land of the midnight sun

So was Iceland in the middle of December a good idea?

No. It was a great idea.

What a wonderful place.

Judging by this washing line, it looked like even Santa had stopped off in Rekjavik for a few days holiday before his big night.

In many ways it was exactly what I expected.

It was dark. The sun didn’t rise until 11am . Then even when the sun did rise it was always just slightly above the horizon. Later in the day the light just ebbed away leaving a glow before darkness fell.

It was cold. At minus 8 it’s a bracing, invigorating, healthy kind of cold. But the minute you got near the water, the wind chill made it feel like your face was being pricked by needles. Goodness only knows what it ‘s like later in the year when the temperature really falls.

Icelandic Wool is everywhere. Even pigs in the street have got Icelandic jumpers on. Blankets, jumpers, hats and gloves galore. In downtown Rekjavik the shopping area is basically one long street and over half of the shops are selling these kind of things. There are no fast food outlets ( apart from one lonely subway), card shops, high street stores. Small independent shops are the order of the day and some of them are delightful.

It’s clean and very safe. I didn’t see a single piece of litter in the streets or a policeman. Everyone speaks English ( albeit often with an American accent) and is polite and friendly.

It’s expensive. Like £6 for a cup of tea, £12 for a beer, £10 for a bag of chips expensive.

Harpa is astonishing. Its as if an alien spaceship has landed beside the water. Inside you feel like you have been assimilated by the borg.

But nothing can beat Mother Nature.

The scenery is glorious. From the Tectonic Plates, Geysers and Gullfoss Waterfall complete with rainbows, it totally took my breath away.

Inspired by nature and the basalt columns, the Hallgrimskirkja Church has to be seen to be believed. Again it felt like a spaceship and the view from the top of the tower was glorious. The bells are deafening.

Would I come back to Iceland?

Yes I would. If you do the Northern Lights Trip and the Golden Circle you can easily do Reykjavik in 3 days. I’d like to come back in the summer, hire a car and do the South of the Island.

So what about the Northern Lights I hear you say.

See my picture below!

I spent 6 hours in a mini bus driving through snow in the pitch black and didn’t see a thing due to unexpected cloud cover. They don’t call it ‘light hunt’ for nothing. Our driver was funny and informative but it’s a natural event, so you cant be guaranteed a sighting.

Strange observation - all the buses, coaches have tiny seats. My knees are still covered in bruises from being squashed against the seat in front.

Thank you Iceland.

Look forward to seeing you again when the sun comes out to play.

Queen Marie

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