Four Viking chicks go on a trip.

Where do I even start? What a fantastic trip! I just got back from the land of the Vikings with three very awesome women. We toured through Iceland and Norway and were in constant awe at the endless beauty of both countries. Upon first reflection, I found the people of Iceland to be very friendly, the land to be a mixed bundle of topography, and the water and air as clean as it gets. Norway was a carpet of green hills, more urban, more expensive than anywhere I’ve ever been, and quite lovely and rich in culture and history.

To get a full snapshot of these two countries we ended up taking quite a few trains, busses, minibuses, vans, airplanes, and taxis. We were pretty impressed with the public transportation system in Norway—having experienced how they find fast and suitable solutions for getting people where they need to go even when tracks are out due to construction, accidents, and random sheep crossings.

People keep asking me about the highlights and I just don’t know where to start. Each day brought new discoveries, new friends, new beautiful sights to behold. I love to travel the world and see all that God has created. I’m going to write a series about our trip so that anyone who is interested in traveling to these charming countries can hopefully get a feel of what to do, not do, or do again and again! I also will have to write on my company’s blog about the marketing side of this trip. I think the character of the Icelanders mixed with a bit of luck (so to speak) of a volcano erupting and catching the eye of the world, gave them an opportunity to sell themselves. I definitely bought into it and now have become a net promoter! Gooooooo Vikings!

If you have traveled to these countries and would like to share your experiences here, please do. The more perspectives the better. And maybe some extra laughs I may have forgotten about. Let’s get started!

Pre Day One

I drive up to the parent’s house and drop off the Grendel dog. Grendel would have done very well in Iceland—land of the sagas. His name is taken from an ancient tale that has some resemblance to the sagas. And completely off topic but something to note as I weave the tale of this journey, my right ankle is encased in a boot—to help me walk and heal a hairline fracture. Yup, going on a hiking type of trip with a bum leg. Oh well.

Day One

Meet Amy at the Philly airport and cruise up to Boston. We find the Moossachusets Cows and are already laughing. Butter and Jen arrive at about the same time and we are off to check in at the Icelandair counter. Upon arrival in Iceland, we stop to take a photo of the dinosaur coming out of an egg, get some booze at the duty free shop (they don’t sell alcohol in shops like we do), and then hop a bus for Reykjavik and arrive at Inga’s Guest House at about 1 a.m. It’s still light out but I note for the girls that “Sunrise is at 3 a.m.” Amy laughs and says, “You mean in two hours?” Yup. Awesome. Inga’s beds are comfy and we love our rented apartment so close to downtown! Next up, touring quaint Reykjavik.