ICELAND
Iceland was an out of this world experience, nature so different from anywhere else I have been to, volcanoes, geysers and endless lava fields made the experience like no other. Can’t forget the Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, as it is a colorful gem of culture and friendly people, that gave a cozy aftertaste that invites you to stay and wander the streets for a little bit more. This adventure started a year ago when I randomly imagined that I could celebrate my birthday somewhere special, and the only place that came to mind was Iceland. So in a year’s time everything came to be and on 20th June me and 7 of my friends set of on an adventure.
The arrival was the first unique experience we had as Icelandic summers are a 22h long and the sun doesn’t actually set down. So when we arrived, the sunset was at 2AM in the night. On the first day we were lucky to enjoy some of Iceland’s nicest weather, but the following days we got a taste of Iceland’s character. It was all we could imagine – rain, wind, sun on repeat every day to come. But that didn’t stop our exploration. Our house was conveniently located right in the heart of South Iceland and 20 km away from volcano named Hekla. With a week at our disposal we decided to explore South and West side of Iceland and leave North and East for the next time. One of the highlights of the trip was hiking across Hekla lava fields, which was an utterly disturbing experience on it’s own, because I have never felt such sinister silence and lifelessness for miles and miles; there was nothing but black ash and volcanic rocks, there were no birds flying, just some miniature plants trying to survive, even our mobiles didn’t work as we got closer to the volcano, which, as locals said, is due to erupt anytime soon without any warning beforehand. Hekla left us a bit shaken, but excited to be alive. We explored further South where we found a lot of tourists, waterfalls and incredible nature. Iceland’s nature is something that can’t be described in words, it’s alive and every corner is completely different. It kind of sends you back into prehistoric times with it’s wild and powerful nature forces controlling the world. Icelandic people are very well adapted to nature without changing it and the whole concept of living one with nature is in Iceland’s blood.
After being on the road and witnessing incredible nature around us, the main goal of the trip was to celebrate my birthday in Iceland with close friends and I can say that it was a complete success. Thank you everybody who came with me on this adventure and see you on the next trip!
Here are some of the moments from the adventure , Enjoy!
