All photos related to this blog entry can be found at Grant & Julie

Camping in Iceland in Summer

From the 13th to the 22nd of May 2014 we took a joyride to Iceland. It is a spectacular and interesting country, both historically, culturally and geologically.

We took so many photos that we decided to publish a short blog with photos.
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Iceland... Interesting factoids

There are 66 golf courses... Often the greens are in amongst lava fields, running the base of a mountain range or along rugged coastline with a wicked sea breeze.
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Much to our surprise roll mops and pickled herrings are not an Icelandic delicacy... Smoked salmon and fresh trout is, so are organic lambs and langoustines.

33 percent of all Icelanders are university educated and 33 percent of all Icelanders believe in Elves. That's Elves not Elvis!

Geologically speaking, Iceland is a very new country, however it was settled first by Irish monks - the Papar (770 - 880 AD) followed by Vikings (870 AD) . It also boasts the worlds first Parliament (930 AD).

Between May and August the sun barely sets.

English is spoken widely and Icelandic is the official language of the country.

Petrol is approx $2.50 a litre and only 95 percent octane, or above, is available.

The scenery is so overwhelmingly beautiful that it becomes the norm. You quickly become conditioned to such striking scenery that you become complacent 'Oh, yet another fabulous scene'. (We took over a thousand photos in 10 days.)

Alcohol... It is quite acceptable to binge drink on weekends, however, should you drink during week, even a moderate glass of wine with dinner, you could be considered to have a drinking problem!

Volcanic Activity

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Left over hay fever from London and icy cold Icelandic winds have ensured continual runny noses for both Grant and Jules. The need for tissues became a daily quest. Wherever tissues, toilet paper, hand towels and serviettes could be pilfered, they were. The coup de grace came when Grant threw down the gauntlet and accused Jules of not putting in a big enough effort in nasal drip relief tasks. Compelled to prove her innocence Jules rose to the challenge and at the Gullfoss tourist information centre & cafe and emerged from the ladies loo, victorious, with half a roll of loo paper smuggled inside her camera bag.

Waterfallls

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Lost in translation: we discovered these fabulous little pots of creamed cheese (rjómaostur) in Iceland. They are the perfect size for a couple of ryvita biscuits with some tomato for lunch on the road. They come in a variety of delicious flavours, prawn, bacon, garlic..... and here is where one can become unstuck...

Procuring supplies for a quick picnic Jules grabs a half loaf of bread, a packet of sliced mystery meat and a larger tub of the local garlic flavoured creamed cheese. It was sitting on the shelf next to the garlic flavoured Philly cream cheese.

Off to our destination and lunch. Two slices of bread extracted and ready for toppings. Open the cream cheese only to find it was garlic butter (hvítlaukssmjöri)! It made for a pungently aromatic lunch.

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Good thing about going to Iceland in May:
-prices are cheaper, lots of attractions are free, come June entrance fees are often charged,
- beat the hoards of tourists,
- accommodation is easier to find or walk in,
- long days.

Not so good things about going to Iceland in May:
- many campgrounds are closed until 1 June,
- weather very changeable, mind you that is normal. There is a saying in Iceland "If - you don't like the weather, wait five minutes",
- closed roads to certain places,
- some attractions still closed.

Things we did not like about Iceland:
- Reykjavik drivers are very impatient,
- cost of tours are astronomical
- accommodation, even youth hostels, is quite expensive

Things we loved about Iceland:
- the people are very friendly and super helpful,
- great tourism infrastructure
- lots of camping and outdoor activities

Snowy Passes