The beginning of Iceland
Days: 3 days
Time: August
With whom: with friends
Play: photography, Humanities
The author went to these places
Iceland
Reykjavik
Blue lake
Pearl house
Reykjavik Cathedral
Golden falls
Geyser
Published on December 12, 2015 23:27
"If we can't go to the extraterrestrial, then go to Iceland, because the scenery there is not supposed to be on earth."
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-Itinerary and information sharing-
Iceland is a place that makes me feel very much, so what I originally wrote was mainly travel notes, not a strategy, but mainly my own experience. I didn't expect you to be so interested, so I try to summarize the specific itinerary and practical information, as well as the more questions you ask here, as a supplement to the strategy. If you want to see dry goods, please read this paragraph directly. If you want to see the scenery, please come to me~~
1.scheduling
This is a part of our trip to northern Europe. It's basically a classic trip to Iceland for the first time from Oslo, Norway. We mainly visit southwest Iceland, including grand Reykjavik and golden circle. Here's a three-day itinerary:
Day 1：
1) Oslo Reykjavik (flight time 3 hours)
2) Enjoy the view of blue lake and soak in hot spring (it can take half a day).
Pay attention to bring your own personal belongings such as swimsuits and towels. If you don't bring them, they are also provided in the hot spring center, but they all have to be charged. 40 kronor for swimsuits and 20 kronor for towels.
3) Stay in Reykjavik hotel for a rest. It's a long day in Iceland in August, and it's dark at more than eight in the evening.
Day2：
Reykjavik city tour, the order is unlimited, tell the driver where you want to go, let him plan the route.
1) Classic tourist attractions: solar boat, memorial of the Cold War armistice agreement signed between the United States and Russia, Pearl Tower, Reykjavik cathedral.
2) Personal recommended attractions: City Hall, Sculpture Museum
These places do not charge, only the church clock tower to charge 25 kroner, but no one is watching, on their own initiative.
Day3：
Golden Circle is a one-day driving tour. There are many scenic spots along the road. You can park at any time. There is plenty of time in the day. The classic scenic spots are as follows:
1) There is a boundary between the Eurasian plate in the National Park
2) Memorial of Iceland's first parliament
3) Geyser
4) Golden falls
Note that many of the instructions and signs in the National Park are in Icelandic, not English. Do your homework before you go.
2.Local information and tips
(1) Time difference: you should pay attention to the time difference of one hour between Iceland and the Nordic continent, so you need to adjust the time table for the round trip, and this one hour should be considered in the itinerary arrangement at both ends.
(2) Temperature and clothing: August is the warmest time in Iceland. It's about 10 degrees during the day, but the wind is very strong in Iceland as a whole, especially on the seashore and mountains. The average visual measurement should be grade 4 or 5, so the body temperature is still a little cold. Suggest thick jeans, T-shirt, jacket or small cotton padded clothes, the best hat to wear.
(3) Diet: the whole of northern Europe, including Iceland, is not a food District, and I don't like western food. There are not many food recommendations. The main food worth eating is fish, especially salmon. It's fresh and has many ways. There are many ways to marinate and smoke. I don't know what kind of sauce it is, but it's delicious. And if it's acceptable, there's whale meat. If you really don't like it, there are several Chinese restaurants in Reykjavik.
(4) Accommodation: the price of accommodation in Iceland is slightly higher. Grand Hotel Reykjavik is recommended. You can find the reservation on Ctrip and booking websites. Hotel conditions are not bad, in the residential area, the surrounding environment is very quiet. The most important thing to recommend is that there is a sculpture museum 3-5 minutes' walk beside the hotel, which is very beautiful and few tourists.
(5) Transportation: Reykjavik is not a big city, but its scenic spots are small and scattered; You have to drive from Reykjavik to golden circle. It is recommended to rent a car in the local area and take a local driver to know the way. Every place in the city should be within ten minutes by car. It's about an hour's drive from Reykjavik to the golden circle.
(6) Shopping: Icelandic shopping can be refunded. When shopping, ask the shopkeeper what amount he has reached. He can issue a refund form and go to the airport for refund. Or the shop at the exit of Icelandic airport can directly buy duty-free goods. At the worst, Icelandic Airlines has duty-free shopping on flights.
The recommended products are:
-Blue Lagoon's skin care products, which don't need to be bought in the shops in the hot spring center, can be sold in the airport or even on the plane, and are directly tax-free, cheap and convenient.
-For the skin care products of local organic brands in Iceland, there are some universal herbal ointments with healing function; There are also handmade soaps containing Icelandic volcanic ash, glacial water and other ingredients, which are also very special.
-There are some local features, such as some souvenirs made of Iceland's volcanic rocks, as well as Iceland's representative modeling handicrafts, including a kind of pointed canoe (similar to the sun boat), which is often made into ornaments, and the national bird shaped jewelry and dolls with red beak, which are very unique, but they are not available elsewhere.
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1.Let's go to Iceland
It used to be strange that many people who went to northern Europe only went to four mainland countries instead of Iceland, as if it was not a part of northern Europe. We studied the map and found that there was a reason for this. As an island floating in the cold Arctic Circle, Iceland is geographically far away from the Nordic continent and can only be reached by flying. Moreover, due to the strong regulations of the Icelandic state, the aircraft flying through Icelandic airspace can only be the aircraft of Icelandic airlines. Of course, the price is also a monopoly price, so there is a distance in the economy. So when you go to Iceland, you have to make considerable preparation in terms of time and money. But as long as we are prepared, we must go, because some people say that if we can't go to other planets, we will go to Iceland, because the scenery here is not what we should have on earth.
I think there must be some wonderful fate in this world. For example, the day I set out to Iceland was my birthday, so I started from Oslo before dawn, just at the time of my birth. Let's go to Iceland!
If you want to know the distance between Iceland and the European continent, it will take two hours for the plane to take off and land, and there is still an hour's time difference between them. It actually takes three hours. So even if we start in the early morning, it's almost noon when we arrive in Reykjavik, but it's a long day when we enter the Arctic circle.
Reykjavik's airport is not big, and it's just catching up with the decoration construction of the exit hall, so it's even more cramped. When I come out, I feel like a big long-distance bus station. But walking outside is another experience. The parking lot looks like a boundless sky. In the Arctic Circle, there is a cold gale in August. I just feel that the sky is wide and fresh. It is totally different from the mainland.
The airport is a little away from the city. Along the way, you can fully enjoy one of the typical landforms of Iceland, large areas of volcanic rocks covered with thick moss. Originally, the plain is made of black volcanic rubble. The stone is covered with a kind of dark green moss or lichen, which makes it feel like grassland from a distance. That kind of moss is rootless. I didn't try it myself. But it's really thick. It's like stepping on a soft sofa when I'm so big. I can't feel the hard touch of stone. It's amazing.
There is also a famous Icelandic scenic spot on the road, the famous blue lake, blue lagoon. I like the name very much. It's simple, straightforward and has a good pronunciation. As its name suggests, the lake is really blue, and it is a beautiful opaque light blue, just like the color of watercolor blue and white pigment, and also like the color of Icelandic sky. The rocks in the lake are white, which is similar to the principle of cotton fort in Turkey. If you don't mention calcium carbonate, most of the beautiful scenery in the world is too boring.
Although the coldness of Iceland is completely different from the heat of Turkey, and the environment of volcanic plains is also different from the hills of cotton fort, guarding such a natural geothermal water source will become a hot spring resort. Blue lagoon is not only the name of a lake, but also the name of a hot spring center. Of course, it's also the brand name of hot spring ingredients skin care products - Icelandic native product No.1 that I can't afford to buy. The cost of the hot spring center is not low. A regular ticket costs more than 300 kronor per person - and it takes a long queue to enter. The more expensive priority ticket costs about 600 kronor. But I think it's worth it. In the Arctic Circle with the cold wind, under the white clouds and blue sky, surrounded by volcanic rocks, I soak in the hot white blue lake water - not an artificial hot spring pool, but a natural lake, from shallow to deep. If I'm willing to swim freely, I can't feel more comfortable. It is said that the lake has various curative effects. I am not sure. There are staff in the lake who provide you with Blue Lagoon mask, lipstick, try it out, wash it directly with the lake, feel that the skin is really soft and tender, and go out to buy it quickly.
This is my first impression of Iceland. It’s the coolest birthday I had.
2.Reykjavik
Iceland is not a small area, but there are not many areas suitable for human habitation, so there are not many cities. The representative is Reykjavik, a super difficult word to spell, but a super approachable capital. The overall feeling is that it is not like a city, but more like a town. There are not many high-rise buildings, wide roads or super busy traffic. There are all kinds of them, but they are good enough. It is a big town that can live in the strong wind by the sea.
I don't have resistance to cities with sea. Besides, I haven't seen anything about the close-up and invincible sea view of the Arctic Ocean. I've already had a good feeling for this city on the coastal urban road. Of course, it's even more important to have a city tour while watching the sea view. The simplicity of the city can also be felt from the scenic spots. For example, the sun boat, a symbol of the city, is on the edge of the coastal road, a stainless steel (?) It's said that it's toward the sun. Anyway, I can't tell.
There is also a small, isolated, two-story house on the beach, which seems to be no different from ordinary people's houses except that there are no other buildings around. It is just the place where the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Cold War armistice agreement. There is also a statue that looks like a great man, but there is no English explanation and I don't know who it is. However, from this place, the volcanoes and dense clouds on the opposite side of the sea are really unobstructed. It's a good place to have a sea view!
There is also a building called "Pearl building", which is on the highest hill in the city. In fact, it's not interesting. It's the building of the local heating company. I understand it's similar to the water tower of the electric heating plant? The white appearance is the commanding height of the city, so it is also listed as a landscape. It's about the height of the fourth or fifth floor. The platform on the top of the building can enjoy the scenery of the whole city and the sea view in the distance.
In fact, from this view, we can see that the highest and really magnificent or special building in the city is Reykjavik cathedral. This reminds you that this is also Europe. Churches are still needed. However, I think it may be because of the geographical distance from the European continent. Iceland has its own unique aesthetic and artistic views. The same theme will definitely create a style that makes you surprised, that is, how can it be like this at first glance?! But look closely and feel that there is a reasonable and very beautiful feeling.
I have seen dozens or hundreds of Catholic churches, so I heard that there is a presupposition in the heart of the church. However, this church still refreshes my impression. Its appearance is so abstract and concrete that it has no carving and decorative columns. It only relies on a tall and simple plain main building, with half columns of the same plain surface arranged gradually on both sides, There was another sense of grandeur.
The interior of the church also keeps my eyes open. It's still like that. There should be organ, aisle, altar, Jesus statue, but it's not what we look like in the world. There is no carving or painting inside, but what does it mean to hang a canvas of blue sky and white clouds over the corridor? There is no statue of Jesus on the altar, but a picture of Jesus' crucifixion is OK, but why are there five different Jesus? There are also some decorations of oil paintings and small sculptures. At first, I even thought it was a post-modern art exhibition, with simple and strange style, simple and direct modeling, bold colors, and far less religious than artistic style. It's a pity not to sell tickets.
There is only one place in the church where you need to buy tickets, that is, the bell tower. However, it is not very strict. You put your money in a box and no one is in charge of it. Later, it seems that some people went up without voting. Different from those old churches in Western Europe, there are no spiral stairs here, which can be directly reached by elevator. When you go up to the top floor, you can lie under the clock dial and overlook the city. I think this is the angle that most embodies the soul of the city. On both sides of the street, the tallest three or four story buildings seem to be arranged in order, but each of them has different colors and shapes. A large number of extremely bright and bright colors on the roof contrast sharply with the cold clouds above the city, which may be a kind of resistance to the gloomy weather. I feel so unreal. It's like an independent place far away from the time track. With my own mood growing into my own appearance, it's like an unknown background town in an independent movie. Some strange stories will happen. It's my favorite look.
In addition to these attractions that will be printed on City postcards, you can also find other small pleasures in this small city. For example, I would like to see City Hall in every capital of northern Europe. Hidden in the street, it's a simple building, but it's not simple to use a long bridge on the water. It's Icelandic style. There are also scattered statues at the door, which always feel far-reaching. For example, is this man in formal clothes with a stone upper body a reflection of his heart when he goes to work in city hall.
Another unexpected result is that I found the sculpture museum when I was walking beside the hotel. It's not big, but it's definitely style like everything in Reykjavik. The White main building is very beautiful. It can be regarded as a sculpture in itself. The building is surrounded by a garden in the middle of the street. There is no wall. You can walk in it at will. There are many sculptures of different styles and materials, some of which are honest and realistic, some of which are exquisite and gorgeous, and some of which are abstract and even obscure. It's really the most comfortable place to walk.
I'd like to recommend this sculpture gallery, but I can't describe the address. It's just next to the grand hotel where we live. By the way, this hotel is also a representative hotel in Iceland. The painted glass that is not in the church has been added here, and the style is absolutely unique. The hotel is simple on the outside, delicate and comfortable on the inside. It also sells a kind of Icelandic stone doll, which is absolutely Icelandic cute. I'm sorry I didn't buy it.
3.The Golden Circle
There are many opinions about the origin of Iceland's name. Some people say that it is because the first group of landers landed from glaciers in the north, so as the name implies; Another theory is that the first discoverers thought the island was too beautiful to let others come, so they deliberately chose a very desolate name to scare others. I really like the second conspiracy theory, and I think they will only do it when they arrive at the golden circle.
Southwest Iceland is a beautiful land with abundant geothermal resources, which is collectively known as golden circle. You can see how attractive it is by its name. Icelanders do not deceive me on this issue. After 40 minutes' drive from Reykjavik, the city gradually disappeared and entered the area of National Park, which is hard to describe with picturesque scenery. The low sky is the biggest curtain. Heavy or long-term clouds are surging and changing under the strong wind. The sky in the Arctic circle can be high and thin, or thick and stacked, but they are surprisingly vast. The pastures on both sides of the road are dense and mottled, leading to only two places - the invisible sky or the gray volcano. Obviously, there is also grass and water scenery, but it is totally different from the grassland on the mainland. It has a kind of wilderness spirit.
Fortunately, I saw the famous Icelandic pony from afar on the grassland. It is said that it is the fastest horse in the world, and it will never be exported. It is only in Iceland. Unfortunately, it is not very close and I don't see their running appearance. I can only take a photo with the lovely model in the airport.
Since it's called National Park, the area is certainly not small, and there are many changes in the landscape. There are also some models and explanations, but the problem is that it's all in Icelandic... No English, not at all. As a result, it's a country living in its own world, and it feels like an alien country. You can only get a general idea from your own experience and the introduction of the travel guide, but the beautiful scenery really doesn't need to be explained. The fractured rock mountain should be the feature of the volcanic landform, and the water systems interspersed in the ground, sometimes scattered and sometimes aggregated, are also unseen landscapes with different shapes.
What's particularly interesting is that there is a natural rock fault, just like a high wall rising from the ground, which is the junction of the Eurasian plate. It's not the cultural Eurasian, but the boundary of the geographical plate. It's not only a strange scenery, but also a wonderful feeling to walk along the edge of the geographical plate.
Re open, re open, there are many beautiful scenery, such as the famous golden waterfall. It's really spectacular. Although I didn't see the waterfall turn golden in the sun, the majestic water vapor has made it difficult for people to get close to it, and photography is even more difficult to complete. Iceland is supposed to be rich in waterfalls. Our driver recommended another waterfall to us, which is her favorite scenery. There are no tourists, and the scale is smaller, but you can get close to it and see it clearly. Besides, there is an interesting device beside the waterfall, which is an artificial ladder. Originally, it is more convenient for fish to swim upstream. It's very interesting.
The faults and volcanoes here also bring another strange scene, geysi. It looks like a very ordinary puddle, but every three or five minutes it will suddenly burst out and spray out a water column of more than ten meters or even tens of meters high, which lasts for more than ten seconds and then returns to calm. This is the cycle process of geothermal and pressure accumulation release re accumulation. Moreover, the water is still hot spring water. The steam and hot gas are very powerful, but they should not be too close. Be careful of scalding!
There are some hills around the geyser that can be climbed up in less than ten minutes, but the view from the mountains makes people want to stay for more than ten minutes. Stepping on the irregular rocks of the volcano, looking at the sky, the clouds, the boundless wilderness and the volcanic hills covered with moss, all the scenery seems to be familiar, but different from our familiar temperament. It feels like stepping on a wild and full of vitality alien planet. The desolate wind makes people want to fly. At that time, there will be a feeling: the world is so big, We don't have to be afraid of anything.
In Iceland, time seems to solidify. You can't stay long enough and you can't get tired of watching it. That's why this trip is called chuxingji, because before I left, I knew I would come back again. Finally, I saw a sentence on the glass window of Reykjavik airport, which hit my heart. Let's say goodbye to Iceland for a while: I feel emotional landscapes, they puzzle me
-Fin-
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