Geoff's Countdown.......

Having had so much fun with the sisters, the countdown is now on until the next sibling arrives!

Geoff lands in the UK in..........

Magical Iceland

Iceland has come highly recommended by our friends and is a country we have been very keen to check out. When Von mentioned to us that she would like to visit Iceland while over this way we were very delighted. So here’s the brief version of what we managed to get up to in the 5 days we were in Iceland:

After an intense, hectic, stressful and crazy start to the morning (read cancelled train, cab ride across London, wrong terminal, near asthma attack, athlete’s foot, etc, etc) we managed to make it to Gatwick Airport for our 3 hour flight to Reykjavík, Iceland. Here we picked up our hire car (affectionately named ‘SUPER HIRE CAR’ for its ability to go were no hire car should go…more about that later) and walking out of the terminal we almost got blown off the planet (so fickin’ windy). We thought it was appropriate to head straight to the Blue Lagoon where the morning stresses could be washed away. The Blue Lagoon is geothermal seawater (so lovely and warm) that is a nice shade of blue (no surprise there – might be something to do with the fact it is pumped out of the power plant next door) and is also known for its positive effects on the skin. Part of the experience is getting chunks of the white silica mud and smearing it over your face for a nice facial. Definitely a good look!


Once de-stressed we ventured into town checking out the Hallgrímskirkja (big concrete church on a big dirt hill), City Hall, Tjörnin ("The Pond"), Sólfar (sculpture), Perlan (The Pearl) and the main drag.

Day 2 started with our 8.15am pickup for the ‘Golden Circle’ Tour. The tour takes in numerous sites made famous around Reykjavík, namely:

* Nesjavellir power plant - high temperature geothermal area situated in the picturesque landscape of Lake Þingvallavatn

* Þingvellir – made famous for 2 reasons: 1) Icelandic parliament Alþingi was founded here in 930 (which makes it the oldest known functioning parliament in the world) and 2) American & European tectonic plates meet; geologically it is unique as these plates are slowly drifting apart.

* Gullfoss waterfall

* Geysir and Strokkur - geothermal area with incredible hot springs and spouting geyser’s

* Skálholt church - the ancient seat of the Icelandic bishops

* Kerið - colourful volcanic crater (in which Bjork played a concert)

* Hveragerði - a small and charming horticultural village in fertile agricultural areas; lots of greenhouses.

The tour was awesome with some superb Icelandic stew and Viking beer for lunch - a great day had by all!


Given the previous day was spent in a bus; we were very much looking forward to our two day road trip in SUPER HIRE CAR, destination Hofn return to Reykjavík. The plan was to see as much as possible on the way to Hofn and see everything we missed on the return trip the following day.

The drive was fabulous; we got showered at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls and visited the black beaches of Vik. We also attempted several ford crossings trying to check out Þorsmork Nature Reserve however whilst SUPER HIRE CAR was up to the challenge of one or two smaller crossings, a near raging river was a little too much to ask of its capabilities. We also checked out Skaftafell National Park and hiked up to Skaftafell Glacier. We were fortunate with the rainy, overcast weather to see glimpses of the Vatnajokull glacier along the highway.


Some bonus pit stops included Laufskalavarda (a.k.a. lots-o-lava, a lava field full of lava cairns to guide travellers), Dverghamrar (Dwarf's Cliffs) and Fjadrargljufur Canyon (a 2 kilometre gorge). Plus SUPER HIRE CAR got us 10 kilometres inland looking for another glacier however due to the 90 degree hill that we quite easily would have gotten down, we doubted whether we could get back up, that and the fact the road was no longer gravel but more a resemblance of mud.

The highlight however for both days (yep we stopped twice) was Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. We all agreed that it was one of the most beautiful natural sights we have ever seen (especially on the way to Hofn with the sun setting and the seals swimming around).


Given our hectic start to the holiday we thought it was appropriate to end it the same way and so we spent Friday morning prior to our flight racing SUPER HIRE CAR around trying to see as many more sights as we could. Given we only had an hour we managed Midlina. Similar to Þingvellir, the crevices are created by the separation of the two plates. We also checked out the Valahnjukur Lighthouse on the south-western corner of Reykjanes Peninsulsa where massive waves roll in from North America and crash against the sea cliffs.

Then it was back to London (boo-hoo) with plans to definitely return.

Overall, it was a wonderful week spent getting to spend more time with the sisters and taking SUPER HIRE CAR to the limits on as many gravel roads as possible. Driving was a great way to see the country (4wd recommended). It was amazing how quickly the view changed, one moment lava fields, the next, land covered in moss. The sparsely populated country left us with impressions of vast, dramatic landscapes where we felt we were the only people for miles. Stunning!

A great week topped off by a great Friday night at the theatre watching Les Misérables!

Iceland is a magical country and now comes with a Rob and Lou’s Highly recommended Stamp of Approval for Being a Bonza Good & Cold Time TM!

For lots more photo's click here!