Tony's Travel Blog: Iceland Summer Solstice 2015

Iceland, a fascinating country where even the sheep and horses are hot blondes!

Living in a postcard

I arrived in Reykjavik at 4am disoriented but excited to see Kristin and her friend Aldis welcome me at the terminal. We walked outside and i immediately scrambled to find my jacket to survive the bitterly cold gale force winds that nearly knocked me over. Evidently "come visit it is warm outside" means something very different to an Icelander and a Californian!

Arctic fishing village

An everpresent rainbow dances in this 200 foot waterfall

As we approached the summer solstice, Iceland's perch in the arctic circle ensures that there is permanent sunlight, or at the least a bright surreal twilight, at all times. As such, i did not see darkness for over 10 days. It is kind of hard to figure out if you are jet-lagged when it is always light out and you routinely go clubbing from 12am to 5am.

Roaring mossy cave

Kristin and i went on a surfing trip to freeze to death while trying to catch waves in the bitter cold. Unfortunately (thankfully!) the waves were too small, so the closest we came to watersports was pretending to surf waves on the beach wearing parkas. We were able to see some of the most beautiful waterfalls on the planet along they way. They averaged 200 foot (60m) drops and you could walk behind one and be soaked in the mist and hear the roar of the water from a mossy cave. That evening, I saw the sun set at 12:10am, then rise only 10 minutes later from the safety of a bubbling hottub ... tres magnifique!

Dreams of surfing

Next up, Kristin and went to the Secret Solstice music festival that featured The Wailers (of Bob Marley), and a variety of Icelandic dance and hip-hop music. I tent camped outside the event and was present for 72 hours of concert and tailgating.

I then went on a solo trip to the west fjords which turned out to be one of the most amazing road trips I've been on. Blue skies, snow capped fjords and dirt roads that clung to harrowing cliffsides while Teddy Pendergrass or the Foo Fighters blasted from the car stereo is a memory i will not soon forget.

Simulated surfing

I'm now completing a 5 day trip to Belgium and i leave for Prague early tomorrow. Are you nearby? If so, IM me and we can meetup.

-Travlin T

PS a heartfelt thanks to Kristin, her mom, Uncle Joe, sisters, and her adorable grandparents for welcoming me into their homes and stuffing me full of delicious food ;)