How to go to Iceland by R

"SURREAL!"

How I did it:

Two weeks ago, A and I wanted to go somewhere to celebrate our first Easter together. London, Paris and Berlin were cities we initially considered. But when he said, "Which places would you like to go to (forgetting about whether it's doable or not for now)? Just what strikes your fancy," there was one place on my mind: ICELAND!

He said, "Yes! What a great idea!" and 30 minutes later, we've booked two CPH-KEF-CPH tickets. It was a crazy compulsive thing to do, considering that people probably plan trips to Iceland for a couple of months. But as A said, booking the tickets is always the hardest part. After that, traveling is easy.

Indeed it was. For me, at least. We agreed that he would take a more active part in planning the trip, as I was in Aalborg when we booked the tickets and was also planning a trip to Stockholm for a conference the following week.

The itinerary and the overall plan changed a lot of times during those two weeks. In the end, we decided to spend our first two nights in Reykjavík (a trip to The Blue Lagoon included), drive up to the north, explore the area around Mývatn for two days, go whale watching in Húsavík (the whale watching capital of Europe), spend a night in Akureyri, and drive back to Reykjavík for our last day.

We stuck with that itinerary more or less. Our plan to go whale watching was foiled, though. It was probably because it was Easter Sunday - although the tour company said they operated every day in April - and the winds were probably at over 100 kph.

To salvage the day, we decided to visit to Goðafoss, one of the most magnificent waterfalls in Iceland. It was definitely the highlight of the trip! This further affirms that one should always leave room for spontaneity and surprises when traveling.

Lessons & tips:

First of all, just go for it! Stop making excuses. Book the flight and then, figure things out afterwards. Over-thinking the details can be paralyzing.

Rent a car. Gives you a lot more freedom to explore.

Get a good map. We used those by Mal og Menning.

Be ready for extreme weather conditions and drastic weather changes. Pack accordingly.

Resources:

  • Reykjavík Downtown Hostel
  • Dimmuborgir Guesthouse
  • Sixt Car Rental
  • Iceland Express
  • Flybus Airport Shuttle


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Apr 26, 2011, 12:49PM PDT | 0 comments | 9 cheers


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