Honeymoon, Pigmostyle :) Warning ** Photo Heavy **

[Desmo]

WOW!!! It's the first word that springs to mind after our week away. It was just so amazing see so many different things in what was only a week but felt like a lot longer time away.

A massive THANK YOU from us both for all the wedding contributions that made it possible. Without them, many of our excersions possibly wouldn't have happened. Sinead and I felt a little awkward counting money, it just seemed a little wrong. But then I thought about it and what people had really done was bought us memories.....so these are what I'd like to share with you in this thread

I made a mini diary whilst we were away, something I've never done before, trying to capture some of the smaller details that I seem to forget about things I do. I'm adding in more details and a few pics along the way.


Iceland
Day 1 - Tuesday 25th

Our flight out of Heathrow was fine. We left on time without a hitch on our three hour journey North to Iceland. We landed in Keflavik, about 40 minutes from Reykjavic. Iceland just seems to be full of large rocky land with roads through it, almost like they just steamrollered some pathways through the land. One thing I did notice is that the people seem very open, as you drive through towns the lights are on and curtains are open, not like at home where we shut ourselves away. We had a quick look in town to get some cash 40,000 krona. I wasn't sure exactly how much that was at the time but had a rough idea, turns out it was £226 We had a look around for somewhere to eat and settled in a small local restaurant. Sinead ordered up Grilled Lamb Tenderloin which was really nice and I had Mink Whale...AMAZING! The whale was a really dark red in the middle, almost like a jam. It's the strangest meat I've ever had. We'd had a long day by then so popped in to the local supermarket for snacks and then an early night. In bed by 7.30.




Day 2 - Wednesday 26th
We decided to get up early and go for a walk around town but at 9.30 it was still almost pitch black. We waited a while longer and walked around town and then down to the harbour.












Later in the afternoon we went out to the Blue Lagoon. Simply awesome. The water is so blue and around 40°C. The water isn't really all that clear, you can only see about 6-7" down and then everything disappears. The bottom of the pool is covered with a thick layer of black sand...quite odd.












At the Blue Lagoon we met a young lad called Sam from Dublin. We got chatting to him and he asked where we were from. When we mentioned Essex he chipped in saying his Grandparents lived in a town in Essex called...Braintree

We got back to the hotel and, feeling really tired, got another early night for the early start on our Golden Circle tour the next day.


Day 3 - Thursday 27th
Another early star for the Golden Circle tour. We drove out to some greenhouse place and then on to a small church. Nothing of major interest here for us but still nice enough. We also stopped at a small waterfall before heading on to the monster that is Gulfoss.








We got real close on the rocks below.






We then moved on to the geysirs...they were wicked. Areas of water are naturally collecting and heating under the ground. The steam from this hot water is collecting and eventually it needs to release the pressure. You could just start to see water boil up and then explode, every five minutes. Walking around, you could see small pockets of steam seeping from the ground. The water is about 80-100°c and still warm on the ground as it flows down the path.








There's also a baby geysir







After that, we drove on to the Þingvellir National Park. Here you can see the tectonic plates of Europe and America which move apart by about 2cm each year.
















Stockholm
Day 4 - Friday 28th

We had a 4.00am start to get ready for departure to Stockholm. It was pretty uneventful until we had checked our luggage in and as we walked away Sinead saw a sign about hand luggage....when she then realised she had left her handbag in taxi She almost had a heart attack I frantincally searched my pockets for phone numbers. We had nothing for the taxi and only had a number for the hotel. As I asked a woman a check-in if there was a phone I could use the said that the taxi may still be waiting outside to make a run back in to town. We shot across the airport as fast as we could to, thankfully, see the taxi still sitting outside. Panic over, handbag recovered. After that, Sinead then gets stopped by airport security to ask about something in her bag. The high risk item was a...bingo blobbing pen

We were advised to get a taxi in to town but I thought it would be fun to get the Arlanda Express train in to town. We bought tickets for the train at the tourist information desk and then walked to find the trains. We found an escalator going down but couldn't take our bags on it so looked for a lift. Went down and all the signs pointed to the car park, nothing to do with trains. So we went back up, found the signs to the train and it pointed us the same way, so we went back down in the lift to check again. We asked a guy who pointed us in another direction but he sent us to the main train station and not the express train to Stockholm so back we went again. Eventually we spoke to another person who pointed us back upstairs and told us there were three lifts, we must be using the wrong one. As we went back upstairs we saw a ticket machine for the Arlanda Express train and right next to that were the lifts we needed...with their doors plastered in big pictures that made them look like posters We'd totally missed them, they looked nothing like lift doors. We jumped in one and in 30 seconds we were on the plaftorm.

When we got off the train at the other end I checked the map and found where the hotel was. Sinead wanted to get a taxi but I assured her it was only a 10 minute walk across town and it would be nice. So off we go, following the map as best I can whilst dragging along a suitcase in the freezing cold. We stop to check the map and I could see Sinead getting more and more fed up as time went on and whilst I looked at the map without a clue where we were, I assured her all was fine 50 minutes after leaving the station we arrived at the hotel






We were only here for an overnight stop so head in to town for a walk around and some dinner. The prices in Stockholm are quite frankly ridiculous for everything. Food that would cost you £10-12 her would cost £20 over there. A cheap place to eat is hard to find so we stop for a quick drink here...



I bought a pint and a half of Caffrey's and walk away £10 lighter
After sitting down, we decided to stay for food as it was a really nice place. I sat there, playing with my wedding ring when it popped off my finger and shot across the pub It landed under a table of people near us and they are started getting up and we were hunting around on our hands and knees trying to find it, which we did

We then went back to the hotel for yet another early night to catch yet another early plane....this time up north to Lapland.


Lapland
Day 5 - Saturday 29th

We decided the night before that it would be easier and quicker to get a taxi back to Arlanda for our flight to Kiruna
The flight is only 1hr 20mins so we are there in no time and the airport is tiny. It's lightly snowing as we land and we're met by our guide for our snowmobile transfer to the Ice Hotel. We pick up our luggage and then off to the snowmobiles WICKED!!! What a way to start our stay in Lapland. The views are awesome and snowmobile is nippy enough, doing 55km/h on a frozen river is something else. We stopped for a play in the snow and it's really deep off the track we're on. About an hour in and we stop in a small wooden hut in the forest for a nice home made roll, coffee or lingonberry juice and some cake.















As we approach the Ice Hotel from behind, we are travelling across the Torne river where the ice is taken from. The area is just unreal, a massive expanse of snow...





First sighting of the ice hotel is unreal. The way it's lit up is like nothing I've seen before and my pictures just don't do it justice. As we look around inside the rooms are amazing. The art suites all have themse and after looking around, we went to reception to see if we could book our favourite, Room 305.
















The Absolute Ice Bar is mental. Vodka cocktails served in ice glasses. I could spend a lot of time in there if the drinks weren't £10 a go. We still managed to slip three in on our first quick visit though.
















We had a nice relaxing afternoon until dinner at 9.00pm. I'm not one for posh nosh but dinner was awesome. Reindeer with potato, veg, pumpkin sauce and cranberry gravy. Simply superb. Reindeer meat is like a really rich steak. Sinead had Char with a potato gratine. We then decide to head back down to the ice bar to finish off the night with a couple more drinks and giving it large to some dance music. We were pretty much the only people dancing but we didn't care It was 11.45pm when we packed up, our latest night yet....but what a day!!!



Day 6 - Sunday 30th

At last...a lay in

Up and out for breakfast at 9.30am then back for a shower before heading out for a walk around the area. We filled up our morning looking around before heading out with the dogs at 1.00pm. Huskeys...WOW!!! Can hear them all howling as we approach. Three sleds are ready to go and as we set off.....silence! Complete silence apart from the sleigh scraping on the fresh snow.


















It's so serene, only broken by the dogs ****ting on the run, what a stink. Sitting at the front, it gets cold and my hat, balaclava and eyelashes all had frozen with drops of ice.

Later that afternoon we stopped off for a couple more drinks in the Ice Bar. This place will bankrupt us.












7.00pm and we're off out for a Starlit dinner. We visit the Esrange space centre and have a look around, it's quite interesting but not what we were expecting on this excursion. We were accompanied by a couple called Ross and Sam from New Zealand and South Africa. Was nice to spend the evening with them. Dinner was in a wood cabin in the middle of nowhere but for some reason the heater wasn't working. This means our salmon starter was frozen still managed to eat it though. Main meal was cold moose meat, hot potatoes and blackberry jelly. A really strange combination but all worked really well together. Dessert was cloud berries on chocolate something. Two glasses of wine and lingonberry on top of the food means I've come away bloated. Driving home we came across two reindeer in the road. Reindeer are extremely stupid and instead of running off to the side of the road, they just run...and keep on running. We got past one but the other kept running along the road, wouldn't get out of the way and kept on zig-zagging all over the place. Got up to 40km/h and it was at full pelt. Eventually we managed to get along side it and then in front. We arrive back at the hotel for 10.30 and off to bed.


Day 7 - Monday 31st
We're up at 7.00am to pack all of our stuff for transporting from our warm accomodation we've been in to our locker for our stay in the Ice Hotel. When you're sleeping at -5°C, you tend to only stay there for one night

Once we'd packed, we went off to the meeting point for some snow shoe walking in the forest. We jump in to a trailor being towed by a snow mobile and off to the forest we go...






The main trail is quite easy but when you get in to the deep stuff it starts getting really tough.

We stop for drink and cake and explore the area. I decided to take a running dive in to the deep snow. My god it's FREEZING. Not just cold, but proper freezing, my whole head comes out covered in white frosty snow.








Back at the Ice Hotel we kill a bit of time having a guided tour around the Ice Hotel, learning the history of how it started and it's general history. This is the 21st year of the Ice Hotel and each summer the entire building melts. It is rebuilt each year and is different every time.





In the afternoon we went out at 3.00pm for our forest horse riding. After asking about our horse experience, our guide matched us up with suitable horses. Others there either owned their own horses, trained horses or had ridden before, including Sinead. And then there's me...never even sat on a horse before. And me being the only person there with zero experience means I get the quietest horse right? So why, when we walk to the field are they all standing eating yet my one is running around fighting another horse and has blood on it's back?

The farm had a mad goat that stood on a bin and butted you to get stroked...



We took the horses inside and saddled them up and then headed out. My horse, Breki, seemed to have calmed down by then and was fine. Icelandic horses are a lot shorter and stockier than what we'd have over here. I think he looks like Donkey out of Shrek...



I had no idea what I was doing but managed OK. Got a sore butt and my knees started to ache but it was fine. Breki lost it's footing a few times and felt like it was going to fall over for a few seconds. We saw a few super large moose down by the farm too, those things are massive. After riding we went into a teepee (wooden hut) for drink and food. Warm lingonberry juice and smoked reindeer wrap to start. Main food was a minced moose meat soup...very nice and quite spicy/peppery. I didn't have any room for seconds, I saved that for the cake






In the evening we sat in the dressing room, a kind of lounge area before heading in to the Ice Hotel for the night. We were chatting to Lee and Hayleigh from Rayleigh and waiting for us all to get tired enough to head in to our ice room for the night. Neil and Allie, who were with us on the huskey ride, joined us later too. Being in an art suite, we had a locker room to keep our things in so when the time came at about midnight we got changed in to our thermals, hat and socks, grabbed our double sleeping bag and made a run for it. Room 305 was ours and it was like a little home within the room. It had a bed, fireplace, pictures and prize moose head on the wall and our pet bear in his cave. We also had our own horizon with the sun setting and birds flying around.












It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be and we settled down quite quickly. Woke a few times in the night but only to turn over to get a bit more comfy, the cold didn't really get to me, even at -°5.






Day 8 - Tuesday 1st
Home time

We were woken up this morning with somebody bringing in a hot cup of lingonberry juice at about 7.30. We'd survived the night and were given a diploma to prove it -5°C inside and -15°C outisde. We decided to get up and make a mad dash back to the warm dressing room where we hand in our sleeping bag and get packed and ready for our trip home. Again, we kill a few hours with Lee, Hayleigh, Neil and Allie until the transfer bus comes to pick us up. It's a short 15 minute drive to Kiruna airport where we hop back on a plane to sunny (not) terminal 3 at Heathrow airport.

THE END


We both have plenty more photos on FB so take a look if you fancy. If you don't have us as a friend yet then just chuck a request over

Hope you enjoyed the mammoth thread and feel free to ask anything about the places or what we got up to

[Piggymon]

Just to echo my Husband

This wouldn't have been possible without our very generous family and friends and we are enternally grateful

There's nothing else we would have rather we had done for our honeymoon... it was magical

[Knipples]

As I said on FB, those shots of the scenery are just beautiful. Makes me want to go there to see it for myself. I have to ask though, how the hell can you go to sleep lying on an ice bed?

Glad you both had a lovely time.

[Jingo]

Looks and sounds truly brilliant Really glad you had a fab time

[Piggymon]

There is a mattress on there as well with Rudolph skin on top - was actually quite comfy

[Zico]

Very nice!

[BBx]

Looks like an AMAZING trip guys!!! Really want to do it too

Glad you had a brilliant time

PS Sinead I also have that white fluffy Punkyfish top *strokes*

BB x

[jmc41]

Wow sounds amazing, glad you had a great time!

[volospian]

Looks awesome! I've never really thought of going to Lapland, but it sounds really interesting... may have to pay it a visit sometime. I've been to Iceland, but only on a daytrip, so we only saw a small part of it. The Blue Lagoon is awesome though. I loved it, and Rekjavik was really pretty, from what I remember...

[Psymonkee]

Looks stunning!

I wanna go to the ice bar!