"Surprise!" I could not contain myself and spilt the beans a month ahead of time to my husband that I was bringing him to Iceland as his graduation gift. He was ecstatic. It was the first time I had booked a trip this big. Rather daunting- also the reason why I felt I had to let him in on it just in case my brain had forgotten to factor in important information on big trips like this. (...like insurance and train tickets! Eek!)
Our flight was scheduled to depart Gatwick at 8.55pm but we only left at 9.40pm. Our flight was full! Who would have thought so many people wanted to tour Iceland in the dead of winter, not to mention Boxing Day! Right before we departed, we enjoyed ourselves doing our usual airport touring with my in-laws. Never complete without a stop for coffee. Since I am no coffee drinker, my husband was sweet and got me a baby-cino as a surprise! (Thanks to my niece, we learnt how to order this... and I was happy being a big baby sipping on some cocoa and marshmallows). We arrived in Iceland at 12.30am! Super fun actually- disoriented in a foreign land at such an hour, the airport was quiet barring the passengers from our plane shuffling quickly to baggage claim. We walked slowly taking in the sights in Keflavik airport.
We checked into Hotel Klettur (a minimalistic but comfy yet modern hotel- all that Tripadvisor said it would be) at 2.30am. The coach from the airport was very comfortable (hence explaining holding the title of the Best Coach 2012!). The driver was wonderful. It was snowing and he drove like a careful dream.
Early next morning, we had our buffet breakfast and scurried downstairs with our tour guide waiting for us. We headed out on the Golden Circle Tour with a tour company which got wonderful reviews. It was snowing and the wind was the strongest I had ever felt. Frankly, I was terrified. The van was swaying with the wind and visibility was 1 metre. You could see white swirls on the surface of the road showing how strong the wind was and we could feel the strength of it against the sides of the van.
If you want to hear the account of who we assume was a British lady driver, ask my husband and he would be more than happy to repeat it to you. LOL. In attempts to assuage us, our tour guide told us that when he was growing up, the wind was once so strong he had to lie on the road to avoid being blown away. He also used to ride around in Reykjavik on a snow-mobile so this was nothing. Ah... Also he had seen 8 volcanoes blow up in his life. So, yup, all was good (they warned us on the airplane that weather conditions in Iceland are not what we are used to, so with that in mind, I took a deep breath and calmed down).
Our first stop was to the 'Flower Town'. Being winter, everything was quiet except for the warm yellow glow of the greenhouse. There was a new shopping centre opened there. Bonus is Iceland's Tesco I believe because we saw many pink pigs all around. The playground outside the store was covered with beautiful snow.
This supermarket was built on an earthquake site. There was a crack-line in the middle of the supermarket. Very cool. They also showed a kitchen replicating how it looked like when the earthquake hit. There was also art made with broken glass and porcelain from the quake. How creative. The feeling you get is unparalleled. Coming from crowded places like KL and London, Iceland feels so amazing. It's quiet in the mall, the shops feel empty but they look very up to date and running ever so smoothly. You get a very intriguing self-sustaining vibe.
A few pictures showing the landscape around Reykjavik. My mother-in-law pointed us to the Norfolk pine and its unusual shape. Also the third picture below, shows a house built at the foot of a crumbling ex-volcano. The tour guide laughed: "And he wonders why he hasn't found a wife and can't get his house sold..."
On our way to the next stop, we passed some Icelandic horses. Small, hardy-looking creatures indeed. They had luscious fur and Bieber-like fringes. Our tour guide was kind enough to make an unscheduled stop to let us get down for some pictures and also to pet the farmer's labrador.
Our next stop was the crater. It was frozen over and looked amazing. The soil was maroon red and the wind was sweeping upwards. We quickly learnt how to turn our scarfs into makeshift balaclavas!
Then it was onward to Strokkur. The sun was beginning to rise at about 11am. The sky was tinted pink with slow puffs of steam arising form the bubbling ground. Magnificent sight of warm water running amidst chunks of ice. The place was reeking with the smell of rotten eggs from the strong sulphur.
My toes were feeling very broken after standing and watching the geysir for a bit. I decided to go to the visitor centre with the father-in-law while my husband and his mom stayed back to get some lovely pictures of the geysir- one shot even looked like a lady running away! He was so focused on taking the pictures that he caught a tiny frostbite on his finger. Nasty black dot of clotted blood- souvenir from Iceland which he cherishes as his battle scar.
The stream was close to boiling point- thankfully, there was a huge sign to deter anyone from thinking of dipping their extremities into the stream in winter time. I actually went nearer and I felt the steam from the water while the blades of grass nearby were all coated thickly with ice. Such novel sights.
At the visitor centre, I found the most adorable soft toy ever of a white sealion pup. Also, my mother-in-law witnessed a shoplifter in action (Chinese lady) and these circumstances can be so difficult. After having a lovely pizza on a table made from a tree-trunk, we headed off to Gulfoss making a short unscheduled stop along the way at a mini waterfall.
Gulfoss was magnificent! Never seen anything like it. The sky was perfectly blue at that time. The frozen water at the side of the falls made it even more spectacular. The light blue colour of the water was mesmerizing.
Many had thrown coins into the cracks between continents to make wishes.
Our last stop was the national park. On the way, we saw a housewives school teaching home economics and housewifely duties- I would wish to enrol in one. How fun. That's the one with green roofs. So unique. At the park, we saw the rift created by the mid-Atlantic ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates separate. We stood where the ground lifted on one side and weird shaped rocks were seen.
After the very fulfilling tour, we headed back to the city and took a night stroll. Who knew that the food in Iceland was so spectacular?! I dare say everything we ate in Iceland was unparalleled. Unconventional but creative. Tasty, oh so tasty. (Snapshot of some buildings in the city)
On our way to hunting down the best hotdog stand in Europe.
What a great way to start our post-Christmas vacation!
No comments:
Post a Comment