat."  (The orange kayaks littering the lagoon.)

S: "I'm so sad it's gone."  (Dinner)

Me asking our very friendly server about a site she recommends, "Does the Viking scene have a hike?"

Brett at Diamond Beach, "Luckily, no one else is here."

Cory: "The need for layers has never been stronger than in Iceland."

Shireen: "Who knew it would be too hot for a wool sweater whilst hiking?"

S: "The waterfall looks brown today.  Or is it just the window?"

Kristen: "Shireen is so good at making fun of people."

Me: "Brett has a Vidangel filter."

Brett throws strawberry rubbish and hits my closed window.

I panic about a "tick" on my pants and then in the car and after talking about how similar Kate is to me.  Kristen: "At this point I think we should all be glad Kate is not at OFY."