The Sun Voyager sculpture in IcelandThe Sun Voyager sculpture in Iceland

What do you do when a week frees up on your calendar?  You could stay home and melt into your couch like I often do.  But this time I was inspired.  So 2 of my 3 daughters and I planned a whirlwind trip (middle daughter was on a 6 week mission) to Iceland and Ireland.  Initially I thought CHINA.  After all, my grandparents are from Guangdong.  I studied Mandarin in college.  Plus my husband just came back from Hungary and Serbia to show our youngest daughter her heritage so I should do the same, right?  However when I learned that we would each need a $160 visa to enter China and that would would mean driving all the way to San Francisco to apply for the visas, leave them overnight for processing, and drive all the way back to pick up I said, "Uh-uh, NO TIME FOR THAT" even if I did want to cuddle with some baby pandas in Chengdu.  China would have to wait.  Oh, and my kids ARE 6% Irish according to ancestry.com - huzzah! 

3 Days in Iceland3 Days in Iceland

Lightbulb Moment: I remembered reading about WOW Airline from a fellow blogger, Jessica Rosenberg.  I stored her post in my travel cache and this was the time to investigate.  WOW air is the Southwest Airline of Iceland.  That is, they are a no frills airline with incredible prices. Perhaps the only thing lacking from my point of view were the witty flight attendants (all of ours were well.. ICY).  But that didn't matter.  With just a week to plan our trip we were able to put together an itinerary that included a FREE stop in Reykjavik (bonus!) on our way to Ireland. Thus the IRE & ICE journey began. (Have questions?  Leave a comment):

Wow Air, the low-cost way to travel to Iceland and BeyondWow Air, the low-cost way to travel to Iceland and Beyond Wow Air, the low-cost way to travel to Iceland and BeyondWow Air, the low-cost way to travel to Iceland and Beyond Wow Air, the low-cost way to travel to Iceland and BeyondWow Air, the low-cost way to travel to Iceland and Beyond

Our entire trip consisted of 3 days in each country.. crazy.  We (me) found lodging, booked tours, ground transportation and had a full list of things we all wanted to do before we sat for 8 hours on our first leg from SFO to RKV.  Our flight was on time, comfortable and uneventful. As Jessica notes in her review, WOW is a no frills airline.  More so even than Southwest (one of my favorite airlines).  Everything is EXTRA.  Roomier seats, food (including water), luggage (except one small carryon) all require a fee.  But since you are able to determine what you want to pay extra for, it's up to you.  We opted for roomier seats, priority boarding (this was a great decision), and one large carry-on.  We were able to get great, up-front window seats that recline (button to recline is under the seat).  We brought our own water bottle, food and portable devices for entertainment.  So next time you have a week that frees up on your calendar, check out WOW Air and GET GOING!

Our itinerary, lodging and places to eat for Iceland included:

• Golden Circle and Kerid Volcanic Crater Tour (FULL day tour, [email protected])
• Horse riding tour with Eld-Hestar ([email protected])
• Puffin (cool birds) boat tour (http://www.specialtours.is/puffin-watching)
• Shopping on Laugavegur Street (coolest shopping street in Reykjavik)
• Eating Ramen at Ramen Momo - BEST RAMEN IN TOWN (er, maybe the ONLY ramen in town, but it was still the BEST)
• Fish & Chips at Reykjavik Fish
• Eldur & ÍS original crepery and ice cream/gelato (YUMMYYYYY)
• Ground transportation to/from airport: https://www.re.is/ (airport is about 45 minutes from town)
• A Part Of Reykjavík Apartments - Brautarholt (great location, right next to Klettur Hotel which is a convenient 3 minute walk into town)

Our Dublin, Ireland itinerary, lodging and dining:

• Celtic Nights (dinner and traditional Irish music and dancing show www.celticnights.com).  My eldest daughter found this through a friend.  Had to be the highlight of our Dublin experience.
• Cliffs of Moher (all day tour), including stops in the tiny town of Doolin, famous for its local music and traditional Irish pubs and the historic City of Galway)
• DoDublin 72-hour pass including airlink transportation to/from Dublin airport to Dublin, and Hop-on/Hop-off tours throughout town.  BEST DEAL in Dublin.
• Castle Hotel (near the Writers Museum) included an Irish breakfast each morning
• EPIC Museum (this is a great interactive experience to learn more about Ireland)
• The Cobblestone (for more Irish music jam sessions).  We learned about this pub from a Dublin musician we met at Celtic Nights.
• Ginos (for the best gelato in town)

A few of my favorite photos from our IRE & ICE getaway:

ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND  

Iceland HIGHLIGHTSCan you tell we're related? Where to get Fish and Chips in Reykjavik, IcelandWhere to get Fish and Chips in Reykjavik, Iceland Iceland HIGHLIGHTSIceland highlights Iceland HIGHLIGHTSIceland highlights Icelandic HorsesIcelandic Horses Golden Circle Double WaterfallGolden Circle Double Waterfall

IRELAND IRELAND IRELAND IRELAND IRELANE IRELAND IRELAND IRELAND

Cliffs of InsanityCliffs of Insanity What Lifts YouGulway, Ireland #whatliftsyou IRELAND, Cliffs of InsanityIRELAND, Cliffs of Insanity IRELAND, Cliffs of InsanityIRELAND, Cliffs of Insanity IRELAND EPIC MuseumIRELAND EPIC Museum Celtic Nights, DublinCeltic Nights, Dublin