Journalist Marcus Barnes explores the Land of the Midnight Sun and finds a warm welcome in a cold climate.
Iceland has come under fire, quite literally, in recent months, with the volcanic ash catastrophe and preceding banking crisis tarnishing the country’s previously sterling reputation.
In response, some of Iceland’s larger companies and investors set about attempting to improve the country’s image – which, for most people with an ounce of common sense, was still intact. The Inspired by Iceland project involved a one-off concert to celebrate some of the country’s best musical talent, as well as providing a positive picture of what is one of the world’s youngest countries.
Cheap flights to Reykjavik are becoming more and more widespread throughout the world’s travel providers, with national airline Icelandair offering some of the best deals.
At this time of year daylight lasts as close to 24 hours as you can imagine, which is certainly mind-boggling when you first arrive as we did at 1am. The light is what one might see at dusk, or on an early autumn morning – not as bright as it would be at high noon, but still nonetheless daytime. This makes for an interesting time when taking in the nightlife, but more on that later.
From the airport we make our way through some of the most unique landscape you’re ever likely to see – in fact, the barren lunar countryside was used by Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts as a training ground prior to their first moon landing in 1969.
Looking out across the seemingly never-ending rocky mounds into the dusky sky already proves to be quite an inspiration as we prepare for an eventful 36 hours in the Icelandic capital.
Rooms at the Radisson Saga are more than comfortable, and provide a great retreat following an active day. The hotel itself is a mere stone’s throw from Reykjavik’s centre and definitely makes for a great base from which to explore the many delights Iceland has to offer.
Our Icelandic adventure begins just 8 hours after our arrival as we set out to the famous Blue Lagoon – an outside spa now frequented more by tourists than Icelanders.
The amazing area has a slightly off-putting history, being formed from what our guide describes as the ‘waste water’ from a nearby power plant. And with the factory looming in the background as we enter, we’re filled with a slight sense of trepidation.
However, that’s soon forgotten when you step into what feels like an alien world – water an unbelievable shade of ice blue, moon-like volcanic rocks, plumes of steam rising up into the air from mini geysers and… a bar!
This is an experience that you simply will not forget. On the day of our visit, temperatures on ground level are something in the region of 17-18 degrees, maybe less, and it’s raining. However, step into the waters of the Blue Lagoon, which is heated naturally from the Earth’s geothermal energy, and it’s like getting into a bath.
Initially, the brain finds it hard to compute that you’re being rained on yet, once submerged, you’re nice and toasty warm.
The Blue Lagoon provides a range of massages, spa treatments and saunas – with silica gel face-packs freely available at different points around the main pool.
It’s the perfect way to relax and forget all the worries and stresses of life back home – particularly because for most people it’s about as different from where they reside as one can imagine. It’s said that the waters help to ease sufferers of psoriasis and other skin complaints… but, even if you have no ailments, you’ll soon feel refreshed and relaxed.
While there, you have to visit the bar for one of the most unconventional pints of beer you’re ever likely to drink. Following our session in the lagoon, we take lunch where some of the more daring members of the group try out some whale meat. Far from being an endangered species, as it is in the waters surrounding Japan, the whales that occupy the waters near to Iceland are in fact overpopulating the area and contribute to diminishing numbers of fish.
We then visit Reykjavik’s main shopping street, which has a quaint mix of designer stores, trendy outlets, charity shops and even a shop dedicated to all things Christmas. The banking crisis has had a clear effect on ground level, with many of the shops providing a level of value we hadn’t expected. This is also the main place to go if you want to hit some of the city’s many bars.
Later that day Inspired by Iceland hold a special concert headlined by UK acts Spiritualized and Damien Rice – accompanied by some of Iceland’s talents, including Mammút and Sugarcubes drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson and his new band Parabolur.
Due to adverse weather conditions the concert was moved at the last minute to Pavillion Park, but still managed to attract a 2000-strong crowd undeterred by the rain and cold weather. Half an hour into the show, the rain subsided and the resilient Icelandic crowd remained where they were, enjoying the brilliant sounds all through the night – with Spiritualized running overtime by at least half an hour, not that anyone was complaining.
For Icelanders, midnight is when the evening starts – somehow, the mystical dusky daylight empowers them with the kind of energy that most travelers could only imagine. The standard night out in Iceland ends at 6am, and it’s easy to see why – despite a long day, we felt wide awake and raring to go as we left the concert and headed out into the night to see what Reykjavik had to offer…
This guest post was contributed by Marcus Barnes, a freelance journalist who has worked for several national newspapers. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheapflights Ltd.
© Cheapflights / Marcus Barnes (Picture credit: Marcus Barnes)
