Last year, after much thought and consideration, we finally made the decision. We'll go to Iceland. It's been a dream destination for the both of us for a while now and we decided it was time we took a leap of faith. Iceland is not a typical tourist destination and most people around us did not quite understand the appeal. Well, joke's on them because those 10 days we spent there were by far the most amazing, magical and memorable moments of our lives. It's the best vacation I've ever had and quite frankly, it would take a lot for another trip to be able to beat the one we had in Iceland!
It was difficult to decide when to go but we ultimately decided to visit Iceland in early June. Winter would be amazing because we'd get to witness one of the most incredible natural occurrences on earth: an aurora borealis. That being said, winter in Iceland is pretty harsh. It's very cold and the days are incredibly short (4 hours of daylight!). Coming from Canada, we had enough of the cold weather and are not particularly attracted to it. Summertime is peek tourism season and the prices go through the roof! So, we decided to go in early June, between 2 high tourism seasons.
Accommodation
Our plan was to rent a car and a room in Reykjavik for the whole duration of our trip. We would leave early every day and hit the road. The country is not too big so in one day, you could drive quite a distance from Reykjavik, and come back for a good night sleep. The following day, take the car again and drive in another direction, and so on.
We stayed at this great hotel, Nordurey Hotel, on Hrisateigur. Our room was modern, warm and spacious, with the upside of having a pretty little backyard! We had our own table and chairs outside, right next to our room, so we could sit there and peacefully enjoy our breakfast every morning, if the weather permits it.
The staff is welcoming and friendly, nothing bad to say here. What was great there, however, is that our stay included free breakfasts. That is huge because everything in Iceland is crazy expensive! My advice: stock up on food in the morning and snack the rest of the day! That's pretty much what we did!
Oh my god, the landscapes!
That country is so beautiful! It's unbelievable! I took so many pictures I saturated my camera! It took me hours to sort through them all and pick the ones I want to use for my blog! So be prepared to see a LOT of pictures. Everywhere you look you are in awe of what's before you. It's nice to step way from city life, with all its loudness, chaos and annoying people, to escape into this peaceful wonderland and be reminded of the astonishing beauty of nature.
The greenest green
I saw so many variations of the color green over there! Everywhere you look, the landscape offers so many different shades of green, it's unbelievable! It's just a shame that the pictures do not do the landscapes any justice...
The weather
The weather changes a lot over there. It can go back and forth several times between sunny and heavy rain within an hour! So be prepared when going out for excursions. Although we were there in June, the temperature was still pretty cold. I usually wore jeans with walking boots and layers of shirts (long sleeve T-shirt with a sweater and a rain jacket) and, when it was sunny, I was quite comfortable. However, under the rain, I must admit I was very unprepared! The rain was icy cold and, after a while, it seeped through my rain jacket (it was rain jacket intended for city life and not for a walk in nature...). Also, jeans are a horrible idea because they soak up the water, become heavier and so, so cold! So if planning a trip to Iceland, invest in a good pair of water-proof pants and a jacket intended for heavy rains. When I was caught under the rain, it did not take long before I was just shivering and completely soaked! That being said, sunny, cloudy or rainy, the landscapes are just breathtaking! You just get different types of scenery depending on the weather. Isn't it amazing?
Little side note: I always carried a pair of gloves, a good scarf and a toque with me, even though it was June. As we went higher up in altitude, the temperature drops a bit and the winds get stronger.
Another little interesting thing about Iceland: I mentioned earlier that we only got around 4 hours of sunlight in winter, well in June, we never saw the night. The sun would completely set at around 3 A.M., so when we went to sleep, although it was pretty late at night, it was still broad day light outside! That was a bit weird. So if you're a light sleeper and light prevents you from falling asleep, do not forget to bring a mask to cover your eyes!
This picture sums up very well the type of day we usually had in Iceland! Sunny, cloudy and rainy weather in one single picture!
The clouds!
I have always been obsessed with clouds; I find them beautiful and mesmerizing. So if you are like me, this country is for you!
Driving
I will quickly go over this topic. Since I don't drive, my boyfriend handled that part of the trip (renting and driving). However, I will tell you what I know:
If renting a car, take all the insurances. Because of volcano eruptions, there is still a lot of volcanic residues and ash that can cause some serious damage to the car. If not insured, it will cost you. A lot. Also, some roads are not paved, so rocks could easily break your wind shield or other parts of the vehicle.
There are also 2 types of cars that you can rent: some roads require heavy-duty cars like Jeeps, so if you rent a regular car, like say a compact, and go on these roads, you will not be insured. Be careful and do your research thoroughly. Make sure that you check out the roads that you intend to take before reserving a car.
The winds are quite strong so be careful with your car doors. Never go out and leave them open, even if it's just to take a quick picture. We've heard of winds ripping the doors away from the car! That usually happens in winter, but still... When opening the doors, hold them firmly and always close them.
The gas pumps are color-coded to make things easier for tourists. So no matter what company you go to, you always have to look for a specific color. In our case, we had to use the green pumps.
Exits are not announced miles ahead so stay alert and keep your eyes on the road. A good GPS also helps a lot because the road signs in Icelandic are kind of hard to read.
Lastly, we read a guide book specifying that Iceland expects tourists to not act like idiots. So, you know, don't.
Reykjavik
We spent some time walking around the beautiful, colorful and lively streets of Reykjavik. There were 2 landmarks we absolutely wanted to see: the cathedral and Harpa. We started with the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral, one of the tallest structures in Iceland. Walking around and inside such an enormous building was humbling. And then, we took a look at Harpa, a concert hall with an impressive glass architecture. This ultra modern building is in great contrast with the gothic look of the cathedral. We also paid a visit to the Perlan Museum because it offered a great view of the city from higher up but there was too many people and it was hard to find a proper place to enjoy the view without being pushed or pressured to step aside. The museum was closed for renovations so we could not see any exhibit. That was a bit of a letdown. The rest of the time, we just walked around, exploring the streets, stores and cafés/ bars. If you love music, make sure to visit 12 tonar, a record shop/ record label/ gift store. That place is pretty cool!
The road trips
The road trips were awesome!!! No traffic, just us on a road, with an occasional passerby. We could not have asked for better. We could just relax, enjoy the view and roll toward the horizon.
Vik
One of our most awaited road trip destination was Vik, mostly for 2 reasons: the black sand beach and the Sólheimasandur plane wreck. They did not disappoint!
The black sand beach was breathtaking. It was too cold to take our shoes off and play in the sand and water but it was tempting. I think I stood there for quite some time, looking at the waves rolling in. It was mesmerizing. We took a stroll on the beach and then decided to visit the plane wreck. It's not exactly in Vik, but next to Vik. It took us a while to be able to locate where it is precisely. We soon realized that once the location was found, we had to walk a considerable distance to reach the wreckage. 4 km. We had to walk 4 km from the parking space to the beach to be able to see the airplane. To top it all off, the road was anything but stimulating. We just walked and walked and walked on a flat deserted land. It felt like we were walking on a another planet! And, to make matters worse, it started to rain heavily. By the time we reached the airplane, we were all soaking wet. I would have preferred to see the plane under different circumstances but it was still pretty awesome! And then we realize that we had to walk another 4km back to our car...
Land of waterfalls
Iceland is known for its gigantic awe-inspiring waterfalls. And although the airplane wreckage was very close to Skógafoss, one of iceland's most famous, biggest and most beautiful waterfall, we had to skip it. Rain was pouring down and we were already drenched from our excursion to and from the airplane. I was really disappointed I didn't get to see it, but the following day, we got to visit Gullfoss, also one of Iceland's biggest waterfall. While Skógafoss is big in terms of heights, Gullfoss is extremely wide. Once on location, we don't see the waterfall right away but it's so powerful that we can certainly hear it. Then, it appeared before our eyes! What a sight! Once again, the pictures did not capture the awesomeness of what we witnessed, but it was truly magnificent!
Thermal pools
Because of the high concentration of volcanoes, Iceland has an amazing amount of natural geothermal pools. Heat naturally emanates from the ground. So if in Iceland, do not go to tourist traps like the Blue Lagoon. Not only do they charge an outrageous amount of money and make you reserve a specific time slot to use the pools, the Blue Lagoon, I’ve learnt, is not even a real geothermal pool! It’s artificially made! No. There a tons of less expensive or even free naturals pools you could go to. We went to 2 geothermal pools: the Secret Lagoon and the hidden pool of Seljavallalaug. Both experiences were fantastic but very much different.
Seljavallalaug is one of Iceland's oldest pools. It's free, it's outdoors and a bit hard to reach, but the experience is worth it. The pool is hidden in the middle of a mountain so once you've parked the car, you have to walk a while. Now. For any regular person, it wasn't that hard to get there, but for a city girl who is definitely not used to walk on uneven ground, it was a bit of a challenge. I think I made a fool of myself when I freaked out in front of the 2 meter wide "river" that we had to cross. There were small boulders we could walk on so our shoes do not get wet but they were shaky... That being said, the view was breathtaking! And being in that pool was a once in a lifetime experience. Side note: Seljavallalaug is a free outdoor pool so do not expect a high level of maintenance. It's cleaned once a year by people. The rest of the time, it is naturally self cleansing.
The Secret Lagoon, on the other hand, is not free but its prices a very reasonable. It does not have the same breathtaking landscapes that Seljavallalaug offers but it's got tiny erupting geysers! Baths are a big part of Icelanders' daily routine and there are strict rules to follow. Make sure to be respectful and read them thoroughly.
Horses and sheep
One thing that struck me was the amount of horses and mostly sheep. In most cases, they seem to be roaming free and do not appear to belong to anyone. We encountered more animals than people during this trip and that is probably what made it one of the best vacations ever! They were fearless and extremely friendly!
Geysers!
If in Iceland, one must visit Geysir for, obviously, its geysers! They are spectacular! You have to wait a bit but when it happens, it's huge. And addictive. I stayed for more and had to be pulled away because I would have stayed there all day.
Food
As mentioned earlier, everything is crazy expensive in Iceland. Our hotel room came with free breakfasts so we definitely took advantage of that. Every morning, they would serve lavish amounts of fresh fruits, breads, danishes, cheeses, cold cuts and salmon, so we ate very well every morning.
We found out pretty quickly that Iceland makes amazing bread but also pastries! And they can be found everywhere! Where ever you go, it seemed that you could not find bad cakes, danishes or donuts (yes, donuts!!!). The best donuts I've had in my entire life are in Iceland! We stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and I had an amazing donut! So fresh and moist, it's unbelievable!
We stopped at a bakery, Braud&Co. It was among my many food destinations in Iceland. The line was pretty long but it moved along very smoothly. The shop was beautiful and it offered a great variety of baked goods but we opted for their vanilla roll. Heavenly would be an understatement. The thought of taking a picture did not even cross my mind because I was too focused on savoring this deliciousness. I haven't had anything that could remotely compare to Braud&Co's roll.
We were walking around Reykjavik one day and realized that everything was closed. We quickly learned that most stores are closed on sundays. Then, we stumbled on this cute little coffee shop: Kumiko. Kumiko is Iceland's first japanese inspired tea house and it is awesome! The waitress was extremely friendly and took a lot of her time to explain the shop's history. The food was delicious and we were so thankful that everything else was closed, otherwise we never would have wandered into this amazing place.
And finally, the famous hotdog, from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur's stand. We heard so much about it. And it did not disappoint. The meat had a nice crunch and it tasted like no other hotdog I've ever had! Their mustard also tastes a bit like peanut butter! But the surprising part is that it was delicious! So, so good! I will even go as far as saying that it's one of the best hotdogs in the world!
Other note-worthy details about Iceland
No matter where you are, there is an Internet connection.
Everybody in Iceland speaks perfect English.
You can pay with your credit card everywhere, so there is no need to stop at a currency exchange office or at the bank before the trip.
If you know me, you are probably aware that I have a fear (or shall I say, disdain) for public bathrooms. I try to avoid them at all cost because they are disgusting. But when traveling, using them is inevitable. Iceland was a revelation on so many levels, including their bathrooms. They are all so clean! And by clean, I mean spotless! From the busy airport to the gas station in the middle of nowhere, all the public bathroom are super clean.
Tipping in Iceland is not customary.
There are no McDonalds and Starbucks in Iceland
If you ever have a chance, I strongly suggest that you visit this amazing and beautiful country. We only had an opportunity to visit half of it but we will come back in a foreseeable future for the second half!
