Iceland Review

Iceland is a pretty special place, one that has a lot of beauty, a lot of resources and a lot of challenges.

Just about everywhere you go is stunning. Every person I have met has been nice - even the woman who was telling me off for camping in the wrong area (one that she thought had been roped off to prevent further damage). The geology has been amazing. The museums are good. I drove 4000kms and saw more than I expected. There really wasn't a high point - there was so much that was good.

Everyone says Iceland is very expensive. Petrol has been more expensive than it is on the east coast of Australia, but I have paid more in remote areas, and Iceland uses 95 rather than 91, so I would say that it compares. Food, on the other hand, is definitely expensive. Last night, hamburgers at the place I ate were $36 each - at other places they have been a bit cheaper, but not enough. Fresh food from supermarkets is a little more expensive than Australia, but not much - and it depends on the food.

Having a camper was perfect. It allowed me to go wherever I wanted to, and avoid bad weather. The wind can definitely be strong. Once I changed my plans because the wind ahead was too strong for you to drive through in a rental. Other times I was being blown about a bit, so I definitely wouldn't have liked the really high winds. Being able to follow the sun allowed me to have a better time.

There were a few things I would have liked to do, but didn't - because of the weather, because it was too late in the year, or because I passed by only to realise later that I had wanted to see them. The worst was that all the textile places were shut. Otherwise, I saw examples of everything I wanted to see - better than I expected.