Iceland was... amazing.
It as also bloody windy and the weather literally changes by the minute.
I was hit in the face so hard by hail that I'm pretty sure I have permanent dints on my face.
But it was amazing.
The people are kind (and speak perfect English) and helpful, the country is welcoming, and overall, I highly recommend spending some time in the country.
I flew overnight to Reykjavik, and ventured out whale watching that afternoon. Well we did see some whales close to the end of the trip, it was really a trip of watching people violently empty their stomachs as the seas were rough. Like... really, really rough. I'd taken some sea sickness pills, so I was fine, but many of the tourists saw a lot more of the inside of a sea sickness bag than they did the whales.
The second day was a trip around the Golden Circle... where I saw some of the most amazing sights. The Strokkur geysir, Gulfoss, the meeting of the North American and European tectonic plates (where apparently Game of Thrones filmed last summer) and a trip to a hot spring to end the day.
It as also bloody windy and the weather literally changes by the minute.
I was hit in the face so hard by hail that I'm pretty sure I have permanent dints on my face.
But it was amazing.
The people are kind (and speak perfect English) and helpful, the country is welcoming, and overall, I highly recommend spending some time in the country.
I flew overnight to Reykjavik, and ventured out whale watching that afternoon. Well we did see some whales close to the end of the trip, it was really a trip of watching people violently empty their stomachs as the seas were rough. Like... really, really rough. I'd taken some sea sickness pills, so I was fine, but many of the tourists saw a lot more of the inside of a sea sickness bag than they did the whales.
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| Humpback whale |
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| Strokkur geysir |
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| Gullfoss |
I used the third day to wander the city of Reykjavik, taking in the National Museum of Iceland, a self-tour of the Harpa and a trip up the HallgrÃmskirkja church where I also watched an Easter children's choir performance later in the day. The weather sucked, and due to the Easter weekend and Maundy Thursday (that I didn't even know existed), many of the cute little stores were closed. That said, I got some great Yule Lads ornaments from the Litla Jolabudin (Little Christmas) store and had a "famous" hotdog at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (where there was something crunchy under the hotdog and two creamy spreads on top that looked kind of like runny mayo and baby poop).
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| HallgrÃmskirkja |
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| View from the top of HallgrÃmskirkja |
Day four was a day trip to the southernmost town of Iceland, Vik, the viewings of a couple of giant waterfalls - one that I could walk behind, a walk to an arm of the Sólheimajökull glacier, a view of Eyjafjallajökull (the volcano that disrupted air travel in Europe a few years ago) and a visit to Reynisfjara - a black sand beach where the movie Noah was partially filmed.
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| Eyjafjallajökull |
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| Skógafoss |
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| Seljalandsfoss |
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| Reynisfjara |
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| Sólheimajökull |
On the way back to the airport on day five, I stopped for a couple of hours at the Blue Lagoon... one of Iceland's biggest tourist traps venues... it was pretty, but not really worth the minimum $65 to get in.
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| Blue Lagoon |
In all, I really recommend a trip... you can use Reykjavik as a stopover to Europe on Air Iceland, and in a few days, you can see the main touristy things. One day (after I've seen everywhere else I want to visit), I'll go back and spend a couple of weeks, rent a car and drive around the entire island. Such a beautiful place.
And now... the planning for Australia and New Zealand in 2015 begins.
