#tbt series: memories from Iceland
I don’t really remember how it came to me, I just know that one day being 16 years old I knew that my biggest dream was to go to Iceland. The only thing I knew about Iceland then was Bjork and Eyjafjallajökull and I didn’t know one single person who’d been there or even planned to go. Note that it was still the time before the touristic boom we’re seeing now, with no direct flights from Poland at all and everything being much less accessible in general.
I managed to visit Iceland then and came back the year after since I fell in love with it so much. I’ve travelled to many places since then and until today none amazed me more than Iceland.
But let me start at the beginning…
So it’s year 2011 and having already been experienced with amazing voluntary projects opportunities Europe offers young people (see more about the beginning of this experience in Turkey here), I set myself for a quest to find a project that will take me there. It wasn’t easy though, but after some research I’ve found this one-week project in Reykjavik at the end of September. It was cheaper than any other travel options but still expensive and not refunded at all. I was determined so regardless, I booked my plane tickets from Berlin straight to Keflavik Airport and got a job as a waitress over the summer to save up.
Autumn or summer?
This September I stayed in Reykjavik for 10 days and since it’a s city of only 120 000 inhabitants, I got to know it pretty well, having a chance to hitch-hike around the area and the Southern coast as well. Autumn in Iceland was amazing and if you’re wondering when to go, it’s the best time of the year in my opinion. The weather is perfect, still not too cold, a regular balance between night and day and… I saw the northern lights for the first time in my life and oh-my-god magic doesn’t get more real than that!
10 days wasn’t enough though and right after my return to Poland, I knew I had to go back. And so I did, one year later for exactly one month this time in June to experience Icelandic summer. For someone who grew up in the heart of Europe, that’s something extraordinary too! The sun doesn’t set even for a minute so sleeping pills and/or blindfolds are highly recommended as well as… earplugs because well, as it turns out, you can’t shut down the birds.
Route 1 = the ultimate Iceland experience
Source: Wikipedia
A month in Iceland gives you an opportunity to see everything. If you heard of the famous Route 66 in the US, then this is what Route 1 is to Iceland - a two-way road starting and ending in Reykjavik circling the whole island. Magic for a lonely hitch-hiker like me with tendencies to get lost (not that there’s nothing wrong with that).
If I were to choose the favourite part of the island it would be the Westfjords region - that’s the handle shape in the north-western part of the Iceland - the most secluded, the most peaceful, the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.
Vikings and elves
There’s something very special about the Icelanders whether it’s just a myth that they believe in elves or not. I now regret having deleted my old blog where I posted regularly at the time… I think I will write a post though about some facts and myths I remember from Iceland back then - stay tuned!
