| Iceland What I realized when I was in Iceland (2015) 1. It is almost a cash-less society. You can use credit cares for all(almost?) purchases. Even the small mobile food stand near Seljalandsfoss Waterfall has a credit card machine.  2. The aurora will appear most of the night. It is the aurora activity that determines the brightness. Since there's no evening activities, we drove to the lighthouse(at Seltjarnares?) every night to try to catch the aurora. We surfed the net and watched TV shows to keep ourselves entertained, while looking out for the lights.
The faint aurora can be seen by the naked eye but cannot be captured by the iPhone. 3. Since public transport is very limited, the car rental company provides transport to pick up of customers and cars to the car rental premise. What we did in Iceland 1. Seljialandfoss Waterfall - Skogafoss Waterfall - Skaftafell - Vik - Reynisdrangar << South Coast (6+am - 8pm+ arriving back at Reykjavik)>> We set off at about 6am for our first stop - Seljalandsfoss. Although we were early, there were others who were earlier but it was not crowded Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Skogafoss Fall It was easy to spot our destination as Skogafoss Fall can be seen from the road.
A 4-wheel drive is required to go to the Skaftafell. We did not plan to go Skaftafell. The weather was so sunny and good that we decided to drive there to take a look. Many travelers do the glacial walk here.
Vik is a very small town. There is a petrol station cum small cafe. We parked our car near the petrol station, had a very late lunch/tea break, and then walked to the beach.
Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall near the village Vík It is 'along' the same stretch as the Vik beach (as can be been by the rock formations out at the sea). It is separated by the basalt sea stack. The sands are mainly in the form of small 'granite' - 'not fine sand'.
2. Early start to tour the Golden Circle(6+am till 6+pm) Most travelers start driving very early to the Golden Circle before the tour buses arrived.
Have to see with your own eyes to appreciate the beauty of Gullfoss Fall.
So, be well insulated, and bring gear to cover your face and ears as well. Geysir You know when you are near because of the steam and the smell. The landscape is postcard-like.
We arrived at Pingvellir just before the sun set.
 3. Reykjanes (7am - 2 pm) + Blue Lagoon in the afternoon Reykjanes There were relatively fewer people here compared to the previous locations. Perhaps Reykjanes peninsula is not as well-visited as the Golden Circle/Vik route. There were practically no vehicles on the roads in Reykjanes. We missed the turning into the carpark for the "Bridge Between the Continents'. As we drove on, we realised a small sign-post that we passed probably indicated the turn into "Bridge Between the Continents" car park. We turned back and reached the car park.
The "Bridge Between the Continents" connects the American and the Eurasian tectonic plates. There were no one in sight. We were the only visitors Gunnuhver Our next stop is the Gunnuhver geothermal area. There is a small signpost along the road that indicates the turning into the carpark.
We arrived at the carpark. There were no other visitors. The entire area was only for us. Blue Lagoon It is crowded even in winter.
Hang the bathrobe/towel by the rack, and walk into the blue lagoon. The cold will only hit you momentarily as you can immediately immerse yourself in the hot spring.
It was too crowded for swimming and the water is murky and hot.
Instructions are provided for users to do DIY facial and gentle body scrubs. Be sure to bring along a waterproof casing for your phone/camera! Others There was a snowstorm on the designated 'city-tour' day. We had checked the weather forecast before we pick up our rental car (indicated poor weather conditions for city-tour driving). On good days, one could consider driving to the South Coast since it is the longest and farthest away from Reykjavik. <<Be flexible with your schedule and check the weather forecast>>
Surprisingly, despite not switching on the heater during our stay in the the apartment, it was relatively warm and cozy. We had a walk in the town centre after the heavy snowstorm. As the rental apartment was in the town centre itself, it was very convenient for us to tour the city.
We also did Icelandic horse riding on the second day of arrival, after picking up the car. It was a worthwhile experience.
Timeline Day 1: Arrive in Revjkavik Day 2: Picked up car proceeded for horse riding Day 3: Golden Circle tour Day 4: South Coast and Vik Day 5: Reykjanes + Blue Lagoon Day 6: City tour Day 7: Depart for London We could actually have picked up the rental car from the airport on the first day. But, we picked it up in town on the second day instead. What I like to do when I visit Iceland in winter again 1. Stay 1 night in Vik or a smaller, more remote town to catch the aurora 2. Drive round the island (Not really now?) 3. Do a proper city tour of Reykjavik since we were snowed in by a snowstorm on our city-tour day. |
