Another month completed, and our first completed month as a party of three (as we cross the mid-way part of our 8 weeks travelling together).

Incredibly, we’ve managed to cram an incredible amount of miles (well, kilometres if we’re remaining true to our Australian roots) in during this time as we finally find ourselves on a continent other than either of the two Americas!

Keeping a not so sharp eye out for Minke whales off the coast of Iceland…

Countries Visited:                           4 (USA, Iceland, England, Morocco)

Wow!

Finally we find ourselves visiting several countries a month again, but perhaps even more impressively, for the first time we’ve managed to touch three continents as well (North America, Europe and Africa)!

Cheapest Bed(s):                            Onion River Campground, Plainfield, USA $70.00 AU for 3 people

Well, we enjoyed some more hospitality this month whilst in London, so technically, our cheapest beds were free… however, the cheapest pad we scored for the three of us, ended up being this place above.

Most Expensive Bed(s):                Skyrhúsid Guest House, Hali, Iceland €149.00 EU ($245.30 AU for 3 people)

We expected Iceland to be expensive, but it was a surprise how expensive even for us!

Highlight:                                          Seeing the Aurora Borealis not once, not twice, but thrice!

We took off from Boston, headed for Reykjavik, hopeful that somewhere on this vast, northern island, we’d find clear skies and a chance to observe that magical phenomenon, the ‘northern lights’, the Aurora Borealis.

I didn’t expect that a couple of hours later, as most of the plane snoozed, I’d be waking both Sarah and Julie (her mum) to show them those very lights, dancing outside our aeroplane window!

We got lucky enough to catch them a further two more times whilst on the island.

How cool is that!

Taking in the majesty of the northern lights near Hali

Lowlight:                                           Missing the Puffins in Iceland

When we’d initially put Iceland into our travel plans, Puffins had never come into the equation at all.

By the time we touched down however, we’d hoped to catch the tail end of the season and get a glimpse of these cute little things.

It wasn’t to be, with most reports telling us they’d left the island a couple of weeks earlier than usual this year!

Favourite New Food:                     Marriage Bliss

There wasn’t actually a huge array of options to pick from this month, despite us indulging in a sort of Icelandic take on Tapas…

When in doubt, I go with the sweets option, and this traditional cake/slice (or in some countries, it may even be labelled a ‘bar’) filled with rhubarb was a winner!

Baked Icelandic goodness!

Best Beer:                                         Shipyard Seasonal Pumpkin

We don’t get all that many seasonals back home in Australia, but we’d been confronted with a plethora over here in North America.

This was a pretty good example…

Most impressive Church:              Turf church at Víðimýrarkirkja

When you find a winner, despite having some wonderful candidates this month, such as the classic Winchester Cathedral or the modern yet quirky Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, you know you’ve found something pretty special with this historical and unique little church.

But who could say no to an Icelandic classic, complete with turf covered roof!

The turf covered church at Víðimýrarkirkja

Bucket List Items:                           1 (See the Northern Lights)

Thankfully this was one that lived up to its billing!

New Bucket List Items:                  Dive between the North American and European continental plates in Iceland

Highest Elevation:                          710m

Days in thongs (flip flops):           17

A pretty good number of days saw us giving the tootsies a little air, two of which were incredibly whilst in Iceland!

UNESCO Sites:                                 3 (Þingvellir (Thingvillur) National Park, Maritime Greenwich, Medina of Marrakesh)

Back to back months with only three UNESCO sights, one each for Iceland, England and Morocco.

Experiencing the sights and smells, whilst exploring the souks of Marrakesh

Number of towns:                          30

Number of beds:                            17

Nights in transit:                             1 (1 Flight)

Randoms:          

• New York is seemingly the Yorkshire Terrier capital of the world!
• Throughout much of Iceland, especially when it is hot, much of the water smells & tastes like eggs (thanks to the sulphur)!