Travel & Hotspots

ICELAND IN WINTER

Hello hello, do you still remember me? I am your favorite editor (right??? right???), back from my travels. I was hardcore traveling: first Ibiza (but you’ve already read about that), then to Iceland and then on to Sri Lanka. Of course, I didn’t do this for myself but for you, because how else would you get travel inspiration? To start: Iceland. In summary: you must go.

I had been to Iceland once before for ‘Who is the Mole?’. I have traumatic memories of that trip because I was like some kind of OCD patient searching for that damn Mole. Then I was the first to be eliminated and within three days I was back on a plane home at six in the morning among vodka-drinking men at six o'clock. Not exactly the highlight of my career. Anyway, when I heard I was nominated for an Icelandic award for my book ’Daylight‘, I finally saw a chance for revenge. My sister Tanya came with me and that was quite nice. Not only did I really get to enjoy this amazing island, but I also actually won. The award is called – don’t laugh – The Icepick Award! Not as honorable as winning ’Who is the Mole?‘, but it’s not far off, right?
 

5 reasons to go to Iceland in winter

The snowy landscape

Make sure to book a flight that arrives during the day (and the days are short, so that means between 10 AM and 3 PM) and take a window seat on the right side. I accidentally did all this and was treated to half an hour of endless snowy landscapes with a deep dark blue lake and rugged mountains here and there. On the second day, my sister and I rented a car and drove through a snowstorm. It was quite exciting, but so beautiful. Because the sun is so low, it takes forever to set, so especially around four o'clock you go crazy from all that beauty in your eyes. The snow turns pink and orange. Forget those Chanel bags and Gilmore Girls, this is real.

Icelandic sweaters

Sarah Lund, eat your heart out. The sweaters you can buy in Iceland are totally the bomb. Well, don’t think you can buy anything else but Icelandic sweaters, but those sweaters are amazing and hand-knitted. Entire communities of old ladies are knitting their hearts out to provide the one million tourists that Iceland can now boast with this ultimate souvenir. They aren’t cheap, by the way. The Icelandic crown is really ridiculously high, so expect to pay at least 180 euros. Another fun detail: we asked a woman in the souvenir shop if those sweaters were itchy. I mean: don’t think that sheep wool has been nicely massaged by Indian children or something. It comes straight from the sheep. The woman said you do get used to it. She paused meaningfully and then added: ‘It took me twenty-two years.’

Partying in Reykjavik

All night lohong! If it’s going to be dark all the time, you might as well go out drinking. The Icelanders love to do that too. There are plenty of nice pubs in Reykjavik and they aren’t averse to a bit of techno either. Conversely, you should check when booking your hotel if it’s not coincidentally opposite the disco, because then you really won’t be happy.

Blue Lagoon

Just Google it, and you’ll see what I mean. Of course, you can also go to this dream of a spa in the summer, but when you’re sitting in that warm spring water surrounded by snow in winter, you really will pee your pants from joy. Just not literally then.

The food

Eating in Iceland is fantastic. At Sjávargrillið (I dare you to learn that name by heart) I had amazing fresh fish and a bizarrely delicious dessert of Skyr (Icelandic yogurt), licorice meringue (!) and a devilish chocolate mousse. My incredibly friendly publisher Bjarni Porsteinsson took us to Kol, another great restaurant where we were served all sorts of innovative fish dishes. Of course, you can also go out to eat in the summer, but then the fish are less fatty, I’ve been told.