Iceland so far

So the good news is, yes, we are still alive!  Obviously this has been a bit of a boring blog for the last week, but this is the first Internet access we've had all week, so stick with it...

The bad news is, we probably won't be able to do another update until next weekend, so this had better be a good one!

We've done loads over the last week, seen some pretty stunning stuff and travelled over 1500km so far - plus we've had our first experience with camping.

Iceland itself...

I think it would be true to say that Iceland is a beautiful country with some scenery that is amazing and weird in equal measure.  Although the Iceland tourist board would have you believe that there is more to Iceland than glaciers and waterfalls, that is a pretty accurate description. I (Rob) love waterfalls and this place has them by the bucket load.

It truly is an odd place though.  The scenery changes incredibly quickly - from rocky barren lava fields to rain soaked fiords to geothermal areas - all a bit strange.  Hopefully some of the photos on this blog will give you the general idea (but we're a bit limited on what we can upload at the moment - technical issues!).

Driving around is great fun.  There are some mad winding roads that head into the clouds (quite literally) and hardly any traffic or police - surely a recipe for disaster!

Wildlife

Not much.  Unless you're a twitcher or really like sheep...

The weather...

British summers are unpredictable - so far I'm not sure Iceland has a summer!  We got lucky on the first couple of days and had some nice warm sunny weather, but since then it's been a mainly grey skies and a bit dreary.

The other thing that we've found mighty odd, but are now used to, is the fact that it never really gets properly dark here.  Although the sun does set before midnight, it's still light enough to see stuff at 2am...

The people...

Icelanders seem to be a stoney-faced bunch and generally don't seem that happy - a sweeping generalisation I know, but accurate based on our experiences so far.  Now given the long dark winter months we could maybe understand it, but you'd think they would be loving all of the daylight at this time of year.  They get things done but don't exactly give you the most welcoming feeling as a visitor to their country.

Camping...

Hmm, this has been interesting!  I think there are 2 very different takes on this "holiday" experience:

Rob's view

After a very dodgy first night with at best 2 to 3 hours kip, things have progressively got better - I must be getting at least 4 - 5 hours each night now!

Most of the campsites in Iceland seem pretty well equipped, so cooking food, showering etc. hasn't been too bad.  And to be fair, I can put up with smelling for a few days or using my Pocket Rocket (arf, but seriously it is a gas burner) to cook other stuff.

Don't get me wrong.  If going camping was my main holiday for the year, I doubt I would bother - sounds harsh, but true.   As I'm a big lad, I'd happily trade a sleeping area barely wider than my shoulders for a nice king-sized bed, but that's kind of missing the point.  Camping has given some very new experiences, allowed much more freedom (it's a bit weird never knowing exactly where you'll be sleeping that night) and in a strange way I've quite enjoyed it.

Lisa's view

Night 1 - hated it!  Really I did. Building your own bed, what's that all about, I normally just fall into it and snuggle up and sleep, seemed a bit dull to me.  Didn't sleep well at all, cat bells did help tho - thanks Sally!  Next morning, communal showering without separation of a curtain - is that normal for campsites?  Scared! Showering next to other naked ladies - not sure I'm gonna like this malarky!

Night 2 - not so bad.  Now we knew what we were doing with the tent it didn't take so long.  Sleep, ooh about a massive 4 hours!  No other naked ladies to shower with this morning - phew!

Night 3, 4  & 5 getting better, actually not so bad at all.  Sleeping much better, individual shower cubicles - ahhhh normality has returned I have no one watching me!

Night 6 - expert!  Tent up in record time, quite getting into it!  Might even sell the house (joke! Not a chance I could do it forever).  Just a shame the people aren't a bit more friendly, not this scout campfire sing-a-long I had imagined and I'd practised a version of ging-gang-goolie, what a waste!

Night 7 - guest house!  Room already built with a bed, quilts and everything... Absolutely love it!