Two part special!! - First and last week of January 2017
Ok, Iceland is small, really small, its quite and rugged. Roughly, its area is nearly twice that of Tasmania - Australia, and its population is half that of Tassie. In recent time tourist satisfaction has been quite low and I think it might be because people could be comparing/expecting a larger well established touristy country, something similar to the rest of Europe, but it is certainly not that, well not at the moment. Also people come and expect attractions like the 'northern lights' to be as amazing as they are in all the photos they see on social media but conditions have to be perfect and its not always the case. For us, Iceland has been the highlight of our trip and its going to be hard to get an experience as well rounded and memorable as it was!
Iceland was on our radar since we left home and we decided that it would be an amazing experience to try and land a Workaway up here to help get a really good cultural experience, as well as maximising our time in a place which is considered to be one of the most expensive countries in the world. After sending out a few unsuccessful Workway requests earlier in the year, we got put onto a Workaway host near the "northern capital" Akureyri by our mates Brett and Brooke, who were in contact with this host but couldn't fit it into their travel itinerary when they were in Europe 6 months earlier. Overall we were spending about 1 month in total in the country and hoping to see the majority of it. Our visit was based around arriving in Reykjavik having a good look around here for a day or so before heading to the Blue Lagoon. Then traveling to the Workaway for three weeks, followed by a road trip from the north Reykjavik via the east and south coast before flying out to Scotland!
What happened.
Finally we had made it!!! A place so many people we've met have wanted to visit, or have visited and always said it was a highlight! For us, a cheeky 3 hour flight from Copenhagen on WOW airlines was very pleasant - seemed to be more leg room then usual...winning.
 |
| The Sun Voyager - a dream boat and ode to the sun. |
Iceland was on our radar since we left home and we decided that it would be an amazing experience to try and land a Workaway up here to help get a really good cultural experience, as well as maximising our time in a place which is considered to be one of the most expensive countries in the world. After sending out a few unsuccessful Workway requests earlier in the year, we got put onto a Workaway host near the "northern capital" Akureyri by our mates Brett and Brooke, who were in contact with this host but couldn't fit it into their travel itinerary when they were in Europe 6 months earlier. Overall we were spending about 1 month in total in the country and hoping to see the majority of it. Our visit was based around arriving in Reykjavik having a good look around here for a day or so before heading to the Blue Lagoon. Then traveling to the Workaway for three weeks, followed by a road trip from the north Reykjavik via the east and south coast before flying out to Scotland!
Finally we had made it!!! A place so many people we've met have wanted to visit, or have visited and always said it was a highlight! For us, a cheeky 3 hour flight from Copenhagen on WOW airlines was very pleasant - seemed to be more leg room then usual...winning.
First impressions blew all our expectations out of the water. As soon as we walked out of the small airport (behind a couple of the Game of Throne actors), we were greeted with amazing volcanic landscape, snowy mountains in the distance and really soft sunlight. It was around 1pm and full daylight, and thankfully not as cold as we expected!!
Iceland only has one international airport, which happens to be a fair way from its capital Raykjavik (45min). There are a couple of shuttle buses (Flybus and Greyline) directly outside the airport, running frequently to Reykjavik. As we were about to find out, they are reasonably expensive - 30AUDpp, but comfortable with free wifi - we used Flybus and had booked our tickets online a few days prior to our arrival.
Iceland only has one international airport, which happens to be a fair way from its capital Raykjavik (45min). There are a couple of shuttle buses (Flybus and Greyline) directly outside the airport, running frequently to Reykjavik. As we were about to find out, they are reasonably expensive - 30AUDpp, but comfortable with free wifi - we used Flybus and had booked our tickets online a few days prior to our arrival.
We were staying in a self contained AirBnB apartment on the main street, roughly 10minutes walk from downtown Reykjavik. The flybus had us dropped off at their main station just outside of the town centre - about 1.5km from our accommodation which was perfect for walking distance. We didn't know this (didn't need it either), but you can select a Flybus Plus option to get the flybus to drop you off at local hotels if you desire.
Our apartment host was a young local Icelandic girl who was keen for a chat which was great, we had the opportunity to ask some questions and get some information about the area and Iceland in general. She gave us some good tips before leaving us to it.
After settling in we did the usual walk up the street to go grocery shopping and get our bearings, before heading back to the apartment to get a plan of attack for the next few days in the capital - we would start the following day with a cheeky walking tour.
After settling in we did the usual walk up the street to go grocery shopping and get our bearings, before heading back to the apartment to get a plan of attack for the next few days in the capital - we would start the following day with a cheeky walking tour.
At this time of year (winter), the sun was completely up by 11am, and started to set around 4:30pm. It doesn't seem like much daylight but you can still fit quite a lot into a day. The beauty of the short days is it seems to produce the most amazing sunrise and sunset lighting as you'll see from our photos. The temperatures were also a lot warmer then we expected. It sort of hovered around -5 to 0 degrees but was very calm, which made it seem a lot warmer then it suggested.
Quick Icelandic facts:
- 367,000 inhabitants which is basically 97% Icelandic and 3% Polish. In 2009 it was the first year of 400,000 tourists, more then the population of Iceland.
- Last year there was 1.8million, and next year there are predicted to be 2.4million tourist!!!
- Last year there was 1.8million, and next year there are predicted to be 2.4million tourist!!!
- Settled in the 9th century by exiled vikings from Norway/Sweden, the country has managed to really hang onto their Scandinavian heritage.
- Two-thirds of the population live in the south west of Iceland - 100,000 of the 200,000 people live close to/in Reykavik which isn't massive by any stretch. This was great because it defiantly gave the capital city a laid back 'small town' vibe. Considering its the off season, the majority of the people in the streets still seemed like tourists!
Our walking tour was taken by a local bloke who had studied Icelandic history at the local university, so we were truly well informed throughout the tour. We learnt a bit about the tales of how Iceland was settled by exiled Scandinavian Vikings in the 800's, the parliament and how it is represented with 50% female politicians, and the 'pots and pans' revolution where the citizens overthrew the Icelandic Government in the Icelandic financial crisis in 2008. We saw all the main sites in the small city centre and some tips and tricks about traveling throughout the rest of the country. The tour was great at showing examples of how forward thinking Icelandic and Scandinavian people are in general.
When researching Reykjavik I came across a couple of ripper blog posts which really reflect our feelings and the things we enjoyed about the north most capital city in the world.
Why to travel Iceland in Winter
25 cool tings to do in Reykjavik
Reykjavik pt.2
Our return to Reykjavik for a few days before flying out was really just a couple of days to catch up on some sleep, relax at a couple of coffee shops and figure out whether we were going to drop some cash on a Icelandic Wooden Jumper. We decided against the jumper investment hoping that most of the cold weather would be behind us as the days are tending to get longer, and we look to spring (fingers crossed). Also after living in our merino thermals for the last two months, the Icelandic wool felt like wearing a wire brush - and they wanted $370AUD for the suckers and they were so scratchy.. can't beat that fine merino wool!
The last few days of our stay fell over a weekend, which happened to be the Reykjavik Light Festival. We were lucky enough to see a couple of the notable landmarks lit up, an hour of darkness where all the street lights were turned off to give the locals and tourists a chance to see the stars and possibly northern lights if they were visible.
I don't reckon you could fine a sign like this in any other capital city in the world.
Typical Costs.
We cooked all our meals expect for a couple of subway lunches and two meals, one at a backpacker bar and another at Reykjavik Fish and Chips.
A Coffee - 7 to 10AUD
Subway footlong small meal - 20AUD
Fuel - 2.40AUD/litre
Restaurant fish and chips - 60AUD for a couple
Burger and chips and a beer - 80AUD for a couple
Pint of beer - 10 to 12AUD
Concluding.
In our opinion, winter is the best time to visit Iceland, and if you aren't looking to do a workaway or and extended stay like we did with some sort of work etc. you could see the whole island in two weeks. I would recommend hiring a camper (which you can definatly do in winter - just rug up), and you will not regret it!
When traveling to Iceland, you are visiting one of the most under populated and remote places in Europe. Its weather is crazy, it will be raining one minute, then in 15minutes time the sun will be out and it will be calm and sunny. The landscape is constantly changing from traveling through lava fields, along beaches with black sand and massive chunks of glacial ice, over snow capped mountain passes and past glaciers. We took over 2200 photos - which don't do it justice, and basically spent a month picking up jaws up off the ground. The scenery was truly epic!
P.S. - If we had our time again, I would defiantly be taking a ferry from Hirtshals in Denmark, stop of at the Fareo Islands for a few days before arriving in Seyoisfjorour in the far east of Iceland, then fly out of Iceland when leaving.
Our walking tour was taken by a local bloke who had studied Icelandic history at the local university, so we were truly well informed throughout the tour. We learnt a bit about the tales of how Iceland was settled by exiled Scandinavian Vikings in the 800's, the parliament and how it is represented with 50% female politicians, and the 'pots and pans' revolution where the citizens overthrew the Icelandic Government in the Icelandic financial crisis in 2008. We saw all the main sites in the small city centre and some tips and tricks about traveling throughout the rest of the country. The tour was great at showing examples of how forward thinking Icelandic and Scandinavian people are in general.
 |
| Hallgrimskirkja Church - can not be missed since it sits in a pretty impressive spot near the centre of town, it was complete in 1986 and has a statue of Leifur Eiriksson (c. 970 - 1020) who is considered to be the first European to discover America some 500 years before Columbus! |
 |
| The sun voyager sculpture has a pretty impressive back drop! |
 |
| Parliament house, right next to the Cathedral. |
 |
| Reykjavik cathedral! |
 |
| Sun coming up on a frozen Lake Tjornin in the centre of town. |
 |
| Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur - look, I wouldn't have a clue where to start with pronouncing that, but its the name of the most popular restaurant in town, a hotdog stand! A week earlier then our arrival to Iceland the Kardashians had visited the stand, and over the years famous people like Bill Clinton have come down for a cheeky hot dog. Crazy affordable for Icelandic prices at 11AUD for the two dogs with the lot! They tasted pretty good but the hot dog we had in Copenhagen was better! |
 |
| These two stone monuments are in the centre of Reykjavik are a representation of the two logs shown on the city's coat of arms. |
 |
| The unknown bureaucrat - a metaphor for how everyday life weighs us down apparently. |
 |
| Typically most houses are clad in corrugated iron. Because of the damp weather and lack of tree's - basically no trees here, up until the early 1900's when a steady supply of western building materials started to be imported to Iceland, most people lived in turf house. |
 |
| Example of a turf house - not our photo. |
Why to travel Iceland in Winter
25 cool tings to do in Reykjavik
Reykjavik pt.2
Our return to Reykjavik for a few days before flying out was really just a couple of days to catch up on some sleep, relax at a couple of coffee shops and figure out whether we were going to drop some cash on a Icelandic Wooden Jumper. We decided against the jumper investment hoping that most of the cold weather would be behind us as the days are tending to get longer, and we look to spring (fingers crossed). Also after living in our merino thermals for the last two months, the Icelandic wool felt like wearing a wire brush - and they wanted $370AUD for the suckers and they were so scratchy.. can't beat that fine merino wool!
The last few days of our stay fell over a weekend, which happened to be the Reykjavik Light Festival. We were lucky enough to see a couple of the notable landmarks lit up, an hour of darkness where all the street lights were turned off to give the locals and tourists a chance to see the stars and possibly northern lights if they were visible.
 | ||
A volcano light show on the church.
|
Typical Costs.
We cooked all our meals expect for a couple of subway lunches and two meals, one at a backpacker bar and another at Reykjavik Fish and Chips.
A Coffee - 7 to 10AUD
Subway footlong small meal - 20AUD
Fuel - 2.40AUD/litre
Restaurant fish and chips - 60AUD for a couple
Burger and chips and a beer - 80AUD for a couple
Pint of beer - 10 to 12AUD
Concluding.
In our opinion, winter is the best time to visit Iceland, and if you aren't looking to do a workaway or and extended stay like we did with some sort of work etc. you could see the whole island in two weeks. I would recommend hiring a camper (which you can definatly do in winter - just rug up), and you will not regret it!
When traveling to Iceland, you are visiting one of the most under populated and remote places in Europe. Its weather is crazy, it will be raining one minute, then in 15minutes time the sun will be out and it will be calm and sunny. The landscape is constantly changing from traveling through lava fields, along beaches with black sand and massive chunks of glacial ice, over snow capped mountain passes and past glaciers. We took over 2200 photos - which don't do it justice, and basically spent a month picking up jaws up off the ground. The scenery was truly epic!
 |
| You were amazing Iceland! |
No comments :
Post a Comment