New Year New Me New Location

When we got back to the Airbnb New Year's Day, we had discovered to Icelandic locals standing on the porch smoking cigarettes. They greeted us briefly, and then we decided we were going to retire to get in early start on the day. After talking to my travel companion, I decided that this would be foolish, considering that we may never get another chance to meet and party with Icelandic locals, let alone on the first day of the new year. So as I eavesdropped on the door that separated the guest house from the main house, I discovered that they were actually talking about us, saying that the only excitement we had left was to go back to boring old western Pennsylvania. I immediately messaged the caretaker on Facebook, and he came down and collected us. Stating that they were going to play Cards Against Humanity. I was upstairs and a heartbeat, dragging my friend not too far behind. And all of us did exactly that, drinking, playing games, sharing stories about America just after 8 a.m. in the morning.

Considering that we slept in way too late after that, it was going to get dark soon, and we didn't have much daylight to do much of anything. We decided that we would use this time to get a head start on the Golden Circle, first descending upon thing volvox in, the Scenic Lake and the center of the country. We paid the $8 parking fee at Þingvellir National Park, admired the frozen lake, the mountains around us, and the very beautiful and warm gift shop. The first stop on the Golden Circle, it was absolutely worth visiting, especially so close to dusk when the magic hour had occurred.

At the edge of the park.

And did I mention that Iceland is very fond of their elf history? Our next destination was hellisgerdi, the elf capital of Iceland. It was a small Park located and hafnarfjordur, 20 minutes will it Reykjavik. Although we didn't see any dwarves or elves, as Laura had dictated they're being, we did feel a strange presence. This Scenic Botanical Garden did not feel isolated at all. That being said, although I do not necessarily believe in elves, they're very well might have been a presence there that had seen us, even though we did not see them.

At this point in our journey, we decided to go back to the Airbnb, fixing up some food for the first time in our entire trip. As dinner was cooking, I felt the need to go out and get some fresh air. So, I went outside and went for an hour long walk along the beach. I laid on the side of a hill for a couple of minutes, gazing into the moon and stars as they gaze back upon me. I looked out at the city lights, the roving light of the lighthouse, the crashing waves along the beach front, and this is where it really hit me that I was actually in Iceland. My phone died, and I found nothing but bliss, knowing that I was the only one in that moment and the world who knew where I was. It was a very contemplative and reflective night, and one that I will never forget. This is the beginning of a new year, and the beginning of a potential new me, and it all started in a very new location.