Winter in Iceland
Iceland was an absolute dream! My friend and I were there for 5 days in late November, early December 2018. I think winter is the best time to really experience Iceland, and I don’t think I would want to visit in the spring/summer. I’m such a winter baby, so I really did enjoy the cold weather and experiencing all of the country’s winter wonders.
I booked a round trip ticket from Chicago to Reykjavik for $210 on Wow Airlines (RIP) with non stop flights both ways. My friend was also able to book a RT non stop ticket from Pittsburgh to RKV for around the same price.
My flight arrived to RKV around 3 or 4am, and I waited an hour for my friend’s flight to land. After an hour of waiting, I called Jess to check in on her, only to find out her flight was actually arriving a day later, and we got our communication crossed. So, I had an entire day in Reykjavik to myself. Beforehand, I booked a trip to the Blue Lagoon for roughly $100 directly through them, which included shuttle service from the airport to Blue Lagoon, entry fee and a shuttle from Blue Lagoon to my accommodations. The shuttle didn’t pick us up until 6 am because the Lagoon doesn’t open until 8am, so get yourself acquainted with the airport if you arrive early in the morning.
I’ve never experienced anything like Blue Lagoon! Upon check-in, you’re given a wrist band that is linked to your profile, and any purchases that you need to make will be paid through your wristband, so it is completely card-less and cash-less. Upon exit of Blue Lagoon, you have to touch your wristband on a turnstile, and if you have any outstanding payments, you pay it, and if you don’t have any charges, you’re free to exit. Think of the process as Apple Pay with your Apple Watch. With your entry fee, you’re allotted one free face mask from the swim up station, and any one alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage from the swim up bar, but anything beyond that you have to pay out of pocket.
Before entering the waters of the Lagoon, I was able to wet my hair and add extra conditioner to my twists, and slowly make my way outside. It was literally freezing at 36° and we were going in to 90°-ish water. The wind was a killer trying to get in the water. The wind was constantly smacking me in my face and icicles started forming on my hair from the frosty air. You can enter the lagoon bare foot or with water shoes. The bottom of the lagoon is pretty smooth, so you don’t have to worry about jagged rocks or slipping for the most part. The milky blue water is a result from the high amount of silica, white mud, algae and salts in the water.
The Blue Lagoon facilities hold a sauna, steam room, coffee bar, 2 restaurants, showers, lockers, restrooms and over an acre of a man made lagoon.
In the winter, Iceland sees maybe 8 - 10 hours of sunlight per day from 10 -11 am until 7 pm. Watching the sun come up at 11 am in the lagoon was breathtaking as we were able to see the mist over the murky water and the beautiful mountains in the background. We decided to leave after the sun came up, around noon, and we were able to take the shuttle to downtown Reykjavik to be dropped off at our accommodations.
While waiting for the shuttle, I ran into an old friend from my trip to Europe, and it was a complete coincidence that we happened to be in Iceland at the same time, and going to the Blue Lagoon.
I personally found the water to be pretty harsh on my hair and skin. I took another shower, washed and conditioned my hair, put in my leave-in keeping my hair in twists. Fast forward to day 2 and my hair was noticeably hard from the harsh sulphur in Iceland’s water combined with the silica from the Blue Lagoon. Throughout my trip I tried so hard to remove the extra minerals from my hair because I felt that everything was too damaging. Iceland’s natural lagoons may be better for your hair than the man made Blue Lagoon and the chemicals that are put in the water to balance the pH.
In downtown Reykjavik, after checking in to my hotel The Tyr Apartments, my first stop was a free walking tour that started at the town square at 1 pm led by City Walk .
City Walk’s free tour is based on a pay what you can model. Our first stop on the two hour walking tour was The House of Parliament, ending at the magnificent Harpa Concert Hall.
After my walking tour, it was time for dinner, and I had my first Icelandic meal. I had been eyeing restaurant, Svarta Kaffid —famous for its bread bowl soups. There was no formal menu, so my waitress told me the two soup options for the day: reindeer and vegetables or potatoes and leeks. I obviously thought the first option was a joke and laughed, because who eats reindeer? My waitress was unamused and stood there with a stone cold face. I quickly remembered where I was and ordered the safer option of potato and leek soup. My first night I retired early to get caught up with jet lag.
Day 2
I’d heard of the astronomical prices in Iceland, so I wanted to cut extraneous costs as much as possible to splurge on experiences, so I brought oatmeal for breakfast to cut down on food costs and I brought a reusable water bottle so I wouldn't have to buy bottles of water everyday and take use of the free pure tap water that Iceland had to offer. Unlike other European countries, tap water is free at sit down restaurants in Iceland.
Jess finally arrived on my second day, and I had already booked an all day excursion to the Golden Circle. It felt super awkward to wake up before the sun, especially since it was 7am and still pitch black outside. All of our excursions were booked through Grayline either online or in-person at their Hafnarstræti location, which was centrally located downtown, smack dab near the H&M and infamous hot dog stand.
Most tour companies provide tourist pick ups from designated bus stops throughout downtown Reykjavik. Luckily, our apartment was 2 blocks away from the nearest bus stop.
The Golden Circle consists of three natural attractions along Iceland’s southern coast. Our first stop was the Gullfoss waterfall. We got off the bus, and boy, the wind was nothing to play with. The Gullfoss waterfall, previously privately held is now maintained by the country. I wasn’t able to properly take any good photos because I was freezing and tried to get back on the bus as quickly as possible.
The Geysir and Strokkur geysers were the next stop. Geysir, is dormant, but Strokkur erupts frequently, at least every 5 to 10 minutes. There were many small geysers which showed the after effects of Strokkur, so unfortunately I kept looking at the wrong geysers as they were erupting, so I never got to fully experience the magic.
We were able to have lunch at a nearby restaurant, and I had another bowl of soup. This time a little more adventurous, than traditional potato and leek, I had lamb soup. The warm soup was perfect for the chilling weather.
Last stop on the tour was the Þingvellir national park. This park is significant because it marks the creft between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. There are many companies that offer scuba diving packages to dive and swim in between the plates. I thought it was such a cool idea to have the opportunity to snorkel between two continents and even deliberated the idea of signing up. But once I was exposed to the cold air and harsh wind, that thought was thrown out the window!
After our trip around the Golden Circle, it was time to head back to Reykjavik since it was close to 5pm, and it was a 2 hour ride back, and the sun was beginning to set.
For dinner, we dined on the ever coveted hot dogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur followed by Reykjavik Chips.
Day 3
Craving more time with nature, we booked a tour with Ishestar Horse Riding Centre to meet Icelandic horses and to go horseback riding. We were picked up around 8 am, (still dark outside) and headed off to Ishestar’s facilities, which are 20 minutes away from downtown Reykjavik. The team was very thorough in informing us about the rules, how to interact with the horses, and fun facts about the horses. Technically, if an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland, to compete in another country, the horse is no longer considered Icelandic. Also, horses from other countries cannot be imported to Iceland. This is due to keeping Icelandic horses pure, and to keep down the spread of diseases.
Boots, helmets, gloves, and any other necessities are supplied by Ishestar. By the time we got a tour of the properties and met the horses, I chickened out and didn’t want to actually ride a horse. Jessica followed through like the champ she is, and after her ride, she said it was so fun, and the sights around the trail were breathtaking. I instead decided to stay at the facilities and help tend to the horses. I basically paid to work.
My first task was to feed the horses hay. Walking in to the barn, as you’d expect, it reeked of horses and wet hay, but the smell wasn’t horrible, and I survived.
After feeding all of the horses in the barn, I met the horses that were outside. I was very scared that the outside horses would freeze, but I was assured that the horses have adapted to the conditions and were protected by their thick manes, and Ishestar ensures the horses spend an appropriate amount of time in the barns each day.
The horses were grouped and playing joyfully. They were super sweet and so adorable. Icelandic horses look vastly different from other horses around the world. Icelandic horses are shorter, often have bangs, and thicker hair around their hooves.
Once the barn horses finished eating, we had to corral them outside. In order to corral them outside, we had to move one group of outside horses to another section of the property. The horses are all clustered in different gates, and to open one set of gates, you have to open and close another set. Whew! Good thing I wasn’t assisting by myself because I’m sure if I had to figure out the job by myself a few horses would have been able to run free. The staff was very friendly and answered all questions.
We spent about 2 or 3 hours with the horses helping to feed, corral, and play with them. We were also given an opportunity to ride a horse in a stable, but again, I chickened out.
Peep the braided bang!
After everyone finished with their activity, we headed back to the lobby and enjoyed hot chocolate. With an upgraded ticket, visitors can also choose to have lunch on the facility. Jessica and I decided to head back to Reyjkavik. For lunch, we went to Reykjavik Fish Restaurant and we both had the fried fish sandwich and chips for around $20 per person which was soooo good and worth it!
After lunch, it was time to shop! Iceland is known for their wool sweaters, which have been sold as souvenirs and fashion. Locals on the other hand wear the wool sweaters daily in the winter due to the great quality of the wool, which helps to fight the frigid cold.
When scoring for souvenirs my recommendation is to start at the Salvation Army or local thrift stores first, then the flea market, and if you absolutely cannot find what you’re looking for at those two places, then you should go to local boutique shops. We were able to find 2 Salvation Army’s around the downtown area, and if we actively pursued them, we would have found more. We found a few wool sweaters second hand at the Salvation Army between $50 - $75 USD, but I either hated the styles or they weren’t in my size. We window shopped around the local shops and the wool sweaters are upwards of $200, and I didn’t find anything that spoke to me at that price point. Heading to the Kolaportiðflea market, there was construction going on in the area, so it was a little difficult to find on foot. Most vendors, even cabs throughout Reykjavik accept credit and debit cards, so cash is not always a necessity. At the flea market most vendors accept cards, but a handful do not, so there is an ATM on the premises. Kolaportiðflea is set up like a traditional flea market or swap meet with vendors from across the country selling their handmade goods and bulk items. I was able to purchase brand new 1 wool sweater and a poncho at the flea market for roughly $180 USD, and left very happy!
When we went in the winter, vendors were selling cold weather apparel such as wool sweaters, gloves, scarves, and mittens along with lava jewelry (primarily bracelets) and shoes. I’m sure the apparel changes to cooler items in the spring and summer months. There was also a food court area with vendors selling baked goods, chocolates and exotic meats such as jerky, horse meat, shark, and whale. One vendor was giving away free samples of shark jerky, which reeked!
That night, we were able to have dinner at Grillmarkadurinn, which was such an experience! I don’t remember if we made reservations before hand, but we went as soon as they opened for dinner and were one of the few people in the restaurant. By the time we finished dinner, all of the tables were full, and there was a wait list. So, I do recommend making reservations to be on the safe side.
We ordered the taste menu, which is curated by the chef nightly and is for available for tables of 2 or more people. At $90 per person, the table shares fresh baked bread accompanied with 3 different types of butter, a shared appetizer, individual side salad, individual entree, and shared dessert. Besides the open concept kitchen on the first floor and the winding staircase, the bathrooms would be my favorite feature. The male and female bathrooms share a faucet, which is a log between the two rooms.The restaurant and entire experience was phenomenal. I would describe the decor as natural upscale, rustic/repurposed.
Day 4
Without an excursion booked for the fourth day, we journeyed around downtown, visited local shops, and the famous Hallgrimskirkja church. We took our time strolling through the streets enjoying being in the moment and relaxing! Braud & Co became our go to bakery! Their cinnamon rolls and other baked goods were so delicious! We went there so often the employees gave us a heads up on the wait time for a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls so we’d get them hot right out of the oven.
Seeing the northern lights are a natural phenomenon, so actually seeing them is not guaranteed. We didn’t pre-book our excursion for the Northern Lights because every vendor we looked at was booked for the past 3 nights. We truly lucked up this night when we went to the Greyline station to book the Northern Lights. Because the Northern Lights are unpredictable, no one can predict when they will be visible, so most tour companies are very compliant with providing refunds, or rescheduling to another night if the lights aren’t visible. We headed to the bus stop around 8 or 9pm to start our journey to see the Northern Lights, which was close to a 2 hour drive away from downtown. Rarely can you see the lights downtown even when the lights are intense due to light pollution in the city. Our tour guide was great and very informative. Once we parked we were able to see the lights dancing across the sky. This was honestly a phenomenal experience. You’re probably wondering what is so special about Northern Lights. Well, charged particles emitted from the sun during a solar flare penetrate the earth's magnetic shield and collide with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere. The collisions result in hues of purple, blue, pink, and more commonly green. They colors are determined by the molecules’ distance from our atmosphere along with the type of element.
On the tour bus, on this particular night we were very fortunate to have experienced the Northern Lights, and with intensity. For at least 5 days prior to that, The Northern Lights weren’t visible and the skies were too cloudy, so tour companies had to cancel their trips. The highway/road that we took was pretty rural and no light pollution. After we parked and got off the bus to see the lights, I felt like I was in outer space. We were in complete darkness besides the few other cars passing every 10 minutes or so with their headlights on. It was just us and nature, and it was quite a spiritual fulfillment for me.
The pictures below don’t do the lights justice because this is just something you have to see in person to experience! While in the yonders, there is no service so you really can’t use your phone. To have great pictures, you can app beforehand. There are a few in the App Stores for purchase that will enhance the quality of your photos, designed special for the Northern Lights. Luckily, someone on our bus already downloaded the app and had a tripod, so they were nice enough to take my pictures and send them to me.
Photo 1: iPhone photo without flash
Photo 2: iPhone photo with flash
Photo 3: DSLR photo using a Northern Lights app to enhance visibility
Day 5
We journeyed to Southern Iceland to view where the Atlantic ocean meets the black sand beach, Mýrdalshreppur glacier, and Rangárþing eystra waterfall. This location is perfect for snowmobiling which I wish I had time to do, but it was an either or option. Either take an excursion to ride a snowmobile on a glacier, (like who does that?) or visit the black sand beach. Another tour booked through Greyline, we were able to journey to Reynisfjara -- where you can find the roaring waves from the Atlantic, basalt stacks, black sand mixed with white snow and soaring seabirds. There are countless folktales about how the stacks formed, but (based on my uneducated experience) I’m sure it was formed due to a volcano explosion, and the black sand is the result of lava.
Overall, Iceland was amazing! It is great for adventure seekers, nature lovers, and foodies. The food was definitely above my expectations considering the majority of spices are imported.