It’s Reykja-hic
TColourful capital he three-hour flight to Iceland allows time to wonder why you would call an airline – the one we were flying with – Wow? Is it that they are so supremely confident about their service? Or is it what they hope customers will think about its prices.
I put the debate to one side as we touched down in Reykjavik. It was only as we stepped out that I realised why “wow” was such an apt word. For “wow” – or words to that effect – were what my friend Peter and I tried to utter as we were hit by what felt like gale force winds mixed with snow and sleet.
Yet while we may have been (literally) almost been blown away by the weather, we came to realise it’s the country itself that promises to take your breath away.
We’d come to at this particular time to experience the Icelandic Beer Festival which, well, does what it says on the tin, so to speak.
I had visions of toughened drinkers in this land of the Vikings downing flagons of ale among riotous scenes. It was actually far more civilised. Yes, there were the staples of any good beer festival – bare floor, wooden tables, beers with weird names.
But the clientele was not so much savage as suave, with their trendy clothes and beards and an on-site barber.
The festival, in what was the nicest youth hostel I’ve ever visited, might be considered small by the standards of many ale aficionados. The beers themselves – most of them local, were, if I’m honest, not to my taste.
Also, the festival ended abruptly at 8pm. It was then that I realised there was a second reason why “wow” and Iceland go together – what you pay for stuff.
We’ve all heard horror stories about how much things cost there. It’s all true. wowair.co.uk, 0044 0164 245 045
Rooms at the ODDSSON Hotel in Reykjavik cost from €160 a night. oddsson.is
The Icelandic Beer Festival is on Feb 22-24 at KEX hostel. Three-day tickets for about €110pp go on sale soon at kexland.is Visit geysers on Golden Circle tour
A post-festival pint in a pub was over £10. Eating out was very expensive too.
My tip would be to pick up the free “what’s on” paper The Reykjavik Grapevine which lists when bars have happy hours.
Reykjavik is interesting, but it was only when we left it that I realised the third reason for that “wow” – Iceland’s awe-inspiring landscapes.
We took the popular Golden Circle trip – there are lots of operators – to see as much as possible. It visits the Geysir geothermal area and its spouting springs Festival finishes early at 8pm and Thingvellir National Park. But my favourite was the stunning waterfall Gullfoss. There are all sorts of activities – snowmobiling, rafting or quadbiking, which we did. Pick the right season and you can go whale watching, seal spotting, hiking, horseriding and more. Sadly, a storm led to the cancellation of our Northern Lights tour. So we had to leave Iceland behind with a heavy heart, albeit with a lighter wallet. I never did discover why the airline is called Wow, but in the sights and sounds of Iceland, there are plenty of options. CHILLING Graham, right, and Peter on quadbike