Iceland

(1995 and 2022)

Iceland is amazing. The country is rough, wild, and beautiful; you genuinely feel the power of nature. But it is not easy to travel, due to the harsh weather and limited (sun)light during the winter. Iceland is quite expensive, from hotels to food to experiences. So make sure you enjoy your visit! Icelandic people will enhance your experience: they are very down to earth and with a ‘dry’ sense of humor.

I first visited Iceland in 1995, when I was a hostess on a cruise ship. It was during the summer and the sun did not set, a very special experience. I went on all the ‘standard’ excursions and enjoyed the green and wild nature the island had to offer. In 2022 I went back in November, which was a bit more ‘gloomy’. The sun rose around 10 AM and set around 4 PM. It was a completely different trip: with a group of location independent entrepreneur friends, we explored more ‘off the beaten track’ with the main goal to see the Northern Lights.

Some observations and photos below and at the end of this blog you’ll find some travel tips.

Group travel

I am not really a group person. I prefer to be alone and do things ‘my way’. As an experienced traveler, I never do group tours (unless I organize them, haha). This DC (Dynamite Circle) trip to Iceland was an exception. We are ALL experienced travelers. And successful entrepreneurs. We are all a bit weird, with our own habits and quirks. In this company you don’t have to explain why you do things a certain way, or if you retreat for some silent time. It is easy to not drink, or be a vegan in a group like this. Some people party, others go to sleep early and it is all great.

Our group of 12 people was sooo international: it consists of Australians, Americans, British, Dutch, German, Lithuanian, Danish, and Indian and we live in lots of different places. Ages varied between 24 and 52 (I was the oldest one, most participants were in their twenties or early thirties, which is refreshing). Some people flew in from Bali or the US, especially for this event!

After the trip, we all left in our separate directions to run our businesses, travel, and live our lives, until we meet again at the next event. I am grateful to Max Sinclair for organizing this event and bringing this amazing group together.

The advantage of a group trip to Iceland is that you can share both the expenses and the experiences.

Experiences

To get from Reykjavik to the interior, you always drive a part of the ‘Golden Circle’; the road that most tourists take, with lots of interesting waterfalls and natural parks along the way. However, when you get off this beaten track, it gets extra interesting, but with fewer facilities, such as cafes or toilets.

What you get to do depends mostly on the weather. Plans constantly change, so be prepared to be flexible.

There are so many waterfalls, glaciers, lava streams, black beaches, hikes, and amazing food to discover! I don’t remember all the names. Here is s photo impression.

Northern lights

The magic often happens when you give up… I have found many times that a breakthrough can happen only when you stop trying so hard. For example when I had burnout, only when I was so exhausted from trying to DO things to get better, that I found that just BEING was the solution.

On this trip to Iceland with a bunch of location-independent entrepreneurs, our main goal was to see the famous Northern Lights. We booked a basecamp in the deserted interior of the island with ‘northern light spotters’(!) and had a private guide and monster jeep ready to take us to wherever the lights would pop up, whenever.

Unfortunately, the three days and nights we spent there, were so rainy and windy that we hardly saw ANY light, let alone Northern Lights… We did see waterfalls, glaciers, and other beautiful things, in the pouring rain. In the end, we were already happy when it wasn’t raining, delighted to have a few minutes of sunlight. And, believe it or not, we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow at the end of our trip. 🌈

We tried to tell ourselves and each other that at least we tried, that we could not force nature to show the Northern Lights just because we wanted to see them so badly. We had to content ourselves with the other beautiful things we had seen. 🙏

We drove back to Reykjavik for a delicious 7-course tasting dinner in a trendy restaurant. After that, most people went to a bar, but I decided to go to my hotel room to catch up on some sleep. At the reception, I heard some other guests ask if the hotel had a ‘wake-up service’ in case the Northern Lights showed up. I did not even know such a thing existed. However, the hotel said they did not have such service, that it was rainy anyway and that ‘maybe tomorrow’ there would be Northern Lights. It felt like they probably say this every day.

When I got to my room, someone had turned up the heating and I was annoyed by the overwhelming heat. I tried to open the window, but the curtains were in the way. I struggled to open the window when it turned out it was actually a door… Then I discovered that I even had a balcony!

Surprised I stepped outside and looked up at the stars. I saw something move. Are those clouds? It must be the wind. What is that greenish color? It must be those city lights reflecting on the clouds. But the clouds look really weird.. That could not be… OMG! It’s the Northern Lights! On a rainy day, in the city! I could not believe my eyes!

I did not know what to do… Stay there and watch in the cold wind? Grab a coat so that I could stay longer? But what if the phenomenon stopped? With one eye on my phone and one eye on the sky, I alerted my friends via WhatsApp. I managed to admire the Northern Lights from my balcony for almost half an hour. They were truly magical. Like somebody in heaven lights, a candle and slowly weaves the light into the night sky. ⭐️ 🌟 💫

Later my friends told me that everybody instantly ran out of the bar, leaving their drinks untouched. Everybody got to see the Northern Lights. It was truly magical.

We finally got what we came here for, but only after we gave up.

If you want to see the Northern Lights, this app may be helpful. But make sure to look up / outside your window as well!

Travel tips

Reykjavik:

Dragon Dim Sum, Dumpling restaurant: Super small, cute place, hard to spot. Amazing dumplings, also vegan ones.

Nice coffee places, good cakes, OK to bring a laptop, great people watching:

Outside Reykjavik:

If you want to go on an adventure, I can highly recommend the Midgard basecamp. Just go there and these friendly and knowledgeable people will arrange everything for you.

Caffe Bristól: A bit outside of Reykjavik, an authentic local lunch place. Unpretentious, sweet owners, great food, and mostly the local atmosphere.