Iceland. It's one of those places that really opens up your senses, and lets you truly appreciate the wonders around us.
A 3 hour flight away from our current Big City Hustle & Bustle life in London, the first things you notice is how quiet it is (do people live here? We found out there’s only 300,000 in all of Iceland) and how beautiful the landscapes are. When we reached our hotel we were surprised at the how the ground is covered by Volcanic rock, with a layer of moss. This, with its icey winds, really felt like we had landed on a different planet!
We were actually scheduled to leave for Norway, when found out that unpredictably, a warm November, meant there wasn’t enough snow for our planned activities. In a panic we scrambled to salvage our holiday and made a decision to cancel everything! We made a few calls and thanks to Discover the World Tours, a whole new trip was planned to spend a long weekend on the volcanic island.
| His Perspective
Iceland was a gracious host. Its people are extremely friendly and speak excellent English, but they hold a very interesting take on life. The owners of our Inn were very accommodating, even arranging a driver to take us into the city centre of Reykjavik, where we stumbled across a new restaurant in town, Kol. It’s warm Icelandic décor, the fresh seafood and local meats won us over.
We were lucky enough to fit in an amazing (if not eccentrically guided) tour of the Golden Circle. This led us from the geothermal hotspot were the Geyser erupts every 5mins, to the titanic waterfalls of Gulfoss and north to the glaciers of Iceland where we both took aim at piloting snowmobiles. In between this were expansive areas of emptiness. Not one person, and barely a horse or bird. Unfortunately, that emptiness is what I’ll remember because I left empty in my quest for seeing the Lights.
The Northern Lights were the main reason for this trip. We were chasing a glimpse at the most amazing natural light show in the world. Iceland is a place blessed with natural wonders: Unfortunately, nature decided to deny us the opportunity at seeing the Lights, and each night we waited and waited, but felt as if nature was working against us.
I also would’ve preferred we had a chance to see the lava spewing from the active Baroabunga Volcano, plus spent a little more time getting to know the areas. But we were short on time, and extremely short on daylight – sunrise and sunset being a matter of hours apart. So, personally, I know I didn’t give Iceland the chance it deserved, especially since natural wonders usually impress me so much. But this was the price it paid for hiding my beloved Northern Lights from me. I hope there will be a next time, where I can give it my full attention.
| Her Perspective
We stayed at the Northern Light Inn, as the name suggests it’s situated away from the city lights and pollution and was meant to give us the best opportunity to see the Northern Lights. Back at the Inn, each night we eagerly searched the skies for the Aurora. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
Without having done any research on Iceland, I was pleasantly surprised. We got to experience Geyser, it’s unfathomable that waters with temperatures of 100 degrees were bubbling under our feet, and to see the natural eruptions just a foot away was incredible! The breathtaking Gulfoss Waterfalls were a sight, and then we were taken to the North tip of the National Park for snow mobiling! Yay! We got to see snow after all that! The snow was coming down lightly, and the fogs meant you couldn’t see over 100m around you. It was quite surreal looking around feeling like you were trapped in a snow bubble. This plus the thin layer of ice we were riding on, was quite scary, but very exhilarating.
Despite not seeing the Northern Lights, this volcanic island was winning me over. And the best was definitely left till last!
On our last day, we walked over the volcanic rocks to The Blue Lagoon. The walk itself was quite amazing, with heavenly views of the volcanoes peaking over the pale blue lagoon. And then, we walked into what has to be every girls dream: the best day spa that nature could give you. We gave each other facials, and masseurs gave us an in-water massage. So relaxing! I felt extremely blessed to be in this warm geothermal spa, with my favourite person in the world, the most amazing landscape behind me, even the sun came out at the most perfect time over the volcanoes.
It just felt like Heaven on Earth.
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Tiago's Jacket, scarf & beanie - all by Superdry. It's one of those brands that have always been on our radar. Effortlessly Tokyo Street Chic, but with all the practicalities he needs. In Perth it doesn't get cold enough so he was happy to trial and test the Alpine Duffle Coat in probably the best city for it, it keeps you warm and dry when you need to be. But also leaves you feeling fresh when it warms up indoors. As we now venture into London's winter, I think a stop at Superdry's women section is next on the list!
Gulfoss Waterfall
Geyser (wiki: a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam)
Snowmobiling! What a sight to see!
Reykjavik & Kol Restaurant
The Blue Lagoon (look at that volcanic rock ground!) and those views!
