One year ago from today I did the most insane things I have ever done. I boarded a plane to Iceland BY MY SELF!

Rewind a couple of months…

I was clicking through some emails when I noticed a LivingSocial deal for a trip to Iceland (flights included!) for cheap. I knew SL and my BFF Zanna wouldn’t be able to go due to the date restrictions and I couldn’t think of anyone else who would book the trip on a whim with me so I did it. And just like that, I was going to Iceland by myself.

Fast forward again…

I boarded my flight to Iceland after work and prayed for the best. I realized there was probably a 50/50 chance that I would end up lost in a foreign land, ALONE, once the flight landed. To my surprise, I landed, immediately found the appointed tour guide and hopped on a bus to Reykjavik. It was snowy  but not too cold. We arrived at the hotel and were allowed to check in early.

We had a scheduled walking tour around Reykjavik shortly after checking in so I quickly got myself together (after the overnight flight) and headed back to the lobby to meet up with the group.

One thing I noticed is that the city has a ton of statues. There were very interesting statues everywhere I turned!

After the walking tour, I set out to explore more on my own. My first stop was a local book store where I hopped on their Wi-Fi and emailed the fam to let them know I was home safe. I meant to do it at the hotel but I was too excited. Next, I headed to Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland.

It was gorgeous on the inside and had the massive organ type instrument I have every seen. They were taken donations to help fund the upkeep costs of the instrument so I dropped some of my Icelandic coins in the pot. I still have no idea how much I threw in there. I paid a few bucks to take a rickety elevator to the top of the church. It was well worth it! You can see the whole city of Reykjavik and more from the top.

Reykjavik is the cutest little city ever! It is also really clean. I never once saw a piece of trash on the street. A few friends I met on the group joked one day about how little cleaning elves must come out at night and clean!

More views…

I wanted to stay up there all day but it was all open and therefore FREEZING and super windy! All of Iceland was actually super windy. Being as cold as I was, there was only one logical place to go for lunch…Noodle Station for some pho!

I got beef pho with extra sprouts and it warmed me right up! Just looking at the yummy bowl makes me want to go back ASAP! Even if just for the pho!

After my solo excursion, it was back to the hotel to meet up with the group for happy hour. This was a great way to get to know everyone over a few drinks. From there, a group of us made plans to go to dinner together. With help from our guide, we headed down the street to a seafood restaurant.

It was here that I did something I will probably never do again. I tried whale and it tasted like fishy steak.

Not awesome but my fish and soup were amazing!

My plastic cup wine was also lovely!

After dinner and a few drinks I went back to the hotel for a good night rest.

The next day was fully booked with more Iceland fun! Look out for Iceland: Day 2 tomorrow!