Bold statement, but, Iceland is my favourite country that I’ve been to.

The combination of outrageously stunning scenery, outdoor activities, and tasty food ticked all my boxes. I had an 11 day trip there in August last year where I hired a car and drove the c 1200km around the island.

Iona, my sister, was living there at the time (I know right, who lives in Iceland?!) up in the small town of Husavik in the north, taking tourists out on boat trips whale watching. One of my favourite facts from the trip was that a blue whale weighs more than the 2000 residents of Husavik combined.

Iceland’s total population is only 320,000, two-thirds of whom live in the region around the capital, Reykjavik (it took me MANY attempts to learn to spell that). So it’s no wonder that they have a nifty dating app so that before you go on a date with someone you can check whether you’re related (really they do!) 

The “am I kissing my cousin” issue isn’t helped by the way their surnames work: so my last name wouldn’t be ‘Wallis’ like my dad, I would be ’Stewartsdottir’ (literally Stewart’s daughter) and my brother would be ‘Stewartsson’. Meaning that your Dad’s brother’s children would have totally different surnames to you.

http://www.wheresstewartsdottir.com doesn’t have quite the same ring to it does it? 

A brief overview of the trip:

• 3 nights in and around Reykjavik;
• 1 day driving from Reykjavik to Husavik (c. 500km)
• 5 nights in and around Husavik;
• 1 (long!) day driving to the Glacier View Guesthouse in the south via Jokulsarlon (c. 630km)
• 1 night at the Glacier View Guesthouse
• 1 morning driving back to Reykjavik (c. 230km)
• A final night in Reykjavik.

I fear I’ll have far too much to warble on about for just one post. So I’m going to divide it up into:

• Reykjavik;

• Husavik;

• Jokulsarlon.

With some general road-tripping advice thrown into each post! 

Enjoy! xx