Iceland December 2016 - 2017
The Starting leg:
We departed from Changi airport on a Wednesday, the 28th of December 2016, and arrived at 06:15am in Helsinki (Terminal 2).
We rented our wifi dongle for Europe for the whole trip and just collect the dongle from the airport. Very convenient.
From the airplane's monitor, Finnair shows a very clear route on where your next flight is. They showed us the gate number, the map to it, as well as the time to walk there. So remember to check out the Finnair TV or the Finnair app for your next flight details.
In Helsinki:
Between Helsinki Terminal 1 & 2, take the P-train towards the city centre for lesser stops, and take the I-train from city centre back to airport for the faster route. It's not very much faster, both works as they're loop trains.
P-train takes 28 minutes to reach the main railway of Helsinki, while I-train takes 32 minutes.
We used credit card and buy our train tickets for a whole day for 12 Euros each. We realised this is a more costly option eventually as we aren't using the trains much. A single trip ticket is about 5.5 Euros.
*TIP* You can get the train tickets in machines between Terminal 1 & 2. You can choose cash options aside from paying with cards.
As we had about slightly less than 6 hours to be back at the airport, we decided to do a short exploration of Helsinki's City Centre.
This included almost all the major tourist sites already as they're all within walking distance.
We walked along Stockman, the biggest shopping centre in the area. But everything was close as it was very early in the morning. It's very big, it's impossible to miss the building.
Anyway, the highlights of Helsinki done in that few hours:
1. Esplanade Park - lovely park covered in snow at that time.
2. Market Square - Traditional (souvenir) booths just beside the Harbour, it was really windy.
3. Uspenskin Cathedral - Eastern Orthodox style of Cathedral
4. Helsinki Cathedral in Senate Square - huge white cathedral
From Reykjavik Airport:
We arrived at 15:55 and we went straight to the car rental shop.
All the car rental companies are in a street just beside the airport. It's actually a walking distance as well. However, there's shuttle buses available, stopping wherever your car rental company is. This part was a little confusing for us as we didn't read any information about getting to the shop. (It was raining too, so the handling of luggage and baggage were slightly tough.)
About Currency Exchange:
We totally forgotten to change our Euros to Islandic Kronos at the airport. We wanted to do so in Reykjavik in the banks, but we forgot as well!!
Thank goodness in Iceland, you can pay for almost everything with card! We were totally 100% cashless. It was quite a liberal feeling. Although you might be thinking it's not a worth deal with the exchange rate and all, but it was so good to go cashless. (Except if you need to use public payable toilets, you might need coins. But I always go to petrol kiosk restrooms and they're great.)
Car Rental:
At Blue Car Rental, we booked an automatic Kia, costing us S$1509.86 for 12 days, including insurance etc, excluding petrol. We did an online booking prior, but paid up upon arrival. They didn't need an international driving license. But do check with your car rental company, in case there's a need to check.
*TIP* While we were in Singapore, I searched for videos on driving in Iceland, and we watched the way the roads are, taking notes on how the turnings are as our roads are the opposite side.
I feel it's good to have a visualization before driving first time in a foreign country, on the opposite side.
Also, upon getting the car, we checked it and we went slow. We wanted to make a few turns to get used to the car, but there's no way but to go onto the main road straight.
*TIP* Get the coordinates of the places of interest you want to go, as sometimes the GPS's description or spelling just doesn't show you the route.
About Petrol:
We didn't enable PIN access to our credit cards, so we couldn't pay for gas using our cards. Wai Hwang had to purchase a special petrol card with value in it. He doesn't feel it's good though, as sometimes you might have bought excess amount, and indeed, we ended up not using up the value of the card.
Stayed: City Park Hotel Reykjavik (1 night)
Explored: Hallgrimskirkja Church
Before sunrise, we arrived early, got parking and didn't pay to go into the church as we rather fly the drone when there's no crowd.
(We thought we could use the church's washroom, but it's not open to public even if you pay to go into the church)
Location: Thingvellir National Park (Golden Circle)
Distance, Time: 40.3km, 36 minutes drive
Huge national park. We only went to Oxararfoss waterfall. (Foss means waterfall).
Everything was so dreamy there due to the heavy snowfall the night before. I was careful on the icy steps up, but on the way down, due to the steps being more slanted downwards, I slipped on the icy steps and fell on my butt and injured my right wrist. My camera submerged into the snow, but thankfully it could still work.
*Tip* Step on pure white fluffy snow, or on gravel, twigs etc. Stepping on dirty snow tends to have an ice layer beneath it, and it can cause falls.
We had a sandwich lunch at the nearby Petrol Kiosk, where I could use the toilet comfortably too.
Location: Strokkur Geysir (Golden Circle)
Distance, Time: 60.6km, 51 minutes drive
The sun was setting and it was really cold at the Geysir. It was swarmed full of tour buses and tourists as well. And the stench in the air, was coming from the natural Geysir. It smelt like what i would imagine rotten eggs to be.. I didn't want to stay for long, but we missed the Geysir's explosion, so we had to wait pretty long. It was hard to capture anything as the area is fenced up, and the crazy amount of tourists made it hard to take any decent pictures. We didn't take any decent videos or shots and we actually left!
Stayed: Cafe Arhus Hella (1 night)
Lovely small cottage, perfect for cooking as there's pots and pans provided.
In the middle of the night, our neighbours knocked on our door, informing us there's northern lights!
We took some time to dress up, and head out, and we couldn't really see much with our naked eye as there were too many clouds. It was just a dim green glow in the sky, so i quickly set up our GoPro Hero 4 on a makeshift tripod, and tried to capture what i could. Surprisingly, it shows up much better and clearer in pictures. (Cameras can capture wider spectrum of lights compared to our human eyes.)
*TIP* I've read on some other blogs, you might want to sleep in some of your winter clothes and socks, ready to head out fast if it's an activity prone night.
*TIP* After a snowy or cold night, your car's windscreen might freeze up. Search for a "tiny hand held snow scrapper" in your car, (it should be provided) to clear your windows and mirrors.
We didn't know it came along with the car, and we used our jackets and waterproof gloves to wipe them off!
We found ours only when our trip was about to end lol!
Location: Seljalandsfoss
It was cold when the wind comes as the sun was shining on the other side of the waterfall. Wai Hwang managed to fly his drone and captured some amazing shots.
Location: On the way to Skogafoss
We saw many Islandic horses along the road, and there was a place to stop the car, so we pulled over. They're so friendly!
It was a very windy morning, and at one point, we simply lost sight of a car that was in front of us due to the wind. We slowed down alot as we're afraid the gale wind will push our car off our lane. Go slow even when you see the locals speeding. They're used to the road and weather. Remember always safety first!
Location: Skogafoss
I couldn't get to appreciate this waterfall much, as i was walking against the crazy powerful wind, i was angled like a 105 degree, walking from the car to the waterfall. Frozen raindrops (sleet) were hurting on my exposed face. So i went back and hide in the car, while Wai Hwang went to take some pictures.
Location: UNKNOWN.
Saw a huge carpark area with no tourist information on site, or on the map.
Decided to just stop, as there were many cars parked there! (Monkey see, monkey do.)
We walked to what seems like an eternal long straight walk to a beach or something. After more than 30 minutes, we wanted to turn back. But we decided to ask the people walking in our opposite direction where was the walk leading to.
The stranger gave us a strange look, and said "It's the DC Solheimasandur Plane Wreck".
WE WERE INSTANTLY HYPED UP, and continued our long walk. It's about 4km and 1 hour in, and another 4km out. It's a very rocky path all the way in, at some point, our calves started to ache especially when you can see no end to this road.
Don't forget to turn around while walking in and out, to enjoy the amazing views. We started walking in about 4pm, so the sunset was perfect. It was so beautiful in many hues of pink, purple and orange, and when it shines onto the snow-topped mountains, every minute the mountain looks different. Pictures just can't do the real sunset justice.
Stayed: Hotel Edda Vik Cottages (1 night)
We departed from Changi airport on a Wednesday, the 28th of December 2016, and arrived at 06:15am in Helsinki (Terminal 2).
We rented our wifi dongle for Europe for the whole trip and just collect the dongle from the airport. Very convenient.
From the airplane's monitor, Finnair shows a very clear route on where your next flight is. They showed us the gate number, the map to it, as well as the time to walk there. So remember to check out the Finnair TV or the Finnair app for your next flight details.
In Helsinki:
Between Helsinki Terminal 1 & 2, take the P-train towards the city centre for lesser stops, and take the I-train from city centre back to airport for the faster route. It's not very much faster, both works as they're loop trains.
P-train takes 28 minutes to reach the main railway of Helsinki, while I-train takes 32 minutes.
We used credit card and buy our train tickets for a whole day for 12 Euros each. We realised this is a more costly option eventually as we aren't using the trains much. A single trip ticket is about 5.5 Euros.
*TIP* You can get the train tickets in machines between Terminal 1 & 2. You can choose cash options aside from paying with cards.
As we had about slightly less than 6 hours to be back at the airport, we decided to do a short exploration of Helsinki's City Centre.
This included almost all the major tourist sites already as they're all within walking distance.
We walked along Stockman, the biggest shopping centre in the area. But everything was close as it was very early in the morning. It's very big, it's impossible to miss the building.
Anyway, the highlights of Helsinki done in that few hours:
1. Esplanade Park - lovely park covered in snow at that time.
2. Market Square - Traditional (souvenir) booths just beside the Harbour, it was really windy.
3. Uspenskin Cathedral - Eastern Orthodox style of Cathedral
4. Helsinki Cathedral in Senate Square - huge white cathedral
From Reykjavik Airport:
We arrived at 15:55 and we went straight to the car rental shop.
All the car rental companies are in a street just beside the airport. It's actually a walking distance as well. However, there's shuttle buses available, stopping wherever your car rental company is. This part was a little confusing for us as we didn't read any information about getting to the shop. (It was raining too, so the handling of luggage and baggage were slightly tough.)
About Currency Exchange:
We totally forgotten to change our Euros to Islandic Kronos at the airport. We wanted to do so in Reykjavik in the banks, but we forgot as well!!
Thank goodness in Iceland, you can pay for almost everything with card! We were totally 100% cashless. It was quite a liberal feeling. Although you might be thinking it's not a worth deal with the exchange rate and all, but it was so good to go cashless. (Except if you need to use public payable toilets, you might need coins. But I always go to petrol kiosk restrooms and they're great.)
Car Rental:
At Blue Car Rental, we booked an automatic Kia, costing us S$1509.86 for 12 days, including insurance etc, excluding petrol. We did an online booking prior, but paid up upon arrival. They didn't need an international driving license. But do check with your car rental company, in case there's a need to check.
*TIP* While we were in Singapore, I searched for videos on driving in Iceland, and we watched the way the roads are, taking notes on how the turnings are as our roads are the opposite side.
I feel it's good to have a visualization before driving first time in a foreign country, on the opposite side.
Also, upon getting the car, we checked it and we went slow. We wanted to make a few turns to get used to the car, but there's no way but to go onto the main road straight.
*TIP* Get the coordinates of the places of interest you want to go, as sometimes the GPS's description or spelling just doesn't show you the route.
About Petrol:
We didn't enable PIN access to our credit cards, so we couldn't pay for gas using our cards. Wai Hwang had to purchase a special petrol card with value in it. He doesn't feel it's good though, as sometimes you might have bought excess amount, and indeed, we ended up not using up the value of the card.
Stayed: City Park Hotel Reykjavik (1 night)
Explored: Hallgrimskirkja Church
Before sunrise, we arrived early, got parking and didn't pay to go into the church as we rather fly the drone when there's no crowd.
(We thought we could use the church's washroom, but it's not open to public even if you pay to go into the church)
Location: Thingvellir National Park (Golden Circle)
Distance, Time: 40.3km, 36 minutes drive
Huge national park. We only went to Oxararfoss waterfall. (Foss means waterfall).
Everything was so dreamy there due to the heavy snowfall the night before. I was careful on the icy steps up, but on the way down, due to the steps being more slanted downwards, I slipped on the icy steps and fell on my butt and injured my right wrist. My camera submerged into the snow, but thankfully it could still work.
*Tip* Step on pure white fluffy snow, or on gravel, twigs etc. Stepping on dirty snow tends to have an ice layer beneath it, and it can cause falls.
We had a sandwich lunch at the nearby Petrol Kiosk, where I could use the toilet comfortably too.
Location: Strokkur Geysir (Golden Circle)
Distance, Time: 60.6km, 51 minutes drive
The sun was setting and it was really cold at the Geysir. It was swarmed full of tour buses and tourists as well. And the stench in the air, was coming from the natural Geysir. It smelt like what i would imagine rotten eggs to be.. I didn't want to stay for long, but we missed the Geysir's explosion, so we had to wait pretty long. It was hard to capture anything as the area is fenced up, and the crazy amount of tourists made it hard to take any decent pictures. We didn't take any decent videos or shots and we actually left!
Stayed: Cafe Arhus Hella (1 night)
Lovely small cottage, perfect for cooking as there's pots and pans provided.
In the middle of the night, our neighbours knocked on our door, informing us there's northern lights!
We took some time to dress up, and head out, and we couldn't really see much with our naked eye as there were too many clouds. It was just a dim green glow in the sky, so i quickly set up our GoPro Hero 4 on a makeshift tripod, and tried to capture what i could. Surprisingly, it shows up much better and clearer in pictures. (Cameras can capture wider spectrum of lights compared to our human eyes.)
*TIP* I've read on some other blogs, you might want to sleep in some of your winter clothes and socks, ready to head out fast if it's an activity prone night.
*TIP* After a snowy or cold night, your car's windscreen might freeze up. Search for a "tiny hand held snow scrapper" in your car, (it should be provided) to clear your windows and mirrors.
We didn't know it came along with the car, and we used our jackets and waterproof gloves to wipe them off!
Location: Seljalandsfoss
Drone screenshot. This was way earlier when there were no drone prohibited laws yet. We also made sure we flew, land away from people at all times.
It was cold when the wind comes as the sun was shining on the other side of the waterfall. Wai Hwang managed to fly his drone and captured some amazing shots.
Location: On the way to Skogafoss
We saw many Islandic horses along the road, and there was a place to stop the car, so we pulled over. They're so friendly!
It was a very windy morning, and at one point, we simply lost sight of a car that was in front of us due to the wind. We slowed down alot as we're afraid the gale wind will push our car off our lane. Go slow even when you see the locals speeding. They're used to the road and weather. Remember always safety first!
Location: Skogafoss
I couldn't get to appreciate this waterfall much, as i was walking against the crazy powerful wind, i was angled like a 105 degree, walking from the car to the waterfall. Frozen raindrops (sleet) were hurting on my exposed face. So i went back and hide in the car, while Wai Hwang went to take some pictures.
Location: UNKNOWN.
Saw a huge carpark area with no tourist information on site, or on the map.
Decided to just stop, as there were many cars parked there! (Monkey see, monkey do.)
We walked to what seems like an eternal long straight walk to a beach or something. After more than 30 minutes, we wanted to turn back. But we decided to ask the people walking in our opposite direction where was the walk leading to.
The stranger gave us a strange look, and said "It's the DC Solheimasandur Plane Wreck".
WE WERE INSTANTLY HYPED UP, and continued our long walk. It's about 4km and 1 hour in, and another 4km out. It's a very rocky path all the way in, at some point, our calves started to ache especially when you can see no end to this road.
Don't forget to turn around while walking in and out, to enjoy the amazing views. We started walking in about 4pm, so the sunset was perfect. It was so beautiful in many hues of pink, purple and orange, and when it shines onto the snow-topped mountains, every minute the mountain looks different. Pictures just can't do the real sunset justice.
Stayed: Hotel Edda Vik Cottages (1 night)
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