Vik

These churches are scattered all over Iceland.  I think they're so picturesque.  We learned that during the Christmas season, they put lit crosses at each grave which I think is a really neat way to think about family during the season.

We went into Vik for some food and entertainment before calling it a night.  We had a little time to kill before dinner and as we drove around town we found a balloon jump at a playground.  Naturally we all scrambled out of the car to go play and play.  

Dinner was at Black Crust Pizza.  They've infused their crust with charcoal and it was some of the best pizza I've literally ever had in my life!

Jeremy and I made a quick stop at an Icewear shop to look for souvenirs, and while we were inside the security system activated and all of the security doors lowered locking us inside. The weirdest part of it all was that even with the alarms blaring and the doors locked, no one seemed the least bit concerned.  I had no idea how long we were going to be locked in, but it was so bizarre!  Luckily it was only for about five to ten minutes, but the kids didn't even notice!

Iceland is the land of fire and ice.  We've seen plenty of ice, now it's time to see some fire!  We purchased tickets to the lava show and while I was a little worried it was going to feel gimmicky, it was shockingly informational and entertaining.  I learned things about how lava reacts to ice and water that I had no idea about.  The lava was actual lava collected from the lava fields right outside the city.  When it entered the room it was hot!  We watched it flow, we watched it cool down.  The host pulled out a long pole and even played with it a bit to show us all the things it could do. It was so cool!

After we scavenged the floor for pieces of abandoned lava we went hunting for our next accommodation. This home was absolutely adorable.  There was a loft for the girls, bunk beds for the boys, and hot tub on the front porch.  After a nice, warm soak, all of us were wondering if it would be possible to just stop traveling for a day and relax and this place a little longer than planned.

That night before we went to bed we checked the forecast for the Northern Lights.  Seeing them was on of the biggest goals of this trip.  They are really hard to predict and don't last very long, so seeing them is as much luck as anything else.  Since there was a small chance we could see them this night, Jeremy stayed awake to stay on watch.  It didn't take long before he called us all out of bed because they were here.  They were a beautiful green glow on the horizon.  There were moments where you could see the spikes and darker ribbons of light.  It was generally a calmer showing, but when you've been dreaming of seeing them your whole life it is still magical. 

 

All of us completely bundled because it was cold out there!

Vik Memories

Cambrie: The pizza was really good.  I like basically the entire pizza.  I knew everyone was supposed to get three slices, but I ate an entire pizza. So that’s my bad guys.

Kelton: I loved playing king of the hill but Cambrie was kind of mean. She kept shoving us off. Sometimes we pushed her off, but then she always came back up.  

Daxton: I loved that balloon thing, but I kept falling off it.

Lava Show Memories

Jeremy: I was surprised how much I enjoyed the lava. It made me want to make my own lava show in Hawaii.

Kelton: The lava show was so cool. I wish we went to see another lava show.  It was awesome.  I want to play with lava.  They really should let under-age kids like us play with lava.

McKenzie: That was super cool.  It was a different experience than seeing melted glass.  It was legit lava so you could feel the heat it was awesome.  I took a little piece home with me.

Cambrie: Lava was cool.

 

Northern Lights Memories

Jeremy: When I heard there was a chance for northern lights I was staying up no matter what to find some. It was so cold. I scavenged through the outdoor barn to look for chairs to sit on and things I could keep warm with.

McKenzie: The first set of northern lights were not as good because you could barely see them.  Also, I was tired.  I thought the colors were really cool.  Also, that house was amazing.  It was such a quaint little house and I would definitely stay there again.

Kelton: The hot tub was great. The northern lights weren’t that bright so they weren’t that great in real life.

Daxton: It was really cool.  I liked when the sculpture broke.  It sounded like breaking glass.  Also, the lava was really bright.  I thought we would die because we were so close. You could feel the room heating up like our personal heater.

I liked how we slept in a bunkbed.  The coats made it look like there was an alien on the wall.