Iceland Review
I recently got back from a week long trip to Iceland. If you saw my Iceland packing list that I posted some weeks ago, I have a few comments on that! First of all: skip the dress, the shorts and the skirts! I never used any of it. I probably could have used the dress and the skirts, if I had had enough leggings, leg warmers and cardigans to complement those outfits and keep me warm. But alas, I was sadly delusional about the Icelandic weather. I ended up using a fleecy jumper that I packed last minute the most! All my t-shirts and tank tops were layered to keep me warm and I had to make good use of the few long-sleeved shirts I had brought. To be fair the weather was not SO bad, I had just packed for a holiday in the sun, rather than cloudy with a chance of rain…
The Keflavik airport is quite easy to navigate on landing, and there is a bus that will take you to town in about an hour. If you wish you can buy an extra ticket, and they will take you directly to your hotel/hostel. The cost of this is altogether 2.500 ISK. The service operates with all flights in and out of the airport, so even though we had a 7 o’clock flight out, it was uncomplicated getting to the airport on time. You do have to change busses at the main bus station, but that is a small inconvenience.
As for food Reykjavik has a lot of different options, including Mexican, Pakistani and American as well as local cuisine. Most restaurants had one or two vegetarian options, but when trying to stay gluten-free those options became quite limited. I did manage to always eat something different, but there was not a whole lot of choice involved. There is one restaurant in Reykjavik called Glo (http://www.glo.is) that always have vegetarian and gluten-free options. You order a main dish and then you get your choice of salads. You can pick 3 different ones out of a range of different lovely salads to go with your main course and this was the first time I actually felt like I was spoiled for choice. They also have a lot of different gluten-free cakes (which I enjoyed).
We stayed in Reykjavik, pretty close to the downtown area. We stayed in a private apartment that we had booked through AirB’n’B (www.airbnb.com) and that worked out well for us, since the 5 of us could stay in the same apartment, but in different rooms. It felt a bit easier than having different hotel rooms, it was just easier to meet over breakfast and plan the day, and get out of the door in time (almost).
The first day we just spent walking around Reykjavik, and that is pretty much quickly done. It is not the biggest city, and the shops often have a lot of the same stuff; wool, outdoors clothing and souvenirs. So you definitely want to book in some trips, if you are staying for a longer time. Or rent a car and make your way around the country on your own, which is supposedly quite easy to do.
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| Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik |
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| Thingvellir |
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| Gullfoss Waterfalls |
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| The Geyser geothermal area |
The day after our tourist adventure we decided to venture out on our own. My friends really wanted to hike (…) to a hot spring that was supposed to be something of an escape from the touristy masses. This was in the town of Hveragerdi, a 40 minute bus ride from Reykjavik. One of my friends had gotten it recommended by a friend of hers that used to live in Iceland as a lesser known hot spring. But at the same time there seemed to be guided tourist tours going the same place…It was really hard figuring out how long of a hike it was going to be, as some sites said a 20 minute easy walk and others said an hour’s hike though hilly terrain. I really (REALLY) hate hiking, but I decided to give it a go anyway for the company’s sake, and just bring a book in case I had to bow out. And I ended up needing that book! It turned out the bus dropped us off downtown 4 km away from the place where the hike started…and then the hike was another 3 kilometers of fairly steep climbing! I gave up pretty quickly after the first 4 kilometers, but the others persevered and said the the hot spring was really nice. Apparently it is two rivers, one cold and one hot, meeting and creating a pool with adjusted water heat. So if you enjoy hiking and hot springs this could be one of your outings. If you’re not THAT into hiking then it is possible to rent a car and drive to the town and right up to where the actual hike starts, so yo only have to go the last 3 kilometers on foot.
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| The hike |
On the Sunday my friends went diving at Silfra near the Thingvellir, and I spent my day doing two very Icelandic activities; whale watching and horseback riding. I went whale watching with Elding (www.elding.is) The tour was really good! We saw minkewhales and dolphins, and the guide/spotter was knowledgeable and friendly. We got survival suits to stay warm, and they had free seasickness tablets on hand for anyone who needed it. If you go whale watching expecting to see whales up close and personal, maybe turn those expectations down a notch. You will probably see some whales, but it will not be like it looks in the nature documentaries. They will be far away and gone again quickly. But Elding as a company is definitely recommendable. After lunch I was picked up to go horseback riding with a company called Ishestar (www.ishestar.is). There was a safety instruction video and then we got geared up with helmets and rain gear if needed, before we met the horses. We were a very big group, so it was a little chaotic, and the ride was quite short, about an hour, with no stops for pictures of you astride a horse. Which would have been nice. When we got back, it was equally chaotic. I started to leave the horse where I had tied it to the fence, because there were so many horses, I started worrying about getting squished between them, because they really didn’t give a hoot about you. But then you apparently had to bring your own saddle in. I did have fun, but a smaller group with less stress would have been nice.
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| This is the closest you will get |
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| Our ship had a drone to capture images of the whales spotted |
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| The view from the horseback |
The next day we rented a car and drove to Olafsvik to go whale watching again, this time as a group. We went with Laki Tours and I would not recommend it. There were no suits and a spot of bad weather meant that we were all drenched by the time we got in. We did see a humpback whale and a spermwhale flipping their tails, but I’m not sure the vomiting was worth it. That was the longest 3 hours of my life I think!
The next day was our last and we decided to relax and go to the Blue Lagoon. This is also very touristy, and apparently it was quite impossible to get there on public transportation, so you either have to rent a car or book in on a bus. We went for the bus and went in the afternoon. The busses do get full, so it is best to be at least a few days in advance when booking. There were a whole lot of people in the changing rooms, but it didn’t seem too crowded out in the water. They have a bar in the lagoon where you can buy drinks (3 drink limit per person) and feel like a jetsetter. They give you a bracelet that works as your key to your locker, and you can charge your drinks to this and pay when you leave. So you don’t need to bring anything out other than your bracelet, and perhaps some sunglasses. We spent a lot of time squinting at each other, because none of us had been smart enough to bring sunglasses out. The water and the complimentary mud mask will leave your skin feeling soft, although a little dry, so be sure to bring moisturizer. Furthermore they tell you to try and keep your hair out of the water, as the mineral will settle in it and make it grungy. And I can attest to that. I had to give up combing it the next morning because it was such a matted mess from the lagoon! So bring a hair tie and enjoy the soothing warm waters!
That was our last day, and I must say I think we experienced quite a lot in just one week. I really enjoyed it, and Iceland definitely has even more to offer. This might be one of the countries I will revisit. It is definitely on my list!
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