Iceland

My Iceland travel summary:

Visited: June 2018

Duration of visit: 7 days

Capital city: Reykjavik

Population: 350.000 (2018)

Iceland travel blog reading time: 9 minutes

• Icebergs, geysers, glaciers, waterfalls, lava fields and lunar scenery with stinky fumaroles.
• Perversely high prices, especially for services.
• At each place I stayed, it was necessary to remove my shoes upon entering.
• Prolonged summer daylight hours without the presence of darkness.
• Cute, tranquil, colorful puffins.
• Three mega-aluminum plants, powered by inexpensive geothermal energy, account for 16% of GDP.

Iceland was never high on my travel bucket list while I was exploring possible next destinations. It felt too far from Europe, too expensive, and impossible to combine with neighboring countries. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before I could overcome most of these obstacles.

Based in Europe, and having already visited most of the countries and places on my travel list, I couldn’t postpone the trip to Iceland any longer. In June 2018, the opportunity finally appeared to travel to and explore one of the last places on Earth to be settled by humans.

I bought a reasonably priced plane ticket from Budapest to Reykjavík and began planning the trip. Hotels under 150 EUR were rare, renting a refurbished camper started at 1,200 EUR per week. A daily visit to the Blue Lagoon was priced at 85 EUR.

What is this? Why so expensive? Did I make a mistake?

After many hours of research, I found the best option for accommodation through Airbnb – a room with shared bathroom. I also rented a car so I could make a big loop and visit the northern part of the country.

I rented a compact Suzuki Swift at the Scandinavian-style airport, which is located practically in the middle of nowhere. The countryside was unlike anything I had seen before. Volcanic rocks in strange formations, fumaroles on the horizon, and almost no cars or houses along the way.

Although I had decided earlier not to pay the high entrance fee to the Blue Lagoon, I stopped to walk around. Surprisingly, I was able to enter the main building. I had a cup of coffee, use the toilets for free, and take some pictures of the lagoon from inside.

Instead of luxury Blue Lagoon, I soaked in Seljavallalaug Hot Spring, only 15 minutes walking uphill from the main road. Hundreds of affluent guests were replaced by a dozen of nature and adventure lovers in a small pool with basic facilities. It is easy to understand why hot springs are so popular in harsh environment of Iceland.

Exploring the southern part with a lot of tourists, plenty of waterfalls and some short walks were just the warming up before heading to the north along the West Coast. The southern area is probably the most visited by tourists with only a few days to travel. It is full of popular attractions and places to visit in Reykjavík and nearby areas.

It is not easy to find good food at reasonable price in Iceland. Especially after 2009, when the last McDonald’s restaurant exited the country.

A personal size salmon & rocket pizza at 35.00 EUR was an excellent deal, while a usual meal was above 50.00 EUR, per person. The food is in general delicious and well presented, restaurants are nicely decorated, service is professional. Tip is not included, but I am not sure if it is expected!

We preferred to buy groceries and cook our own meals in the apartments we rented, mostly through Airbnb.

The majority of the apartments offer a fully equipped kitchen. Usually small, but practical and functional.

We enjoyed the long daylight while exploring the island of Vestmannaeyjar and climbing the volcano. The Eldheimar Museum showed the recent eruption that enlarged the island and nearly buried the city in lava.

Strong wind and occasional rain were common even in summer, but they didn’t spoil the fantastic view from the top of the volcano.

The museum was built on an excavated home buried by ash during the 1973 eruption. This building, dug up from the ash, is the highlight of the exhibition. Because of the eruption damage, archaeologists nicknamed the island the Pompeii of the North.

Among the most beautiful scenes I saw in Iceland (and there were many), were glaciers. There are plenty of them to observe, even in the summertime. Maybe it was because I had never seen them before. The peaceful nature, along with the colors, ice shapes, size, and remoteness, made a huge impression on me.

Witnessing the serene sunset over the iceberg area of Jokulsarlon at 10:00pm left a strong impression on me. This landmark instantly made me place Iceland among my top five destinations in Europe.

Glaciers are persistent bodies of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years. Currently, still about 11% of Iceland is covered by glaciers, but their size has been reducing rapidly. Knowing that future generations may never see these beautiful ice structures makes them even more unique and special.

The glaciers are among the most remarkable places to visit if you want to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Besides the small, pony-sized Icelandic horses, puffins are the most remarkable animals in Iceland. Because they are incredibly cute, calm, colorful, gather in large groups, and are used to people, puffin watching has become one of the top things to do for visitors.

I could easily spot them from far away because of their bright orange beaks and black-and-white, penguin-like bodies.

With more than 60% of the Earth’s entire Atlantic puffin population, Iceland is definitely the world’s puffin capital! I discovered them in a state of perfect harmony at Borgarfjordur Eystri Fjord.

I enjoyed the long scenic drive. Even the unpaved roads were easy for my Suzuki Swift. I am not a big fan of bird watching in general and always saying that I am too young for this activity. However, the puffins completely won me over with their beauty and calm nature. I was amazed that they spend years in the middle of the ocean, far from land.

The northern part of the island is very different from the southern. It is much less visited by tourists, and some areas feel very remote. The highlight is the volcanic countryside, which makes the area unique and special.

There are around 130 volcanoes in Iceland, and roughly 30 of those categorized as currently active. I had seen something similar in Hawaii a few years ago, but the area around Myvatn and Hverir is even more spectacular. It has many lava shapes and colors, smelly lunar landscapes, lava castles, and warm craters with smoke coming from cracks.

Unbelievable, impressive!

Smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots, surrounded by sulphur crystals of many different colors fill the air with an overwhelming smell of egg. This raw and surreal landscape is amazing, while hundreds of flies are as annoying as they can be. I had to stay focused to take photos without them and keep my mouth closed so they wouldn’t fly in.

If Gulfoss is the most beautiful Iceland’s waterfall, how to describe Dettifoss waterfalls?

With its huge volume, loud roar, and very close viewpoints, it could even surpass Gullfoss in glamour. You can actually approach Dettifodd waterfalls from two sides through a dirt road that made me suffer.

The waterfalls were so remote that I saw no toilets, restaurants, or any infrastructure during my late-afternoon visit.

It was probably the first time that I visited the capital city of any country at the end of my trip.

Even though Reykjavík is a nice small capital city, I consider the rest of Iceland much more picturesque and worthwhile to visit. More than 60% of the Icelandic population live in the capital city. With roughly 120.000 inhabitants, Reykjavík is still smaller than any other mayor city in Europe.

The city feels like a big shopping area for tourists. It also has impressive architectural landmarks such as Harpa and Hallgrímskirkja Church. One of the most unusual things to do is visiting the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which displays many types and sizes of penises from Icelandic wildlife.

Icelanders are friendly, well educated, very practical and live in harmony with nature. Due to the harsh environment, they appreciate sunny days and mild summers for outdoor activities. Recently, tourism has impacted their lives considerably. Many farmhouses transformed partially into guesthouses to diversify income.

Compared to other European nations, where working hours are decreasing, Icelanders work much more. On average, they work 45 hours a week – longer than any other country in Europe. Especially in Reykjavík, many young people tend to have two jobs to cope with the extremely high costs of living.

Iceland is remarkable for the fact that 100% of its electricity comes from renewable sources. Geothermal plants currently produce about 25% of Iceland’s electricity. Still, Iceland is a global leader in using geothermal energy for heating.

When I was doing a research on Iceland’s economy, I noticed two interesting sectors with the highest proportion of income: tourism 42% and aluminum 16%. If the impact of tourism could be somehow understandable, I didn’t understand how aluminum production could be so important if there is no bauxite ore mine on the island. Bauxite ore is the world’s primary source of aluminum.

Iceland has three huge aluminum plants, and aluminum melting is its most significant power-intensive industry.

Electricity prices in Iceland are so low that it is cheaper to ship bauxite from Australia and process it there. After processing, the aluminum is then shipped to manufacturers around the world.

How bizarre!

Another phenomenon of Iceland is sport. I have always been a big sports fan. I couldn’t miss Iceland handball team’s great performance, winning the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

An even bigger success that united the whole nation and put Iceland on the world sports map was the rise of its football team. They qualified for the 2018 World Cup, making Iceland the smallest nation in history to take part in the event.

Iceland is a small nation on a remote and diverse island offering a truly unique natural experience. Adventure travelers with deep pockets can explore volcanoes, glaciers, and waterfalls in a quiet, peaceful environment.

I love it!

Visiting and travelling around Iceland at any time of the year is a unique experience due to the weather conditions and geographical position. During the summer, daylight extended the active time to midnight, while in the winter constant darkness is the best guarantee to observe the Aurora Borealis.

I will need to come back one day to observe this natural wonder.