TRAVEL|CULTURE
If You’ve Dreamed of Exploring Iceland Here’s Proof Why You Should
Despite the crazy and unpredictable climate, Iceland is by far one of my all-time favorite countries to visit
In February of 2018, I flew to Iceland for the first, but certainly not my last, time.
I decided to make the best of that ticket, with the options I had with that airline, and fly to Iceland the following February as a Valentine’s Day present to myself.
It is HANDS DOWN one of the BEST DECISIONS I’ve EVER made IN MY LIFE!
First of all, I had wanted to visit Iceland ever since I was a wee teenager (many moons ago) in the ’90s.
I fell in love with Björk’s music and she oftentimes spoke very fondly about her homeland of Iceland.
I’m also a huge fan of natural phenomena, such as bioluminescence and the aurora borealis, which I’ve always wanted to see in person for myself.
Second of all, I had this plane ticket that I needed to change as soon as possible and the layover from Philly to Paris was in Iceland.
I knew it would be cheap and easy to change the ticket. It was just a matter of choosing the date.
The main reason I chose the time around Valentine’s Day is because I like doing extra special and loving things for myself and others during that time, but it was also a way to counteract the pain I felt from the loss of my 25-year friendship.
Normally, I would have never wanted to go to Iceland in FEBRUARY…but after doing some research, I found out that the temperature usually doesn’t go below 25 degrees.
It snows a lot and is windy, but tolerable.
Philadelphia oftentimes got colder in the winter than Iceland!
At least I’d have the opportunity to see the northern lights, which I did during the plane ride to Iceland- one of the most amazing experiences ever…
I never saw the northern lights from the ground, but that’s okay because I was thoroughly impressed by many other things about Iceland, such as the INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS WATER!
Yes…I realize how odd that sounds, but I’m serious… normal tap water is the best-tasting water I’ve ever had the privilege to pass through my lips.
The water fountain in the above photo is located at a gym with an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi, both heated by their geothermal water, about 45 minutes east of the capital, Reykjavik.
I never bought bottled water in Iceland.
The water out of the sink tasted better than any water I’ve ever had.
Before going to Iceland, I was told and read that food and drinks were pretty expensive.
However, neither was as expensive as I thought they’d be and there were a lot more vegetarian options than I expected!
Iceland is known for certain “delicacies”, such as fermented shark, but that is something I will never try.
I remember the night I went into my freezer (I stayed with a friend in an Airbnb apartment for one week) and scooped out a bowl of ice cream that had what I THOUGHT were chocolate bits in chocolate ice cream.
It turns out that those little bits were pieces of black licorice which I detest!
Icelanders looooooove black licorice and I abhor it.
However, I AM a fan of their “Camel Balls”…
No, really.
It was Valentine’s night when I discovered this bubble gum candy at a counter in an eat-in pizzeria by my rental.
The craziest thing to me is that in 2018, Valentine’s Day fell on “Ash Wednesday”, which apparently is a day that kids dress up and go to various businesses to sing a song and receive candy from the people behind the counters.
…..the kids were given “Camel Balls”!?!!
I was flabbergasted.
I still am.
This is one of my favorite things about traveling- experiencing the “norms” of different cultures.
Next up, driving!
When my friend and I rented our car for the week, we were told to ALWAYS check the weather before going ANYWHERE at any time.
Iceland is notorious for unpredictable and extreme weather.
There were times the weather channel said to stay indoors and avoid driving at all costs. One of those times, my friend and I were on the road during a 90-minute ride home from The Blue Lagoon.
I’ve never felt the wind beat against a car I was driving as much as I did there.
As wonderful and laid back as Icelanders generally are, driving is a different story!
Too many drivers annoyed the crap out of me with tailgating and speeding. I kept my cool by listening to my favorite music (blasting Björk, hip-hop, and yoga music).
By the time I returned the car, I felt like I earned some kind of badge or medal for having survived a week of driving in Iceland- in February.
I will say, Iceland is fantastic with plowing their main roads.
The hard part is the ever-changing weather patterns.
I drove through tons of snow, lots of rain, high winds, heavy hail, bright sun, and dense fog.
It became normal to see cars abandoned on the side of the road.
Thankfully, it never came down to that for me and my friend.
The friend who joined me didn’t like driving in Iceland, so I drove most of the time. I made a game out of it and had fun. I was careful, but relaxed about it.
My friend left after a week. I stayed for another 4 days. I was supposed to stay 12 days in total, but cut it short to 11 due to an impending snowstorm. I didn’t want to get stuck there, although part of me did.
I loved Iceland.
I still do…much more than I ever imagined I would.
From the moment I left, I’ve looked forward to going back.
It’s an outdoor lover’s dream!
…and I am definitely a lover of the GREAT outdoors.
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