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Dog sledging in Iceland - Iceland
by Roxanne Levy | Date >
2005-11-19 | Country : Iceland | City : Reykjavic
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I was starting to stress out, with only two days to go before I was due to go away, I still hadn’t booked my holiday! I wasn't interested in going anywhere where I'd be surrounded by people who party and drink themselves into oblivion as that would have driven me mad and defeats the object of going travelling. My first thought was that maybe I should actually see a bit of my own country, something I rarely do as I usually like to go as far away as possible! However, within a few minutes, I’d changed my mind. This summer had been awful, a typical English Summer with lots of rain and flooding! It was August but felt more like Autumn! As someone who thrives on sunshine, the ideal place would be somewhere warm, but I also wanted to go a place which was peaceful, beautiful, magical and full of natural phenomena. Not asking for much, was I?
I’m an impulsive person who is happy to book a last minute flight and accommodation without knowing much about where I’m going to and in the end, that’s what happened. Even more crazy was that I ended up going somewhere that was supposed to be even colder than England.
I was on my way to Iceland!
As I was using public transport I left home at the crack of dawn just in case there were any problems with the trains or buses. (this was more than likely knowing London Transport) I wanted to get to the airport in plenty of time as I enjoy the whole buzz of being there. I'm a people watcher and I like to see everyone coming and going and make up stories about their supposed lives…
My journey to Liverpool Street station was pretty uneventful apart from being pushed and shoved by hoards of commuters. From here, I would catch the Stanstead Express to the airport. Well that's what was supposed to happen. I almost had a breakdown as I heard the announcement that due to some kind of cable failure the train to the airport wasn't running! (Well they needed a new excuse apart from leaves on the line, wrong kind of rain, snow, sun, sheep…) The way too cheerful station announcer who sounded more like a sheep talking under water, gleefully explained that everyone now had to get a train to Chingford in Essex and then a coach to the airport!
Do you ever get the feeling that when you desperately need to get somewhere, something is bound to go wrong? I started to swear and talk out loudly in frustration, I must have looked as mad as a box of frogs! And to top it all, the replacement train was slower than a snail and stopped for what felt like a lifetime at each station. Someone up there must have been looking down on me and laughing. I finally got to the airport after four hours and fifty years older.
Luckily, I got there before the check-in closed but had to go straight to the departure gate.. Everything was okay, now nothing else could go wrong, could it?
The flight went without a hitch and I even sat next to someone 'normal'. Three hours later I was in Reykjavic, the capital of Iceland. I caught a coach to my hotel. Finally I would be able to relax…
The hotel receptionist looked at me quizzically; eyebrows raised and informed me that they didn't have my booking. What! This couldn't be happening. I'd booked and paid for my hotel on-line and had a printout confirming this. He continued to shake his head, no, they definitely had no booking. He then explained that he would sort it out but that I was lucky I'd got there early as if I'd turned up later they would have had no rooms! It was crazy! This definitely wasn't my day. I'd gone away to relax and unwind, at this rate, my hair would turn grey overnight.
I was finally given a room but didn't sit down for long, I was raring to get out and discover Reykjavic. I caught the bus from my hotel and arrived in the centre ten minutes later.
Amazingly, there wasn't a cloud in sight and sun was blazing, I couldn’t believe it as I was expecting to freeze! I soon found out that Iceland was having its hottest weather on record.
As I walked, I didn't really know where I was going but didn’t care as sometimes that's the best way to discover things. Always expect the unexpected. I looked up to see one of the most amazing and spectacular churches that I have ever seen. It seemed to take over the whole of the street.
The church, Hallgrimskirkja had taken thirty four years to build. It was surrounded by white columns on either side which gradually got smaller in size. It really was incredible. The architecture was unique and outstanding and you could see the dramatically imposing steeple around 20km away. In comparison to the outside, the inside of the church was rather stark, but what more than made up for this was the view I got from the top if the church. I had to pay a small fee and then got the lift that plays choral music to the top of the tower. From here, I was able to experience some spectacular views of Reykjavic. All the houses looked like little toys and they had coloured roofs. It was like being in a toy village.
I continued my walk and ended up at the pond in the downtown area where there were lots of birds enjoying themselves in the water! It was a calm place to sit and relax. The air in Reykjavic was very fresh. I felt invigorated and it was nice to be away from the constant polluted feel of London. In addition to this, even though I was in the capital it certainly didn't feel like it. It was very quiet and in terms of people there didn't seem to be that many. It was very compact, far smaller than I ever imagined and it was nice not be constantly pushed and shoved like in London. In terms of population, Iceland is small with around 288,000 people. Around one third of the population live in the Reykjavic area.
I then walked along the harbour. Everything around me looked so clean and new. It was an unusual sight. I’ve done a fair bit of travelling but this must have been one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen.
I still hadn't planned any trips yet, so I went into a couple of the tourist information places and read some of the booklets before deciding what to do. I didn't want to waste any time at all. I hate sitting around when I could be exploring, I wanted to make the most of every minute. I had 4 whole days left before my journey back home so planned a trip for each day using different tour operators for each trip. That way I would know for next time which tour company I preferred (there is usually always a next time for me when it comes to travelling!) It was easy to arrange and I felt very excited at what was yet to come.
I ended my walk by going for dinner at a Vegetarian restaurant. These are few and far between in Iceland as the mainstay is fish and meat but I never went hungry. There were also more adventurous delicacies such as Puffin and rams testicles!!!!!!
As for drink, alcohol is very expensive in Iceland. I must have had the most expensive glass of wine I've ever had in my life. A small glass cost me the equivalent of six pounds..
After a long day, I was ready to sleep, unfortunately my body clock wasn’t. Even though it was around midnight, it was still very light! So I didn’t sleep too well. During the summer months it can still be bright into the middle of the night! But if you go in winter, the opposite applies and you only get a few hours of sunlight a day.
Now imagine one uncoordinated person, a four-legged animal, volcanoes and lava fields around Reykjavic You now get my first adventure. I had never even been near a horse never mind ride one, but now here I was, all geared up and about to go on a 2 hour riding tour! I probably needed my head examined! Once again, the sun had its hat on which made the ride even more amazing.
I was introduced to my horse "Barbie" so named because it was blond and had a mane of shaggy hair. I was also excited to discover that the Icelandic horse is known for its little stature. This pleased me no end as I'm under 5ft! She was perfect for me. Icelandic horses are known for their gentle temperament and my horse made the ride fairly easy and stress free.
We rode through the lava fields surrounding Mt Helgafell Volcano and the Blafjoll mountains. It was fascinating seeing the diverse landscape of Iceland, using the horse as an alternative method of transport. Amazingly, I managed to get back in one piece which was down to Barbie rather than myself. She was an expert and knew exactly where she was going. I think she also sensed that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing. The ride lasted for around two hours and was just the right amount of time for me. Any longer and I’d probably have needed a new body!
My next trip can only be described as entering a magical kingdom and one that I could have quite happily stayed in for a very long time. I had submerged myself into the hypnotic milky waters of the Blue Lagoon. Atop of a high-temperature geothermal field lay the Lagoon containing therapeutic thermal water that is rich in minerals, silica mud and blue/green algae. This combination had created the milky blue waters of the lagoon.
Everything about my surroundings was surreal. In the background stood the geothermal power plant, the reason for the lagoon's existence. Black lava and puffs of fluffy looking steam enveloped me. I lay back, chilled out and floated in the invigorating waters and shut my eyes. I felt like I was completely alone and free of everything. It was extremely seductive. All I had were my thoughts and dreams. The temperature stayed around 36C-39C. I felt like I was taking a relaxing bath in a parallel universe devoid of the worries and stresses of normal life.
Along the side of the waters were pots of the white silica mud taken from the lagoon. I put this all over my face and body and when I washed it had exfoliated my skin and left my body soft and silky. The minerals of the lagoon are also excellent helping various dry skin conditions such as psoriasis.
I then had an incredibly invigorating massage under the powerful jet of the waterfall. It was so strong it was actually quite painful, but in a good sense as my back felt great afterwards.
I then spent some time in the sauna. Visiting the lagoon was a totally uplifting and euphoric experience. Next time I will go to the lagoon in Autumn or Winter to experience the incredible Aurora Borealis (Northern lights). The cold of the winter, warmth of the lagoon and the natural lightshow of the Aurora Borealis will be out of this world.
I didn't think that I'd be able to top the Lagoon experience, but my next trip surpassed it and was extremely emotional and wonderful. I am completely mad about dogs. So when I discovered that I could go dog sledding on a glacier, I had to go! I was picked up in a super jeep that took me through the winding landscape of the Kaldidalur highland track, passing lava fields and barren landscapes. The environment was secluded and we only passed a couple of other vehicles along the way. After a couple of hours we arrived at Langjokoll Glacier, the second largest in Iceland. There were only two other travellers on this trip which made it even more special.
On arrival we were greeted by the guides who gave us overshoes, a jumpsuit and gloves to keep us warm, we then got on the ice truck which was to take us on our journey across the endless white snowfields of the glacier and to the Greenlandic Huskies. The ride was an adventure in itself as we drove across some deep crevices. When I looked down one of them through the gap in the ice, the drop looked like it went on forever. We got to our destination and were greeted by 25 Greenlandic Huskies. I had to catch my breath as it was such an emotional and unique sight. I was allowed to hug all the dogs and one of them rolled over and I tickled his belly. This was my dream and I felt lost for words which is not something that happens often to me.
I sat at the front of the sledge and two others sat behind me. It was pulled by seven huskies with the lead dog at the front. I was surrounded by a vision of never-ending white powdery snow and I felt like I had been transported into a complete sensory experience. As we were pulled along the ice I could see, hear, touch, smell and feel the whole landscape. The dog-sledding guides shouted commands to the Huskies in Icelandic and told them when to speed up or slow down. They also had to stop them from fighting with each other as they can be competitive.
Dog-sledding was exhilarating, especially going downhill. I could have spent all day with the Huskies, they were like big fluffy white bears. I must have taken two rolls of film on the dogs alone! This holiday was already proving to be a very memorable and unique one.
On my final day, I went on the very popular Golden Circle tour this took me to many of the natural phenomena of Iceland. . The trip began by taking us to Nesjavellir. This is a high-temperature geothermal area situated in the wonderful landscape of lake Pingvallavatn. We were shown around the site and were told how the area supplies around 25% of the hot water which is needed to provide central heating to Reykjavic. From here we were taken to the wonderfully beautiful national park known as Pingvellir. This is where the first settlers held their annual parliamentary assembly.
The next part of this trip was very exciting. We went to the famous Geysir. This is a geothermal field and we were able to see the Geysers powerful explosion. There was a gradual build-up and I stood tensely with my camera anxiously waiting for that moment. Suddenly It all happened very quickly, the sight of the geyser erupting was incredible and I had to be very fast when taking a picture to catch its effect.
The next sight was even more amazing. We went one of Icelands most spectacular if not the most spectacular waterfall. Known as Gullfoss the waterfall was dramatic, powerful and hypnotising as it tumbled down a deep gorge. As I watched this wonderous sight, I felt sad knowing that this was my last day in Iceland. I wasn’t ready to leave.
I felt very safe as a woman alone in Iceland. The locals were very friendly and helpful and I got chatting to many travellers. I am often asked how can I travel alone, but if I had to depend on someone every time I wanted to do something then I'd never do anything! Travelling solo is an excellent way to meet new people. I met some very interesting people from all round the world and because I didn’t have to think of anyone else I could do whatever I wanted on my trip.
In the short amount of time that I spent in Iceland, I had encountered a diverse amount of phenomena, landscapes: glaciers, volcanoes, geysirs, waterfalls, lakes and Greenlandic Huskies! It was an experience of a lifetime and a very addictive county to see. I will definitely go back soon.
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