Iceland in the Winter

It's always been on my mind to one day visit somewhere that simply screamed 'cold'. I've surveyed around for awhile, but ended up making a very simplistic decision to head over to Iceland. Why? I mean come on, it literally has the word 'Ice' in its country's name, it's gotta be freezing right?

Iceland is essentially a volcanic island that is mostly defined by its dramatic landscape of massive glaciers and natural sites. There is also a rich array of viking history around this place.

The country's capital, Reykjavik (pronounced as 'rey-ke-vic' instead of 'reik-ja-vik') was windy and freezing cold then, with some snow or hail randomly coming down at different times of the day. However if you do head out of the city, you will be able to  easily see lots of snow/ice, true to the name of the country.

In fact, most of the weather that I've experienced there was really bad and had many of my activities cancelled, such as dog sledding and northern lights tour. It's kinda like a super scary hail-storm, with thousands of 'mini pebbles' (its actually solid snow) hitting your face and there was very low visibility.

Reykjavik

Most of the country's population is centered in Reykjavik. The local population is pretty small though, with only an approximate number of 300,000 people living there.

I stayed at the KEX Hostel during my time there. The place had quite a hipster vibe to it, which felt different and original. They had a selection of shared rooms, to single rooms with shared kitchens and toilets. If you wanna check' em out, click here. They have a bar downstairs as well that is open to the public, with live bands regularly playing there - it can really be quite happening at night, if that's your thing.

Here are some of the views around Reykjavik that I've managed to catch:

Viking ship monument

Ice mountain

Sea view

Reykjavic streets

Hallgrims-kurkja church

With regards to food, it is always a lot cheaper to walk to a nearby supermarket and prepare your own meals if your accommodation has kitchen facilities. The price of food here is crazy, it could cost up to £20 or more for just a single meal. The super-market that I visited was called 'Bonus', which was around a 15 minute walk from my hostel. Icelandic hot-dog stands are abundant as well, giving you a quick, signature taste of food on the streets.

As for water, cold water is drinkable from the tap, while hot water might have a little taste of sulfur in it. Apparently, Icelandic water is clean enough for you to be able to safely drink from the country's stream and river systems.

Golden Circle

The Golden Circle consists of a 300km loop that connects Reykjavik to Thingvellir National Park, Haukadalur Geysers and the Gulfoss Waterfall. This route is one of the largest attractions in Iceland, frequented by many people.


Here are some of the shots that I got at Thingvellir National Park:

 Park scenery

Weather that day was not too ideal - it was foggy, raining and cold. The ice on the floor was also super-slippery, I kid you not, me and everyone else around were literally dancing around, trying to keep balance the whole way. Those with crampons had no problems, but really, who expected this?

Slippery ice says 'dance, everyone'

I remember falling flat on my ass once, even with proper Timberland hiking shoes. This really required some next level shoe sliding skills, or simply being able to make peace with moving at a snail's pace.

Next destination in the Golden Circle were the Haukadalur Geysers. There was a strong smell of the area, stemming from the sulfuric acid and hydrogen sulfide gas within the geysers.

Geyser pools

Geyser eruption

Last order of business that day was to head over to the Gulfoss Waterfall, which was arguably one of the most amazing sights that I've ever seen in my life. 

Gulfoss Waterfall - all iced up

Big view, big smile!

There are mainly 2 different sections of the waterfall. The first fall, which brings water from the Ölfusá river down to an area where the water collects, before plunging deep down into the earth at the second and final fall.

If its your first time approaching it, the obscured view of the edge of the fall makes it appear that the river simply vanishes into the earth.

It was approximately 3-4pm at the end of the whole Golden Circle excursion. The fog on the way back was so thick that if you took 10 steps out into the snow, that person would probably disappear from your sight, which was quite scary when the guide had to leave us for a moment. Still, it was a memorable experience, minus the slippery ice and shitty rain, which made it colder than it already was.

Glacial Hike & Blue Ice Climbing 

This excursion brought me and a small group of people all the way down to the Sólheimajökull glacier, an outlet blue-iced glacier of the Mýrdalsjökull. It was a phenomenal experience trekking through the frozen wasteland, with crazy weather conditions (random big ass hail storms - that f*ck'n hurts), a cool guide and some amazing people.

Check out the sick views:

 

Various shots of the glaciers

Panoramic view of the whole Sólheimajökull

 Entrance to an ice cave 

Guide did not allow us into the ice cave though, for safety reasons - the ice above may collapse down on you if you disturb it too much.

& here's my group:

 Into the 'frozen wasteland' we go!

Damn these random crazy ass hail-storms

The thought of having some people traversing the area and motivating you forth was quite a heartwarming experience.

Also, one of the cool things that the guide said we could do was that we could just grab some ice from the floor and eat it if we're thirsty. I was skeptical at first, but after trying it once, you can really taste the purity of 'ice mountain' water.

There was also a section where we were given the opportunity to  climb an ice wall, which felt a little intimidating at first, but turned out to be quite an experience!

Essentially, it's all about the technique of getting your clamped on shoes and ice-axes into the ice at the right angles. Always take things slow and move 1 limb at a time. Don't rush, or it's bad news for sure.

 Climbing the ice wall

Almost there...

 

Made it!

I must say, it did feel good to reach the top of the wall with nothing but your hands, toes and tools. Definitely an experience that will stay with me in the years to come.

Took a few more photos on the way back!

Photo with the ice wall that we climbed

Within a crevasse

Overall, being this close to nature made me feel so alive, especially in an environment that I'm clearly not accustomed to. (Snow & Ice)

Yet another experience that took my breath away.

I'd genuinely recommend any kind of glacier hiking activity if you decide to visit Iceland, you have my assurance that it'd be an adventure of a lifetime!

Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is a natural geothermal spa located in a lava field at Grindavik. The warm natural waters are rich in natural minerals such as silica and sulfur. Apparently, bathing in the blue lagoon has certain medical applications as well and has become quite a tourist attraction.

It is also technically one of the new '25 wonders of the world' according to national geographic. Here's one of their quotes of the place, "The steaming turquoise pools of Iceland's Blue Lagoon, trapped in volcanic rock represent an otherworldly vision."

I went over early at 8am to avoid a big crowd inside the lagoon. Whats also interesting was that I went on the 21st of December, which happened to be the darkest day in Iceland every year, with only a few hours of daylight.

The whole facility was very mordernised. From the entrance to the showers, the area felt like some kind of high class resort.

Blue lagoon before sunrise

 Selfie!

Blue lagoon at daybreak

The whole area was quite large, they even had stands you could swim to for your complimentary silica masks, that can be applied on your face within the area. The mask was suppose to have some kind of good effect for your skin, not exactly sure what though.

It was quite an intriguing place as the outside air was freezing cold, while the water was warm. Quite an exotic mix of the natural elements.

I was kinda hoping that the water would be slightly hotter though, I believe that it was only around 37 to 42°C.

Irregardless, it was quite a peculiar experience for me, being in a hot geothermal pool outdoor in the winter cold.

It was also a nice and relaxing way to conclude my journey in Iceland.


Final Thoughts:

Overall, I had a fulfilling time in this nature rich country filled with snow, ice, mountains and volcanoes.

The glacier journey at Sólheimajökull was my personal highlight of the trip.

If you'd like to visit Iceland, I'd say go for it!


P.S. Wrote and published this whole post in Iceland. I like how the end suffix-es for my blog's url keeps changing to the local country's domain everytime I'm typing this out from a different place. This time it was - jayexa.blogspot.is.

Pictures are also up on Facebook and Instagram, so check' em out if you can.

Exploring London

London is one of those cities that people tend to flock towards to visit or chase their aspirations. It is one of the busiest cities in the world, with monumental architecture and famous landmarks, making it a good reason for me to go check it out myself.

Transport Information

I got to London via the rail-way service, which costs approximately £15 from Milton Keynes central. Essentially, if you'd like a cheaper deal, there are a variety of rail-card options that you can opt for here - if you see yourself taking the trains quite often.

Regarding transport payments, people in the UK like to go cashless. For the rail-stations, this is mainly done through the UK Trainline App.

As for within London itself, you can get an Oyster Card, which is the equivalent of an EZ-Link card back in Singapore. This can be used to pay for all buses and tube services running within London, with it's own additional perks as well.

Oyster Card

With the app and card, you can save a lot of time getting into and around London as there is no need to queue and buy tickets at any of the stations.

The tube in London is quite well connected. The tube map might look a little intimidating at first, but once you've figured it out, it's quite easy to follow. The challenge is actually finding the station that you're looking to go to in the map.

 London Tube Map

Please do note that the points mentioned above are the more economical ways to travel into and around London. If you can afford it, taking a flight in and getting around the city by cab could be faster and a lot more comfortable.

Exploring the City

The very first place I headed to was the London Bridge (of course). When I arrived at the area, I literally thought that I was at the wrong place as the bridge was just a straight flat road across river thames, which was kinda underwhelming to say the least.

I was expecting it to be some kind of epic landscape as it has made it's way to become a super-famous nursery rhyme that everyone knew about. Guess I was wrong.

London Bridge Monument

 

London Bridge - Street View

London Bridge - Full View

I kinda feel like I'm missing some back-storing regarding the history of why this bridge is so well known. There was apparently some ticketed show nearby that would act it out for you, but I'm too poor atm to afford something like that :(

Proceeded on to walk along the perimeter of river thames to check out a better bridge - the Tower Bridge, which is undeniably a more eye-catching landmark to see.

 Tower Bridge

*Thumbs up* for random passer-by's photography skill

I guess this is one of those landmarks that people automatically associate with London. It really is quite a majestic piece of architecture and is definitely one of the first places that I'd recommend people to visit if they're here.

The next 'famous' location has to be the Big Ben. If you're not familiar with it, think of a giant clock on top of a sharp tower that you see, hear and read about in English films, tv-shows, games and movies. Now you know.

Sadly though, the Big Ben was going through some kind of 'maintenance work' when I was there, as it had scaffolding around it that blocked the view from below. If I'm not mistaken, the reason for this was due to the bongs being recently (Aug 2017) 'switched-off' for major repair work.

 Big Ben ('Under Construction')

Supposedly, every time the clock strikes 12, a large bell inside the tower chimes and people around are all able to hear it. It is also said that if you're standing in the belfry when it rings, you'd be able to feel the vibration from head to toe. Guess I simply did not come at the right time when it was fully operational.

The streets and surrounding areas of London was simply beautiful - almost akin to being in some kind of historical reel. 

It's also impressive that such a modernized city was still able to keep her classical charms, despite all the developments that it has gone through over the years.

 Street View

Westminster Building

St. James Park

Simply walking around was a very pleasant experience, more so as it is Autumn now, you have leaves falling from trees with families letting their kids and dogs play with all the stacks of scattered leaves lying around. Truly a sight that can never be seen back in Singapore.

Westminster Palace & Westminster Abbey were the next 2 places that I headed to. They were kind of beside each other, which made them slightly easier to find.

Westminster palace is essentially the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which are the 2 houses of parliament in the UK. You couldn't actually get in and the gate was tightly fenced up with armed guards patrolling behind.

Westminster Abbey on the other hand, is one of the world's great churches and was quite a sight to see.

Westminster Abbey

Trafalgar Square is also another iconic location in London. Apparently, there was a celebration that was going on there and the place was a big cluster !@#$. Hence, I left the area pretty quickly and was not able to get any decent photos. However, if your interested, this is what it looks like (from google images):

Trafalgar Square (Ripped from google images)

The last place I headed to was Buckingham Palace, which is the London residence and administrative headquarters for the reigning monarchs of the United Kingdom.

 Buckingham Palace - Front Gate

 Buckingham Palace - Inner Gate

There are also a few of the Queen's Guards (think english soldiers with red uniforms and large bearskin hats that look like giant afros) standing at attention in the interior compound of the palace.


That wraps up all the places that I managed to visit in London before calling it a day. Ciao.


Edit: I've added two additional posts on my visits to Camden and Borough Market. Check them out here:
Food conquest at Camden Market!
Tastes of the Borough Market