Iceland

Bucket list place

I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Iceland. I don’t know why, maybe because it’s a far flung place in the middle of the ocean (kind of like NZ). So glad I made it here, it is amazing. Put it on your travel list. A year ago I joined a group on Facebook of people sharing jaw-drop amazing photos of Iceland and I want to see it all for myself and share my own pictures. I decided to book a tour because there’s so much to see and I want to see and experience as much as possible, and find an awesome tour from We Must Dash Adventure Travel which is action packed and covers the whole of the ring road that circles the perimeter of the country, whereas some of the tours only focus on the bits close to Reykjavik. And it’ll be nice to be with a group experiencing everything together.As I was re-packing in England and after checking the weather forecast decide I need more cold and wet weather gear. Average daytime temperatures of 8 degrees!! and overnight is colder!! And rain is pretty much guaranteed at this time of year. Out go the lighter clothes and in goes the waterproof gear and extra layers of merino. Our tour guide Brandon meets me at the airport in Reykjavik and he’s a larger than life American with a giant moustache. Instantly like him. Then Nicholas joins us (from Canada – I might have to adopt him), and Warren (a rocker dude, also from Canada), and we meet up with Sam (from Perth – and my lovely room-mate with for most of the trip), Georgia (from Sydney) and Subarna from India. This is my family for the next week and I’m so happy to be with them all.

After settling into our hostel, we walk across the road to the phallological museum (yes that means penises) which boasts to have the largest collection of phalluses in the world with 284 exhibits to see. It’s not something I had heard of on the FB Iceland photo page 🙂 but it’s so typically randomly Iceland that it’s worth a look. Then it’s time to walk around Reykjavik, try a hotdog (amazing, and the cheapest food you’ll find because everything is REALLY expensive here…like a small yogurt is $10), and stock up on supplies from the local supermarket. The highlight of the day though is the blue lagoon which is a geothermal resort with hot springs, mud masks and saunas. NZ is situated on the ring of fire and is pretty volcanic so we have similar places, but this place is out of this world – the arctic wind is whipping around so the steam off the water whisks past you in clouds, there’s a swim up bar, a swim up mud mask bar, and it’s just the coolest place to be with a group of new friends. I was worried about bringing my phone into the pool (even in a waterproof bag) so there are no pictures of it here, but if you are in Iceland you should definitely go there it’s incredible – Google it and you’ll see.

Day 2 we are on the road in our van through the everchanging landscape that is Iceland. One minute rolling green fields, then it’s a moonscape of mossy rocks, then sheer granite cliffs, moody skies, then blue skies…..and always waterfalls, rainbows, little horses and fat sheep. We can call for a photo stop anytime we want, but honestly it’s so nice just watching the landscape change before our eyes that we all forget to ask. After a couple of waterfall stops it’s time to swim – this is one of the reasons I booked this trip – in the fissure between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates at Silfra. It takes around 90 minutes to shed our layers and put on dry suits, masks, and fins for our dip in the 2 degree water and then we’re being led by our guide Jonas into the freezing water and we’re face down in the water and can’t feel our faces or lips. I love the water and this is awesome! Underwater is like a moonscape and you can see the divide between the plates right below you. After a hot chocolate and lunch we’re back in the van headed for Selfoss. The sky is mostly clear and there’s a chance we might see the northern lights that evening. Seeing the lights is not guaranteed, regardless of the time of year you visit, it all depends on the cloud conditions and if it’s raining there’s no chance. I overhear a couple of tourists ask if they will be able to see the lights from their balcony, and the shop assistant explains it all depends on the cloud etc, and they’re like “but we have a balcony”, so the shop assistant says ok you’ll see them but it’s raining outside so they totally won’t. We are lucky though, and as we walk down to the water that night the cloud clears and the lights start dancing for us – at first just silver grey shapes moving overhead with glints of pale green, then stronger flashing and moving across the sky. It’s jaw-dropping. You need a time-lapse camera setting to capture them, and to get the bright green you see in photos, and luckily we do.

This is also the night we learn the card game Asshole, which becomes a go to for our trip – here’s the rules if you feel like playing, it’s fun 🙂 and I discover I have a knack for it which earns me the nickname El Presidente, but it is also a drinking game so be warned http://assholerules.com/

The rest of the tour is best captured in the photos below. It was honestly the best experience, I will remember it always, and I’m so pleased to have experienced it all with such a cool group of people who are now my friends. Iceland is quirky and beautiful and it will take your breath away. Go see it. And YES I have posted my own photos on the Iceland Photographers paradise page and it felt so good 🙂

  • We drove the entire ring road / island circumference over 7 days. Most people only visit the south, but there’s sooooo much more to see.
  • Coming in to land
  • Time to rug up, it’s cold
  • First stop is the Phallological museum, famous in Iceland for its 284 exhibits…..and letters of dedication from people who want to donate theirs once they die!
  • Penis of a sperm whale, in case you’re wondering
  • Church in Reykjavik, built to replicate the unique volcanic rock formations on the island, a stunning building
  • Reykjavik
  • Reykjavik
  • Inside the church
  • Punk museum in Reykjavik
  • Food is expensive in Iceland, but the hotdogs are plentiful, affordable and so good! Add the brown sauce and crispy onions
  • First time sleeping in a top bunk for many many years
  • Best donut I have ever tasted
  • So lucky to see the northern lights on our second night, photos taken in Selfoss just after midnight. The only time we saw the lights as the cloud/rain was blocking them for the rest of our trip
  • Black sand beach at Reynisdrangar
  • Looking for whales at Dalvik
  • Humpback whale surfacing
  • Fishing off the boat. The water is so cold the fish don’t move fast so it’s possible to catch them just by dunking the rod in the water
  • Diamond beach…..incredible
  • Wet and cold
  • On the road. I loved my tour buddies and our guide was amazing.
  • Glacier lagoon boat ride
  • So beautiful. The black marks on the icebergs are from volcanic eruptions
  • How amazing would this be to kayak amongst the glaciers
  • Gulfoss
  • Icelandic horses are gorgeous and little. I think they’re farmed for eating, but no judgement here
  • Emo horses
  • So this plane crash-landed here en route to Reykjavik, everyone survived, turns out the pilot thought he was out of fuel but wasn’t ooops.
  • My awesome tour buddies….love these guys
  • Puffins! Didn’t see them here in Iceland but I have high hopes of catching them further on my travels
  • Someone stuck it there
  • Seljalandsfoss
  • The fissure between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates
  • Getting ready to snorkel in the fissure….the water is glacier fed and chilly
  • Skogafoss….double rainbows
  • Akureyri is such a pretty town

5 thoughts on “Iceland”

  2. Added to my bucket list, I must swim in the ice cold water, so cool!
    And nor surprised you were winning the cards game, of course Miss Presidente!

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