Reykjavik, Iceland
01 Thing to do
03 Hot Springs
05 Flight tips
02 northern lights
04 food
06 fun facts
Everywhere you look there is beauty! Iceland is a perfect location for nature freaks.
At one point in our trip, we went to some hot springs but the weather changed and started snowing, hard. The view was fantastic. The mountains and the sky melded together so the only thing visible was the black road and some rocks. Not so fantastic though was the fear of not being able to get back to Reykjavik. There is one big circle road around Iceland known as ‘the ring road.’ There is one pass that closes when there is really bad weather. If caught on the wrong side of the pass cars are forced to take a detour… all the way around the ring (1,332 kilometers/828 miles). Luckily we didn’t have to do that but it is not unheard of.
01 THINGS TO DO
Be careful not to go off into random places. Like frolicking through fields as there are lava caves and you could fall through.
Nature
Úlfarsfell - A short hike to an unbelievable view overlooking the city and the mountain, Esja. Not far from the city a short 20-minute drive.
Shenanigans
Frozen lake sliding - Just outside the city (still in Reykjavik) there lakes that freeze over in the winter and into spring. Perfect for some shenanigans and tomfoolery.
Pony “horses” riding
Laxnes - SA lovely little ranch just outside of Reykjavik. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. They have several fantastic places to go riding including a couple of waterfalls.
Fun Fact: They used to throw big parties that a lot of different celebrities would try to get into. After a while, they closed the parties just for friends of the Ranch.
City
Babalú Cafe - Very cool and chill cafe.
Perlan - The Wonders of Iceland Museum - A very cool museum that explains a lot about Icelands history. Icelanders also really enjoy the exhibits. There is an ice cave, informational area, and terrace with a view of Reykjavik.
02 NORTHERN LIGHTS
In Iceland, if a pregnant lady looks at the lights the baby will be born cross-eyed. Never the less they are amazing. They can be seen in southern Europe like France and Italy. However, the lights are red so it was thought of as a bad omen.
Reykjavík Excursions - Ask for Hinrik! A fantastic group of people! I highly enjoyed each excursion I did with them.
Shooting the northern lights:
Manual focus (no flash)
ISO 800-1600
Aptitude F low
Shutter speed (holding no tripod) 4-10 seconds
Don’t use a phone or anything with light or you won’t be able to see them well. It takes 10-20 minutes for your eyes to adjust and by then the lights will be gone. They were swirling over top of us. There was so much movement and some people missed that because they looked at a light right before the northern lights came.
03 HOT SPRINGS
All the pools are different temperatures. Normally there is a cool pool and then pools ranging from warm to very hot.
Clean yourself really well! Otherwise, the Icelanders will yell at you. This keeps the pools clean. They say that the blue Laguna used to be much more beautiful but now with so many people using it and not cleaning well, it has become dirty. Don’t be shy everyone strips down to shower.
Shower Etiquette
Before the pools
Leave your towel in the disrated area before going into the shower.
Use the soap to really clean yourself.
Bring your own hair products if needed.
After the pools
Make sure to dry off after the shower before going into the locker room. No one wants to slip on the water left behind. Also if you are getting something from your locker dry off before entering.
Fontana Hot Springs - AMAZING! Not a lot of people and it was a Sunday.
There is a cool lake right next to the hot springs perfect to jump into and then run back into the heat. The pools are just slightly above the lake making a spectacular view.
Sauna - Absolutely stunning. There is a big glass window that looks over the lake, and it is right next to the pools.
Steam Room - The temperatures aren’t controlled so the only way to cool it down is to open the door. There is a lovely wood smell as well.
Árbæjarlaug - Didn’t meet any tourist at this place. It is set up with a pool on the inside with a door you can swim through to the outside pools. It is cute and has a water slide.
Hveragerdi Hot Springs River - It is a bit of a hike to get to but is natural hot spring river. Perfect for relaxing with friends.
04 FOOD
Restaurants are very expensive so I suggest making your own food.
Things to try
Rain dear burgers - The meat is sold in most supermarkets.
Fermented shark - Sold in supermarkets, gas stations, and local markets. Normally black death, a strong alcohol, is enjoyed while eating the shark.
Lamb's head - Half of the head can be found pre-cooked in supermarkets.
Anything black liquorice as this is a very normal candy in Iceland.
05 FLIGHT TIPS
Tickets to Iceland can be more affordable than you think. From Europe, there are some direct flights for €120 in the offseason. Booking a week beforehand with not so flexible dates can be a little more difficult but completely doable. For about €140 flying from Austria, Germany, and Poland. After that, just a cheap connector flight is needed (booked separately to keep the price down).
Most trips aren’t this complicated but I had classes to work around and a budget to stick to. In total, I spend $210 on transportation.
My trip
3-hour bus ride to Milan BGY
2-hour flight to Berlin SFX
12 hours overnight in the airport ( more info below)
4-hour flight to Reykjavik
Going back
4 hours to Berlin SFX
8 hours exploring Belin
2-hour flight from TXL to MXP
2-hour bus ride home
Berlin airport SFX- you terminal A has a 24 h cafe with nice couches to sleep on. Get there early to get a spot. Be careful about sleeping with homeless people as the airport is open 24/7. Look for other travelers. Inside the airport, there are benches without armrest but they are medial and cold.
06 FUN FACTS
- The two tectonic plates the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plate touch in Iceland. The plates are slowly ripping apart the country. Making Silfra, where there is the clearest water in the world. On one side there is Europe and the other northern America.
- Icelanders believe there are elves in the hills. Every time the city tries to build a road goes wrong. So they made a deal with the elves and there haven't been any crashes since.
- All the energy is geothermal and used to grow food and heat homes.
- There are 13 Santa Claus. However, they aren’t sweet like the western Santa. Each one steals things from your house such as (meat, milk, etc. there is even a peeping Tom). In return, they leave a little bit of candy. There is no naughty or nice list. If you are bad the mom, Grýla, to the Santas will come to take all the bad kids to cook and eat them. Another belief is, if you don’t get clothes the Xmas cat will come and eat you. So everyone gives socks at Christmas to make sure no one gets eaten.
- Volcanic caves are created when the top layer of lava cools but continues to run underneath. This is why you shouldn’t frolic through the fields because you will most likely fall through and discover a new cave. Hopefully, there is cell service.