THE AILEEN CROWE SHOW: January 2017

Hey Guys!

Here’s the one you’ve all been waiting for J

As you all know, last month, myself, my boyfriend Shane and my pal Eamonn traveled to beautiful Reykjavik, Iceland for four amazing days. Like many others, Iceland has always been one of my bucket list travel destinations and I cannot tell you how excited I was to be finally going there. Just like my trip to Krakow, we again purchased this trip on Wowcher which included our flights, hotel and 2 free tours. The total cost for each person to go worked out at approx. £330. The original price had been a little bit cheaper than what we paid but with Wowcher you have the flexibility of changing your flights to suit you so we ended up paying a little extra for earlier flights going and later flights coming back. The original deal had also been for 4 people but unfortunately we couldn’t find a fourth person to go due to it being so close to Christmas. However, Wowcher always have loads of different offers and deals on the site so I would highly recommend checking them out - trips to Iceland are always on there! Groupon do great deals also.

Fortunately for you guys I also vlogged the entire trip which I hope to have up for you really soon I was just waiting for my wifi in my new house to be set up and my videographer (Shane J). I also have my NYC vlog to do first so please bear with me J

| Day 1 |

We flew out on the early morning flight at 6.30 am from London Luton Airport with EasyJet. The flight time is approx. 3 hours with no time difference in Reykjavik so we arrived at Keflavik Airport on the button at 9.30 am. It was pitch black when we got there as they only get a few hours of sunlight a day. In December they only get about 4 hours a day of sunlight and even during those hours it can still be very dull and cloudy. The sun comes up between 11.00 am and 12 midday but is gone again around 3.30 pm. In July though in the peak of the Summer months they get approx. 21 hours of sunlight a day! Mad. Anyway, when we arrived we had planned on getting a car rental for the duration of our trip so we priced up a few of the car rental companies at the airport and decided to go with ‘SIXT Rent a Car’ which was the cheapest. This is something you can also have pre-booked before you arrive. If you’re not fussed about what type of car you get then you can get the rentals cheap as chips. The cost to rent for 3 days was £149 split between 3 of us which was approx. £50 each. We also split the fuel. You do get a full tank at the start but before you return the car it must be filled again – pretty standard procedure with car rentals I think. There was a free shuttle bus that took us straight from the airport to the location of the car rental which was literally only 5mins away and within walking distance actually but as it was so dark and foggy we couldn’t see anything from the airport terminal. Our experience with the SIXT team was great, check out was quick and after a little look over the car we were ready to hit the road!

We drove from Keflavik Airport to Hotel Cabin in just under 45 minutes. It’s left hand drive in Iceland so I let my boyfriend Shane do the driving because I was way too scared lol. Shane's top tip for insuring he was driving on the right side of the road was to always have the white line on the road to his left. Hope that helps lol. When we arrived at our hotel they had plenty of parking and checked us all in nice and quickly. Our rooms weren’t ready as we arrived a little early so we chilled out in the reception and had a few drinks (I got seriously hooked on Bailey’s while I was there!). The rooms at our hotel were small and basic but clean and were absolutely grand for what we paid. We spent hardly any time in there anyway so the size wasn’t an issue for us and the power shower was lovely and always had hot water.

After checking in we bought some tickets at reception for ‘The Citysightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus’. In every city that we visit we always by tickets for these bus's because most of the time they are quite cheap and are brilliant for showing you all the key locations and getting your bearings. The price for the ticket cost 3500isk which is approx. £25 / €28 – a little bit pricey but then everything in Iceland is on the expensive side. The ticket gives you a 24 hour day pass and runs from 9.30 am – 4.30 pm every day with the last drop off at 5.30 pm. The tour of Reykjavik City only takes around 60 minutes and departs from Harpa every 30 minutes but you can obviously hop on at your nearest bus stop. They also have free WiFi on board, winning!

After our tour we jumped off in the centre and went for dinner and drinks at ‘The Hard Rock Café’ which was delicious but again, so bloody expensive! Just be aware of that if you are going, nothing is cheap unfortunately.

After dinner we strolled the main strip and found a lovely Irish Bar called ‘The Drunk Rabbit’ where we ended up spending the rest of the night. I think this was one of the most popular bars there as it was packed on the two occasions that we went and they also had a live band. It had a great atmosphere. Definitely check it out if you’re there.

| Day 2 | The Golden Circle |

On Day 2 we planned to drive the Golden Circle. I was up early and headed down for breakfast as the boys were a little worse for wear from the night before lol. Breakfast was included with our stay but to be honest it wasn’t much to my fancy. There was a salad bar with fresh cold meats and cheeses and hot porridge, cereals fruit, tea and coffee etc but I was kind of looking forward to some poached eggs and bacon lol. Anyhow, there was a service station right across the street with a Subway so when the boys arose from their slumber we grabbed some subs before we left. (The below picture was the view from our hotel).

The Golden Circle is a big tourist route in Iceland which loops from Reykjavik down to the Southern areas and then back again. There are 3 main stops on the loop; the National Park, Gulfoss Waterfall and the geothermal area of Haukadalur where you will find the natural Geyser’s.

We had awful trouble trying to get the sat-nav to work so we ended up doing the circle backwards haha but nonetheless we got to see it all. Our first stop was at the Geysers and as we drove up you could see the steam rising from the water that flowed down side of the road. Put your hand into the water and you will feel how hot the water is its amazing.

Geysir has been mostly dormant for many years now but Strokkur Geyser erupts every 5-10 minutes and is so spectacular to see! I put a video of it on my Facebook page and Instagram so some of you might have seen it.

Our next stop was Gulfoss Waterfall which was just as spectacular I don’t think the pictures do it justice! You can walk right up to the edge and look out over it – there’s barriers too obviously. It makes for some amazing photos.

It’s also free to go and see all these natural wonders. Unless you are touring with a bus company and are paying for the tour there are no entrance fees or any nonsense like that only gift shops and restaurants if you’re feeling peckish or flash with the cash. By the time we started to head back it was already dark and had started to rain so we didn’t see much of the National Park but we weren’t disappointed as the whole days driving had already been so scenic and beautiful. Although there are main stops on the circle, you will get to see so much beauty as you drive. This is why I highly recommend a car rental.

That night we had booked a tour to go and see the Northern Lights but it was cancelled due to the poor weather conditions so it was pushed onto the following night. So instead we just chilled out in the hotel lobby for the evening as we were shattered from the days driving and gallivanting. By the time we were ready to head for dinner all the restaurants were closed! Most places close early on a Sunday evening which we hadn’t known. Luckily when we got to the centre we found a delicious chip shop just before they closed called ‘Reykjavik Chips’ which took the hunger off us. The place only serves chips so you can imagine they have perfected the art of chip making ha-ha - they were so tasty!! We finished off the night then with a couple of drinks at the ‘Dillon’ Bar.

| Day 3 | Waterfalls, Glaciers, Horses & The Black Sand Beach |

On Day 3 we decided to go for another long drive down South. Iceland has many waterfalls but the Ringarping Estrya region in the South is known for its waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. They are really quite breath-taking when you see them. We stopped first at Seljalandsfoss and we were able to climb up around it and literally stand right behind/underneath it, it was beautiful. We were soaked mind haha but it was sooo cool!!

Skogafoss is the biggest of the two. However, we had so much fun at Seljalandsfoss getting soaked and taking photos that we only stopped briefly at Skogafoss but mostly because we wanted to see the black sand beach before it got dark again. You really have to fit in as much as you can while there’s daylight.

We also came across a huge glacier that we could see in the distance from the car as we were driving but didn’t a chance to detour and take a closer look. As far as I know there are tours that run that will take you to see the glaciers if that’s something you’re interested in doing.

We did however stop to say hello to the most beautiful heard of Icelandic horses who were so super friendly but ran away before I could get a picture with them ha-ha rage. They were unlike any other horses I’ve ever seen before. Now I’m no horse expert but they were sort of like ponies with short legs but big bodies. So incredibly friendly though.

Our last location of the day was to Reynisfjara Beach i.e. The Black Sand Beach which is located in the southern most village of Iceland called Vik. The black basalt sand is a big tourist attraction and features a really cool cliff of basalt columns all stacked in a pyramid form. I couldn’t resist a photo ha-ha.

When you look out to sea there are also two huge basalt sea stacks which are called Reynisdrangar. Legend has it that two trolls who were attempting to drag their boat to land but got caught in the sunlight and turned to stone.

The waves there are also humongous! I’ve never seen waves so scary! You wouldn’t be getting too close to dip your toes in that’s for sure ha-ha.

We spent about an hour there and by that time it was dark so we headed back to the hotel. In the evening we planned to go on the Northern lights tour again but we decided to go on the hunt ourselves in the car as the tours hadn’t been having much luck. Up until now we were having no luck either as the weather conditions had just been too poor. Ideally you need a really clear night sky and large open plane away from any light pollution. We drove 2 hours North that night thinking we would have a better chance but still had no luck. As a last hope we drove out to Grotta Island Lighthouse where we had been tipped to go by a local. When we got there we met a couple who had a hi-tech camera set up which was picking up the green lights but it was barely visible to the naked eye. We gave up at around 2 am after 6 hours of driving and searching and went back to the hotel. I set my alarm for 4 am with the full intentions of going out again for one last attempt at finding them but I didn’t even hear the alarm I was so wrecked.

We were all so disappointed as it was the one thing we had wanted to see the most while we were there but we were unlucky this time L Just gotta keep searching I guess ;) Maybe Norway next…

| Day 4 | The Blue Lagoon |

On our last day we booked to go to the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. This place is AAAMMAAZING!! There no words or pictures that can do this place justice – you must experience it. We had got there really early in the morning around 7.45am as we had our flight home later on that day so it was pitch black and absolutely freezing. The wind was literally cutting through us as we queued outside to get in and I had made the mistake of wearing flip flops! The toes were frozen off me. It was that cold it just seemed insane that we were about to strip down to our smalls and jump into a pool in the dark ha-ha! After getting checked in and changed you are asked to shower before you get into the water. The showering/changing facilities are lovely and they also provide body soaps and conditioner for your hair to protect it from the water. You then have to make a dash from the door to the water! Good jaysus I will never forget the freezing cold as I ran to the water ha-ha. The water though is so amazingly hot and full of nutrient-rich minerals that are meant to be amazing for your skin. We literally just lounged around in the water for hours taking it all in and we watched the sun coming up at dawn - it was so special.

I didn’t have a waterproof case for my phone so I couldn’t bring it into the water to get photos but Shane got some pictures and video footage on the GoPro (the cases are available to buy at the shop and pool bar). Pictures aren't great due to how dark it was and all the steam kept fogging the lens but some were ok.

Other features of the lagoon include a sauna, steam room, water jets, water massages and treatments, an indoor pool and a lagoon bar so that you don’t even have to leave the water.

They also supply silica mud masks while you bathe which promises to “deep cleanse and strengthen your skin and reduce pore visibility. There is an algae mask too but this isn’t available to people with standard entry. The mud masks are also available to buy from the gift shop if you fancy bringing some home but a 100 ml bottle will set you back a cool €75, however, my skin did feel lovely after it. We spent over 3 hours in the water so we were like prunes when we got out. My hair on the other hand felt like it had been stuck together with concrete lol. Tip for the girls; lash on the conditioner all over your hair before you get in as the nutrients in the water will dry it out severely.

There are a few various packages you can get for the lagoon experience depending on how much you want to pay but the standard entry that we got will cost approx. £38/€45 and will include the complimentary silica mud mask. With a ’comfort’ ticket entry they will also supply you with a towel, a drink of your choice at the pool bar plus a second complimentary algae face mask. There are other options too which obviously cost more again so best off checking the website for their best deals. Prices also vary during the summer and winter months.

Afterwards we got some fish & chips and then made our way back to the airport but took a longer route to fit in some more site-seeing. On our map it showed that we were quite close to a dormant Volcano called Mount Keilir so we went in search of that and stopped for some photos.

| My Top Tips |

1. Rent a car. You cannot beat the comfort of having your own car and it is the easiest way to travel around. You also have the freedom and flexibility to go where you want, see what you want and stop when you want. The cost is very little especially if divided between a small group and what you pay in fuel will only be a fraction of the cost of the tours. Just make sure you have a good sat-nav – we would have been lost without ours, literally.

2. Be aware - Iceland is expensive. The currency is Icelandic Krona and £1 converts to approx. 140 isk or €1 approx. 121 isk. The price of pint at the hotel was 1300 isk which is approx. £9 and a double bailey’s was 2000 isk or £14.

3. Keep an eye on the aurora forecast while you are there for your best chances of seeing the Northern Lights, but don’t get your hopes up. I was 100% sure we would go to Iceland and see the lights and didn’t get a glimpse. It’s all dependent on various factors including, weather conditions, cloud cover, solar winds, geomagnetic activity and luck! A friend of mine went a few weeks after us and drove 4 hours North to see them and he did.

4. If you received vouchers to the blue lagoon or any other tour activity which were included in your package deal, make sure that you call and book your space before going. Vouchers are not tickets and if you’re not booked in they will turn you away.

5. The Blue Lagoon is located a bit out of the way but very close to the airport so it may be a good idea to go either on your first day after you arrive or on your last day. Lots of people we met had done the same on their first day.

6. Plan ahead – days are short in the winter so make sure you plan ahead to fit in as much as you can while there is daylight.

And there you have it guys. We have come to the end of my Icelandic adventure :) I am in awe of everything I got to see over the 3-4 days that we were there and even though I had expected Iceland to be beautiful my expectations were totally blown out of the water. The natural beauty is nothing short of amazing. That being said, there's only one thing left to say; If the opportunity ever arises, GO!