Iceland Capades

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” — Anais Nin

This post comes from our friend and talented photographer/videographer, Michael James Murray.

Think about why you travel for a second. To me, it’s about embracing change and spontaneity. And what better way to do that than with a road trip. That’s the approach I took when I booked my recent trip to Iceland.

Iceland is a beautiful place with some of the most serene landscapes I’ve ever seen. I mentioned in my last post that Yosemite rivals as one of the more beautiful places I’ve been, which is true, but Iceland and Yosemite offer different perspectives. If you haven’t been, and you’re set on exploring the country, you can literally drive the entirety of Iceland in a week’s time. If you’re going in the winter like I did, remember that the north is a bit treacherous — you may opt to then stick to the southern coast.

I started my road trip in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital and most populous city. My friends and I explored local coffee shops, ate at little hole in the wall places with amazing food, but our time on the road was calling our name almost immediately.

Heading west, we ventured towards the western peninsula of Snaefellsnes, a beautiful snowscape of a place where I caught my first glimpse and experience of the Northern Lights in a small fishing village of Arnarstapi. I’ll be honest when I say that my friends and I screamed like children on Christmas morning when we saw the Auroras. The champagne may have also influenced the shrieking, but it was truly one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen.

 

From there, we made our way along the entire southern coast, driving hundreds of miles and stopping countless times to step out and take photos, other times just enjoying the passing landscapes from within the comforts of the car with music soundtracking the journey in the company of good friends.

Road trips are one of the few things that don’t require a set schedule. You may have an ultimate destination in mind but road trip philosophy encourages you to take the detour that you didn’t plan, to drive through the town you were supposed to sleep in, and allows you to stop the car at any given moment to simply get out and just look.

These moments change you, but they’re never forgotten, even when you’re back at your job the following Monday and wishing you were still out on your incredible adventure.

American novelist Pat Conroy may have put it best. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”

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