Iceland

To attract visitors, Iceland allows you to stay over during travel without extra cost so on our way to the US we stayed over a day to visit the sites. It was SO COLD but really so much fun!

Our first stop was to see where the tectonic plates are drifting apart. It is supposedly the only place you can see this above sea level. All we gathered from the experience was that it was really cold. :) The kids found snow in the parking lot to play with. I think that was the highlight of this stop. :)

But we kept driving up and up. It was just white everywhere and then this little black road winding through the horizon. It was absolutely beautiful and such a stark contrast to Mali.

It felt like we were just driving into the bright lights people talk about at the end of life. :) There was nothing but white.

We made it to Geysir, which is literally the hot springs that coined the term geyser. It was incredible. It erupts every 15 minutes or so. You could see the water bubbling up and then going back down and then all of the sudden, it would blow up and warm water would cover us all. Kids and adults alike squealed in delight. It really was incredibly fascinating.

Our camera wasn't working well, thus the lack of color, but this was at the falls which were huge and breathtaking. I don't think even if our camera was working properly that it could adequately capture the beauty here.

Holding on tight to a girl who wanted to get way too close too often to the edge of the cliff.

Our kids have really been blessed to see so many fascinating places in the world. Living in Africa allows access to Europe so easily (and at low cost) so we are able to enjoy many of God's creations. These boys are super blessed.

Our final stop was Kerio crater lake. Again, very incredible to see. 

Haven was in full force ready to be two (we flew home the next day on her second birthday). She refused to wear her jacket for quite awhile.

The morning before we flew out we went to the Blue Lagoon which is a huge geothermal spa. Even though it is cold outside you can swim in the hot springs. You also can put on a silica (a natural substance found in the springs) mud mask that was supposedly supposed to make your face feel so soft. It was fun for all of us to put on. I guess it made our skin softer. :)

Haven was totally against getting in the springs at first as walking around in a bathing suit in freezing weather is not very appealing, especially when you are then put in hot (comparatively) water. But she came to love it and never wanted to get out.

A funny experience for us as Americans was that you had to shower nude before and after the time in the water. You were also supposed to walk from your locker to the shower without anything on or in hand (I did not follow this rule). I laughed as you could quite easily spot the Americans verses the Europeans who were much more used to this kind of activity. It was quite a learning experience for the boys. :)

Another funny experience there was that we met a worker who was from West Africa. It was so fun to meet him and talk with him. He loved it too, apparently, because for the rest of our time he kept bringing us slushies and fruit and various other snacks from the snack bar which the kids loved as we had told them everything was way too expensive to buy. :) Fun to meet an African friend in cold, cold Iceland. :)

It was a short visit to Iceland but packed full of fun and neat sites so see. Brett is so great at planning things out and making the most of our moments. Hopefully we will be able to stop through again sometime when we travel. We all enjoyed it so much.