Travel Notes | Others went to Iceland to chase the aurora, but we learned how to snowmobile at Lonely Planet

Time: December 2015

Number of days: 21 days

Route: Shanghai-Frankfurt-Amsterdam-Berlin-Reykjavik-Vik-Copenhagen-Hamburg-Frankfurt-Shanghai

Number of people: 8 people

Total cost per person: about 16,000 yuan

Day8 Berlin-Reykjavik

After breakfast, we set off to the airport. There were too many drinks in the refrigerator to eliminate. Before noon, everyone was drinking milk to lose weight.

After several hours of flight, we arrived at the Lonely Planet.

Entering the embrace of the Arctic Circle is different from all previous views. As the plane descends, no buildings can be seen, just a vast expanse of white. The illusion of leaving the earth begins.

We picked up two Wranglers at the car rental point next to the airport. When we were still wondering whether the car was red or black, we were surprised by the two-door car. We originally thought we had ordered a four-door car. He suddenly looked handsome, but the capacity of the car was too small, and he was full of luggage. The seven-day Aurora Tour in Iceland has begun, and the third sister-in-law said that her driving skills will skyrocket after returning.

Little did they know that the final development was more than just training in driving skills. It was the collective learning to dig holes and push carts with bare hands.

Forgive me for the bad pixels. One is that the sky is really dark, and the other is that mobile phones from five years ago are really not high-definition enough.

Since it was Christmas day, the supermarket closed before 14:00, so we had to make do with the dry food we brought for Christmas dinner.

The two-door Jeep is really small. There is only one suitcase in the back, and the rest is carried by the person in the back seat.

In this country of the Arctic Circle, in a country with so many places I want to visit in my life list, in this place where taxes are high and prices are a bit high after bankruptcy, I realize how much money, energy and time are needed to travel around the world. It's a thing, but I still decided to regard this as my ultimate dream and spend my life slowly realizing it.

Everyone’s pursuits, hobbies, and experiences are different. When you find something that can keep you passionate, curious, and happy, then bravely persist in living a life without regrets.

A large B&B is a good way to spend this long dark night.

After arriving at the residence, everyone was scrambling for 8 packets of instant noodles and lamb and scorpion soup packets from Zhishi. In the loneliest country where no shops are open, we invent various food combinations. Bread with pickled mustard, biscuits with instant noodles, bread with sheep and scorpion soup. This trip is more like a team adventure, requiring cooperation and teamwork.

During the time when there was no other food and daylight had not yet arrived, everyone decided to stay lying down to conserve energy and not consume too much. I should really dice up those last few potatoes from yesterday and eat them in one sitting like in The Martian.

Life in a collective house has begun. After all, there are only 4 hours of daylight a day.

After dinner, shopping turned into looking at the shop windows. I was grateful to the shopkeepers for not turning off the lights, which alleviated the feeling of being deserted.

Life in a collective house has begun. After all, there are only 4 hours of daylight in a day.

A few people who were too bored at night went to drive in the deserted outdoors to play drifting. Only when they refueled the next day did they realize that the fuel consumption of the car was not as high as usual.

Day9 Reykjavik

I went out to look for the supermarket at 8 o'clock in the morning, but the store hadn't opened yet. I went back to my residence and took a beaker to cook porridge. Dachen said it was like the rice porridge during the Anti-Japanese War. Most of it was water and there were very few rice grains. So the method of eating oatmeal soaked in boiling water was born, and the days of survival in the wilderness slowly began.

It’s a holiday with only seasonings and no ingredients.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, when the sky slowly lights up, I go out immediately, cherishing the only 4 hours of daylight every day. Today's trip is to soak in a hot spring in the ice and snow.

I think of various movie scenes shot in Iceland, passing by frame by frame. Lonely Planet, we finally passed.

Most of the driving time was spent in darkness waiting for the dawn to come.

It's minus 10 degrees in Iceland, but you can actually take a hot spring bath in the Blue Lagoon like this. It's a magical experience.

The body is soaked in heat, and the hair and eyelashes are frozen to the point of crystallization. Every time you expose your body underwater and take photos in subzero weather, it is a challenge.

Everyone went to the Blue Cave to soak in the hot springs, but this brother was so imaginative that he plunged his head into the water to dive and swim. You must know that the underground is full of natural reefs, which are not deep enough and are full of sharp shapes, so he instantly cracked his forehead.

The foreigner was also really optimistic and funny. He ran to the infirmary for treatment. After being asked how it was caused, the beauty treated his wound and said with a smile: oh, it is your special Christmas memorise!

For the rest of the day, I took pictures with dog skin plaster on.

The short day is coming to an end. I continue to return to the car and watch the movie in front of me through the car window. The time spent on the road is longer than the process of staying at the destination.

During the long drive, apart from looking out the window, I got out of the car from time to time to play in the snow.

But you shouldn’t stay outdoors for too long. Everyone is so cold that they can take pictures and then hide in the car.

4 hours of daylight a day is only enough to accomplish one thing. In whale watching at sea, ice cave hiking, golden circle, black sand beach and Blue Lagoon Hot Spring , we first completed the enjoyment route, and we will wait to be blown away by the wind in the next few days.

The 360-degree view of the iceberg makes the cold wind feel biting from a distance. It is even more difficult to imagine how much willpower those who hike to Mount Everest have.

The Sun Navigator symbolizes the brave voyager.

Day and night alternate in an instant. Skating on the frozen Tjöning Lake, swans were playing in the water, and the sky was as dark as a cover. Reykjavik is full of graffiti, but the days are too short to appreciate it.

The third sister-in-law is wrapped too tightly, and she looks like a wolf grandmother in every photo .

Day10 Reykjavik-Vic Town

We will continue to set off after dawn. Today’s Golden Circle tour will take you to the Golden Circle route. Although no tickets are required for the scenic spots, the distances between them can only be reached by driving. Iceland is equivalent to Zhejiang Province, but has a population of only 300,000.

When the weather is fine, there is no need for any color adjustment, and the beautiful scenery can be seen directly from the phone. Today’s route is to look for Grand Canyon Fissure, Gap Spring, and Gullfoss Waterfall.

This sand sculpture poses for a group photo like a revolutionary soldier.

It’s hard to imagine how high the temperature difference is brewing underground in this cold place, and we jokingly call it High Climax Spring. It will spray every 5 minutes, so you don't have to wait too long.

After driving the Wrangler for a few days, the fuel consumption is really high. Every time I pass by a gas station, I refuel. The fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is about 23.

The scenery in front of me is constantly changing like a painting with thick ink and heavy colors.

Dachen said, no wonder foreigners are cheerful and outgoing and love making friends, because they are too lonely. Therefore, foreign ponies also come over immediately when they see people, looking like they are looking forward to being touched and want to communicate. It is estimated that not many people pass through this desolate and inhabited land every day.

Gullfoss is semi-static in winter. With a width of 2,500 meters and a height of 70 meters, it is the largest fault canyon waterfall in Iceland. It will present different scenery in different seasons. It is still a bit shocking when you are immersed in the scene.

The sand sculpture photo pose is here again. Do you want to express your condolences to the veteran cadres?

I received an ice heart from my third sister-in-law.

The scenery we have seen together and the land we have measured with our feet are more memorable than beautifully made photos. The waterfalls rushing between the glaciers, the huge drop, the large cracks formed by the changes in the earth's crust, the junction of the American and Eurasian continental plates that are naturally separated, and the Christmas greetings that the third sister-in-law added to her forehead under the Blue Lagoon Hot Spring. Gifts are the shining moments of travel.

Shortly after leaving Gullfoss, we experienced an attraction of our own creation. Perhaps his eyesight was tired from driving for too long, so Boss Hua drove the car into a snowdrift when he turned a corner.

At first, everyone didn't take it seriously and took a group photo first, and then tried to direct the other person, trying to increase the accelerator to drive the car out of the snow.

It turned out that they couldn't get out at all, so everyone began to anxiously and seriously look for various tools to start digging through the snow to save themselves.

There is strength in numbers, and eight people digging in the snow together were so cold that their fingers were numb. It is estimated that it will take several hours to call for rescue, and it is said that the cost is not cheap. Only self-rescue is the best solution to get out of here before the night comes. After all, driving in the darkness of a snowstorm is more dangerous and there is no way forward. There is no shop at the back of the village.

After working hard for more than an hour, I realized that the snow was not as deep as usual.

After digging out the snow under the tires for a while, I also learned the truth through practice and put car floor mats under the tires to increase friction. I tried pushing the cart, but it still failed. It didn't move at all. I felt like my efforts were in vain and my energy was greatly depleted.

Then start asking passing vehicles if they have a tow rope you can borrow. As a result, it takes a long time before one passes by in a no-man’s land, and most of them don’t have such a thing. It was also through this experience that after returning home, everyone bought a tow rope and put it on the car in case of emergency.

Waiting for a car to pass here is really a bit of a hit and miss.

After being unable to borrow a tow rope, I started to think of a way out, and there was no other way out. Finally, I cut a piece of rope in the distance. Although the behavior was not very good, there was nothing I could do to find the material. In order to facilitate towing and reduce the weight of the car, all the luggage on the car was unloaded.

For the first time, I discovered how important it is to work together. Everyone gave orders and shouted slogans, and exerted force at the same time. One was reversing and the other was pulling forward.

After an hour or two of hard work, when we finally got out of the pit smoothly, the force of the rope breaking broke the rear taillight. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Although I bought the most expensive full car insurance, I never expected that the rear taillight area was not included, so I could only treat it as a loss of money and a disaster.

I was also so excited that I burst into tears. I deeply realized the importance of two cars, as well as standing tools and towing ropes, so that we can look after each other and help each other. We also met with the guidance and help of an enthusiastic person. After breaking a rope and smashing a rear light, we finally achieved victory!

I can't say enough thanks to strangers for their help. Iceland is a magical land with rolling snow-capped mountains in some places and heated earth crust, which can have hot springs and fountains boiling over 100 degrees. It’s hard to imagine how many secrets are hidden underground in nature, the great nature, the greatness of nature.

Continue driving and arrive at Vic Town in the evening. The residence is a single-family house, and the entire living room is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. It seems like a transparent space exposed to the outside during the day, which makes it a bit insecure. Unlocking is to use the password to open the box and get the key, like a secret room adventure.

It is said that Iceland is expensive. It was not until I bought some food for the road in a small supermarket similar to 7-11 that I spent 83 euros (about 600 yuan). I finally realized the price of food in Iceland.

After the thrilling towing experience in the afternoon, I fell asleep early exhausted that night.

Day11 Vic Town

The town of Vik is the southernmost town in Iceland. It has a sparse population, with only about three to four hundred permanent residents. The house we live in stands alone at the end of the road.

The Vic Church on the top of the mountain is probably the loneliest church in the world. I brought a veil and wanted to take a group photo, but the wind was so strong that I made a quick decision and hid in the car before taking a few photos. The wind was so strong that one of my gloves blew away in an instant.

I read a lot of information about Black Beach , the filming location of "Game of Thrones" and one of the top ten beaches in the world. It is shaped like columnar basalt. However, when I encountered a sudden strong wind and heavy rain, I felt like I was repeatedly slapped by the wind. Classmate CC's face was even scratched by gravel carried by the wind. For the first time, I felt that the wind could be so loud, and people were being blown away. In every photo, the faces could not open their mouths to smile, and they would be blown into the sand and gravel as soon as they opened their mouths.

This is the true state of taking pictures.

Hide indoors and drink a hot drink to soothe yourself after being ravaged by the wind.

Continue to the next stop: Plane Wreck. I was beaten all the way, and came to a world where there was only black in all directions. I couldn't tell the north, south, east, and west, and there was no navigation signal. I could only follow the general direction and fumble forward. The wind and rain there have a way of beating you to death, not blowing you.

When we went there, there were not many people and we could drive in. Now it is said that we can only take the shuttle bus, which is quite expensive. It would take three or four hours to walk there and back, because it was too cold and there was no reference point to tell the direction. I was a little scared when I read the news that someone died in that area a while ago.

The place where an American plane made an emergency landing in 1973. There were no casualties at that time. Because the location was remote, it would have been more expensive to clean up, so it simply stayed there and turned it into an attraction for plane wreckage. If I had stepped out of the plane after an emergency landing and seen this scene, I would have asked myself whether I was on the earth or a planet in outer space at this moment.

I couldn't see my face clearly in the group photo, and the wind was so strong that I couldn't open my eyes.

When there was no signal in the navigation and I couldn't distinguish between east, west, north, west and straight lines, I was a little grateful to be able to finally drive out.

It is said that the auroras will be strong at 11 o'clock tonight, so I drove my car and waited under the church on the top of the mountain, hoping for a miracle. Although it was windy and rainy again, hope was slim, but I still had hope.

In the end, we still couldn't wait for the Aurora to appear, but the moment of anticipation was still a bit exciting and exciting because we didn't know where it would come from around us. So I kept looking up and around in the dark night. We still have to have dreams, what if they come true?

After we went back in the evening, we used flashlights to illuminate the sky and took a picture of the aurora universe as a gift to ourselves.

Dinner and game time, word guessing and interaction in the dark.

After Christmas, the supermarkets are open, and we can have a big meal again. The Little Sheep hot pot ingredients are boiled directly into soup, the spicy chicken seasoning is so precious that it needs to be fried twice, and the macaroni has been mixed with fried rice. Thanks to my stew beaker, I always have porridge to drink.

Day12 Vic Town

Someone fulfilled his wish to run naked in Iceland. Although he still had to take off his pants, it was still cold enough.

I like the kitchen more and more, using only the only ingredients to cook delicious food for everyone to eat, and I feel what it feels like for a mother to work hard to raise her children. There are flour spreads for egg cakes and Baileys milk coffee.

Set off in the dark at 6 a.m., heading for today’s destination, the adventure of ice cave and glacial lagoon.

During the 3-hour night walk, the third sister-in-law said she must use curse words to cheer her up, and kept guessing whether the surrounding darkness was a cliff, a plain, a mountain, or a glacier. All we heard was the howling wind and rain coming towards us. Everyone has moved from the narrow right lane to the middle lane to ensure safety. In a world without people, it turns out that light represents hope. It is hard to imagine how desperate life would be if a city was so dark 24 hours a day.

After arriving, change to another large vehicle and drive to the more remote entrance of the ice cave. This car actually climbed an extremely steep slope, drove over ice, drove over snowdrifts, and finally crossed a river, like a fighting machine.

Go to the "Interstellar" filming location to explore the Ice Cave , a beautiful sight that is naturally formed from November to March every year, and then melts naturally and waits for the next year. It is said that there are not many ice caves that tourists can safely visit, so the coach will spend a lot of time in advance to visit the spots, and finally form several routes to lead the group.

"Interstellar" movie screen

Unfortunately, the sky is not beautiful today, it is raining continuously, and the temperature is not low enough. The entrance of the cave has begun to melt, so we cannot enter the cave several hundred meters deeper to enjoy the unique scenery. However, the cost of 160 euros per person (more than 1,000 yuan) has become the biggest regret of this trip. Usually there are two trips to make up for it, but we have to leave here today, so we can't participate in the ice cave trip tomorrow.

I haven’t successfully entered the ice cave myself, and it’s fun to look at the pictures taken by other experts.

Today Iceland is gray, with only two large pieces of ice in the melting glacial lagoon. The snow-capped mountains are slowly showing their green, and I feel a little bit of summer style in advance.

The scenery in front of me is not enough, so I found some information on the Internet, and I hope that seeing it is believing when I come next time.

After leaving the town of Vik, after a long journey of more than 10 hours, we returned to Reykjavik from the deserted town of Vik. It feels so good to have lights and people around. After staying on an alien planet for a long time, I realized that the earth is perfect.

I stayed in 4 B&Bs during my 7-day trip to Iceland. It felt like I was on a house tour. Today’s house has a big kitchen.

The macaroni is tired of the tomato sauce taste, so the braised chicken wings taste good too. The most popular dish is always the vegetables in the soup.

The aurora index was extremely strong tonight, so I set out in the middle of the night despite being sleepy and full of confidence. Get away from the city lights and drive to the flatlands of the countryside.

The weather along the way suddenly became bad, the storm intensified, and the car body was shaking a little. There was no light source on the road section and I was worried about falling into the snow again. Towing a truck in the middle of the night was no joke. So the female drivers handed over the steering wheel and two veteran drivers took over.

After arriving at the outskirts, the rain started to stop. We turned off the car lights and waited silently for the Aurora in the cold darkness.

When I was about to give up because of the cold, a faint aurora finally appeared. With limited equipment and no tripod, I could only record it hastily. The weather in Iceland really changed in 5 minutes. First there were strong winds and heavy rain, and the clouds were filled with fog. Then suddenly the snow stopped, and the strong wind blew away the thick clouds. Then with everyone cheering, we saw the aurora. The anticipation was better than the result. More memorable.

Although it has been five years, when I was writing my travel notes at the moment, I asked whose camera this photo was in and whether it had been exported, and I discovered that the photo was still lying in someone's camera. No one had got the original photo. We They are really a lazy group who only rely on their mobile phones to record.

By the way, let’s take a look at the Iceland aurora captured through other people’s lenses. I guess the latitude of Finland or Norway is more suitable for capturing it.

On the way back, I passed by a very special cemetery. Although Iceland is a lonely planet, it has a light and warmth that other cemeteries do not have.

Day13 Reykjavik

I made breakfast at 10 o'clock in the morning, and it was pitch black except for the heavy snow falling outside the window. I stayed up until 11:30 and finally saw a glimmer of blue hope. The only 4 hours of daylight have been shortened again today, and the further we go, the shorter the days become. I heard that if the nights in the Arctic Circle are too long in winter, the suicide rate will increase. It is indeed easy to despair in the dark for a long time, but tossing delicious food will make your stomach see the light.

Hallgrímski Cathedral is the tallest building in Reykjavik. Its appearance is inspired by Icelandic columnar basalt and resembles a pipe organ and a rocket. Encountering a brief period of blue sky, you can get a beautiful look at this unique church.

Cream tones of gray and green are my favorite combination.

Whale watching The process was like waiting for the aurora. A group of people looked around, waiting in the vast ocean and biting cold wind. They saw some small dolphins that had just shown their tip, but it was hard to see a big whale. My third sister-in-law was seasick and sleeping the whole time. Next time there is a dizzy and spinning activity, she can just give up on it.

I put on a windproof jacket, but the coldness of the sea was still hard to resist.

Someone who was seasick came out and took a look, then sat inside and never came out again.

Someone slept on the boat the whole time. Of course, we, who also spent nearly 1,000 yuan per person on the tour, were not able to see the whales. Like the ice cave, the important thing is the process of participation.

After getting off the boat, we jumped up and started having a snowball fight, and someone instantly forgot about the embarrassment of seasickness.

Before leaving, take a closer look at Laugwegel Shopping Street . Those colorful huts and graffiti walls that you didn’t have time to discover will definitely come back if you have the chance.

I'm leaving here tomorrow to fly to Denmark. The heavy snowfall in the past few days has made traveling inconvenient, and the last bit of leisure time I had was wasted because of a quarrel with my third sister-in-law. I was in the snow and ice, forgot my phone and cash, and got lost after walking for a long time, because the shape of the house was so similar to the street. I was really afraid of getting lost in this deserted and cold city. The moment I finally found my destination, I had a lot of mixed feelings. Although we can't remember what sparked the quarrel now.

I saw all the cars parked on one side and there was no one to consult, so I followed suit and stopped. When we came back, we received a ticket for illegal parking. We joked that we had never seen anyone or the police in this city for so many days, but they were very diligent in issuing tickets.

Before each start, the thick frost must be manually removed.

For the last night in Iceland, we stayed in a small town 2 kilometers away from the airport so that we could return the car tomorrow.

I thought it would be a boring night, but I found out there was a swimming pool next to it. In subzero weather, with snow falling in the sky, swimming in an outdoor pool is really a new challenge.

Every time I jumped out of the water, it was like ice and fire. I also played water volleyball with other children. After a while, I was so cold that I gave up. The water droplets on my eyelashes crystallized a bit fast. Although the water is warm, the part outside the water is really cold.

I dried my hair and went to eat Thai food nearby. It took more than an hour to serve fried rice, setting a new record for waiting for food. I guess I fainted from hunger after swimming, so I took out the CD after the food was served, and now I realize that there isn’t a single picture recorded.

Day14 Reykjavik-Copenhagen

Harpa Harpa Concert Hall , I was looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes when I saw the picture introduction. The geometric shape of the all-glass hornet's nest reflects different colors in different weather, and a building reflects the changes of the four seasons. It's a pity that the sky is not bright yet at 11 o'clock in the morning. It will be more comprehensive in summer.

This Wrangler has been with us for 7 days, and we have seen a lot of scenery and experienced many adventures. The fuel consumption of 23 100 kilometers is really good. From then on, I had a different emotion towards the Wrangler, like brothers who had fought together. Finally, an illegal parking ticket was handed in. The tow rope broke and the car's taillight was damaged. I paid 285 euros in compensation, which was not included in the more than 300 euros of full car insurance. At this point, the Wrangler successfully retired.

In the end, I found that Icelandair drove more aggressively than Aeroflot, and taking off and landing was a roller coaster experience. There is an extra charge for headphones on the plane, probably because Iceland is bankrupt and charges a little for everything. I watched "Gravity" and it felt like looking at outer space from an alien planet.

If there is one most memorable thing in Iceland, it has to be the snowmobile. Although there is no unique scenery in that area, the process of us trying our best to save ourselves was a bit dumbfounding but also strengthened our friendship. It can be regarded as a life-and-death friendship.

To be continued