Iceland, Incomparable - Days Two and Three

Faster than a trip to LA!

A short four-hour flight from New York City and you are transported to a different world. According to IcelandAir’s trivia video, a majority of the Icelandic population believes in elves. And as you travel the otherworldly terrain, almost entirely absent of trees, you can understand why. I half expected Frodo to pop out from behind a rock and ask me for directions to Mordor. While that didn’t happen, we were treated to a tour guide telling Icelandic folk tales and singing songs over the tour bus microphone.

If you’re only in Iceland for a few days, or in potentially harsh weather conditions as we were, then taking tours are the way to go. Both Gray Line and Reykjavik Excursions have everything down to a science, from hotel pickup and dropoff to efficient and entertaining transport. But under any other circumstances I would recommend renting a car and driving, as about every 10 seconds you are going to see something amazing out the window and want to pull over for another look. 

As for the weather, all things considered, we really lucked out. Although cold, our first and last days did not bring rain. But on that second day – the day of our South Shore Adventure – Iceland showed her brute strength. It was totally unreal. The photos I took of that day are not so great, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I can’t tell you the rush of exhilaration Janine and I felt as we darted towards the Myrdalsjokull Glacier in a freezing downpour. The whipping rain felt like icicles were impaling my face and yet all I could do was marvel at the sight and try to snap photos as quickly as possible before I froze to death. Oh, how I wished I had a pair of photographer's gloves, but of course I didn't think of that until I was standing on a glacier taking photos barehanded. My fingers were so frozen that I had to keep switching hands in order to find a finger with enough feeling to press the button. It was nature in its rawest form, and this city slicker was no match. Although I packed everything from Under Armour to hand warmers for the trip, I brought none of it with me for the tour! The weather had been pretty mild in Reykjavik, and I had no idea what I was in for in the open space of southeast Iceland. Whether at the beach, the glacier or the waterfalls, the wind was so strong it would literally blow me out of position. My camera was soaked in rain, the lens covered in fog. Snot was running down my nose and my fingers were frozen into place on the camera. I have never had more of a challenge or more fun taking pictures. When taking photographs in Iceland, you are not just a spectator, you are an active participant. You are interacting with the scenery in a very real way.

A gorgeous sky after the rainstorm.

With each stop on the tour, we bolted from the bus and repeated the process of fighting back the elements to capture photos. There were times I thought I couldn't go back out there, but I always did. Iceland was calling and I had to answer. Soaking wet and freezing, we were the last ones back on the bus every time. With so many incredible photo opportunities in every direction, Iceland truly is a photographer’s dream. You simply can’t take a bad picture in Iceland – it does all the work for you.

Day Three took us on the magical Golden Circle. This is the creme de la creme (or de la Skyr, if you will) of Iceland scenery. If you're only going to do one tour, make it the Golden Circle. I had heard so much about this route that I didn't possibly think it could live up to its hype. But it did. In fact, it exceeded it. Harsh, wind-carved terrain, powerful waterfalls, bubbling geysers, volcanic rocks and steaming earth gave me the feeling not that I was in another country, but on another planet.

Pingvellir Sunrise

We departed in the dark and were treated to a glorious sunrise as we drove across the Icelandic landscape. To this day, in all my travels, I have never seen anything as beautiful as that morning in Iceland. The first thing that struck me as we drove out into the countryside was how absolutely pure it was. No billboards. No garbage. No construction cones. No buildings. No people. It was as though we were viewing the earth as God intended it. I imagined it must look the same as it did when man first arrived on this island, some 1,000 years ago. Pristine. Unspoiled. Divine. As the sun rose over Lake Pingvallavatn in Pingvellir National Park, I felt blessed to be standing there. And I mourned the fact that the rest of the earth was no longer this immaculate.

Although the Myrdalsjokull Glacier was the most brutal weather we experienced on the trip, a close second was standing atop Gulfoss, which was basically a freezing cold, high-velocity wind tunnel. If I thought taking pictures on the Glacier was bad, my face and hands nearly froze off from the wind force at Gulfoss.

With all this talk of freezing my butt off, you may wonder if I still think it was a good idea to travel to Iceland in November. I say unequivocally, absolutely! Each season in Iceland brings with it its own unique experience, it's own pros and cons. The summer has the best weather and you can make the most of your days with nearly 24 hours of sunlight, but it's also the most expensive time and you'll be overwhelmed with tourists. The spring offers a more gentle climate and bird migration – including the arrival of puffins. In the fall, like us, you’ll have the chance to see snow kissed mountains and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets to bookend your days. And if you go in the winter it’s really all about lower prices, lower prices, and lower prices. (Oh, and the northern lights too.)

I wouldn't trade my November trip to Iceland for anything in the world. What's funny to me about travel, is that the moments that are the absolute worst - the freezing, the frustrating, the tired, cold and wet - become the most fond recollections. So vivid in my mind, those are my trip's sacred memories. Because that's when I knew I was out of my comfort zone. That's when I knew I was in a new world. I was in Iceland, on her terms. And I wouldn't have it any other way.