June-July 2021

A subarctic society.

Iceland is surely one of the world's most photogenic nations. But it comes at a price: the weather is horrific. In the three weeks we spent there in summer 2021, had around 11 hours of total bright sunshine. It's a near-constant sideways rain with gusty winds and eye-tearing cold most days. Your outerwear will be soaked nearly daily, and it's a struggle to get it to dry. Equally bad are the prices: we couldn't afford any hotels, and camped literally every night. The tent was constantly wet, and it can be a struggle to find the motivation to keep traveling this rugged country.

The best way to get out of the weather here is to go underground. We spent several days exploring the extensive lava tube caves in the SW of the country.

That said, the people are some of the friendliest in the world. When we were hitchhiking, a local man literally gave us his car to use and asked that we simply return it a few weeks later.

And the landscapes... only photos can capture the majesty of these northern mountains, desolate coasts, and midnight sun. It's a special kind of place.