I decided to go to Iceland to get one item off my Bucket list-Aurora Borealis aka Northern Lights.  After I decided I wanted to go to Iceland, my parents asked where I’m going next and so, I told them.  They then invited themselves on my trip…and invited my aunt…then she invited a friend to room with.. then her high school friend and the husband.  So, there goes my solo adventure to Iceland.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love traveling with my parents and they are also well traveled. They’re pretty adventurous. My Dad’s pretty hilarious and Mom loves to laugh, perfect combo.  I’ve gone to France, Spain, on a cruise, Baja, our annual San Diego trip and other trips with them, but this time I’ll have six retired people with me!

The trip started with our flight over on WOW airlines.  Their company color reminds me of Barney, from children’s TV shows. WOW is one of Europe’s budget carriers.  What does that mean? Well, the airfare is super low BUT, you pay for your water, snacks, coffee, luggage, meals.  In other words, everything else after you pay for your seat. The pros could also be the cons: No movie screen in front of you therefore, more leg room but, yes-no movies to keep you occupied so, bring a good book or tablet! Good service (not necessarily the friendliest) but, good service.  The flight attendants are always walking around like the attentive wait staff at your favorite restaurant. I mean that literally since, they are continuously taking orders for water, soup in a cup, coffee, adult beverages, and even a great pair of earrings from their onboard duty free shopping catalog.

Arriving in Reykjavik, we were met with howling winds that can almost carry you away!  A few more miles per hour faster and you can float to your car like Peter Pan.  We sat and waited for a rep from our 4×4 car rental company.  I found out from the information desk that that’s how they do it there.  We pre-booked our Explorer since it was the only 4×4 big enough to carry all of us with our luggage.  Our first vehicle had problems with the heater and the passenger side window.  All the cold wind and rain pelted Dad and the people behind him pretty hard.  I was surprised nobody even complained!

We made our way back to the rental office and traded for another Explorer.  We ended up with a newer model that wasn’t available at time I booked it. Great timing!  Fortunately, I booked it with Northbound.  Most, if not all vehicles you rent during winter is equipped with snow tires according to the rental representative who picked us up.  We found our hotel in the dark of winter by blind faith on our GPS.  To tell you the truth, all our driving on this trip was an adventure in itself and we all talked about how crazy and it exciting it was!

Iceland is blessed with numerous beautiful and thundering waterfalls.  We got to visit Gulfoss, Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Selfoss, and another I can’t remember the name of.  One of the locals showed me how to get there.  It’s hidden behind a huge rock and hidden from the road.  Iceland also, has a lot of Geothermal energy from it’s numerous volcanoes.  I was told they produce almost 30% of their energy from Geothermal activity. Another and more relaxing product are Hot Springs resorts like the famous Blue Lagoon outside of Reykjavik.  It’s a wonderland for people who love dipping in it’s soothing and even healing hot springs.  They also produce the Blue Lagoon Silica Mud Mask that’s so good for your skin!  I tried this while in the Lagoon where it’s free.  It left my skin feeling so smooth and clean after only 15mins.  They sell the mud mask at the in house store and it’s where you exit so, you can’t miss it.  I stayed in the soothing lagoon even after all my travel companions left.  I had the keys so, they couldn’t leave without me.

I wanted to go horseback riding but, it snowed most of our stay so, I kept to activities where I stayed warm.  I missed out on riding the countryside on these hardy but, beautiful Icelandic horses.  We did stop by to pet some friendly horses that were grazing by the road. They are usually smaller than the average size horse but, can survive in the harsh weather.  This adventure will have to be for another visit.

Like the Blue Lagoon, you can’t visit Iceland and not do the Golden Circle Tour.  This tour includes some of the highlights of Iceland like, Gulfoss Waterfall, Geysir, Ingvellir Nat’l Park .  Our tour included a snowmobile tour across one of the world’s largest ice fields, Langjokull Glacier.  Before our trip, I asked everyone if they’re up to doing a snowmobile tour on the glacier and they said all said yes to whatever is on my itinerary.  I later found out that nobody…including me has ever ridden or driven a snowmobile!  And yes, of course there was a blizzard during our tour which made soooo much more fun and added to the adrenaline level.  I didn’t know how this was gonna go due to the age of my adventurous group.  One actually never drives on the California Freeways and only takes side streets to work!  The tour operators were amazed to find out my Dad is 80yrs old!  A guide mentioned that he’s the oldest person who’s ever been on this tour, as far as he knows!  Dad actually drove by himself since Mom was worried about Dad’s driving and her safety!  I’m sure she was only half kidding. Ha ha ha!

During our brief stay in Iceland we got to stay in Reykjavik and outside, in a Farmhouse.  Our hotel was near everything and you can see the ocean from our window.  We actually got upgraded on our last night when we came back. We got to stay in a corner room with a jacuzzi tub!  Bonus!  The Farmhouse was a treat.  They had the cows in a heated barn and they serve homemade ice cream on the premises.  The ice cream parlor had viewing windows so, you can watch the cows and calves while enjoying the different flavors of freshly made ice cream.  Upstairs is their farm to table restaurant and they also have the viewing windows. We almost felt guilty eating the steaks and burgers while looking back at the cows across from our table.  Don’t worry, they serve trout if you feel bad eating meat while the cows look back at you.  I think they keep the restaurant upstairs so, we won’t smell the animals.  Great idea!  The walls of the restaurant and ice cream parlor are adorned by the history of Efsti Dalur’s humble beginnings.

During the summer, this place turns into a real farm with chickens running around, horses and cows.  They also offer horseback riding tours of the area.  One of the family members who work there, Kristin told me that the whole area is as green as it was snow-white at the time of our visit.  I’ll have to see it for myself.  She also told me that they grow most of their food and what they don’t, they buy from their neighbors who do.  I also found out that Iceland has a growing number of greenhouses that supply some of the country’s fruits and vegetables.  There’s even a restaurant inside one of these huge greenhouses.

The food in Iceland is pretty good but pricey, like most things.  My favorites were the hamburgers at Efsti Dalur and a hole in the wall called Iceland Street Food.  The menu is super simple.  When we went, I saw two different soups.  They were serving seafood soup and lamb soup that you can supplement with dried fish flakes.  They’re like beef jerky but, fishier.  Both soups can be ordered in a tasty bread bowl and you can come back for seconds.  I made sure I went back for it and asked my aunt to go back for hers.   They don’t mind if you try the seafood after you’ve just finished your lamb soup.  The place is a hole in the wall like I mentioned but, they opened a bar two doors down.  You can take your food there and walk back for your second serving while enjoying local brews in the cozy pub.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate and allow us to view the full majesty of the Northern Lights.  I did see a little bit of it and didn’t realize that that was what I was looking at.  One of the tour guides said that sometimes, you need a good camera to catch the lights like you see on videos or social network.  He said that you really need dark, slightly cloudy skies, a lot of solar activity and better if you’re away from the lights of the city.  Oh well, I still enjoyed staying out at midnight, then 1AM and 3AM to see if the Aurora Borealis is showing off it’s surreal night lights.  I’ll be back to visit this land of geothermal energy, magical blue lagoons, mighty waterfalls, beautiful and hardy but, gentle horses.  I’d love to go fishing, horseback riding and there’s a spa not too many people know about that’s new on my bucket list.  This new item on the bucket list is just for fun.  You’ll find out soon.

Some travel tips if you’re going to Iceland in the winter:

Layer your clothes, bring sturdy, waterproof shoes that won’t slip in ice.  The ice is so slippery it gets very tricky walking in parking lots and driveways!  Backcountry probably loves me.  I ordered most of my base layers, wool socks, gloves and beanies from them during their sale.  I got my waterproof, windproof jacket and pants from them the year before when I traveled to Patagonia, Chile.  I stayed cozy the whole time!  It’s also very important to stay hydrated.  It doesn’t feel like it’ll be a problem but, make sure you drink enough water specially when you go to the hot springs. Drive slowly and have someone navigate if you’re not sure of the directions.  You don’t want to constantly be looking at the GPS when it’s snowing hard outside. If you haven’t decided on what to do once in Iceland, check out Northbound.

If you have questions, feel free to email me.