“Anyone can go to Japan or USA, but not everyone gets to go to Iceland”.
While everyone has ambitions to visit Asia or the Americas, I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland. This dream started around mid-2016 when I was on Instagram, seeing some of Mark Forrer’s work.
At first, it was the travel photography aspect that inspired me to make the trip. Then I found out LazyTown was made in this country and it gave me more of a reason to visit.
Just saying, convincing my parent to let me go here wasn’t easy since they have no idea what Iceland is. I kept using multiple of my cards to do the trip. “Do it for my birthday!”, “Christmas???”, “I have a (former) friend who’s going and we plan to go together“, “Graduation Trip?!“. Eventually, the trip happened… not because of my persistence, not because I was able to save up money… because 2 of my parents’ old co-workers in the Philippines shared photos on Facebook.
Yes… it was their old co-workers that convinced them to go to Iceland.
So after 1 year of saving up $6000 AUD, some “pocket money” from grandma, and getting recommendations from Instagram and online friends, we were off to Iceland!
What do I know about Iceland?
All I knew was that Iceland is a country in Europe. It’s where LazyTown was made and produced. And it’s a good place to go if you’re an aspiring travel photographer.
I barely know any Icelandic artist. I didn’t know who Bjork or Sigur Ros was. All I knew were Greta Salome, Matthias Matthiason, Sylvia Erla, Unnur Eggerts, and anyone who was either involved in LazyTown or Eurovision.
Yeah… my knowledge about Iceland is limited.
It wasn’t until I was talking to a few people who either visited or lived in Iceland + some YouTube channels to learn more information about their geography.
First Impressions
When I first arrived in Iceland, I was somewhat happy that it was finally cold (I was in the UK prior for a few days). The bus ride from Keflavik to Reykjavik was somewhat scenic as it’s not many buildings, more on landscapes.
The architecture of the buildings was interesting as it’s all stone. It somewhat reminds me of some houses in the Philippines. You rarely see modern looking houses.
One thing that caught my eye is that it never gets dark in the summer. I’m a night owl and staying up till 12-1am and just seeing the sun beginning to set… it’s something you don’t see every day.
The Travel Photography aspect
The main reason why I’m in Iceland is to take photos.
I like photography and at least most of the areas you visit, it makes a really good photo. Even downtown Reykjavik, it’s very photogenic if you know where to look.
Not only the iconic landscapes are beautiful but also the buildings.
But I also liked venturing outside of the main town and visiting the iconic spots. From all the places I’ve visited such as Kirkjufell, Skógafoss, Sólheimajökull glacier, and etc, I was looking forward to seeing the iconic US Navy DC-3 Plane Wreckage at Sólheimasandur.
The LazyTown Aspect
I’m now a casual LazyTown fan since 2018.
I used to be a hardcore fan but I went down to casual because life got in the way. But it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the facts I’ve learned and the show that I still love and enjoy till this day.
Originally – I wanted to go to the transport museum in Borgarnes. The problem is that I can’t drive and a taxi service no longer exists. So plan B – WALK AROUND REYKJAVIK!!!
What fans don’t seem to realize is that there are much more spots to hit if you do a “LazyTown Pilgrimage” around the city. In fact – there are 4!!!
1. Rocket studios (where Jol í Latabae was recorded)
2. Landsbókasafns Íslands – Háskólabókasafns (National Library of Iceland – University Library)
3. The National Theater
4 ROK – Magnus Scheving’s restaurant
But the most memorable part of this trip was when I met Máni Svavarsson! He was really nice and we did talk a lot. I have so many stories but that will be in a video for another day.
The tourist aspect
And of course – as this is a graduation trip, I’d want to see what Iceland has to offer. The best thing about this part is that since everything almost in walking distance, there will be a surprise right around the corner.
For me, that was the cat cafe called Kattakaffihúsið. I NEVER KNEW THERE WAS A CAT CAFE IN REYKJAVIK!!!!
WHY DIDNT ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS!?!?!
Blue Lagoon was also nice! Warm though… but it was nice and relaxing that I can see why it’s the “go-to” place in Iceland.
Nám er Gott (Learning is Good)
Asides from the touristy, fandom-y, and photography aspects that Iceland has to offer, I did get to learn something new each day. During one of my tours, we learned that the glaciers in Iceland are melting and if things don’t improve, all the glaciers will melt after 200 years.
It’s kinda a shame since I want to go to a glacier cave that I’ve seen in a few travel photos and videos. When I was climbing up, you can see small puddles and rivers cutting through the ice as the water is 2 degrees warmer than the ice itself. The black ash/dirt helps insulate the glacier but it’s not enough to keep it cool forever.
Funny enough – the museum was NAMED AFTER HIM (Kjarvalsstaðir – Kjarval’s place).
Each day was a new adventure
Not gonna lie, but each day, I’ve got to see something new or unexpected. Going to Iceland was like the trip of my life. I’ve appreciated every moment when I was there and I wish I could stay a little longer.
There are places and things I wished to visit such as the Kolaportid Flea Market or ACTUALLY GO to the Transport Museum in Borgarnes. Maybe also see the Northen Lights (but that’s only during winter)… but who knows, maybe next time.
But overall, I enjoyed my time in Iceland. I do hope I’d get to come back again in the future! For now, it’s back to saving money for the next great adventure.
I’ve filmed a lot of my trip here in Iceland, detailing more of what just happened. So expect multi-episode daily vlogs appearing on my YouTube channel soon.
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