We headed out of Reykjavik early this morning. It’s been a week of news about storms, closed roads, and flight cancellations so we want to give ourselves the best chance of starting our trip towards home.
I gathered up some of my favourite photos from Iceland and reflected on the places we’ve been. Volcanoes, craters, glaciers, waterfalls, geysirs, and basalt columns, have led to the biggest lava fields, mossy rocks, and black-sand beaches. We’ve enjoyed snow, icy rain and sub-zero temperatures. We’ve seen a few horses, a few birds, but barely any wildlife – these conditions are clearly too harsh at this time of year. We’ve heard about the trolls, the Vikings, and learned about the Icelandic spirit. Primarily this trip has been focused on our natural environment.
Kudos to our guide, Soli. He’s managed to get us safely around the country along icy roads and through blizzards, remaining calm the whole way. He introduced us to the Icelandic hot tub tradition, and to some of the best food we’ve had on the trip.
We’ve seen so many similarities between Iceland and Australia. Both are remote islands with a relatively small and spread out population. Our landscapes are both spectacular and harsh, although we’re literally polar opposites in the extreme weather conditions we face. We share a similar quirky sense of humour and laid back approach.
More importantly, it’s struck me that in a week where we’ve heard about glaciers melting and bushfires burning, both countries are at huge risk and enormously impacted by climate change. A small change in temperature means a lot to both of us.
Iceland depends on tourism, so is working hard to ensure that their most significant resources – their landscape and heritage – are protected. I fear our desire to continually consume and build material wealth is getting in the way of that in Australia.
We’re now heading to Copenhagen – a 24 hour buffer before the flight home. With clear skies, it was a beautiful day of sunshine and we gave Bergen and Norway a wave from the plane.
We were informed on our arrival at our hotel that there is a complimentary ‘Wine Hour’ from 5-6. Oh, what a strategic choice on a long travel day at the end of a trip!!! We’re also planning our Saturday morning long slow run… Brisbane feels like it’s just around the corner!
Love M & theBunch x
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