Iceland | 1st to 6th March
This place is our favourite destination thus far, and we recommend everyone to have Iceland on their bucket list! We hope this post will be able to convince anyone reading it, why Iceland should be one trip not to be missed.
After a long (and expensive) journey to Iceland, we met up with the crew of 9. After collecting our van, we headed to the much raved about Blue Lagoon.
Blue Lagoon was one of the most well spent 38EUR this trip. The white mud we slathered on our faces effectively cleared our skin from the stubborn black heads (but also made our hair as dry as hay, so please liberally use conditioner before entering the lagoon!). It was so therapeutic to soak ourselves in the geothermal water on a cold day like the 1st, and in the company of our friends whom we have not seen for a month.
As all of us set off from our respective bases in Italy, UK and France early in the morning and some the previous night, we were all famished. Instead of grabbing a bite at any eateries in sight, we headed to the famous hotdog place: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
The hotdog and bread were pretty normal, but the sauces were out of the world! Ask for more mustard and crunchy onions for an explosion in your mouth!
We then headed to KEX hostel to retire for the night.
The packed bar in KEX Hostel
Practically every morning in Iceland, we set off early in the morning to catch the sunrise. One can drive along the roads of Iceland for miles without passing another car, and this is a perfect example. We stopped our van in the middle of the road to snap a few shots!
The first point in the Iceland Golden Triangle: Þhingvellir National Park!
And this morning was the first of many beautiful sights we encountered during the trip. The vast expanse of nature is so out of the world, my world of concrete jungles at least.
To emphasize the fact that I could easily picture dinosaurs roaming this island.
The second point in the Iceland Golden Triangle: Geysir Park
Strokkur erupts every 6 minutes, and we easily spent an hour roaming around this compound. Without fail, every time Strokkur spouts, we will scream with enthusiasm no less than the previous time.
The last point of the Golden Triangle: Gullfoss, an insane waterfall
With advice from our friends, we were well-prepared with ponchos..
...but as it was winter, the pathways super close to Gullfoss were closed, so we could only admire from afar
After Gullfoss, we made a short stop at Iceland's Black Beach, so vast and beautiful!
We had fun playing in the water, where some of us unfortunately got drenched by the huge waves haha
At night, outside our small cottage in the middle of nowhere, we witnessed a faint appearance of the Aurora Borealis!
Morning on the 3rd was beautiful as usual. We woke up to both the mountains and the sea right in our backyard. Like a pretty postcard! We then left the accommodation early for the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.
Driving in Iceland is an amazing experience, with extremely beautiful scenery every second.
We decided to visit the crater lake - a dormant volcano.
Friends scaling new heights.
Watching the sunset from halfway up/down the volcano.
The sun was setting fast, so we quickly drove to our cottage, which turned out to be really awesome! The cottage was modern and well-furnished, and we were treated to an amaaaazing five hour Aurora Borealis light show!
No camera could properly capture the majestic light show as the sky was just tooooo vast and the lights were moving so fast like green ribbons dancing in the sky! We just stood in awe, in the cold, in pitch darkness, and kept those precious moments in our hearts :) Soon it got really cold, so we all went back to our cottages, switched off the lights, and continued to admire the lights in comfort until we drifted to sleep.
And on the 4th, we woke up to a snow storm. A blizzard that left us trapped in our cottage for more than 24 hours. On the bright side, the cottage was well equipped and clean, and we were so blessed to have a landlord willing to drive us to get emergency supplies and give us a place to stay for one more night at about 10SGD per person.
Us in his monster truck and almost 0 visibility. Fortunately he memorized the roads around the area.
Despite being slightly bummed about the $$ damage we suffered from booking new flights home, we managed to keep our spirits high. Snowstorm? No sweaat! We still went out to play with the snow!
Our cottage covered in snow as deep as our Hunter boots.
With the emergency supplies, we were also able to cook yummy meals!
The next morning, there was an window of opportunity to reach Reykjavik. Our capable friends drove for 8 hours and we reached Reykjavik before another snow storm starting brewing.
The drivers of the trip, kuddos to you three! :)
Despite the blistering cold winds, a few of us decided to head to the Church, the tallest in Iceland. Architecture was unique, with clean lines. Something we hardly see in Europe, where most churches are neo-gothic,classical or baroque.
And this is the final sunset in Iceland before we left. Pretty in pink isnt it?
For our last meals in Iceland, we had lobster soup, whale meat skewers, and super fresh fish & chips!
And hours before we left for the airport, the blizzard reached Reykjavik too.
Thankfully, our flights did not get grounded and we all left the island safely.
To sum it all up,
This island is vastly contrasting from where we live back home. Indeed, one will be so close to nature in Iceland. I believe the beauty of the island is very much because it is untainted by Man. No, Iceland is not rural and undeveloped. In fact its infrastructure is very well maintained, and lots of care is taken to ensure that nature is conserved here.
Aside from the nature, Icelanders are friendly and hospitable people. Everyone we met along the journey were cheerful and helpful. People here are relaxed yet efficient, and nowhere as uptight as the urban dwellers. My guess is that with nature right at your doorstep, you realize that there is more to life than work, money, material and you learn to take things easier.
I'd say that this experience was nothing short of spectacular!
P.S: You have got to try Skyr, their awesomeee cheese-yogurt snack. Every flavor is yummy!