Surprising Iceland

 

Iceland, its raw nature, its pure water and fresh air, its extreme weather, its sense of humour… Yes, its sense of humour! The flight was still anchored to Gatwick airport that I was already discovering the Icelandic are good at not taking life too seriously.

 

So let’s start with what a fun bunch people are in the remote Nordic country. As I sat in the plane of a previously unheard of Wow airline, I browsed their magazine to discover a little more about them. This is when I had my first grin at the Icelandic humour. Check for yourself:

And it did continue when we got on the bus in the middle of the night to go to our hotel. To my enquiries as to what was the second sign from the right, the driver indicated: ‘You can eat one sausage, two sausages no.’ Sarcasm runs in their blood. I also enjoyed another one of their jokes: ‘What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest?’ I didn’t know, especially as there is no trees there due to lack of soil (at best, they have small bushes). The answer was: ‘Well, stand up!’

 

The Icelandic are fun, warm and friendly. They are not many of them – about 335,000 people, a third of them in the capital, Reykjavik – and the country is very safe. The police are remarkably absent, and do not carry weapons or sticks (or so I have been told. I could not check as there were none to be seen indeed). Walking back to the hotel across town in the middle of the night and feeling safe was a real pleasure.

 

https://youtu.be/BrdSGIVBv8I

 

 

Now, it is time to show what you are really waiting for: the beauties of the Icelandic landscape!
Unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions and slight health issues, two excursions inland were cancelled, so there is a lot less to share with you than I hoped and no northern lights. Still, there is plenty to show.

Ready?

 

First, the Blue Lagoon, where we enjoyed cocktail, algae masks and a morning of relaxation in the hot pure water of Iceland:

Then there was the visit of a geyser, which sadly did not spring out. Nonetheless, it did make me feel I was on the moon!

 

And the smell of sulphur was so strong there! For the little story, the water in Iceland, hot and cold, is pumped directly from the ground. So when you turn on the tap for hot water, your nose is assailed by the smell of sulphur. My first thought was: do you really smell better when getting out of the shower?

 

Driving around in Iceland under the blue sky and the sun is simply breathtaking and, blew me away. Nature is so raw and pure. It does feel like another world!

https://youtu.be/wvaEnViPMyY

 

And now for Reykjavik!

 

Reykjavik is a small charming city, colourful and without tall buildings. It perpetuates the feeling of space and fresh air one gets travelling to Iceland.

There is mainly one tall building in town, also a striking work of architecture. The Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church really stands out at the centre of Reykjavik.  It is 73 metres tall and imposing day and night.

Reykjavik is directly on the coast, with striking views all around. We are within a short distance of the wild countryside. Even what they call ‘The Pond’, a lake inside the city, reflects the purity and simplicity of their country.

The town also has interesting museums with good explanations on their history and ways of life. It was fascinating to understand how the people lived here through the ages and used the natural resources of the land to make it more habitable: they have underground hot water at their disposal, so heating is not a problem. Nowadays, even the streets of Reykjavik have floor heating, so driving is never a problem.

Below is a reconstruction of a Viking Longhouse. Not a bad home, don’t you think?

https://youtu.be/k5x3nYVFHlU

 

On this visit, we did not get to see the northern lights, but we had many rainbows.

Iceland is a magnificent country. It fills your eyes with the splendour of nature! I very much hope to go back and see more soon.

 

Thank you for reading,

Virginie