Our Love Affair With the Land of Ice & Fire!

Little did we know that this sparsely populated island up North would boggle our minds and astound us! Iceland was on top of our travel list, and we got an opportunity to tick it off during the New Year’s break.

This eerily beautiful island can overwhelm even the most seasoned travellers. With the weather changing by the hour, twirling roads gliding through glacier-topped volcanoes (contrasted against black sand beaches), fun-loving and warm people (your perfect antidote to the winter chills), as well as Reykjavik’s eclectic cafes and quirky charm - this tiny country deserves a book but here are our top five highlights:

Iceland Through the Windshield

Braving the unpredictable Icelandic weather while driving on the ring road was an adventure in itself. Renting a 4WD is your best bet to soak in the beauty of this country and here’s what’s on display: expansive snowy vistas, bountiful waterfalls, hot spring baths, glistening icebergs floating in glacial pools, frozen volcanic craters, dreamy horses against snow-white landscapes and so much more (and this could just be your day one).

Channelling our Inner Adrenalin Junkie

Walking on a glacier, hiking through an ice-cave, sliding down a frozen crater, summiting a once active volcano, taking the Game of Thrones pilgrimage, snorkelling between the Eurasian and the North Atlantic tectonic plates- Iceland has its own unique ‘polar’ version of adventure activities to offer.

Awestruck by Neon Sky Northern Lights

Any Iceland trip would be incomplete without the otherworldly Northern Lights. The deep winters offered us plenty of night sky although the clouds did play peek-a-boo every now and then. A piece of advice – use all the technology you can to place yourself at the right spot, pep up your manual camera settings well before the show, and plan your trip when the skies are predicted to be clear, and when the “Kp-index” (Google it!) is high. Be patient, God does play dice!

Reykjavik

It is a unique mix of fairy-tale charm and a frenzied shopping & food district worthy of being a European capital. We found the town decked up for Christmas and strolled through the Rainbow Street, the quirky cafes, the pop-up stores and the cosy pubs and ended the day at Reykjavik’s popular ‘The Pond’. The city’s small size makes it convenient to explore through walking tours, which started (for us), from the front porch of the PM’s house (do not be surprised if you find him mowing his lawn behind). These tours are undoubtedly the best way to immerse yourself in the culture and history of this wonderland. You will hear folklores of elves, of a revolt engineered through banging kitchen utensils and of the Viking sagas.

Gorging on the Icelandic Cuisine

A bit heavy on the pocket but we would still recommend you to not miss what Iceland has to offer in this space! Do not miss out Skyr (soft Icelandic cheese), the fresh North Atlantic fish & the Icelandic lamb at Salka Valka. Try Baejarins Beztu Pylsur for its hotdogs (arguably the best in Iceland) and if you feel too chilly in the evening then warm up your belly by gobbling up some goulash soup served in bread bowls in one of the roadside cafes.