Beautiful days in Iceland

Pingvellir National Park and the Parliament

The meeting point of the Eurasian and the American plates of the Earth: a young, volcanic Island in the long history of our Planet. Located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, one of the most tectonically active places on earth. The volcanic birth of the fascinating geological landscape and the ongoing growth and transformation of this land. Iceland is a baby of our planet: geologically a youngest spot on this Earth, appearing over the ocean surface about 16 to 18 million years ago. A land of saga's and vikings with so much interesting details in it's History. 

A viewpoint at Pingvellir National Park.

A daytrip to countryside: the golden circle

I have been always interested in Iceland. In the end of November 2017 I had an opportunity to spent a long weekend in this mysterious and beautiful country. I know this was just a small scratch on the surface, my first visit. We mostly stayed in Reykjavik, but had a nice Golden Cirle roundtrip with a small group, traveling with a minibus around the southwest part of Iceland. This trip was  organized by Gateway to Iceland. They organize different sorts of day trips in Iceland. We went to see many locations including: Pingvellir National Park/the Parliament, Geysir geothermal area, Gullfoss water fall and had a nice swim at the Secret Lagoon (not as touristic as the famous Blue Lagoon). We also visited a local farmer, who makes delicious ice cream. 

If you make a day trip out of the City on your Reykjavik visit, don't take tours organized by big buses. With a small group and with a very professional and entertaining guide, you will enjoy the day much more. Other option would be just rent a car, but our time was limited and the organized option was perfect for us. We were on this trip as a family and the countryside of Iceland was interesting for the kids too. I wanted my children to see the beauty of the Earth from the other point of view and let them get to know the mystical powers that lie under the surface. I think visiting places like this can increase your respect on Nature and give you the inspiration to be more ecological in your everyday life. But in the other hand: traveling is polluting the environment. Difficult dilemma's of the modern world and many choices we can make better, in many areas of our life.

Öxará -river 

Our first stop on the round trip was the Pingvellir National Park. The name Pingvellir means "the fields of Parliament". This spot was chosen a long time ago to be the yearly meeting point of different clans from different parts of Iceland. This came a spot where disputes were settled, where the annual news could be shared and where the criminals were tried and punished. In this landscape you see the Eurasian and American plates meeting. The distance between these plates is growing every year approximately 2,5cm, making the valley bigger and bigger. You can freely walk in this area, there are nice viewpoints and paths to follow.  Because of the history it came a national park in 1930 and was accepted to Unesco world Heritage list on 2004.

Our local tour guide told us so many stories when we drove through the white fantasy landscape. He was a true Icelander, but had lived in other parts of Europe and in Canada as well. His knowledge about the history and geology was very inspring. The personal views, the passion and the stories of his own experiences were making this day trip very special. If you ever go to Iceland and want to first get to know the island a bit before being more independent explorer, just take part on this sort of day tour with a small group and you will learn so much.

a dreamy Traveller

After having a nice ice cream at the local farm, we drove to geothermal landscape to see the Geysir. It is good to take some time to see the geysir spraying up the pressure for a couple of times. It happens in every 6-7 minutes. The geysir statue stays up for just a few seconds, so after taking a picture it is good to forget the camera and just enjoy the view. It was really interesting to go to geothermal areas, because the water was so warm and even hot, making nice smoky looking views. The contrast between hot and cold was so clear to be seen.

Everyone is waiting to see the Geysir statue.

It was freezing cold and windy and the moment was very fast. 

We were lucky with the weather on our day trip, the Sun was shining and the snow was sparkling in the mysterious light. The blue shades of the late afternoon started to land on the scenery when we drove to  Gullfoss waterfall. This is one of the biggest water falls in Europe. Located on the golden circle it is also the most popular water fall of Iceland. But there are many other beautiful waterfalls in this country..I would like to see them too one day.

The Gullfoss waterfall was frozen. The blue moment in the late afternoon made it look surreal.

Our last stop on our round trip was a nice, warm geothermal bath at the Secret Lagoon. It is a natural looking place with one bigger "pool", located in interesting looking landscape. It was already dark when we got there, so I did not really see the surroundings, but I think this is not only a nice place to bath - you can also have a walk and admire the views. The water was so lovely, but the few meter walk from the shower room was freezing:-). It was wonderful to change the spot in the water and feel how there were differences between temperatures in different spots. The temperature was comfortable and the whole experience reminded a bit of a Sauna in outdoors. It is also good to know there are few warm outdoor pools also in Reykjavik for more geothermal relaxation.

An overlook of the Secret Lagoon (not my picture, download from the internet)

 I did not have my camera when bathing :), but took this blurry picture when we left.

The use of renewable Geothermal energy in a bigger scale - not only bathing and washing like in old days - is quite a new invention in Iceland. Today, about 9/10 households are heated with geothermal energy. About 85% of the energy is coming from renewable sources, from which 65% is coming from geothermal warmth. Like our guide said: you can shower as long as you want in Iceland.

Iceland was struggling with the economy during the financial crisis in 2008. After that and the big volcano eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, the economy has gotten better mostly because of tourism. The prices got lower and it has been more possible for the tourists to come and see the natural miracles of Iceland. But it is still expensive!!


Even the country is doing quite well now in many ways, there is a higher risk for the next bigger volcano eruption in the near future. The increased activity in the volcano system of Bárðarbunga with four smaller earth quakes in the end of October 2017, is a sign that the pressure is developing in the volcano's magma chamber. According to geophysicist Páll Einarsson from the University of Iceland, some other volcano's along Bárðarbunga have shown increased activity lately. But it is impossible to predict eruptions long time in advance even the volcanic activity is under more surveillance than ever before. The nature has it's own periods and developments that we can't always predict or control. This volcanic and challenging landscape must have shaped the mentality of the Icelandic people during the time. Maybe flexibility and being able to adapt to different situations could be couple of those.

The peace of the landscape under the moonlight!

A view from the airplane before landing to Iceland.

Moments from Reykjavik

Our weekend in Reykjavik was also very interesting. The cold wind made us to look for some indoor activities and cafe's on our walks through the city. The season before Christmas time is quite charming I think. We were happy to see some snow. Actually the temperature never gets very cold in Iceland. The Gulf stream around the island keeps the clima milder than expected. We were told that there is not normally snow for a longer period in Reykjavik, but on our visit there was a bit of snow even in the City.

very many cosy cafe's in the Centre.

A very nice breakfast place: The Laundromat Cafe

Hallgrimskirkja, the famous church on the Hill in Reykjavik

Am I lost in Raykjavik ?

The beautiful architecture of the Concert- and Congress house Harpa.

There is a lot of interesting architecture and colorful houses in the Centre of Reykjavik. An interesting mitch match of the older style and the new modern design. A funny detail is that some houses look like they were made of wood, but actually are made of some sort of wavy metal that imitates the nordic wooden house style. But there are not so many trees, you had to invent other solutions.

Looks like a wooden House, but top layer is Metal.

A lot of streetart and colors to admire.

Nice little photography shop with prints for sale.

The massive mountain views at the Harbor. Really inspring to walk near the water..even in Winter.

On our sunday walk by the waterline of Reykjavik, we visited the "Whales of Iceland"- exhibition  It was fascinating to see these big creatures in their natural size. Walking in this space was like visiting the underwater world. There was a lot of information and things to learn. It is also possible to make Whale watching boat trips in Iceland, but maybe a warmer season suits better for that kind of activity.

Slippery streets!!! We did not see any dogs in Reykjavik, where are they?

One more thing. There is a great food hall with small delicate foods build in the old bus station in the Centre of Reykjavik called  Hlemmur, Mathöll

Iceland is a land of contrast: the landscape with low and high points, underground warmth meeting the icy winds in winter days, water in all it's elements, the surprising colors of Reykjavik and the silence of the lonely spots at the countryside. A northern jewel with sparkling lights and new ideas. I did not see the Northern lights this time, but I was charmed by the ascetic beauty of the Nature and the creative vibes of Reykjavik.

My own nordic lights :-), did not have time to hunt for the real ones this time!

Sun and a bit of rain in Crete

The late autumn energy recharge under the Cretan sun was making the daily life slower for one week. This was our third time on this Island and we did not get disappointed this time either. I would love to visit many other Greek destinations and learn some more of the culture and the variety of landscapes. The creek style of cooking, talking, being honest and open has fascinated me every time we visit. People are down to earth and friendly. I feel relaxed every time I step out of plane and get a drive to our small hotel near Chania (Ammos hotel, Crete): tasty local food, warm personel, athmospere and the great beach. And if you like design along your delicious food, Ammos Hotel is the right address.

one of the many interesting design details in our hotel.

I am impressed of the tones of the beautiful sunsets and the quiet mornings at the beach. We chose the late season for our visit, because the kids had a Autumn holiday from the school. I find this a perfect season to visit, but maybe the early spring would be even nicer. For this holiday the beach element was most of the time just enough and I saw many facades of the mediterranean winds, waves and skies during just these Cretan days. But more than just what we did, the small details, the small moments and meeting the people is what made me enjoy even more. I will next show you those treasures of our journey...

the skyline of our small hotel.

A small distance from our hotel was this rocky cape, a nice destination to admire the sunset in the evenings. Walking bare foot on the waterline and letting the waves wash the sand after every step. I like that the beach is so near and after a few steps you can feel and see this sometimes calm and other times roaring element. There are few hotels on this beach and it must be busy in the real summer season. I would not maybe like to be there then. In the late autumn the temperature and the beauty is more speaking for me. I am not a big fun of very hot days :-).

A group of students were camping on top of the cape.

One day we drove up to the mountains via narrow serpentine road. We got slowly higher and higher, wanting to experience the real village atmosphere between the rocky mountain walls and the spectacular views. We were recommended to go and visit one little farm with the restaurant. They grow their own vegetables and ingredients. This used to be the lifestyle to support the needs of your own family, but some of these farms decided later on to make some seasonal food for the customers too. A great way to enjoy a real cretan meal, made from the local, organic products. The farm and the restaurant was very simple and nothing luxurious or ambitious by the feeling of it. But the product, the food, was very tasty and pure housemade on the open fire. We really enjoyed it. 

Olives everywhere :-)

Me and my kids

I really liked the open mountain views. 

It looks a bit messy, but everything was so tasty. They used burning greek coffee (the smoke) to keep the bees away.

Making food on open fire, like in the old times.

One of our last days in Greece was stormy and rainy. The wind pushed the waves further than normally at the beach during the night. The scenery was totally different on the next morning. Some of the beach chairs were removed by the waves and the coastal line looked broken. There were pieces of trees and all sort of garbage on the normally very clean beach. The children found this interesting. It looked somehow like a big outdoor playground when the sun came back.

Some local people told us that during the last years the climate had changed a bit in Crete. There was more rains and some surprising weather situations in the summer time as well. The climate change brings more challenge with stronger storms and heavier rains all over the world. This small storm and seeing all the plastic on the sand made me thoughtful. The sea is full of treasures and it is such a strong element. I have been wanting to write about the water issue for a while, so in my next blog story, the vulnerable element of water ecosystem will be in focus. 

The meaning of a holiday is to relax and let your mind to slow down. But the biggest reward of that lazy or relaxed time is often the inspiration, the new ideas, the new impulses --those moments that can make a change inside our mind and soul. This modus is important in any age and shared with the family and with your friends, just great with all the shared memories. We were with our friends on this journey and it was wonderful to have this family with us for one week.

Like the sea is shaping the sand on and on, I like to think we are working on ourselves, shaping our mind along the rhythm of the nature and through our actions. 

On the road

A perfect sunday started with a cup of strong coffee and a nice jog in our local park in Amsterdam. The day continued by car towards the east of Holland, where I swapped to "omafiets" (grandmother's bike)and made my countryside round. 

I always seem to be in a mood of finding little adventures in my daily life. I was listening to a radio program while I was sitting in a car. It was about the Volvo ocean race, the 8 month long sailing competition around the world. This reminded me of the many books I have read about sailing, mountain climbing and other adventures. Somewhere deep in me is a little adventurous soul, but the stories seemed to be enough to feed that curiosity for a long time. Or maybe I have been afraid of planning my own, big adventure :)

I was enjoying the sunny day and admiring all the details, sitting on the saddle of my old "Gazelle" bike, a camera hanging on my neck. A nostalgic feeling hit my mind on my journey and I felt sudden freedom. I chose a route I had never driven before. Refreshing options and delightful sparkles of new views opened before my eyes.

During my summer holiday, we went to Germany for one week. The little town where we used to live is near one of the old pilgrimage routes. Lately many of these old routes have been refound and used again.

Most of us have heard about the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. The origin of pilgrimage is related to Christianity and was very popular in the middle ages. If you prefer more peaceful options without too much tourists and commercial influence, it is better to find your own personal route for smaller hikes or choose the less known routes. Local or international, always good to find some new perspective and even spirituality in life. The journey can have different motivation every time we go outside or even just plan of doing something. Often the meaning of the trip is something else that we thought and the secrets are opening only if we are willing to take the challenge, no matter how big.

A map of European pilgrimage routes 

A map of European long distance walks

The need to collect the peace and make a journey to our minds, see the changing landscapes by walking the historical routes is popular even nowadays. Many people have a need to get more connected to the environment and to the Nature. This is a good sign and I hope it increases the willingness of doing something good to protect our precious planet.

I feel like every step I take in the Nature, is a little personal story for me. Sometimes I prefer going out just by myself, but it is nice to share the path with someone as well. I am planning on doing more hiking and outdoor trips in the future. The search of peace, silence and surprising elements is a big motivation for me. As I see the whole life as a ongoing path, full of changes and crossings on the way, I also see how the path is changing me and my values all the time. 

Best Autumn wishes, Erja