Chilling in Iceland

I found the perfect holiday destination for my ten-year-old daughter and I:

Iceland

Romi McCarthy, Barbara McCarthy at Sólheimajökull glacier.

Despite having different tastes- my daughter likes walking around shops slowly, desserts and swimming, I love the great outdoors. It was the perfect destination for us. It’s wild and rugged, but calm and gentle too.

With its waterfalls, searing geysers, magma spewing volcanoes and black sand beaches, planning a trip was overwhelming. Where do we go? What will the elements bring? I studied Old Norse in college (I've no idea why) and glaciers retreat (also in college- much later) finally this twain would meet.

 We flew to Keflavik with Play Airlines. If you book ahead, flights are as little as €130 per person. It’s only a two and a half hour flight from Dublin. 

Iceland is like Ireland on steroids so you need suitable wheels. We got a Mitsubishi Eclipse, 4X4 at Lava Car Rental, which was very smooth, considering the elements. It can get really windy so you need something sturdy. The roads are very safe, but on any given day, we got snow, sun, rain and ice and everything in between. Rentals are relatively well priced- from €400 for the week, and we didnt get extra insurance.

 We drove to Reykjavik, which is around 40 minutes away along the coast. I parked the car in the green zone in Reykjavik for a few days- it was cheap enough -like maybe €8 euro per day. There’s 24 hour parking around town, so beware.

We stayed at the cool Sand Hotel on the main shopping street and picked up city cards there. These are fantastic for free entry to local swimming pools, museums and transport.

On our first day, after sampling Iceland’s native Arctic Char fish, local lamb and Icelandic pancakes at Hja Joni restaurant, we went on a once in a lifetime Northern Lights bus tour. As a photographer, the Northern Lights would be a highlight, But alas, it wasn’t to be. 

Barbara McCarthy, Romi McCarthy, Golden Circle

As John Steinbeck said in the Pearl; “It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives luck away.” Indeed it did- despite the valiant efforts of our guide to drive to the furthest spot he could, clouds got in the way. Thankfully, we got the best hot chocolate known to humanity- so my daughter- Romi decided. The good thing about these tours is - if you book one and there are no lights, you're invited onto a another date.

We spent two days in Reykjavik, it's such a quaint little town of 245,000 people in the greater area, where most of Iceland’s population resides. A walking tour brought us up to the Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran church, where we learnt about Leif Erikson, also known as Leif the Lucky, a Norse explorer who discovered America, and went to the local prison. I liked the tour, we both loved Fly Over Iceland, a simulator, where you are suspended in front of a 20 meter spherical screen, subjected to wind, water and smell, while you're flying through valleys straight out of Lord of the Rings and cobalt blue glaciers. A great activity when the weather is bad, which is often is. 

We also went swimming in one of Reykjaviks 17 pools- for free with our city card. They are part of Icelandic culture, no matter how cold it is you sit in the cold plunge pool, run into the hot pool, do lengths. We had a fancy dinner in Apotek, where my daughter tried Wagyu and lobster - and dessert of course. The food here is top of the range. Just so fresh and excellent.

Iceland provides even when the weather is bad, which it was for our trip to the Golden Circle. The popular tourist route south of Reykjavik, covering a loop of around 300 kilometres is a must. We went to the geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall, before swapping buses and heading off with the Mountaineers of Iceland into the Langjökull glacier. Apocalyptic rain turned to snow and we couldn't see a thing.

Romi McCarthy snowmobiling

After landing at basecamp, we got suited and booted in overalls and gear- they provide everything. We looked like Michelin men. The bright orange also helped us see in the snow storm. Just about. I was blinded by snow.

I admire my daughter for sitting on the back with me. It’s not actually dangerous as there's loads of snow and the crevasses are all filled. But I regularly went off like a rogue shopping trolly into the great white yonder. The instructor kept trying to usher us back. You can't help but laugh. I love trying new sports with my daughter, despite the whiteout. I would love to return to actually see the glacier. It looks amazing.

We went to stay at the Edition Hotel afterwards- a real treat. It’s so cosy when you come in from the wilds of Iceland to open fires. Iceland gives you savage nature and comfort in equal measure. We had dinner- mussels and my daughter had gnocchi.

The food is so good. I never usually eat dinner, but when you’re outside all day- dinner, hot baths and warm cosy hotels with a few rounds of UNO are so welcome. 

The next day, we drove off ourself. It's such a buzz. You pass meadows, beastly mountains, weird formations, snow, ice, rain. It’s like a rollercoaster of the natural world, spewing out crazy stuff. I was glad for the big tires on the car, but you don’t go above 90 km much. We stopped at Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi  waterfalls, before heading to Sólheimajökull glacier. It’s around two and half hours drive.

Here we got crampons and ice axes for our tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides. The weather was nice and we could see something at last. As a glacier aficionado, I loved this, even Romi liked it, especially the part where we roped up and looked into the crevasse.

Romi McCarthy at the Sólheimajökull glacier

We headed to Vik Myrdal afterwards. The seafront village is close to the famous black sand beaches. We had dinner at the ultra modern Hotel Vik.  Fish and chips and salmon. I don’t like to deviate from local fare- when in Iceland. A walk along the beach afterwards reminded us not to trifle with the Icelandic shoreline. I suggest  -don’t go near it. I’ve never seen waves like it.

The famous Reynisfjara volcanic black-sand beach is even more wild. It's a short drive from Vik and the waves were so scary and the sand is formed from cooled lava that flowed into the ocean during eruptions, it was a sight to behold. It makes the Atlantic in Ireland look like Jackanory.

We took refuge in a bunker - the black beach restaurant and had amazing turnip soup and cake, courtesy of wonderful staff, before going to the world famous Lava show in Vik. It recreates a volcanic eruption by superheating real lava up to 1100°C  and pouring it into a showroom - much to our delight. Seeing real lava up close is thrilling and warm. We especially enjoyed learning about the 1918 Katla volcano eruption. Another day of activities we both love.

We went to Smidgen Brugghus afterwards for a chilled atmosphere and fabulous starter chicken wings.

On our last day, we went horse riding on Icelandic horses at Hestar Og Fjöll on the. The horses are smaller than other breeds, but they are long living and hardy, just like their humans. Interestingly you can’t import horses to Iceland as they want to maintain the Icelandic breed. Spending time with horses was so lovely. Host Martina was really personable. She runs the stable with her husband offering beautiful guided experiences in the area. We took a gentle 1,5 hour riding tour down towards a black sand lake against the backdrop of Eyjafjallajoekull, the most famous volcano in Iceland, which erupted in 2010 and caused a massive dust cloud, disrupting air travel. Romi loved the horses, and we toyed with the idea of running away to work at a stable. Kind of like a kitsch 80s novel.

After a short drive, we stopped at Selfoss, a 10,000 large town en route to Reykjavik for dumplings at Menam Thai restaurant  at the Old Dairy Building in Selfoss Centre. We loved the interactive exhibition about dairy inside the building. It was a really fun little centre, before heading making our way to the Blue Lagoon, which is right by the airport. 

It exceeded our expectations. The Blue Lagoon’s unique geothermal seawater is found nowhere else on earth and is rich in silica, algae, and minerals.

We got a face mask each and headed across the water to avail of our free drink. I had a beer in the sunset, Romi drank something neon blue. It was amazing. The blue lagoon was everything and more.

We had dinner at the Lava Restaurant beside the lagoon. A last hurrah. Two cocktails -blue of course later, and the best fish, yet again and we were done.

Our fabulous holiday was over. We stayed at the beautiful Marriott Courtyard by the airport. Boy was I annoyed I missed the hotel breakfast. An early flight and we were back home in Ireland.

We promise to return soon. Iceland always comes out tops of best places to live polls, because it's so safe, hence it's a dream for children and adults. We're not done yet though.

It's like our Iceland journey is only just beginning.

What to bring: 

Be prepared. Bring warm clothes. Layers are great. We brought ski gear, rainproof gear, gloves, hats, socks and of course- swimsuits. I brought winter boots and runners for travel. There’s no real need for anything fancy, just comfortable. A handy rucksack is great for day to day. Iceland is famously expensive, especially food, drink and tourist attractions, but hotels, car hire and even flights to Iceland were relatively inexpensive. 

What to drive: 

Car hire: Lava Car rental at Keflavik airport.www.lavacarrental.is 4X4s from €400 for a week. I didn’t add extra insurance, but do check if insurance covers wind damage from opening the car door. 

Where to stay: 

Sand Hotel, Reykjavik; rates from €200 per room. Oustanding breakfast included. www.keahotels.is/sand-hotel

Reykjavik Edition Hotel: from €460 per night. Modern hotel with top amenities. www.editionhotels.com.

Hotel Vik Myrdal: €219 with breakfast. Hotel Vík í Mýrdal.

Courtyard by Marriott, Keflavik Airport: €189 with breakfast.

What to do:

Northern Lights tour by Icelandia from €62.

Icelandia walking tour from €35.

Golden Circle tour with Snowmobiles tour with Icelandia and Mountaineers of Iceland. From €240pp.https://www.icelandia.com/tours/golden-circle-and-glacier-snowmobiling.

Glacier hiking on Sólheimajökull From €117. Info here.

Pick up City Cards online. They cost from €35 and offer free entrances to pools and discounts on museums and travel. 

Lava Show in Vik  Icelandic Lava Show | Visit South Iceland.

Icelandic horse riding from €66 with Hester Og Fjoell. www.hestarogfjoll.com

Blue Lagoon; from €69. www.bluelagoon.com.

Food and Drink:

Restaurant Hja Joni. Mains can be as much as €50 on average. Starters are from €30. Drinks from €15. Cocktails are around €22.  Hjá Jóni

At Apotek Restaurant, I recommend Wagyu starter- around €60 and cocktails from €25. The restaurant has a three course lunch for €55. Apótek restaurant

TIDES at the Edition Hotel has starters from €26. Mains from €42. A Galloway T bone is €200. www.editionhotels.com.

Hotel Vik restaurant meals from around €50 for a main. €20 for a starter. Hotel Vík í Mýrdal.

Black Beach Restaurant in Reynisfjara has soup from soup from €20. Desert from €10. Black Beach Restaurant.

Menam Thai food costs from €20 at the Old Dairy Building in Selfoss. Menam Thai Food. 

For more information go to Visit Iceland and Business Iceland. @inspiredbyicalend.