When Brad and I decided to get married we knew that we were going to go somewhere to get married since we had both been married before. We decided that we would rather spend the money on a cool trip then a wedding.
We talked about all kinds of places and where we thought we would like to go. Would we would want people to come with us? We decided that if we were going to pay for a trip why not make it the most epic trip ever. Why not go to the places we had both wanted to go, but could never justify.
We decided to go to a place that was far enough away that no one would follow us. We really wanted it to be just the two of us.
We are both very adventurous people so it had to be someplace with lots of adventure. We finally settled on getting married in Iceland and also going to Greenland since we were going to be closeish.
We got to work trying to figure out where in Iceland we wanted to get married. We looked and looked for a photographer, finally we found www.icelandweddingphoto.com. We both fell in love with Bragi's photos. In talking to him and looking through his pictures we decided that we wanted to get married at Seljalandsfoss.
We started the process of getting married in another country, who knew this would be so hard. After mountains of paperwork we felt confident that we were prepared and ready.
It was so much fun to plan this trip with Brad because we are so similar in how we like to travel. We both read as much as we could about both places to make sure that we would be able to see everything we wanted to.
We took off for Iceland on July 27 with plans to be married the next day.
When we got to Iceland, there was a mixup with the paperwork and authorities there. The only day that they and the photographer could do our wedding was on August 5th, the day before we were to fly home. We had to leave for Greenland the next day because the tour we had booked there was all planned and paid for. SOOOOOO we went to Greenland on our non honeymoon trip. The trip we had planned was rugged and full of adventure.
Greenland is the most amazing place I have ever been. We flew into Ilulissat, the airport was tiny.
Our tour guide wasn't there to pick us up so while we waited, trying to get an email to go through to him we hiked around. We saw our first Iceberg floating just off shore. I honestly can not describe the beauty there. You almost can't believe you are seeing what is in front of you. After waiting about an hour finally Silver came flying down the road in his green mini van.
In Greenland you really have to hire a tour company because there are no roads that go between the towns, 90% of the country is covered in ice. You have to take a boat to get to most of the towns. AND there are very few hotels. Most people that go there stay with families or in apartments that are owned by the tour companies. We thought we would be staying with a family but we ended up in our own apartment. This apartment was TINY and had 2 very small, short beds not really conducive to a honeymoon so good thing we weren't married yet.
As Silver was driving us there, it was late in the night at this point. As we were passing the marina, he asked if we wanted to go out on the boat for a midnight cruise among the icebergs with a group of people that were just heading out. OF course we said yes!
This time of year the sun never sets there in Greenland so even though it was late the sun was still up. There was this fog on the water though that made it seem just a bit scary and other worldly.
Again, I have never seen anything so beautiful as riding in a boat in between icebergs as big as a mountain. Ice chunks floating in the water, hitting the boat. At time the ice was so think in the water that I wondered if we could actually get the boat safely through.
We hiked the next morning to the Ilulissat glacier. What a beautiful hike through an area where the people keep their sled dogs. I have never seen or heard anything like it. Once we got to the glacier, we both just sat in awww and watched the glacier move. I didn't realize you would be able to see it move. I think we must have sat there for hours.
Ilulissat is a tiny place, there are only about 5,000 people that live there. This is the second biggest city in Greenland. There were a couple of roads through the town and only 2 restaurants. We explored the town that day and night.
The next morning we got on a boat and headed through the glacier to a small town, I think there were maybe 30 houses. We ate our lunch with a local family in their home. I thought it was wonderful. They fed us the most incredible food. We tried Seal meat which was delicious. Whale, not so delicious, blubber which was gross and a variety of other foods. The houses in Greenland are AWESOME. They are all very colorful which is nice since the only things there are black rocks, Green moss covering these rocks, icebergs and the blue ocean.
After we left this village we were on the boat for Hours going along the coast to the next town where were were staying over night in these hut things. We got a bunk beds this time in our room the size of a closet. We were staying here for two nights. You only got to shower one time while you were here and it was a community bathroom/shower. Again not honeymoon material.
We hiked all over while we were here. We kayaked out to the icebergs, got yelled at by Niels because Brad walked on the iceberg. They tried to tell us that it would tip over but we lived even with Kayaking all around the icebergs. I also took a windsurfer board out for a little stand up paddle. It was a tiny board and the paddle was too short so I didn't go far.
We watched Niels a Greenlandic man who barely spoke anything but Greenlandic catch fish with his bare hands from the stream, much to Brad's disappointment this was dinner that night.
Our last day here we rode in the boat to watch icebergs be calved off of the glacier. This was the most amazing thing ever. We watched for hours as HUGE chunks of ice broke off of the glacier, making the loudest sounds ever, falling into the ocean. They would create HUGE waves and then float by you as a new iceberg. It was simply spectacular.
Our last day in Greenland was a rainy one and we chose to go hiking all day. We hiked for hours all around Ilulissat. It was cold and wet but just amazing. We sat overlooking the ocean, watching the icebergs float by.
I LOVED Greenland with all of my heart. What an amazing country. Very simple people, kind and generous when they literally have nothing. Oh and I may or may not have "borrowed" the license plates from the bus above........
Now we were off to Iceland, once we arrived we dropped our bags at the hotel, rented bikes and took off to explore Reykjavik. We rode up and down the city streets, It was so much fun to see the city this way. It rained on us but we still had so much fun.
The next morning we were up and at the "Motorhome"/van/camper place. We had rented a Van/Camper for the next few days to drive all over Iceland. The van was really small and barely fit us. Iceland is very beautiful, just lush with waterfalls EVERYWHERE. My favorite part were the sheep everywhere too. It is amazing that the country has so few people and so few tourists too. A lot of the time we were alone in exploring it.
They don't have campgrounds there, people will park on the side of the road, or in these grassy areas and they have public bathrooms all over with showers. We didn't have a plan, just a map and a book talking about places to see. We LOVED the Blue Lagoon and want to go back there. We did skip the museum in the picture below.....Maybe on the next trip.
After driving for two days trying to see as much as we could. We went back to Reykjavik to a hotel because we were going to get married the NEXT DAY!
We decided that we should maybe get a bouquet and flowers for the wedding. We found a florist in town, asked him if he could create these for us and could we pick them up the next morning on our way out to Seljalandsfoss.
Bragi our photographer picked us up the next morning, stopped at the florists and we were off to the city offices to meet with the lady that would be marrying us.
We paid our fees, went through the paperwork we needed to at the city office. Then drove to the waterfall.
There were big crowds of tourists when we got there, the justice of the peace that was marrying us, lifted the ropes so that we could go closer to the waterfall into an area that is normally restricted. She married us using a beautiful format that she wrote. All of the tourists were clapping and cheering and yelling congrats in different languages. It was so beautiful, I can't imagine a more wonderful way to marry the most incredible man I have ever known.
It was perfect!
As we were walking back to an area that is restricted, closer to the waterfall even then we had been to take some pictures. Brad bent down and in the mud there was a coin, I don't know what nationality it is but I am sure it had been there a long time. It was wonderful to find a "Kailee coin/Penny" at this moment. Made my mom heart really happy.
After we were done taking pictures there we went to a different waterfall that is called Skogafoss, it was so powerful and just beautiful so different from where we had just been.
Then we went to the coast to a black sand beach with caves and lava tubes. SO AMAZING to see such diverse landscapes so close to one another and in just a few hours.
Yes I did fall as we were running.
This was the Best trip of my life and completely a fairytale wedding. I am so grateful we were able to get married there and the way we did. I am so grateful that I was able to see these two amazing countries. I am especially grateful that I get to call Brad my husband. He is the most wonderful, kind, caring, fun, adventurous, smart, sexy, successful, amazing man. I don't know how I got so lucky but I am grateful and I will work every day to make him as happy as he makes me.
:)....so happy for you my sweet Annie Bo Bannie!
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