Iceland, Part 1

Going on a road trip in Iceland felt like a journey to another planet.
If this country can be described in one word, it would be 'otherworldly.'

I did not really think that I'd go to Iceland this year, but then the opportunity presented itself as Reykjavik became one of my school's study trip destinations.
I spent 10 days in Iceland, where 5 of them I spent doing the actual study trip and the other 5 I spent on a road trip with my friends.

Tbh I don't know how to eloquently describe my experience in Iceland, so I'll just write down 5 of my top memories in Iceland.

Starting at number 5 would be: dipping my whole body to the Blue Lagoon

This was the closing activity of the study tour. I remember feeling groggy because of the sudden storm warning the morning we thought we were going to finally have some fun.

The wind was blowing crazy it made the rain fell horizontally though most of the time it was just drizzle.
But when we got to the lagoon, oh God it was warm, it was comfortable since they keep the temperature at 39C at all time. I felt like I did not want to leave.

Blue Lagoon is not so far from the city center, probably would take you 30-40 minutes.

The view was breathtaking: the moss-covered rocky terrain, small blue-ish ponds here and there.
I had no idea place like those exist in earth.
PLUS, my whole skin was left sooo smooth after the dip, the effects lasted for days!

Next at number 4: Climbing up the Skógafoss waterfall

There was this one day when my friends and I dedicated our day to visit multiple waterfalls.
I have to say, every one of them was breathtaking BUT when I went to Skógafoss, it was just another level. It was sooo cold and chilly despite going there on early September.

We had to climb a long long staircase which was kinda slippery as well.

But when I reached the top, oh well :)

I remember vividly I told my friend "I believe this is how entrance to heaven looks like"
I think there's a hiking/walking trail there, but we only spent around half hour to sit and admire the view from the top.
It was mindblowing to see the view of beaches from above, like how can Iceland have everything?!

Number 3 on the list is Tasting Glacier Ice on the most surreal water I've ever seen—Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

The following day, we set out to explore the renowned Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon near the also infamous Diamond Beach.

Initially, our journey took us to Vik, where the black sand beach left me in awe.

I mean, I knew Iceland was otherworldly, but black sand beaches and lagoons?

However, this place took my breath away in a way I couldn't express.

The first sight of icebergs and glaciers on a beach with black sand left me enchanted.

I found myself pondering, how could such a place exist? Glacial ice, with its multiple shades of blue, against the backdrop of black sands.

While walking along the beach with my friends, I found smaller ice cubes, maybe it was what was left of melting glaciers washed up on the shore.

I couldn't resist tasting it. I can confidently say it was the freshest ice I've ever had in my life.

The runner up would be, Glacier Hike in Vatnajökull National Park.

I genuinely believed this should be the best highlight, as I couldn't stop smiling from the beginning to the end of the hike.

I consider myself lucky to have friends who share the same wavelength when it comes to the kind of activities we want to do during a road trip (also, to share a dream of listening to Sigur Rós during our road trip, I swear it hit different). It was almost like a dream come true.

I even teared up the first time I laid eyes on the glacier, and then I got to climb it.

We stayed in a cottage in Horgsland, about 30-40 minutes away from the glacier.

On the way, we caught glimpses of how the glacier looked, and I was already super excited.

For the glacier hike, we enlisted the help of a professional guide from Troll Expedition, as glacier hikes can be quite dangerous for amateurs.

Unless you're experienced, using a professional hiking guide is mandatory.

Equipped with PPE like a helmet, ice axe, and crampons, the whole preparation was already exciting for me, coming from a tropical country.

We took a bus and walked around 15-20 minutes in the national park before starting the climb.

Initially confused by everything being brown due to ash, I didn't realize I had walked on the glacier for several minutes.

The guide informed us that the glacier is located just behind an active volcano.

The ashes from volcanic activities covered parts of the glacier, preventing the ice from melting quickly. On top of that, there was another mountain covered in snow (she said the night before the hike was the first snow after summer), and we even witnessed an avalanche from below.

I was more amazed – literally fire and ice.

During the hike, I had the chance to drink glacier water right from the source. It was the freshest water, I swear. Everything about this hike was perfect, maybe because we did it on a sunny, not-so-chilly day.

And the best one is, of course, Aurora Sighting.

Honestly, I did not expect to see the northern lights. We were there in the first week of September, so I didn't set my expectations too high.

We had been checking the aurora radar weeks before our trip to Iceland, and it consistently showed a low probability. However, during our Blue Lagoon trip, a storm happened. After that, the radar changed drastically, indicating a 'high probability.'

I was excited, but I thought maintaining low expectations is key to a happy trip, lol.

We stayed in a cottage in Horgsland, which is located in the middle of almost nowhere.

It turned out to be a great choice, as we had a chance to see the aurora (should there be any).

I went to bed at 10ish, and at 3 AM, my friend screamed on top of her lungs, waking me up instantly. I grabbed my hoodie and ran as fast as I could to see the northern lights.

It was green, moving, as if it was dancing.

I never knew the aurora could move in the sky; I had always thought it was a static light.

I tried to take pictures, but my iPhone 11 wasn't advanced enough to capture a clear image of the aurora. But, I managed to capture some decent shots.

We stood outside for a good hour, watching the dancing aurora. After some minutes, it would disappear, then another one appeared from a different direction.

I felt incredibly lucky, speechless most of the time, my heart was full.

Coming at the end of summer, I intended to only do the hike, or take a dip in the lagoon, etc., as it would be too cold to do them in the winter.

Iceland is the kind of place you should visit multiple times in different seasons since it has so many different things to offer.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to experience the best of both worlds by coming at the end of summer.

I look forward to sharing more about this trip (hence the "Part 1" in the title). Perhaps in Part 2, I'll share our routes and some Iceland travel tips to make the journey more efficient and, hopefully, more affordable.

Takk fyrir!