Hello from Iceland!
Apologies for the slight delay on posting, but things have been pretty busy! Anyway, I’ve been here in Iceland just over a week and I can say that it is such a beautiful country. Icelanders are very welcoming, helpful and wish you a great stay here.
The last week or so has been a time of settling into the life and practicalities of living life out of a rucksack. It is simultaneously very freeing, but also bears responsibility. Accommodation, food, transport, health and so on all need to be organised and accounted for (including time to write a blog…..). That said, it is not all drudgery and being able to move around and meet so many different people. Meeting others from Iceland and the rest of the world is truly very satisfying.
Staying in hostels is very much a part of that satisfaction. Living together with others is a great way to meet and share experiences, whether that’s a night out, a day’s hiking or sharing a plug adaptor- a common theme! It is also a very levelling experience having what you can carry as your worldly possessions. Factors such as jobs, houses, cars and so on are no longer part of how people meet and, let us be honest, judge one another. I’ve met students have a break after their degree, people on career changes, parents with young children (brave) and others enjoying a holiday in their retirement. Whether it’s a week, months or years people are able to spend time with each other and have all kinds of conversations with each other.
One of the benefits of moving regularly is meeting new people and sometimes bumping into others again. Whilst staying in Reykjavik I met fellow dorm-mates that hopefully I’ll be able to meet again further west in my travels.
I was based in Reykjavik for a week and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The main cathedral, the Hallsgrimskirkja, being a particular highlight: especially the free entry.
N.B. It’s not all cloudless skies, I arrived to the best weather!
The nightlife in Reykjavik is also very lively due in part, I think, to the lack of darkness here in the summer months. It takes some getting used to and will be strange to get unused to when moving westwards! However, in the darkness of the winter months there are the northern lights to make up for the lack of sunlight.
I would certainly recommend a visit to Reykjavik and, despite it not being the cheapest destination, there are certainly ways to keep expenditure to a reasonable level (not having expensive tastes helps too!).
Right now I am up in the north-west of Iceland in the countryside about 130 kilometres from the Reykjavik. It is so peaceful here and there is wildlife everywhere. There are plenty of hot springs here even though this part of Iceland has less volcanic activity than the interior and south. Icelandic ponies, sheep and cattle dot the hillsides with seals bobbing out of the fjord to take in some air. There is so much more to Iceland than the Reykjavik peninsula, if you are able then get out of the capital (no offence intended!).
It seems my low-set coffee table desk is taking its toll on my back so I shall end here. Until next time, stay safe and travel on!
P.S. The view out the window of where I’m writing this:
Office View