Iceland was probably one of my favourite destinations ever. It was beautiful, and very easy on the eye, although those eyes also get hit with extremely high winds throwing snow in your face - still beautiful.
We packed our bags and left what we thought was a cold day in Edinburgh… and flew out to Iceland. The flight was only a couple of hours and we were there. As soon as we stepped off the plane, the freezing Icelandic air hit us for the first time - now we felt bad for complaining it was cold in Edinburgh. I couldn't hold onto the handles on the shuttle bus because the metal poles were like holding ice, so I done the 'sensible' thing and held onto Jacks jacket and attempted to maintain balance on the rocky bus.
We were recommended by some friends to make sure we bought stuff from duty free as it is cheaper than the shops. So, we took this advice and bought the essentials - chewing gum and chocolates. Before making our trip to Iceland we purchased our buses, and a 3-day tour package so it was organised for arrival. We got the FLYbus from airport to BSI bus terminal, which was roughly 45 minutes, and then decided to walk to our hotel from the airport which was around 15 minutes.
Finally, arrived at our accommodation which was called Apartment-K, based in the heart of Reykjavik. We got a self-catering room with a kitchen in it so we could make our own meals as it would work out cheaper - this was a really good idea and I highly recommend it. Our apartment was on the main street but was just a good enough distance from not hearing any noise at night, happy! We then went to the local supermarket called Bonus to get our big shop. We brought cash of £300 in total which worked out 40,000 Icelandic krona, this was a good amount for 5 days, if your being good with money. Our big shop was done, and we got food to make pack lunches, home-made dinners and a whole load of snacks. We then settled for the first night and got a good night’s sleep for our big first adventure the next day.
'Guide to Iceland' was the tour company we booked through and it was great. They were reliable, had really good tour guides who had a vast amount of knowledge of their country and they knew all the answers to my hundreds of curious questions. Our first tour of the holiday was a trip to Snaefellsness. The pick-up time for this day was 8am and the location was at bus stop 6 - where was that? We didn't know, and of course we ended up standing at the wrong bus stop. However, to our surprise, we also managed to still get picked up there even though we were standing at the wrong one. See! Guide to Iceland still found us - reliable.
We finally got to embark on our journey, got on the minibus and drove out. I am sure the 2-hour drive to our first destination was beautiful, but my eyes were determined to keep shut and sleep. Our destination was north and when we arrived, my eyes were fully open and taking in the beauty of what nature had produced. Kirkjufell waterfall was incredible. There was a slippy walk to the waterfall which caught me out and I fell over on my way up, great. Not ideal when you’re wearing ripped jeans, for some reason this was a logical decision I had made that morning. I had numb knees for a while. Thankfully, I packed leggings which I immediately put on underneath the jeans afterwards.
Next was the black pebble beach, Djupalonsandur - very picturesque. Afterwards, we headed onwards to the Londrangar basalt cliffs which are two volcanic formations which are said to be a sanctuary for elves...
Last stop of this day trip was the Snaefellsjokull glacier which was a perfectly stunning last scene to end on.
This night we went to the northern lights tour and..... WE SAW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS! This was something I had waited to see for a very long time and it was incredible to see the sky dance for us. There were shooting stars and magical lights - we were so lucky to have gotten this experience!
Day 2 and we were pretty wrecked but excited for a fresh day ahead to the Golden Circle. It’s hard to find different and good enough words to describe the true beauty of the Icelandic landscapes. I was so happily content staring out the window looking at the fields of crisp snow that were surrounded by gigantic, volcanic mountains and glaciers.
First stop was Pingveller national park - this is where Iceland’s parliament, 'Alpingi', was founded over a thousand years ago. There was a farm close by, that apparently produced the best ice cream, so of course this was a very important stop for us. I can confirm, the ice cream in Iceland was great.
We then headed further south to the breath-taking Gullfoss waterfall located in the river Hvita. This is fed by Iceland’s second biggest glacier, Langjokull. It was extremely windy at this point in the day and people were genuinely falling over from the wind. We had to be extra careful when walking and were told to hold onto each other (which I took very literally). Icelandic winds are very fierce and strong. They used this website which is the most popular site in Iceland (you can wonder why) - but this is a really good link for yourself if you want to check on the storms and winds for your chosen day: http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/elements .
Our final stop was the famous Geysir geothermal area: where the bubbling mud pools and erupting hot springs live. Magma heated water erupts to around a 20-metre-high point and happens about every 5-10 minutes. This was extraordinary to watch, nature doing some of its best work right in front of our eyes.
We made one more stop on the way home which was optional and was to a crater. Lots of people were tired by this point and didn't go because there was a small fee, but we wanted to make the most of everything, so we jumped off the bus and went straight in. Thank goodness we done this; it was amazing! It was completely frozen over, and we were basically ice skating in the middle of a crater, I can’t even describe the experience but do this if you get the opportunity!
Day 3 - Our south coast trip got cancelled because of extremely high winds and postponed to the next day. We were almost a little bit thankful for this as we were so tired from all the trekking. So, what better way to have a day off to relax than visit the blue lagoon! This was something I was the most excited to do - spa and snow all in one is an absolute dream! This was the perfect remedy to feeling refreshed. It was crazy feeling the contrast from the freezing weather to stepping into the amazingly warm water. We had a little photo shoot (necessary), and then got our face masks on which came in two, first you put on the silica mud mask and then the algae one after. My skin felt lovely and soft after which was a bonus. HOWEVER... there were signs before you go in telling you to condition your hair as the silicon in the water can get to it BUT... I did not realise how serious that sign was (schoolboy error). I decided it was a great idea to embrace it all and I got all my hair wet. My hair could not even get a brush through it after - damaged. To be honest, it was worth it (is what I like to tell myself). The whole experience really was a treat. We also had the best hot chocolate we had ever tried - this is not an exaggeration, make sure you get a hot choccie from there, was heavenly. After, what I think was my favourite day so far, we got home and went out for dinner to the Argentina Steakhouse - so very cultured of us. I can’t recommend this restaurant enough; the food was beautiful here and it was a very cosy. They also gave us free dessert at the end, and we have no idea what we done to deserve that, very kind and ended that night on a high note.
Onto our last day to do the south coast trip, we didn't want this holiday to end! The first stop was to the alluring Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You are usually able to walk behind the waterfall, but the path was closed this day as it was too icy. The next waterfall was the one I was excited to see most - it did not disappoint. This was the magnificent Skogafoss waterfall. Skogafoss is one of Iceland’s biggest cascades with a 60-metre drop. It was a sunny day and the rainbow formed in front of the water fall and made everything look magical. Pictures wouldn't even do this one justice, it’s a sight to see in real life. We then climbed what felt like a million steps to see that waterfall from the top, but the sights were worth the unexpected exercise.
Next stop was the glacier hike up the Solheimajokull and this was nothing I had ever seen before. We got equipped up with ice axes, studs for our shoes, harnesses and ice hiked up the most beautiful glacier I had ever saw and I drank the freshest water from here. Glacier hiking is highly recommended.
Our last stop of the day was to visit the black sand beach of Reynisfjara. The contrast of the white waves crashing onto the black sand was amazing. We were told to stay left of the beach because this was known to have huge waves. Even on the left side of the beach the waves were furiously crashing into the land and people were continuously having to run away from them not to get caught. We ended our day with a hot chocolate and then back to enjoy our last night in Reykjavik.
Our flight back was at 7am so we had to get the 0330-bus transfer to the airport. Do not recommend this flight time however, the buses all came on time and everything ran nice and smoothly for us. Iceland was an exceptionally extraordinary place and I cannot recommend enough that you go and see this beauty for yourselves. A few tips to end on: don't wear ripped jeans or any clothing that shows any skin; always pack an extra pair of socks with you; take some pack lunches and save yourselves money; take a tripod and experience some incredible moments. Enjoy your future trip!
