Updated: 03/16/20 | 16 maart 2020
As we stared up at the sky, patches of neon and dark green changed to light pink and back to green. They came out of nowhere, hung like curtains on unnoticeable hangers, and danced a duet to an unheard symphony. They would appear, vanish, and reappear all over the sky.
My companions, Lulu and Germaine (two pals from France spending the week driving around Iceland), and I stared, bewildered, as the northern lights danced above us.
It was the first time we had seen them, and even though it was bitterly cold and we were too lightly dressed, we stayed out, shivering — for hours — viewing nature’s fantastic ballet.
Every night before this, we would run outside and then retreat back in defeat, realizing it was too cloudy to see the lights.
But, on this night, the sky was clear, the stars shone around us, and nature finally let us see its mythic show.
I had high expectations for my check out to Iceland. I’d seen films and pictures in magazines of land with jagged mountain peaks, volcanoes with desolate lava fields, rolling hills with grazing sheep, and glaciers that stretched for miles. I thought of a utopian country where friendly locals in tune with nature roamed a majestic landscape.
Despite the eagerness to check out Iceland these images caused, I put off going to over the years. Something always came up.
This year, I resolved to finally visit.
And, as the plane descended into Reykjavik, I wondered, “Could the fairytale image in my mind live up to itself?”
It could, in fact, exceed it.
And it happened best away.
From the moment I landed, I was welcomed and helped by kind strangers.
There was Bragi, a Couchsurfer trip guide who drove me around the golden Circle.
And Paulina, the college student who let me sleep on her couch, took me to an Icelandic play and her family’s farm, revealed a secret “locals-only” swimming hole, and went far out of her way to drop me in the eastern city of Vik to make catching a bus easier.
And there was Paulina’s friend, Alga, who also opened up her couch to me at the end of the trip.
And Maria and Marta, who shown that Reykjavik’s nightlife is far crazier than anything new York can offer.
Then there was the Couchsurfing host in Akureyri who cooked dinner for me and his other guests, and the blog reader (who [turned out to be] a high-level government official) and her spouse who introduced me to traditional lobster soup (delicious!).
Every step of the way I encountered valuable and thrilled Icelanders who sought to show off the best of their country. They loved nature, held die-hard beliefs in elves and fairytales (over 50% of Icelanders believe in elves), and appreciated a good pint.
After saying goodbye to my new pals in Reykjavik, I drove around the ring road (Iceland’s main highway) with Lulu and Germaine after hitching a ride with them in Vik. Forests morphed into fjords and fjords developed into moonscape-like lava fields.
Over the next 10 days, my love for Iceland became an obsession, as I was continuously treated to bewildering landscapes and valuable locals. For such a small island, Iceland has a diverse range of landscapes and micro-ecosystems.
And, as we traveled, hiked, and eagerly waited for the northern lights, I couldn’t help but notice the silence of the land around me. With hardly anybody or any animals around, the land seemed so still.
And it was the silence that affected me the most.
Coming from NYC, I don’t know a world without noise. My day begins and ends with automobiles honking their horns outside my bedroom window.
In Iceland, noise hardly exists. And, in that silence, I learned to appreciate life a little more.
On one beautifully clear day in the north, a local guide took me to explore game of Thrones film locations. because there was no one else on the tour, the guide took me off-road. We got out of the automobile and climbed a rocky hill.
Below us, the ground opened up into a series of deep fissures. around us was there was nothing but an empty plateau.
Iceland expanded in all directions around us, with volcanoes and mountains in the distance.
There was no sign of civilization.
Ik ging zitten. The guide sat down. We were silent. All we could hear was the sound of the wind whipping around our heads. When that died down, nothing but an eerie yet serene silence remained.
Everything was still.
My guide and I didn’t look at each other. I suspect he was as content as I was. Throughout the day, I got the sense that he had a deep love of nature and was probably pleased just sitting there.
Afterward, I sat unwinding in the hot springs near Myvatn, and before I knew it my two-hour check out was up. I got ready to leave, thinking that time had gone by too quickly.
As we drove home that day, my guide pointed out rocks shaped like a boat. “That’s a troll boat,” he said. “Years ago, the lake was being overfished by a troll so the locals stayedExtra laat uit, waardoor de trol vergeten wat het uur was. Plots, terwijl de zon opkwam, rende de trol terug naar haar grot zodat ze niet in steen zou veranderen. Onderweg liet ze haar boot vallen. Ergens daar is er de trol, maar we hebben haar nog niet gevonden. ”
“Denk je echt dat trollen en elfjes bestaan?” Ik vroeg.
“Ik denk dat deze verhalen ons instrueren de natuur te respecteren. IJsland is een ernstige omgeving, en het is gemakkelijk om het land te bederven of in gevaar te komen. Deze verhalen instrueren ons over balans. Maar nogmaals, ik kan niet laten zien dat deze wezens niet bestaan, weet je? Dit land is speciaal, ‘antwoordde hij.
Ik denk niet dat trollen of elfjes bestaan, maar hij was het beste over één ding: er is iets speciaals aan deze plek.
Ontvang de uitgebreide budgetgids voor IJsland!
Wilt u de ideale reis naar IJsland plannen? Bekijk mijn uitgebreide gids voor IJsland geschreven voor budgetreizigers zoals jij! Het snijdt de pluis uit die in andere gidsen wordt gevonden en komt meteen naar de nuttige informatie die u nodig hebt. Je zult voorgestelde routes, tips, budgetten, manieren vinden om geld te besparen, op en naast de gebaande paden om te zien en te doen, en mijn favoriete niet-touristische restaurants, markten, bars, transporttips en nog veel meer! Klik hier om nog veel meer te leren en ontvang vandaag nog uw exemplaar.
Boek je reis naar IJsland: logistieke suggesties en trucs
Boek uw vlucht
Gebruik Skyscanner of Momondo om een goedkope vlucht te vinden. Ze zijn mijn twee favoriete zoekmachines omdat ze sites en luchtvaartmaatschappijen over de hele wereld zoeken, zodat je altijd weet dat geen steen ongemoeid blijft. Begin echter eerst met Skyscanner omdat ze het belangrijkste bereik hebben!
Boek uw accommodatie
U kunt uw hostel boeken met hostelworld omdat ze de belangrijkste inventaris en de beste deals hebben. Als je ergens anders dan een hostel wilt blijven, gebruik dan Booking.com, omdat ze consequent de meest betaalbare tarieven voor gastenhuizen en goedkope hotels retourneren. Mijn favoriete plekken om te verblijven zijn:
Hlemmur Square (Reykjavik)
Kex Hostel (Reykjavik)
Akureyri Backpackers (Akureyri)
Vergeet de reisverzekering niet
Reisverzekering zal u beschermen tegen ziekte, letsel, diefstal en annuleringen. Het is uitgebreide bescherming voor het geval er iets misgaat. Ik ga nooit op reis zonder dat ik het in het verleden meerdere keren heb moeten gebruiken. Mijn favoriete bedrijven die de beste service en waarde bieden, zijn:
Veiligheidsvleugel (voor iedereen onder de 70)
Verzeker mijn reis (voor die ouder dan 70)
MedJet (voor extra repatriëringsdekking)
Op zoek naar de beste bedrijven om geld mee te besparen?
Bekijk mijn resource -pagina voor de beste bedrijven om te gebruiken wanneer u reist. Ik vermeld alle mensen die ik gebruik om geld te besparen als ik onderweg ben. Ze zullen je geld besparen als je ook reist.
Wil je veel meer informatie over IJsland?
Bekijk zeker onze robuuste bestemmingsgids naar IJsland voor nog veel meer planningstips!