Our travels begin...

Yes we are, amazing descent!

Before we set off, we were told that nine out of ten couples split up when they go travelling together. An unlikely statistic so we thought, that was until we started writing a blog together…

Rob would have liked to give you a detailed account of his first experience with a Dyson Airblade V hand dryer in Leicester Forrest East services, and how he was pleasantly surprised by the price of a jacket potato at Cobham services on the M25. But that would be stupid and we’re not going to let him do that.

Halldor and Prestur singing an Icelandic howl

Instead, we can tell you that we’ve arrived in Iceland and it’s magical. In our first few days, we’ve seen some amazing scenery, spent lots of time inside a lava cave, and made some new friends at Fljotstunga, our host Halldor, fellow worker Chavo and Prestur, the singing dog.

Our new home is an isolated farm on the edge of a massive lava field with Iceland’s second largest glacier within view. The farm has seven cottages for travellers and is home to Iceland’s biggest lava cave Viogelmir.

Later this week, for the first time, we will be left on our own to look after the farm and guide tours of Viogelmir. We’ve been studying hard…

• The cave measures 150,000 cubic meters and is 1.5km long – big enough to fit 250 houses inside.

• Viogelmir was formed in the year 930, just after the first Vikings settled in Iceland, when three craters erupted creating a lava field 52 km long.

• Please be very careful when you’re walking on the loose lava stones, bending your knees will help you to balance.

• You must never touch the sides or the ceiling of the lava cave as the stalactites and stalagmites are very fragile and will never grow back if broken. 

• And if you look over here you will see the Ice Elf City, an amazing spectacle of ice stalagmites in which the Ice Elves make their home in the winter. 

I do hope you enjoyed your short tour of Viogelmir, that will be 2,500 Icelandic Krona please!

    During our time above the lava, we have already enjoyed some unique Icelandic experiences. We have walked on black sand, tasted the wonderful combination of raw and cooked onions on Icelandic hotdogs and learned that not all waterfalls flow from a river – in Iceland they can appear from cracks in the lava to create a 1km long spectacle like Hraunfossar. 

Hraunfossar

Of course, some things in Iceland are just like home. When the eight Icelandic horses that live on the farm escaped from their field on our first day, they came to visit us at the house – it was just like being at Louise’s mum’s.

Having made it through our first blog post, there’s a chance we could become the one out of ten couples that stay together. And we might even try to write another update soon…

Bless, xxx