Roomy Reykjavík | Travel

Iceland was the last part of our twelve day holiday and by this point, I think it was sufficed to say that all of us were pretty worn down. Nevertheless, neither of us had been to Iceland before and it was an amazing opportunity to explore a new country and place full of traditions. In the end none of us really ended up loving Iceland but looking back at it now, it was pretty awesome and contained at least two very awesome experiences.

I wrote a whole emotional rant post when I first arrived in Iceland and we got settled into the hostel, which we thought would be a hotel, so I don't find it necessary to go over all of that again. However, when we landed in the early morning, we didn't head straight to our accommodations but rather we drove straight to the Blue Lagoon. It was seemingly located in the middle of nowhere and it was a drive there where most of us almost dosed off on account of getting little to no sleep during the flight, which took place overnight.

One of the most notable things about Iceland was the nature, which probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. The rocky terrain is fascinating to look at and so different from what we get at home. There's also the whole volcanos in the background which is pretty epic (as long as they stay dormant or only active with huge time frames).

The Blue Lagoon was as amazing as it was hyped up to be. It was very expensive and we'd bought a premium packet that allowed us to get face masks as well. But the water! Honestly, water around 37-40°C feels bloody amazing and it was exactly what all of us needed for the tense muscles after sitting 5+ hours on a flight and not being able to rest properly for over 24 hours. We spend around two hours floating around in the water, with a break to get a bit of food and something to drink. It was actually rather lucky that we arrived promptly as it opened at 8 AM because it quickly filled up and we got to be there without too many people. Around half way through it started ti drizzle with rain and it was so odd to have the cold air and rain drops as soon as you pulled your shoulders over the waterline but having the rest of your body submerged in so damn hot water. It was quite a nice constant though and the rain didn't bother any of us. We were wet anyway, so it didn't quite matter.

I didn't take my phone in with me and instead left it in the changing rooms. Despite the iPhone 7 being water resistant, I wasn't about to test how it fared amongst the hot Icelandic water. It was also quite nice to not think about capturing the moment and simply being in it, even if I hate being away from my phone on principle. After our toes and fingers were wrinkled beyond recognition, we changed back into our clothes (Mum and I spending too long in the changing room pampering if you were to ask the boys), and headed back to the car rental place. The car we picked up had a weird rattling sound as soon as it drove around 80 km/h. Thankfully, the transition went smoothly and we got a new car.

Then comes the whole arriving at the hostel bit, which I will glass over here. It was a fairly good hostel, though expensive, at Hlemmur Square but it was just not what we'd been expecting or used to through our travel. After writing the rant, I collapsed into the bunk beds like my family and we caught a couple of hours of much needed sleep. We woke up around dinner time, taking a stroll down Laugavegur and picking a place to eat dinner. Still tired, we headed early to bed, partly because Mum and I had to get up early to go riding, which was the thing I was looking most forward to on Iceland and it turned out not to be a let down at all. We got picked up by a shuttle bus at our hostel and driven to Íshestar where the fun began.

Mum specifically requested to get a pinto coloured horse, so she ended up with the wonderful Gangster. They had divided it so that all the beginners got horses first, so I waited with a group of six "experienced" riders while the maybe 30 beginners were given horses. I was the most experienced in the bunch and when the instructor asked if I wanted someone "forward going" I instantly agreed, as that's the same temper as my own horse and it's just more fun to work with a horse that actually wants to be there. I got Harri, an incredibly sweet gelding, who all of the girls spoke so highly off. They weren't wrong. He was quite wonderful.

The ride went so well. We split up into three different group where I went for the most experienced with an instructor named Tina and three other riders. Iceland was beautiful from horse back and our trip was named Lava Tour, which took us over some breathtaking terrain. It took me a couple of times to get used to tölt, but I soon found my point of balance and it became relaxed and wonderful. Harri was genuinely so nice to ride, and didn't object too much when I insisted that he didn't just stuff his nose in the tail of horse in front of him. He obliges my orders and listened intently and got really excited for the one long gallop we took towards the end.

I tacked him off and handed the equipment back reluctantly but before going to remove my borrowed wellies and helmet, I went back to the enclosure and called out to him. I didn't think he would actually come and I was prepared to back in there to say properly goodbye, even if I wasn't sure if we were allowed to do that. But he surprised me and came right over. It might have something to do with the fact the the instructor gave me a treat to give him post riding as she could clearly see how much I liked him instantly. We got chatting on the way back about the difference with Icelandic horses to all the other breeds.

Harri was such a sweetheart and licked my hand and pushed at me affectionately. I wasn't keen to say goodbye to him, especially after such a lovely ride but we had to catch the shuttle bus so I bit my farewell, reluctantly. Horse riding across Iceland was without a single shred of doubt the most wonderful experience I had in Iceland. I think even if you aren't an equestrian, you'll probably enjoy it.

The boys had just lounged around the hotel while we'd been gone, catching up on sleep and fighting off the weariness. We headed out for a lunch and afterwards walked down to the Saga Museum, which essentially turned out to be an audio experience while walking around several wax figures. They looked scarily alike. We learnt about the first settlers on Iceland and some of their old customs, so that was pretty cool.

The rest of the day was spent walking around and just about going into every mildly interesting place we stumbled upon. Uh and I got a crepe with Nutella, which was obviously very, very important to mention. I love a good pancake.

By the third day in Iceland, most of us were kind of fed up with everything but we still had another two day so go, so we decided to drive the Golden Circle which had several landmarks dotted along it. Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Station, which was a cool enough though the like ten-minute presentation, which you'd pay for upon entry no matter what, was a bit of a rip off. I think we actually had more fun lounging around outside in the moss covered rocks while waiting for the place to properly open. And Mum took a photo of the other three of us that she's put as her phone background and so affectionally calls her little rock band. 

Next up was the Kerid Crater, which was pretty picturesque and the weather was lovely for a stroll. Of course, I had to take a tumble on all those pesky red gravel, tearing up my hand a bit (I still have a mark now over a week later). I didn't get seriously hurt but just the day previous I had done a skid over a wet floor (with a lack of sign) and slammed my elbow into an elevator to catch my wall, which had then hurt my shoulder as a consequence. Basically, I shouldn't be allowed to go outside. But I washed my hand in the clear water that the bottom of the crater and the boys and I tried (and failed) to skid rocks while Mum watched from above.

Next and penultimate stop for us was Geysir, which contained the second biggest geyser with a height of 70-80 metres. Dad found it immensely funny to get us all to stand up close the the geyser and on the wrong side of the wind, so that we all got sprayed with the downfall. He thought himself immensely funny and we took it like good sports. Though we did pull out the umbrellas and took a bit of distance the next time it went off. 

Lastly, we headed to see the Gullfoss waterfall. We were a bit tired by then and honestly, after having just seen Niagara Falls days before, Gullfoss seemed a lot less grand. The atmosphere was more rural though and less touristy, which was nice but as a waterfall it couldn't quite measure up.

By then we'd driven around quite enough and turned the car homewards. Iceland has some pretty fascinating nature and despite our initial reluctance, it turned out to be quite a nice drive around. I'm glad we didn't go on an official Golden Tour though, as it worked so well with going there ourselves and leaving when we wanted to. With a quick bite to eat back in Reykjavik, we headed to sleep for our last overnight in Iceland.

We took our time checking out the following morning, after enjoying the hostel's breakfast. We'd be flying at 1 AM, so we had a lot of time to kill. On the final day of holiday everything seems to be influenced by the fact that you'll be leaving soon and the fact you lack a base. With all our million bags loaded into the car, we drove to the National Museum, as my brother really wanted to see the sagas Denmark handed back to Iceland and he mentioned several time his plans to steal them and bring them back to our country. It never got that far though. I can't say I was very interested in the national museum - it was the classic look at things in glass cases and read the little description beside it. It's just not the way to get my interested in things at all, so I mostly blanked out throughout all of it.  We stroll around Reykjavik for a final time, walking down to the water, stumbling across the Danish Embassy, and a cool antique book store.

In the early afternoon, we jumped into the car to drive to the National Park, which we'd skipped going to the day before. We mostly did it to kill the time but after attacks of too many flies and gloomy weather, getting out at the several stops around the park wasn't so appealing anymore. I was running on the very last of my energy and must confess that I succumbed back into old habits of staying in the car, even if it's something I try not to do anymore. I did get out at a couple of the first stops though and captured more of Iceland's beautiful nature.

Tired, more bordering on exhausted, we drove to catch dinner at a Subway near where we had to drop of the car. It instantly brought back memories of Bath and the couple of times we went there as a whole group of exchange students. Handing back the car, which unfortunately had suffered from two thrown pebbles - none of us had notice, we got into the shuttle and got dropped at the airport. After going through security, we took up residence in the sofas of a Joe & the Juice and waited for our boarding call.

Thankfully, boarding and flying home went smoothly and it was so lovely to see Copenhagen again after having been gone. It always feels so lovely and grounding to come back home. And gosh, I was happy to see my bed and my horse again. We drove over to paint my Grandma's house the day after we came home and picked up our dog, which all of us missed dearly too. Coming home felt a bit like getting solid ground under my feet again after having been stumbling and struggling to keep the balance for a while.

It's good to travel though, you learn so many things that you never would know otherwise, you meet people from different cultures and see places with your own eyes that photos and videos can never quite do justice. You take a step away from your everyday and the Internet (mostly at least) and it makes you return with a new appreciation for all the things you do have. I do love travelling with my family so much, even if we have arguments during sometimes. We always work it out and for most parts we know each other's boundaries. But it's good to be back home and get to properly recharge before life returns full force with work and university peaking at me from just around the corner.