Falling In Love with Iceland

Iceland was a country of superlatives – the most dramatic scenery I’ve ever seen, the coldest place I’ve visited, the longest road trip I’ve embarked on, the craziest weather I’ve experienced and the most expensive beer I’ve ever drunk. Richard and I had talked about going to Iceland for years so I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but in fact, it exceeded our expectations and left us speechless more than once.

I never expected to fall in love with somewhere so remote, where you can drive for miles without seeing a single house. Even the capital city, Reykjavik, was an incredibly relaxing place to be, lacking the atmosphere of stress and speed that usually hangs in the air of major cities. I can imagine that this is not the case in summer though, when tourist season is at its peak. I’m glad we avoided the crowds and experienced Iceland in her winter guise – wrapped in a blanket of snow.

Despite being surrounded by a raw, potentially dangerous natural environment, I felt an incredible sense of calm during our trip. When driving back from the Golden Circle, a ghostly white owl glided in front of our car, a special moment for an owl lover who has never seen one in the wild. On the same drive, we pulled into one of the lay-bys to appreciate the stillness of the coming night and to marvel at the seemingly never-ending white expanse all around us. One morning as we set off for the glacier lagoons, we stopped to take some photos and I was so overwhelmed by the sublime sight of the late morning rays reflecting off snow-covered mountains that I felt surprisingly emotional.

In just one week there were countless moments like that, moments in which everything seemed to slow down, allowing me to truly appreciate this beautiful corner of the world.

Never mind the tropical beaches of South East Asia, head to Iceland in winter for a little piece of (frozen) paradise.

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