Pastel the Traveling Pug

1. Day 7 in Iceland: Spending Time in the East Fjords I woke up to the beauty of the view of the lake through the window. The lake was bright blue and still, and the friendly evergreen trees stood tall. The sun sparkled over nature as it welcomed in a new morning. We got out of bed and dressed up. Since we did not have any scheduled activity today and we did not have many objectives, today would be more relaxed. We ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then returned to our rooms to finish packing. Before checking out from the hotel, we went to the backyard to gaze at the lake. That was my dream backyard, for sure! Gisela checked us out and then we went to the car to load up our belongings. Before heading to Hallormsstaður Forest, we went to Netto, a discount grocery store, to buy some snacks for the road. Since we were out and about seeing objectives, it was good to have some filling snacks like crackers and cheese so we would not go hungry. Gisela drove us to Netto in Egilsstaðir...

1. Day 6 in Iceland: A Day Full of Surprises After we ate a quick buffet breakfast, Gisela checked us out from Laxá Hótel in the wee hours of the morning, and we loaded our luggage into the car. Since we had 45 minutes to get to Húsavík and we needed to get there half an hour before 9 (the whale-watching tour started at 9 and we needed to get there half an hour in advance), the family nominated Gisela's dad to drive instead of Gisela. Her dad could drive faster to get us there on time. Gisela refused to break the law because she didn't want to pay a fine or go to court, so she permanently drove at the speed limit in Iceland. I also feel the police are harsher towards younger drivers than middle-aged or old ones. The good thing about Iceland is you never have to worry about traffic because it is sparsely populated. I did a morning meditation for most of the car ride. Then we arrived in Húsavík, and I saw that it was a charming coastal town with mountains in the backdrop of the c...

1. Day 5 in Iceland: The Mystic Mysteries of the North We woke up sweaty from being wrapped in blankets. The air in the hotel room was still cold, so we quickly changed into our winter clothes for the day. Then, we went to the hotel's ground floor for the breakfast buffet. It was in the same area as that 7-course meal restaurant. The area was small and crowded, but we found a four-person table. The breakfast food was pretty good, but Gisela said that her coffee with coconut milk tasted like mushroom juice for some reason. She was disgusted. Then, she grabbed a new coffee with almond milk, which tasted better. After breakfast, we wanted to explore the city of Akureyri and buy waterproof pants from 66 Degrees North, a famous Icelandic store selling winter gear. The store was not open yet, so we walked around the Old Town and admired the cute European fairytale town. We also learned we were in the commercial square, Kaupvangstorg, which was constructed in 1905 and became the town cent...