A bit like Cavan …only steamier
Geraldine O’Callaghan finds geysers, lagoons and 50 shades (of weather) in the land of ice and fire
They say there’s a first time for everything. My trip to Iceland was a series of firsts. It was the first time I ever went clothes shopping for a holiday and had to buy specialised thermal clothing and snow boots.
It was the first time I was ever excited to visit a country that has worse weather than Ireland. It was the first time I ever experienced sunrise at 10.30am. Yes, that’s right, I was almost ready for lunch by the time it got bright.
So, if life does begin at the end of your comfort zone then, I can say that my life began in Iceland.
Arriving in Reykjavik felt like I was arriving in Cavan. Wet, cold, miserable and dull. My first thought was: ‘Oh dear, what have I done?’
There isn’t much happening in the city; it’s small and not exactly vibrant. Instead, Reykjavik’s warmth and brightness comes from its people – some of the friendliest, most helpful people I’ve met in my life.
Chatty and full of smiles, they really have a way of making you feel welcome and appreciated in their country.
My trip to Iceland began once I got out of the city to see the natural beauty and wonders this volcanic island has to offer.
On my first full day there I got up early and went on a day tour to see the geysers, which are essentially bursts of bubbling water coming up from cracks in the surface of the earth.
Underneath is bubbling lava and, when the water underground comes close, it gets so hot that it steams through the cracks and causes quite the spectacle.
Initially, a geyser looks like a small, steaming pond. Then the water starts to bubble and, after five minutes or so, it is so hot it starts to make waves. As it continues to heat, the pond erupts in a fierce explosion that you can only but be grateful to witness – from the safe distance that the ‘stay behind the rope’ sign enforces.
The same Hot Golden Circle tour took me to see one of Iceland’s biggest and most powerful waterfalls that was as angry and Herculean as you’d expect, located as it is on a constantly moving volcanic island that gets so much snow and rain – nature’s perfect ingredients for such an ostentatious exhibition.
I had a bit of a moment while watching the waterfall.
I was frozen on the spot, maybe because of the weather, maybe because of emotion, I don’t know why. I just know that for a few minutes I felt so tiny and vulnerable and insignificant. It was as if mother nature was showing me who’s boss and all I could do was be thankful that she was graceful enough to let me bear witness. I would probably still be standing there in awe if our tour guide hadn’t interrupted me to get back on the bus. In hindsight, I’m grateful he did. But it was around then that I discovered my ‘waterproof ’, down-filled coat wasn’t
living up to its claims. In fact it was doing quite the opposite, with all the fur in and around the hood soaking up water like a sponge.
The coat that I had spent so much money on–which boasted that it would be as cosy as wearing a sleeping bag – had literally turned me into a walking ‘wet blanket’.
So you can only imagine the joy of reaching the Secret Lagoon and easing into a pool of bath-hot water in the open air with nature all around. At the end of a long cold day it felt like a big hug.
No trip to Iceland would be complete without a day of pampering at another of Iceland’s famous water features – the Blue Lagoon. So, of course, in the name of research I felt obliged to take a day out to indulge in water massages, face masks and strawberry wine. Just so I could bring you a full and complete picture. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
The morning of my Blue Lagoon trip was again completely grey and miserable, weather-wise.
They have a saying in Iceland: ‘There is no such thing as weather, only examples of weather’ and, trust me, they know what they are talking about. It changes so frequently that you get to see 50 shades of grey every hour.
Arriving at the Blue Lagoon is an experience in itself.
From my window it seemed as if we were arriving at a lava desert. The landscape features bare, black rock, which gives way to what looks like a forest fire along the horizon. There’s smoke everywhere but no forest. And the ‘smoke’ turns out to be steam evaporating from the waters of the Blue Lagoon.
The lagoon – a must if you’re travelling to Iceland – is what you might imagine Heaven looks like. That the colour and temperature of the water don’t look or feel remotely natural only intensifies the Blue Lagoon’s dream-like quality.
You’d be forgiven for believing it’s all man-made but you’d be wrong. Instead, the water is infused with natural minerals and it’s them that make you feel so good after a dip. Well, them or the strawberry wine, from the pool-side bar, that I sipped for the afternoon.
If you like seafood then you’ll enjoy eating out in Reykjavik. You might not like the bill, however. There’s no way to sugar-coat it – Iceland is very expensive.
Everything costs at least one and a half times to double the cost it does in Ireland. So, I highly recommend that you go for only a few days and research well before you get there.
‘From my window it seemed as if we were arriving at a lava desert’