Iceland-Land of Fire and Ice and All Things Nice!

Returning from a holiday in Iceland evokes worse post holiday blues than any holiday I've ever been on. Whether it's the knowledge that you have just left behind the closest thing to Utopia on this planet, or that your daily schedule is not going to filled with waiting to be picked up to embark on a new adventure every day; I'm not sure. I decided though that it was very important for me to take a moment to reflect on my trip and compile a list of my top five experiences there.

1. Blue Lagoon at Night!

My friend Faye and I decided to pre-book as many things as possible before going on our trip which is something I would highly recommend to anyone going as it is definitely not a myth that Iceland is very expensive. When we went to book the Blue Lagoon we were at first a little disappointed that we could only get a booking for 7pm as my image of the Blue Lagoon was the serene turquoise waters in daylight so we were not sure what to expect! But we were in for a treat! The Blue Lagoon at night is like the quirkiest night out you will ever have!! There is a cool almost party vibe at night and there is a bar that you can swim up to to get drinks from while in the water! Faye and I were in our element!! Floating in the hot baths with the contrast of the cold outside was an experience I will never forget so our initial disappointment turned out to be a pleasant surprise that I would recommend to anyone!

2. Reykjavik Food Tour

Artisan dessert

On our first day in Reykjavik Faye booked us onto a food tour. I had never been on a tour like this before but am so glad that we went as it was a very culturally enriching and delicious experience. We were greeted at the Harpa concert hall by our very eccentric but pleasant tour guide who insisted on guiding our entire tour while walking backwards. On our journey from each cafe to each restaurant he gave us snippets of local history and pointed out different notable monuments etc. On our tour we had the pleasure of tasting a variety of dishes from the traditional Icelandic lamb soup to rye bread ice cream to a hearty lobster soup to a variety of cheeses and cured meats to an Icelandic hotdog from a street stand. Our tour finished off in a more high end restaurant with this beautifully presented and delicious dessert. The food tour was a great way to taste a variety of the cuisines and relieved the pressure of having to pay a fortune to sample some of these dishes in the more touristy spots.

3. Golden Circle Tour

This classic tour is a must for every tourist in Iceland as it covers so many of the main sights. We set off early on our day trip to discover some of planet earth's natural phenomena. For this tour we had an older and more seasoned tour guide which was nice. It was interesting to see the different approaches of the different tour guides. In this Golden Circle tour we started off at Pingvellir National Park where we could see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the gap between two major tectonic plates-the North American and the Eurasian.-geography at its finest!!

Gap between two tectonic plates

We next headed off to the beautiful Gullfloss Waterfall-'gull' means gold in Icelandic hence the Golden Circle Tour. Gullfloss is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Europe and it was breathtaking.

Gulfloss selfie!

After this we then headed to the famous geysers of Haukadalur which was just nature at its finest! With ice capped mountains in the background and the rising steam it made me quite emotional about how important it is to protect this beautiful planet we live on! Some of the rock and soil on the ground was of quite an interesting colour that it almost felt like we were on Mars or another planet. The main geyser Strokkur erupted every 6-9 minutes so everyone was waiting eagerly with their cameras trying to capture the moment the eruption occurred. 

Strokkur shortly after it erupted!

To finish our tour our tour guide took us to see a geothermal plant which was so interesting as most houses in Iceland are heated by geothermal energy and the hot water in the taps comes from a geothermal plant hence the smell of sulphur when you go wash your hands. It was so inspiring to see how progressive Iceland is in their approach to using renewable energy and sad at the same time seeing that their country is already hugely affected by global warming. A tour guide told us this has been the warmest February in history and the mountains that are usually completely snow capped at this time of year are only partially covered in ice which was alarming to see!

4. Reykjavik City Walk

I would highly recommend this free walking tour (just a donation at the end) of Reykjavik as not only was it very informative we also had a very nice tour guide who was full of fun and enthusiasm. We went to a lot of the main sights in Reykjavik and learned a lot about Iceland's history and progressive liberal politics. There were many American tourists visiting when we there and many were awe struck by how left wing and progressive Iceland is. With its social democratic welfare state there is free University education and health care for all and a huge focus on renewable energy. Our tour guide also told us there were less than 200 prisoners in the whole country which gives us all something to think about!

At the end of his tour he recommended us to go to the top of Hallgrimskirkja where we could get this superb view of the whole of Reykjavik!

5 Reykjavik Street Art

Reykjavik reminded me of a cross between being in a Wes Anderson film and like stepping into Christmas! In Reykjavik all of the buildings are colourful to help keep the locals cheerful during the dark winter months and in recent years the street art scene has popped up with beautiful murals on most of the walls making Reykjavik the artistic, quirky hub that it is!                                  

There is something for everyone in Iceland-whether its a cosy cafe, an outdoor adventure, a lesson in history and politics or a nerve wreckingly expensive beer or meal it is definitely worth a visit!!

It is definitely one of the best holidays I have ever been on and will certainly be back to see more of it's wonders!