Skógafoss Waterfall in Winter time ❄

As our coach pulled up in the car park next to Skogafoss my face was plastered to the window in awe.

'Please take care when walking up to the falls' said our weary guide, probably praying that nobody would slip over and break a limb. The ground was full of ice and workers outside were shovelling stones for people to walk over where possible.

We were determined to get as close as we could however. Just enough to feel the spray of water as it tumbled over the cliffside with elegance and ease. Boots don't fail me now!

I've read that on sunny days it's common to see a rainbow due to all of the spray but it's no less impressive without.

Have you ever been to Skógafoss falls?

Picking the safest route

It isn't easy balancing on ice without skates!

Trips to take in Iceland - The Golden Circle [Part II]

A continuation of Trips to take in Iceland - The Golden Circle [Part I]

The next and final stop on our full day trip around The Golden Circle was Thingvellir National Park.

Originally the National Park was where open air assemblies would take place representing the whole of Iceland between 930 AD until 1798. It was a place to establish laws within Iceland and still remains a symbolic land for the people of Iceland today.

Nowadays it's mostly an enchanting place to explore and with our limited time we only got the opportunity to walk through the most touristic routes but I can only imagine how much is left there to discover. Nonetheless, it was still a memorable little jaunt with stunning scenery.

Thingvellir is located in an active volcanic area where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs through. This is a mostly underwater mountain range running through the Atlantic Ocean and it separates the North American plate from the Eurasian Plate in the North Atlantic and the South American Plate from the African Plate in the South Atlantic. Every year, these plates move apart about 2.5cm!

Most of the ridge is underwater however there are places in different regions of the world where the ridge pops up out of the land - and Thingvellir, my friends, is one of those places.

Nice bit of Geography for you there ;)

We booked our tour with Gray Line and were well taken care of all day. From our funny guide to our driver and logistics, everything was pretty much perfect! Have you been around the Golden Circle? Let me know your experience in the comments! xo

Trips to take in Iceland - The Golden Circle [Part I]

Being that neither of us could drive when we went to Iceland; the second best (and least expensive) option was to book a tour to see the sights.

We booked our Golden Circle tour with Grayline and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the trip!

We arrived at the bus terminus by 6am and were well on our way shortly after. I struggled to keep my eyes open to begin with which I think was a combination of tiredness and motion sickness. It was too dark to see anything at that time so I didn't have to feel guilty about missing out on any dramatic scenery.

 About forty-five minutes later a scarlet streak spread across the sky separating the darkness. If I only got to see sunrise once in Iceland, then this one I would treasure.



The guide changed up our tour since it was still too dark to visit the waterfalls and we ended up taking a detour to the Geothermal Energy Exhibition inside Hellisheiði Power Plant. These guys are way ahead of the pack when it comes to creating sustainable green energy!



After the presentation we drove on a bit further and stopped at this beautiful location below. Sadly I didn't write the name down and it wasn't in the itinerary so if you recognise it, let me know in the comments :)



When we arrived at Gullfoss Waterfall the sun was shining brightly but it was still bitterly cold. There are quite a few steps down towards the falls and it can get pretty slippery as Lloyd found out when he landed on his bum. It was quite amusing since he was so convinced that I'd be the first one to fall over  that week.

On making our way towards the view point, the first thing you can hear is the gush of the river. This, I can imagine was a quieter sound during the winter time since half of the waterfall was frozen over. Nonetheless, it was an incredible sight. Oh nature <3



After awhile we were ready to warm up with a cup of coffee in the nearby cafe before heading towards Strokker Geysir; one of the most active and popular geysers in the south of Iceland. Since it erupts every 8-10 minutes you're guaranteed to witness it for yourself.


It's the strangest thing. Despite large crowds gathered around, it seemed that everyone went silent while waiting expectantly for the eruption.  All of a sudden there is the subtlest of sounds as water shoots out of the ground at a high speed. It's almost peaceful when it happens.





Wow, looking at these photos brings chills! It was SO cold.

 Check out my next post for part II :)

THE COLDEST DAY OF MY LIFE – ICELAND [PART II]

For our first full day in Iceland we booked a trip out to see to spot some whales!

It was a cold bleak day as we headed for the Elding boat and were advised by the crew to get into our overalls which trust me, if you're going to Iceland in January/February you will need. I'm pretty sure I would have ended up with pneumonia without that extra layer. Brrr.

Pretty snazzy huh?

We decided to take this trip with Elding due their strong environmental background. It's important to us that these gentle giants are treated with the utmost respect and this goes for every species that the boat comes into contact with. There is no sonar equipment used to locate the whales; it's entirely dependent on the day and the food supply in the area.

It snowed pretty heavily which made it quite difficult to see! Taking photos was also a challenge. My hands had never felt so cold and I was genuinely afraid of getting frostbite on my toes. My circulation is poop at the best of times.

Our guide sat at the highest point of the boat giving us information about the whales that passed through the area. She was so enthusiastic and it was easy to tell that she loved her job despite the fact that she must have been freezing her butt off. Unfortunately it turned out that it wasn't our day for seeing any whales in the wild but we did see loads of white beaked dolphins so it wasn't all in vain.

In the evening we took the northern lights boat trip with Elding and for ten full minutes we had the fortune of seeing the light show that was playing above our heads! Unfortunately for us the trip lasted around three hours so we spent the rest of our time in the freezing cold staring at the sky for just another glimpse...the clouds did us no favours at all. Boo.

A hot cuppa was definitely well needed once we made our way back to land!

We haven't given up on our dream of seeing whales in the wild; be it Iceland or Canada, we'll find you!

Go and check out Elding for more info on their tours.

Link

For what it's worth

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I left my ♡ in Reykjavik - Iceland [Part I]

Ah, Iceland.

Just over a year ago the boy and I booked a week in Iceland which was probably one of my favourite trips ever.

The northern lights, whale watching, glaciers and mountain views...what could be more appealing to a girl who loves being one with nature?

Ever since a slightly tipsy discussion with my dad at his pub (or what was his pub) about eight years ago, I had daydreamed about seeing those mountains up close and personal. One day, I said. One day.

Fast forward to 2015 and I can finally say that this country has been ticked off of my bucket list...but only just. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of this magnificent country and another visit in the near future is definitely on the books.

A road trip is definitely in order after reading this post by one of my favourite travel bloggers Be My Travel Muse.

Our base for this short stopover was the capital city; Reykjavik. The city where you can feel at ease in a cafe catching up with your pals whilst your pram (warmly bundled up baby included) sits outside on the pavement. I found this so incredibly awesome! Just another reason why I fell in love with this country.

We balanced our days out with getting accustomed to the city as well as trips to some well known areas in the Reykjavik area. I'm a nature girl at heart so any opportunity that I can get to leave the urban jungle is more than fine with me.

Here are a few highlights from our walks around this quirky city☺

- Just a few minutes walk away from our hotel -

- The city and the colour <3 -

- A kooky sense of humour - 

- Incredible views over the city from Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral -

Getting to the top will cost you a few cents but the 360 degree scenery is so worth it!

- ...and here's Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral in the flesh -

To the right of the photo is a statue of Leifur Eiriksson who is said to be the first European to discover America. Records suggest that he landed in America 500 years before Christopher Columbus! *fun fact*

    - Lake Tjornin all frozen over - 

We had some fun walking over the lake until I freaked myself out into thinking the lake would melt under my feet!

- We ate soup in bread - 

 ...and it was delicious! Try Svarta Kaffid when you visit Reykjavik.

Happy times xo

Where has she been so far? *Updated*

For as long as I can possibly remember, I have loved airports. Airports fill me with a nervous energy and make me want to bounce off the walls and explore every nook and cranny. They make me want to try every pastry from every cafe and buy all the books that I'm never even going to open until I make it back home again.

Then there's the flight. I love planes and I love flying. I especially love take off (particularly if I have the window seat). I love the white noise as I drift off to sleep.

I don't remember my first flight but I know that it was to Malta.

In my younger years we would travel to Malta on summer holidays and stay with my nan. Days were full of swimming and walks along the promenade (ice creams in hand and splattered down the front of t-shirts of course). Those days were really some of my happiest times. Sometimes a scent will trigger a memory and I'll be transported back in time to a quieter less polluted Malta when my only trouble was fighting away mossies and coping with the humid nights.

Fast forward a good twenty years and I'm now living the dream in Malta. Almost fifteen years in fact! How time does fly.

In the name of getting to know me a bit better I thought it would be nice to make a list of the countries, towns and cities I've been to so far.

1. England (lived in Buckinghamshire for fourteen years) - London, Norfolk, Manchester, York, Leeds, Bristol, Bath
2. Wales - Cardiff, St Dogmaels, Brecon Beacons
3. Malta - (currently living here) - Everywhere
4. Ireland - Dublin, Galway, Connemara, somewhere else with a funny name...I'll get back to this
5. Mexico - Playa Del Carmen, Tulum, Coba
6. Egypt - Luxor, Cairo
7. Turkey - Bodrum, Dalyan, Ephesus, Pamukkale
8. Spain - Valencia
9. Finland - Kuusamo, Helsinki
10. China - Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an
11. Austria - Vienna
12. Poland - Krakow, Gdansk
13. Iceland - Reykjavik
14. Morocco - Marrakesh, Imlil, Atlas Mountains
15. Italy - Rome
16. Belgium - Brussels
17. Hungary - Budapest

Have you been to any of the countries listed? If so, which was your favourite country to visit? xo

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