Ice ice baby Nov 2013

Thurs 28th Nov

We wanted to see the Northern lights so we decided to wrap up in our thermals and journey over to Iceland, more specifically Reykjavik for a long weekend.

The excitement started early when we realised we could have a relaxed check in with our luggage as we were flying Iceland Air. It was a reasonably long flight but with no time difference we got to our hotel just after midnight and quickly fell asleep.

Friday 29th Nov

The next morning we awoke to pitch darkness, having thought we had slept in. However, given how close Iceland is to the Artic circle the sun doesn't rise until closer to 11am in Reykjavík and it sets about 3pm which is a very odd experience. 

We had breakfast in the hotel, which was a weird mish mash of Icelandic treats like boiled eggs stuffed with tuna, rye bread and waffles. With no real agenda planned we went for a wander. First stop was to the massive church right outside our hotel. Hallgrímskirkja is the largest church in Iceland and is quite dramatic in its shape. From there we wandered down the main shopping streets to the harbourside which was really pretty as the sun was rising. We explored the Harpa (the main concert hall) and the wee shops and cafes along the waterfront. Everything looked very festive with the Christmas decorations up.

We went up to the top of the church to check out the view, followed by lunch in a traditional Icelandic café (Café Loki) where we had smoked lamb for the first time which was nice. We then treated ourselves to an afternoon nap mainly because the weather had turned to cold showers and it was dark already.

For dinner we headed out in the awful weather and had a really nice meal at a local restaurant, and then watched a movie on the laptop.

Highlight: The view of the sunrise at 11am!

Lowlight: The weather – its called Iceland for a reason.

Interesting Fact: Iceland is the physical size of the UK but only has a population of 300,000 people – 200,000 of which are in Reykjavik!

Saturday 30th Nov

Today we decided to get out into nature abit so we had arranged for a day tour to see some of Iceland's best scenic spots. First up was a wee waterfall whose name escapes us, this was cool in the way that there was a man made ladder for the salmon to jump up to help them out. The next waterfall was the big one, called Gullfoss. It was pretty dramatic. Unfortunately this was the time that it also started to snow coupled with gale force winds. Lou had a quick look and then beat a hasty retreat to the café while Hamish braved the cold and took some photos. We had lunch there, where they served unlimited bowls of lamb soup and bread. Hamish took full advantage and had 4 bowls.

 

Next stop was the Geyser. This is the actual Icelandic name for these things so they don't need to call it anything else! The word made its way into common English. Again the weather was a pain but we saw the geyser erupt a few times which was pretty cool. On the way the driver pulled over so we could see the native Icelandic horses which were very very cute.

Last stop was the Thingvellir National Park. It is the site of a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is also home to Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Parliament was established here back in 930 and remained there until 1798. The Viking all used to sit around in the cold and chat about things every few years and make some new laws up. It was stunning scenery that reminded us of the West coast, but it was the coldest that Lou has ever been in her life.

That night we had a quick meal at a local Asian noodle bar and waited for our bus for the Northern lights part of our trip. Basically because the weather had been so bad we weren't expecting to see anything but the guide seemed to think we would. We drove out to the middle of nowhere and stood outside watching the sky for ages and not really seeming much apart from wisps of white/pale green clouds. Hamish managed to get some half way decent photos but we were a bit disappointed with the lights as it wasn’t what you imagined they would look like. Basically you need really good conditions to see the lights like the tourist photos with the naked eye.

Lou had a good nap on the bus however while Hamish again braved the cold.

Highlight: The waterfall and geysers were awesome, and the tour guide was actually really interesting.

Lowlight: Massive Northern lights expectation with little return.

Interesting Fact: Nearly all Icelanders can trace their DNA back to the Vikings and there is a set list of names that you have to chose your baby name from – it’s the law. This is to preserve the Icelandic culture/ language. Also your last name comes from your dads first name. So we would be Hamish Ronaldson and Louise Davidson. If david and Sally had named Louise Harley Hamish could have married a Harley Davidson!

Sunday 1st Dec

We didn't have much else to see on our last day in Reykavik so we had a late breakfast and wandered round the shops a bit more. Hamish bough a Viking drinking horn which he hasn't drunk out of yet but will do before he goes to battle. We made our way to the airport and the long trip home.