I’d been talking about wanting to visit Iceland for a couple of years before I finally made it happen. In March 2016 I scraped together what money I had to spend 4 days & nights there. 3 touring the Golden circle and south coast, and the 4th exploring the capital city of Reykjavik. The weather conditions were so changeable that it was hard to stay optimistic about seeing the things I’d gone there in hope of seeing. Namely the northern lights, glaciers and ice caves etc. The first full day was spent touring the golden circle. This area is famous for its beautiful waterfalls, volcanic geysers, and also includes Thingvellir national park, where the Euro-Asian, and the American tectonic plates meet. The second night was forecast to be the only clear night of the week and the Aurora activity rated 3 out of 9, meaning our chances of catching the northern lights was slim. Just hours prior to going out from out hotel near the town of Vik, It had been cloudy and snowing. However our perseverance payed off, as just after midnight, the sky was completely clear. The stars were so incredibly bright, like I’ve never seen before, anywhere in the world! Eventually we were greeted by the shimmering green/magenta glow of Aurora Borealis rising from behind the mountains . I feel so privileged to have been able to spend over 3 hours watching and photographing this mind blowing natural wonder. The following morning we went back to Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, to be picked up for ice caving, by locals driving Bigfoot minibuses. The ice caves themselves were amazing! Though it was obvious that it was late in the season and that there had been plenty of foot traffic through them. I’d definitely recommend visiting the ice caves closer to the beginning of winter for full appreciation. After that, we were dropped back at Jokulsarlon and I headed down to the black sand beach, where the glacial iceberg fragments wash up along the shore. The fragments of ice were an amazing contrast against the black volcanic sand and in the sun they sparkle like diamonds! Unfortunately the following day’s weather was horrible. A cocktail of wind rain and snow meant that our scheduled hike on Skaftafell glacier was canceled for safety reasons. Instead we headed back west towards Reykjavik, and on the way stopped off at another very powerful waterfall and also the museum of Eyjafjallajokull. The Icelandic Volcano which erupted in 2010 sending It’s ash cloud around the world. The last day I spent in the Capital, Reykjavik. I visited Hallgrímskirkja (the modern church) and the Sun Voyager sculpture of the Viking boat. We were also lucky enough to observe Aurora again from the window of the plane on the flight back to London. Iceland really is an incredible country! I’d recommend it to anyone with the slightest taste for adventure, and also those with a craving for seafood!
