Iceland: Day 1
January 3rd, 2012 § 8 Comments
Standing on a pitch-black beach at 11:30pm, breathing salty air, snow seeping through unaccustomed boots and staring up at a green-tinged sky might sound like a standard bad acid trip for a lot of you guys, but I experienced it for the first time during my adventure in Reykjavik.
‘It’ being Aurora Borealis. Not acid.
From the comments on my newest sarcaschicks video*, I know that a fair share of my online audience (all ten of you, including my mum. Hi, mum! Get a pot of rosy lee brewing, would you?) resides in Iceland. Your country (the small portion I saw of it, at least) is beautiful. We drove through a couple of Reykjavik’s neighbouring towns in our pursuit of the northern lights and I was struck by how much Iceland’s houses resemble film set houses. In a good way: they’re clean, beautiful pale pinks or blues or greys, with Christmas lights bordering their door frames and the edges of their roofs. I am in awe, dear Icelanders, of your ability to make an abundance of Christmas decorations look cute and warm, as opposed to gaudy. This is a talent us Britons will never be able to perfect.
The city was covered in snow – the most snow the country had seen for the best part of 25 years – so we were in a literal Iceland. Hah hah. No, but seriously, it was gorgeous. My thermal clothes kept me warm and snug in a below-freezing wind. I didn’t start to really feel the chill until we stood outside the coach for an hour and a half, staring at the northern lights, but … fuck the cold. We were staring at the fucking northern lights. And – at one point – the moving light from the nearby lighthouse, thinking IT was the northern lights. Rookie mistake.
I travelled to Iceland with Alex, which made the trip twice as fun. We didn’t get back to the hotel until around 2 in the morning, at which point I can only recall stumbling around in an exhausted haze until I fell onto the bed. We wrapped ourselves up in the blankets (plural, yes. We had a double bed with separate, single-sized blankets. The hotel also specified that guests were not allowed to stay past 11:30pm. We opined that the hotel should just put bluntly put it out there that it has a staunch ‘no sex’ rule and leave it at that) and slept. We had our first Iceland sleeps!
More updates on my cheeky Iceland trip will be coming up soon. I have missed this blog Hello, WordPress, my old friend. I’ve come to write in you again.
Hope you’ve all been well. Leave me a comment about how you spent your New Year! <3
- Becky
x
*Video link: CLICK HERE GO WATCH WHEEYY
Aww what a beautiful post! Iceland is next on my list, i’m currently saving! I didn’t really think about going for new year, i might consider it. it looks so beautiful. Happy new year :)
The footage in your video of you getting in the water ( or whatever it was) among the mountains was so uttererly surreal and cool and filled me will so much jealously. Damn i wanna go to iceland so bad.
I don’t know what it is but I just really like your writing style. Is that creepy? Probably. Never mind.
I spent New Years indoors with my friend watching Sex and The City reruns and playing Blackjack. We are WILD. ^-^
It’s one of my dreams to see the Northern Lights, Becky- I’m so jealous! Glad you had a nice time :)
I spent New Year’s Eve babysitting. I’m 17, and I was forced to babysit a sleeping 3-year-old whilst my mum and stepdad went to a party. Wild night on Skype, of course.
Nice to see you blogging again, Becky! ^_^
Also, extremely jealous, I’d love to see the Northen Lights. Gah. Almost certain that my blood is green (but not really).
are you still in iceland?… you and alex should have a meet up! please?. both of you have “fans” here and it would suck if we don’t get to meet you two
I’m afraid not – we were only there for a couple of nights! Thanks, though, the sentiment is appreciated. <3