Icelandic Magic

The magic of the trip started the first moment I and my fiancé met in our guesthouse on Flokagata. It was the first time we met again after having met briefly in Marseille two months before that last summer. We had no idea how the trip would turn out, but it ended up being the most romantic, magical journey we've ever had in our lives!

The best thing to do—especially for couples—is to visit the Blue Lagoon. It was part of a tour that takes you about half an hour away from the city of Rejkjavik. While still quite cool in August, the geo-thermal pool was so warm that steam constantly arose from the surface. That day was the Solar Eclipse. We forgot about the drizzles that fell from the gloomy sky. Time just stopped there for us. As if afloat in a lake on the moon, we drifted away in our dreams. The feeling was surreal.

The other most interesting thing we did was riding the pure-breed Viking horses, which were small and tame but strong. The rolling green hills and endless, untouched landscape that passed by looked like scenery from a fairy tale.

Quick Tips:

Always bring your umbrella with you, as the weather in Iceland changes from one minute to the next. It rained almost every day the week we were there. But when it gets sunny, the scenery can be amazingly beautiful.

Also, remember to bring a warm winter jacket even in the middle of the summer. It could get quite chilly especially in the evening.

Restaurants and hotels tend to be quite expensive in Rejkjavik, so make sure you bring enough money or a credit card.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around is to walk. The city is so small that you can walk across the center 50 times in a day! If you want to visit the countryside, take a bus tour. The roads outside of the city center are mostly unpaved, as they are less frequented by people. Driving could be rough and you might get lost easily because the signs are in Icelandic and not so obvious/easy to read.

The guesthouse is a small, no-frills yet intimate place where guests have to share a common yet very clean bathroom on each floor. Each room has its own wash basin and fridge. There is a cozy breakfast atrium with both indoor seating under a glass ceiling and some outdoor seatings. Breakfasts are included in the price of the accomodation. The receptionists there are friendly and willing to provide recommendations for local restaurants and activities. The location of the guesthouse is very close to the city center. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the main street of Rejkjavik.

The Golden Circle Tour, a comfortable, 12-hour bus tour arranged by Reykjavik's Tourism Office, offers a comprehensive glimpse of Iceland's wild, untainted Nature and its spectacular geological formations, showing us how it is truly a land of ice and fire!

The journey started from Reykjavik right in front of our guesthouse. After heading East for about 30 minutes, we made our first stop at the Garden of Eden in the area of Hveragerthi. It is a flowering town of greenhouses heated by geothermal energy. We saw a variety of locally grown plants and flowers and there were souvenir stores offering Icelandic products, such as seal skins and woolen sweaters.

The next stop is at a huge volcanic pseudo-crater turned into a lake in the area of Kerith. Surrounding this crater is a wild grassland where some Icelandic people were riding their beloved Viking horses.

The highlight of this trip is the Golden Waterfalls, Europe's most powerful waterfalls with a double-cascade of 105 feet. We were able to stand so close to the cascade that we almost got soaked! The powerful forces of Nature suddenly made us feel insignificant!

Equally powerful is Iceland's famous geysers. We arrived at the resort area built around the famous, Geysir Strokkur, or the churn geyser. Standing in the rain, we watched steaming water jet up to about 100 feet every five minutes or so. In the surrounding, one can see a lot of smoke coming from the ground, indicating strong geothermal activities. Icelanders are lucky enough to get all their heat and hot water from this natural source, even if it means that the tap water smells of strong sulfer, a bit like rotten egg!

After lunch on our own at the geysir resort, we headed to the Phingvellir National Park. By the time we were at this beautiful park, the sun broke out and the sky was a perfect blue. There is a 'wishing well' that's so blue and transparent you can see right to the bottom of it.

At the park, we took a hike up a hill to Althingi, where the world's oldest surviving parliament used to meet in the open air. During the ancient sessions of the parliament, founded in 930 AD, 39 lawmakers recited the books of laws loud because the written language of Icelandic wasn't yet created.

Our last stop of the journey was a breathtaking witness of how the earth is splitting apart constantly! We saw a long fissure where on one side is the North American tectonic plate and on the other, the European plate. The two plates are moving a few centimeters a year.

The Golden Circle tour left us with golden memories for years to come.