Iceland -what an adventure

I could write for days about my adventures, experiences, encounters, observations, and overall feelings about visiting Iceland. Maybe I will write for days on this topic but for now, I will just summarise some thoughts and experiences from my visit that came to an end far too quickly.

I was fortunate enough to manage two mini trips to Iceland within a two-week span. The break between trips was great for making more educated plans for my second go around.

Let me start by summarising my overall impressions before the memories start to fade a little.

On one hand, the countryside through a bus or a taxi window at times seemed dark and dreary and at other times intriguing and green. The weather was predictably unpredictable. Any Icelander would tell you to wait 5 minutes for the next weather pattern. I experienced, rain, sun, wind (gusting cold wind) and a repeat of all of the above frequently within the span of a couple of hours. My return trip to Iceland had remarkably stable good weather for 3 out of the 5 days which seems pretty rare as patterns go per the locals.

Overall, visiting in early October seemed a good move. On average the temperature was in the high 30s to low 40s during the day and the rain when it came was gone within 10-20 minutes. The only time the temperature really felt cold was when the winds picked up and by picked up I mean, almost pick you up – or blew you over!! Those winds!!

I like to sleep with my window open at night wherever I am and Iceland was no different. I was conscientious and of course, turned off the radiant heat in my accommodations. I was also fortunate enough to not have direct wind coming through the windows so the wind chill wasn’t bad. The thing is, sleeping with the windows open on a windy night meant I had to wear earplugs because the wind was SO LOUD!! I slept great every night and made the most of every day. I was in no hurry to jump into action though when that wind was howling outside!! I’d wait, and sure enough, there would be ample time to enjoy my adventures and not usually get blown out to sea or lifted away!!

My favourite things about Iceland.

Number 1
The beauty of the countryside, the waterfalls, the glaciers, the lakes, the geysers, the steam emanating from the ground. Amazing and spectacular don’t even begin to describe the wonder and beauty of the countryside. Too much to absorb and experience in such a short time.

Number 2
The water of Iceland. The drinking water and the local community pools were perfect traditions of appreciation for natural resources to experience. The drinking water was pure and tasty and available from any faucet in Iceland and the Icelandic people are very proud of their pure and tasty drinking water. The local pools, geo-thermally heated, were also a welcome tradition of relaxation to embrace on as much of a daily basis as I could manage. I will write more about those pools later!!

Number 3
The beauty of the night. During my stays in the country area, I loved the pitch black of the night. During my stays in the city, I would specifically venture out at night to try and photograph lighthouses and churches. Such beautiful structures and artwork overall.

Attractions

The best attraction I took part in and that I would repeat in a heartbeat was the ‘Fly over Iceland’ immersive countryside tour that all took place inside. Such a realistic enactment of flying up close and personal to all the wonders of Iceland. The experience really exposes you to what’s out there to be explored and gives one motivation to do their best to experience as much of Iceland first hand!

I loved the “Circuleight’ display/experience in the Harpa concert hall. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a performance of the Symphony at the Harpa as well. I really loved that symphony performance. The acoustics, the musicianship, the beauty of the hall. I am so fortunate to have been able to experience so much of Iceland in such a short amount of time.

Here are some pictures for a taste of some of what I experienced