Iceland

Iceland is famous for being called the Land of Fire and Ice because of its volcanoes and glaciers. It is dotted with natural wonders such as The Blue Lagoon and Dettifoss Waterfall. Iceland is also known for its rich cultural history, Norse mythology, folklore, and having no official family names!

Reykjavík

Of all the capital cities I’ve visited, Reykjavík is my favorite. Not only is it highly walkable and visually stunning, but I’m also 99% sure that it’s impossible to get a bad meal or sub-par cup of coffee in that little city! I spent three days there but now I wish I had planned for more time! The country was so breathtaking and I am itching to go back and explore in the future. Iceland is indeed very expensive but definitely worth every penny.

Fact: Icelanders do not use family names but use a patronymic or matronymic reference which is interesting. 

Grand Golden Circle tour– I wish I had thought about Iceland’s South Coast & Volcanoes Tour to see famous volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, and black sand beaches. Unfortunately, we had a budget for three tour days and only three days to explore the city, so it was a bit tricky. I will bear it in mind for my next visit! The tour was fantastic despite facing snow, hail, rain, and wind all in one day!  The stops were well scheduled and we always had enough time. The tour was on a small bus (15 people) which was ideal as it had a more personal touch instead of a ‘coach trip’ feel.

Geyser: cold water wants to go down while hot water wants to come up – tension – it blows up.

National Park Thingvellir, including the Rift valley and the Rock of law which was the site of the first Viking parliament.

National Park Thingvellir, including the Rift valley and the Rock of law which was the site of the first Viking parliament.

Chasing the northern lights – Stokkyaoke east south 

I was told the best season to see the northern lights in Iceland is from September to mid-April. I would recommend checking the aurora and weather forecast online yourself and then booking if it looks promising.

We booked this tour in advance for the first night of our trip; we knew that seeing the lights is a matter of luck and we would have time to rebook for the next few nights in case we missed it the first time. The tour company emailed us at around 6pm to let us know the tour was canceled due to bad weather conditions (luckily we had WiFi access) and we booked the tour for the next day.

It was such a relief to get the go-ahead for the second night. Right after our return from the Golden Circle tour, we geared up and made sure we wore thick layers. From 10pm to 1am, we were so exhausted and at one degrees Celsius it was freezing! We saw a green haze and not the dancing dazzling display we were hoping for. After an hour and 15 minutes of watching the sky, we returned to the coach to have free hot chocolate and doughnuts – a really nice touch! After two stops, the tour guide stopped the bus so we could all get out to see an incredible green sky which is impossible to describe but was as good as many of the postcard images you often see.

The Northern Lights near a village called Stokkseyri which is southeast of Reykjavík, with a lovely lady, Boglárka, who kindly gave me copies of her pictures. What a time for my camera to stop working! So that’s some good advice: make sure everything is charged!

The Blue Lagoon Experience 

Read the guide! – You’ll receive good-to-know tips plus a short guide video before you visit Blue Lagoon. I researched a little before going to the Blue Lagoon but after the experience, I wish I had looked at the information thoroughly as I had major issues with my hair feeling extremely rough and strawlike. This was because I hadn’t tied my hair up before going into the lagoon.

Use hair conditioner – the Blue Lagoon water has high levels of silica, which is not harmful to hair but if you get your hair wet from the water, it can become stiff and difficult to manage. I highly recommend applying a leave-in conditioner and don’t let it touch the water. A complimentary conditioner is provided in the shower area. This reminded me of the spa I went to Bath Spa, London though, of course, it is not comparable. The land in the Blue Lagoon is natural, as you can feel the lava that shapes the pool under; I was surprised the water is actually the result of runoff from the geothermal plant next door that you can see in the distance.

This reminded me of the spa I went to Bath Spa, London though that wasn’t especially good. The land in the Blue Lagoon is natural, as you can feel the lava that shapes the pool under; I was surprised the water is actually the result of runoff from the geothermal plant next door that you can see in the distance.

Being the kind of girl who loves extreme heat, I thought the water wouldn’t be hot enough for me, but it turns out it was super hot! When I was on the bus, I could see the steam coming out and I knew it was the Blue Lagoon!

Spoilt for choice – There is a sauna and steam room at the Blue Lagoon, as well as an exclusive section. There are spa treatments, including a massage on a float right in the lagoon. Ooh, and there are three stations stocked with a silica mask you can put on your face for 10 minutes and then wash away. There are cocktails and smoothies at the swim-up bar. (The wristbands are brilliant — you put all your purchases on them.  This also prevents people from buying more than three alcoholic drinks.) I also noticed people wearing their wool hats!

(After five hours to the Blue Lagoon, including the journey, I felt so relaxed and fell asleep as soon as I arrived back at the hotel!)

Blue Lagoon

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church. At 74.5 meters (244 ft) tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. Sadly it was too late when I reached the church as it closes at 5pm so I could not go to the top, but the view outside of its structure is amazing. I could have just stayed standing there to stare at the building’s exterior.

 
I saw a lot of animal skin being used as part of jewelry, clothing, and even home decoration – here is seal, rabbit, fox, wolf, lamb, reindeer. I suppose it’s due to the weather and keeping warm.

Svarta Kaffi Cafe – Thanks to a friend who recommended it, just what I needed on a chilly day. This is a cozy bar upstairs that serves soup in a bread bowl. Amazing! The soup was hot, thick, and filling, and the bread was fresh and accompanied the soup perfectly.

There were two soups to choose from, one meaty and one veggie. This makes for a very tasty and filling meal that doesn’t hurt your budget in a city where eating out can be quite expensive. Definitely recommended!

Svarta Kaffi – best soup in Reykjavík!

I was surprised to see this notice, from the bathroom in the hotel!

Seafood heaven food, so fresh – restaurant called Brasserie Askur, with a fish dish on the menu – you can access aisle to chose soup, bread and salad after only two serves before the fish main arrive – wow.  Crepes at different ice cream cafes called Elder and Are. Yummy!

I am not surprised plenty of fish in the finger than in England. One fish finger had me feel full!

Colorful random pictures of Reykjavík

First-class on my flight – Apology from Icelandair airline for mentioning deaf and dumb on my boarding ticket!

I took this from the clip – love these facts about Iceland

Iceland, which is, as the name itself states, “icy” … stunning landscapes, perfect views to be captured by photographers

Boglárka kindly shared this extra information with me about Iceland. I added some interesting facts below as I missed out on information from the guide on the coach who couldn’t sign.

• There is one high-security prison with 150 inmates – strangely, there’s a three-month waiting list for it. There are also two low-risk prisons, 25 people each and one for the ladies – 25 people as well. 60% of crime is committed by foreigners. There’s no military on the island but they have a backup from NATO if needed. There were two big earthquakesin 2000 and 2008. People contribute a little extra tax to pay for the houses damaged in quakes. Iceland lies on two tectonic plates – the American one and the European one. They move about in different directions, hence the number of earthquakes. The two plates move apart about 2 centimeters a year, but because of the constant volcanic eruptions, there’s no “rip” in the ground.
  
• There are 85,000 horses on the island, people eat them too. There are also sheep, goats, chickens, the Arctic Fox, reindeer, and mice as well as lots of migrating birds. 
• Iceland used to be Catholic but changed to Lutheran. It’s not a very religious nation though, people hardly go to church.
  
• The main industries are fishing (4.5% of people) which is very high tech. The rest of the people work in the service/travel industry. Crops and vegetables are only produced for the domestic market. There is quite a high-income tax – up to 45%, and only a 4% unemployment rate.
  
• Iceland does not have many trees, only 3% are native. A third of Iceland is classed as desert, and the rest is lakes and towns, vegetation, etc.
  
• There are two ski resorts in Iceland where you can do cross country skiing, and football, basketball, netball, and golf are also favorite sports. Kids learn to swim from the age of six and people use swimming pools as a place to socialize.
  
• More interesting facts.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope it inspires you to jump on a plane and head over to Iceland and see those amazing lights!