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Becca

A Week Of... No Social Media

A Week Of... No Social Media

I like to think I’m not addicted to social media – and if you compare my use of Facebook now to when I was a student, avoiding writing a 3,000 word essay on Middle English literature by desperately hitting refresh every five seconds.

However recently I’ve become aware that I'm spending too many evenings doing little more than sitting on my phone, consuming images and thoughts shared by friends, celebrities and complete strangers on various websites and apps.

This awareness coincided with me reading a couple of interesting and slightly worrying articles (including this Guardian piece) about the amount of time teenagers are now spending on social media - and the impact its having on their interaction with the wider world.

So for the second installment of my 'A Week Of...' series, I thought I'd try giving up Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, Bloglovin', LinkedIn and Timehop . Due to work and holiday, this write-up of my experience is a little late - as will become clear.

I start my social media drought on a Sunday evening, setting myself a challenge by posting one photo on Facebook and another on Instagram - which is the seemingly random image at the top of this blog post.

Usually, within minutes of posting a pic, I’m hitting refresh to see if anyone has liked it or added a comment. This time I’ll have to accept delayed gratification… of seven days.

I worry  the crumbling city made of couscous - part of the new Tate Modern exhibitions - is a visual metaphor for my plan....

Day 1

It’s amazing what form a challenge will appear. On Monday I popped into a well-known supermarket chain to buy a packet of mints, to find one packet would cost me 65p – or for 20p, I could have three packets of the same mints. Crazy pricing!

Immediate reaction? I-must-photograph-this-and-put-it-on-Twitter. Oh wait. I can’t.

Instead I went back to the office and told my colleagues the good news. One of them set out to buy his own mints, another questioned whether I’d be making these kind of fascinating announcements all week.

After work I drive a colleague to the train station to try and locate her lost cycling helmet - for the 10 minutes I wait in the car for her, I'm at a loss of what to do. It's times like this I usually scroll through Instagram, instead I catch up on the news.

Later in the pub, watching the Wales (and England) game, I remember a funny and relevant photo my friend had stuck on Facebook a few days beforehand - I go to take my phone out my bag, then realise my mistake. Instead I describe the photo, badly.

Day 2

I spend five minutes rearranging all of my social media apps into a folder on my phone, to stop me absent-mindedly opening SnapChat. Putting in a second level of screen tapping actually seems to help break the habit.

A colleague suggests replacing mindless scrolling through Instagram with mindless strolling through the BBC News app is cheating. I vaguely agree.

Day 3

Facebook is pretty much the only way I communicate with my running club, when I'm not physically with them. They have a great page which keeps members up to date with all kinds of happenings - including what time the Wednesday track session is happening each week.

To find this out I have to text my running friend Charlotte and ask her to check the page for me. In the end I decide to spend my evening elsewhere, but it's a good job she texts back or I could've had an hour long wait on the track.

Day 4

Having worked away in Oxford all week with the distraction of other people, Thursday sees me working alone at home. It's now I realise how social media has been fuelling my procrastination - without it I have a super productive day, with no online diversions.

Thursday is also referendum voting day. Which becomes much more interesting...

Day 5

... on Friday, when I wake up to the news that Britain had voted to leave the EU. 

I could only imagine how social media had exploded. Instead I was glued to Radio 4 and the BBC News website.

The news is a lot to take in, and weirdly I feel quite relieved to not have an overwhelming avalanche of opinions (in 40 characters or less) to absorb too. Instead I talk in more detail to friends and family through texts, phone and in person.

Day 6

It's the weekend and time for the beautiful wedding of my friends Naomi and Isaac (see photos by Matt above - including a shot of the cake Elle made!)

The reception venue had no phone signal at all - which would be fine if my boyfriend, Paul was not joining the wedding late due to competing at the British Championships (good excuse).

However in order to check the results and arrange picking him up later, I need to get onto the wifi - which required liking the pub's Facebook page! Luckily the barman was happy to bypass this step by tapping in the password for me, thus avoiding social media.

Day 7

The final day. Nothing much to report - the day is spent having a lie-in, walking my parents dog (and swapping wedding stories with my parents), eating massive chicken sandwiches and listening to The Smiths on repeat.

In the evening I end the social media fast, and realise I've actually missed very little in terms of notifications. I only feel a bit bad that I've seemingly ignored a comment under one of the photos I posted this time last week.

Week conclusion

It's been a couple of weeks since my "no social media diet" - and I genuinely think I'm using Facebook and Instagram (my big two) a lot less than before and it took me a good few days to even think about opening Twitter, SnapChat or Time Hop.

I found the week itself a lot easier than I thought, but it did highlight to me how much I'd been using the apps on my phone to procrastinate - a bad habit I'm keen to break.

Having said that, I'm not it up for good. Firstly, it's pretty important to stay connected for my work, but secondly, I think there's people I would genuinely lose contact with - which would be sad.

So I'm planning to focus my social media usage on enhancing my "real" life, while doing less of the procrastinating.

Are you a little bit obsessed with your social media accounts or have you no interest? Let me know in the box below.... (you might need to click right into the post to see it!)

 

A Week Of... Vegan Food

A Week Of... Vegan Food

I'll admit it - I'm a sufferer of FOMO (that's 'fear or missing out'). It's in my nature to constantly  seek out new experiences, to be fascinated by other people's passions and lifestyles, and wonder how my life would be if I could just do more or less of a certain activity.

So in order to practically satisfy some of my ponderings without completely overhauling my life permanently,  I've decided to try out a few things within a limited time-frame. A week, to be precise.

First on my list: how easy would I find a week of eating a vegan diet? The rules: No animal products in my food (that includes meat, dairy, eggs and honey)

Day 1

Breakfast: Porridge made with oats and water, cooked with raspberries and topped with strawberries and almonds. Black coffee.
Lunch: Avocado and chili flakes on toast, with tomatoes and an apple.  
Dinner: Falafel burgers (recipe here), humus, harissa-spiced couscous, flatbread, roast vegetable skewers. Cocoa-peanut butter "ice-cream".
Snacks: Pear. Peanut butter (eaten off a spoon, obvs). Iced coffee with almond milk. Tea with almond milk..

Yesterday I was super excited about starting my vegan adventure. Fast-forward to 8am on Sunday and it's a different story when I add unsweetened almond milk to my coffee for the first time and promptly pour it down the sink  and declare "Life without milk is miserable!". Possible a  little premature/ridiculous a response,  likely born out of nerves. At 10.30am I have a six-mile race - the first time I've taken part in a Leicestershire Road Running League event.

Lunch is a much better, much calmer affair. I'm always happy when there's avocado involved - even if I'm missing the additional, perfectly-poached eggs topping my boyfriend's serving. The successes continue - I discover that the almond milk works much better in iced coffee (or perhaps I'm just getting used to the taste).

It's a hot day and the smell of barbecues drifts into my garden all afternoon. I get searching online and come across a simple recipe on the Minimalist Baker for baked falafel burgers - which are tasty, if a little dry (I've never been able to get falafels right). Afterwards while Paul, the boyfriend, munches on triple-chocolate cookies, I whizz up a frozen banana with cocoa powder and peanut butter - which tastes excellent.

 

Day 2

Breakfast: Overnight oats made with almond milk, grated pear and cinnamon, topped with coconut "yoghurt" and strawberries. Black coffee.
Lunch: Seaweed hummus, tomatoes and peppers in a sourdough cob from Modern Baker. Carrot sticks and a banana.
Dinner: Vegetable and bean chilli, with rice and nachos, plus an undressed side salad at The Plough. Mint tea.
Snacks: Almonds. Rice cakes. Tea with almond milk.

It's an easy start to the morning, having prepared our breakfasts last night. I'm actually putting a lot more thought and effort into making my food than usual - unlike Elle, I am not an enthusiastic cook and too easily fall into the trap of cooking the same meals over and over without thought for alternatives. We eat breakfast while discussing the ethics of being a consumer - deep stuff for the morning.

This is the first day I have to ask a stranger, "Is this vegan?". I'm working in Oxford today and grab a takeaway lunch from Modern Baker when I arrive. Their sourdough cobs (that's rolls for non-East Midlanders) are just so good - last week I went their two days in a row for exactly the same lunch - an aubergine, tomato and brazil pesto combo. Unfortunately this turns out not to be vegan... so I instead opt for the seaweed hummus. Not such a fan, but the bread is still incredible.

For dinner my team decide to head to The Plough - from their website I see they cater for vegetarians, but how about vegans? I give them a call...  "We can do veggie chilli without cheese... wait... is olive oil okay?" Yes it is. Later at the pub after placing our orders, the pub chef comes out to the beer garden to double-check if I'm happy with undressed salad. He also refers to me as a "food terrorist" - although his friendly manner means I don't take massive offence, especially when he follows it up with "It's up to you what choices you make". This sparks another deep conversation, exploring the various ethical and environmental factors that may influence a switch to veganism - which makes me realise how complicated the world is. I sleep very well.

 

Day 3

Breakfast: Porridge made with water, fresh and dried fruit. Black coffee.
Lunch: Mix of veggie bits from a salad bar - including avocado, roasted carrot and freekeh. A banana.
Dinner: A selection of vegan food from Tibits buffet. Peanut butter ice-cream and chocolate and beetroot ice-cream from Yorica!
Snacks: Almonds. Coffee with almond milk. Fresh mint tea.

Buffet breakfast in your standard hotel is not a vegan dream - animal products seem to be slipped into the most simple seeming dishes. On the upside, it's stopping me falling into the usual trap of overindulging. I'd hoped to grab lunch between two meetings, but it wasn't to be. Luckily the second was in the BBC Media Cafe, who had an excellent salad spread.

After work I headed straight out for coffee with my friend JT, who was keen to take me to try out a slightly unusual cafe - a former underground men's loo called The Attendant. The brilliance of the location made up for my sad-vegan moment of the day - for some reason the almond milk curdled in my Americano. Luckily the fresh mint tea which followed was much more appetising.

Dinner was with another friend, Bindi, who was well up for visiting the vegetarian restaurant Tibits who just so happened to have Vegan Tuesdays. It's a buffet style restaurant, where the price you pay is based on the weight of your plate. After a few days of studying ingredient lists for anything I put in my mouth, it was refreshing to just choose whatever I wanted from a large selection of dishes, without worry. Our slightly cautious response to not emptying our bank accounts at the plate weigh-in had an upside - space for pudding! After a quick online search, Bindi pulled up a winner - a "free-from" ice-cream parlor, with an entirely vegan menu. Tucking into "peanut butter" (actually toasted soy) and "chocolate" and beetroot "ice-cream" with fake Oreos on top, we both couldn't get over we weren't experiencing the real thing. London - probably unsurprisingly - is the place to be if you want to eat out as a vegan.

 

Day 4

Breakfast: Porridge made with water. Fresh and dried fruit and seeds. Black coffee.
Lunch: Avocado, carrot and harissa hummus wrap from Benugo. Carrot and cucumber sticks. Grapes and blueberries.
Dinner: Hip, Humble & Healthy salad box from Itsu. Muesli with raspberries and almond milk.
Snacks: Tea with soya or almond milk. Banana. Almonds.

It's become clearly apparent I'm a creature of habit when it comes to my breakfast routines as a vegan (to be fair, this is probably true when I'm not on a plant-based diet too - I'm already thinking a future 'A Week Of...' will involve trying out new recipes to start the day). Wednesday consisted of an inspiring but tiring training course, in a windowless basement room - so imagine my delight, when in the first break I discovered the canteen at Broadcasting House had soya milk for my tea! 

Lunch was on a tight schedule, so I nipped out and grabbed a takeaway wrap - very tasty, and supplemented by extra veg and fruit. My dinner was a bit of a shambles. Whenever I'm in London for work it's pretty inevitable I'll end up at Itsu where I'll always buy the same meal. Luckily this meal turns out to be, in the words of the guy who served me, "super vegan". It wasn't however, super filling. By the time I travelled from London Paddington to New Street Birmingham, I was in need of something to stop my stomach grumbles. My solution? Buying a box of muesli and a carton of almond milk, which I ate in my hotel room, out of a cup, in my PJs. The luxury of hotel living. I'm not proud.

 

Day 5

Breakfast: Porridge made with water topped with berries and nuts. Fresh fruit. Black coffee.
Lunch: Jacket potato and a salad bar mix.
Dinner: Mushroom, puy lentil and butterbean burger in wholemeal cob, with onions. Sweet potato wedges, corn on the cob, salad. Chocolate covered strawberry ice-cream.
Snacks: Coffee and tea with almond/soya milk. Mixed fruit pot. An apple. Almonds.

No surprises about hotel breakfast - although the berries were a bonus. I was hoping to head out into Birmingham to one of the vegan-friendly cafes I'd researched, but time-constraints we were restricted to another BBC canteen. Jacket potato and a mix of salad - nothing to write home about.

I'm at Paul's for dinner, and after some unfocused wandering around the supermarket (as per usual) we decide to test out some pre-made "processed"  vegan offerings in the shape of mushroom and bean burgers, and vegan ice-creams. The main meal is a success, especially the sweet potato chips, but I'm not a fan of the ice-creams which just taste a bit fake. At least this prevents me eating two. It's probably at this point in the week I start to get increasingly grumpy about not having "a proper cup of tea".

 

Day 6

Breakfast: Porridge made with water topped with blueberries, almonds and a sprinkling of muesli. Coffee with soya milk.
Lunch: A brown cob.  Salted popcorn. A banana and apple.
Dinner: Sweet potato and spinach dhal (recipe here) with a wholemeal pitta. Strawberries, mixed nuts and a Nakd Cocoa Delight bar.
Snacks: Strawberries and almonds. Coffee and tea with almond milk.

Sorry for the slightly disgusting photo of my morning coffee, but I want to bring you some of the realities of my week - one of the mysteries of this week is why milk-substitutes occasionally do this to hot drinks, but the rest of the time mix quite easily. Odd.

My lunch is probably the least interesting of the week - I'm on the move when I suddenly get a bit light-headed and decide I need some food pronto. Unfortunately, after circling it three times, I realise the small-supermarket I'm passing doesn't have any vegan-friendly grab and go food. So I literally just eat a bread roll - followed slightly later by fruit and popcorn. Determined to make up for this let-down, I research a super-tasty recipe for dinner. I will absolutely be making this dhal recipe from BBC Good Food again! 

 

Day 7

Breakfast: Cinnamon porridge made with water topped with pear, strawberries and blueberries. Coffee with rice milk. Then black.
Lunch: Leftover dhal with a pitta bread. Black coffee.
Dinner: Tagliatelle Pepe E Zucchini (with gluten-free pasta) at Don Leone
Snacks: Chai

Of all the milk substitutes I've tried this week, rice milk is right at the bottom of the list. After my first taste, my hot drinks for the rest of the day are drank black. Lunch is simply the last of the dhal from last night (Paul has scrambled eggs and I genuinely feel like I've got the better deal).

In the evening we head to Leicestershire Cricket Ground to see Elton John in concert, along with my mum - but before that we go out for dinner. I ring ahead to Don Leone's to check they cater for vegans, yet there's still a little confusion over what I can eat when we arrive. Watching mum and Paul tuck into incredible looking goats cheese pizzas, I can't help but feel a little hard done by with my gluten-free pasta. It provides decent fuel to Crocodile Rock dancing, at least.

 

Week conclusion

It's been a mixed week of meal successes, but on the whole it's been a positive experience. Apart from a few jokes at my expense from family and friends (which I expected, largely due to the faddy nature of my experiment!), I found people pretty receptive to my dietry requirements - even if they were occasionally a little confused about what a vegan diet actually consists of (see Bindi's question below for my favorite example of this!). It's really made me appreciate how much of my "flexitarian" diet actually includes animal products, but also how removing them doesn't necessarily mean a healthier, cleaner lifestyle. I fully appreciate it's been my choice, but I definitely think I've consumed more processed foods this week than usual - largely through milk substitutes. In fact, milk was the only thing I can say I genuinely missed and couldn't wait to have again.

Meal of the week: Spinach and sweet potato dhal
Pudding of the week: Ice-cream from Yorica!
Vegan-friendly location of the week: London
Question of the week: "Is kosher salt vegan?"

Why We Love... Kasabian

Why We Love... Kasabian

We've talked plenty in recent weeks, on and off-line, about our Leicester pride. Our home city has been buzzing since the football win and celebrations continue this weekend with a couple of hastily organised gigs at the LCFC stadium, headlined by locals Kasabian.

Tonight's gig is a big deal for the band. Yes, they've done Glastonbury - but this is the first time they'll be performing at the home of the club they've supported all their lives. No jumping on the bandwagon here.

I think it's fair to say we're both big fans. I've seen them perform live a fair few times now, three (soon four!) dancing alongside Elle.

Most recently we were lucky to see their surprise set at the Premier League victory parade (see video below), where we full-on sprinted across Victoria Park towards the stage as the band launched unannounced into their first song.

But it also includes that one time we pretty much on a whim - after watching them headline their own festival five minutes from my house - bought tickets to see them in Amsterdam. It turned out we weren't the only LE-postcoders who'd made the journey.

So why do we love them? Well, as I'm now getting a bit too excited to write in full paragraphs, here's a short list...

  • Their music is great and very much "them" - it's instantly recognisable and instantly makes me feel upbeat and want to jump around the room
  • Despite this, I can't honestly claim the band are on my "most-listened-to" list - BUT they are in my "most-seen-live" list, because they just put on such a brilliant show. I will always see Kasabian, Elbow and Laura Marling on tour.
  • In fact, one of these instances probably tops my "best-gigs-ever" list, when I saw them in a hollowed out Boeing 747 - I genuinely had fears for the strength of the plane floor!
  • They love Leicester as much as we do - they could've moved anywhere in the world, yet it's not uncommon to bump into any one of them in the street. Lead-singer Tom once literally ran into me at my local Sainsburys
  • Not only this, but they share the local accent with the rest of the world - we will both be pulling onour Serge inspired Les-tah tshirts tonight (okay, I'm already wearing it)
  • Finally - their track Fire is the best accompaniment I can ever imagine to the end credits to one of my favourite documentary films - TT3D: Closer to the Edge (don't be put off by the motorbikes if you Google it - you don't need to be a fan, I'm not)

If you're going, have an amazing time and let us know how you find it - if we don't see you there!

Travel: Positano

Travel: Positano

This time last year, five friends flew out of rainy London to spend five days enjoying the beautiful town of Positano, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

I’m starting this post in fairytale style, because that’s sort of how it felt – full of stunning scenery, lovely sunshine and completely stress free.

I’d say the holiday could pretty much be divided into – eating, climbing steps, messing about on/in the sea, reading, playing cards, absorbing sunrays.

We stayed in a large AirBnB apartment with a seaview veranda, which was pretty close to everything we needed and was owned by an Italian guy who sounded more British than us!

I wanted to share a few photos with you, as well as a few recommendations for things to do an eat – my only regret of the whole holiday was not thinking ahead and hiring a vintage Fiat 500.

DO…

  • Hire a pedalo: When we looked back over the holiday, all agreed a big highlight was the hour we spent on the pedalo we hired from an old guy on Spiaggia del Fornillo – it was equal mix sunbathing, taking the slide into the sea, and (perhaps a little cruelly) pedalling away at speed from whoever had just entered the water!

  • Take a boat to Bagni d’Arienzo: For just 8 euros a small boat will take you to and from this private beach, just 5 minutes along the coast, and you’ll secure a sun bed for the day. That’s if the boat doesn’t break down! We ended up taking a water taxi – and pretty much had the beach to ourselves as a result. Sunshine + a good book + cocktails delivered to your sunbed + dips in the sea = bliss. When the skies turned grey, we decided to walk back – and earn our afternoon pizza!
  • Use your legs: Part of Positano’s beauty, is the way the buildings all stack up on each other over the beaches – but this also means lots of steps wherever you go. The locals must all have the most incredibly toned legs. Putting in a little effort to walk to places was definitely worth it though – for example Spiaggia del Fornillo had a much prettier and less crowded beach than the main Spaggia Grande – and the walk to it was a visual joy
  • Meet the locals: On our last night, walking back from dinner, we were attracted by loud music and followed our ears to what seemed to be a party in a hotel car park. A party which seemed to be almost exclusively made up of Italians, who were handing out endless trays of food which seemingly appeared from nowhere. Feeling intrigued but a little like gatecrashers, it was great when the woman manning the drinks table called me over and offered us all a beer, for free – explaining that this was the town’s mayoral election party but of course we were welcome to join in. So we did – even having a dance to the upbeat band (who played our favourite song – see below!) and applauding the candidate, even though we had no idea what he was saying!

EAT…

Food probably took up 90% of our time – when we weren’t actually eating it, we were thinking about it

And we were so enthusiastic about getting tucked into piles of silky pasta and scoops of creamy gelato… that I barely took any photos of our culinary adventures!

So, in text, here’s our foodie highlights…

  • Casa e Bottega: (pictured above) a homeware store and organic cafe in one, we had breakfast here on our first morning (my fruit, granola and yoghurt was so light and fresh, and I heard satisfied grumbles from those who opted for poached eggs and spinach) I went back for lunch one afternoon when the others were off elsewhere and had the most amazing salad – smoked mozerella, courgetti, sundried tomatoes, yum
  • Da Vincenzo: recommended by the owner of the apartment we stayed in, we ate here on our first evening and were in no way disappointed. The complimentary mini, deep-fried goats cheese calzone we were given was described by more than one of the party as ‘the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth’.
  • Ristorante Saraceno d’Oro: we ate here twice, not only for the incredible food (a place to get great pizza) but for the brilliant atmosphere. We sat outside both evenings and were treated to super friendly service plus the bonus of being entertained by the lively Balkanic Jazz band – we perhaps got a little overexcited when they sang our song of the holiday Tu Vuo Fa L’Americano (you might know it from the film version of The Talented Mr Ripley!)

PS. The catalyst for us taking the holiday was built around our friend Matt Horan being booked to shoot a wedding there – you can see his stunning photos HERE!

Why I Love... Records

Why I Love... Records

Today is Record Store Day - an import from America, celebrating the independent music shops and the traditional vinyl records they sell. In past years I've joined the brave souls at 4am in the morning, queuing to get their hands on some of the exclusive titles released to mark the day. Not this year - I value my sleep too much.

But I do get it. After all, I was born to be a lover of records. My dad is an avid record collector and listener. It's a passion I've been exposed to and eventually embraced - despite a temporary wobble in faith.

Through most of my childhood my mum worked weekends, which meant lots of daddy-daughter time - searching through the local papers for table top and garage sales, driving across town to a community centre and sweeping through the hall spotting battered boxes of unloved albums to flick through at speed, before jumping back in the van to seek out the next potential vinyl treasure - crucially, before any of his rival collectors.

Hopefully we'd return home with at least a couple of purchases and, as we munched on cheese cobs, I'd pull out the huge volume of the Record Collector guide as dad examined the record - calling out the label, pressing, condition. At the age of 11 I understood the nuances of the Dark Side of the Moon cover-art and the evolution of the Pink Island label design.

And then I went to high school and became a teenager. More exposed to the modern pop and RnB artists my classmates listened to, I started spending my pocket money on cassette tapes of chart music - Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears. My mini hifi, with it's record player top, was replaced with a super compact CD player and my Monkees vinyl albums hibernated in my wardrobe.

I never rejected the 60s and 70s music I'd grown up with - I still enjoyed listening to whatever dad was playing (although he does always like to remind me I was told him to turn off Bob Dylan "because he can't sing"). But no-one else I knew in early-00's teenage Leicestershire was listening to prog rock on old media - it was increasingly all about digital and the records thing was for people my parents age.

How things change. It seems vinyl is back in fashion. Which is not the reason I fell back in love with the idea of having my own record collection, but makes things seriously easier now I have. I'm not sure what it was for me - but I'm glad I've gone full circle.

My hifi system has gradually come together over the past five years, completely thanks to dad's amazing ability to track down vintage amps, decks and speakers seemingly from thin air. 

So now we're both record collectors  - although we do differ. Dad loves the music, but he also loves knowing he has the finest example of a first pressing he can find. For me, I'm happy if the record plays and the cover largely stays together when I remove it from the bookcase.This works out pretty well for me. I've become the proud owner of many of his seconds over recent years. 

I'm in no way a vinyl purist. Let's face it, it's not the most convenient medium of listening. Throughout the week I listen to 6Music through my digital radio,  I'm plugged into Spotify on my phone, and of course I still have a shelf full of CDs (although Britney has sadly gone to the charity shop).

But I get real joy from flicking through my ever growing collection of records on a Sunday morning, pouring over the covers of old favourites or taking a chance on something new - and dancing round my dining room as the tunes eminent from my wooden-clad Rogers speakers.

 

PS - Here's a really interesting video from the BBC website about a vinyl record factory

Travel: 5 days in Iceland

Travel: 5 days in Iceland

Iceland seems to be one of those holiday destinations that recent-returners absolutely rave about. The only negative reported back seems to be "it's expensive", but always swiftly followed by, "but worth it!"

So post-Christmas, when most Brits are seeking out some winter sun, my boyfriend and I instead decided to hop over to Iceland for a five night self-drive break- to see what all the fuss is about. 

How did we find it? Read on...

Blue Lagoon

DAY 1: THE BLUE LAGOON

Touted as the must see attraction in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa - and was a brilliant introduction to our holiday. We spent three hours exploring the vast open air pool, applying silica mud masks and drinking from the submerged bar, as the sun went down and the steam rose from the hot water.

We'd read reviews saying the place could feel overcrowded, but that definitely wasn't our experience - at times it felt like we were the only one's there. A beautifully surreal experience.

Where we stayed... and ate...

Despite the name, we unfortunately weren't lucky enough to spot the Aurora Borealis while staying atThe Northern Lights Inn, however we did enjoy the real novelty of sleeping on a geothermal power plant surrounded by volcanic rock - and the convenience of being based right next to the Blue Lagoon. We were pretty much a captive audience for dinner, but luckily the hotel restaurant, Max's served up delicious fish and veggie dinners.

DAY 2 & 3: Reykjavik

What we did...

Reykjavik is definitely a city to be seen on foot - it's pretty small for a start. Due to time-restraints and the weather, we didn't make it to all of the places we'd like to have visited, but here's a few of our highlights...

  • A walking tour - it was absolutely freezing on the morning we joined the walking tour around Iceland's capital, but it says a lot about his knowledge and humour that we stuck it out to the end (and believe me, I was very close to disappearing into the nearest shop at any moment). The great thing is, the tour - which takes you past many of the city's key historical landmarks and is full of fascinating trivia - works on a pay-what-you-can basis. Our favourite fact: a large proportion of Icelanders won't deny the existence of elves (see here for a brilliant example of this) 

  • The frozen lake - obviously this won't be the case if you visit in the height of summer, but it was pretty cool/unnerving to walk across what appeared to be a snow covered field - until you got to the very edges and saw the swimming swans...

  • Hallgrimskirkja- definitely make the time to appreciate Iceland's large church - and the views from the top of its tower - from all angles. It really is all quite impressive and possible the best thing we saw in the city.

  • Yoga - yes, really. On a spontaneous whim, we signed up to an hour long yoga class at a very small (there was just room for four attendees!) studio close to where we were staying - 101 Yoga. The instructor kindly switched between Icelandic and English for us - as we could just about follow the counting, but definitely not translate the 'down dogs' and 'cobras'!

Where we stayed...

I'm a big fan of AirBnB - I love the idea of borrowing a temporary home in a foreign place, especially as I often find myself exploring a neighbourhood outside the main tourist areas. Kiddi's apartment was comfortable and warm - and located directly opposite one of the city's public swimming baths. Like most in Iceland it had outside geothermically heated pools, which we enjoyed one evening alongside groups of chatting locals.

Where we ate...

  • Svarta Kaffid - soup served in a bowl hollowed out from a whole loaf of bread - both the meat and veggie options were absolutely delicious, and absolutely too big a challenge to finish!
  • Glo - a largely veggie restaurant (with vegan and raw options) where you choose you main dish, followed by three sides - definitely my kind of eating!
  • K-Bar - a Korean restaurant and bar with an interesting fusion of foods on offer 
  • Reykjavik Roasters - very cool to sip a cup of delicious coffee while watching a guy roast a the next batch of beans right in front of you, and I thoroughly recommend their Swiss mocha - super tasty and just a little bit indulgent.

DAY 4 & 5: The Golden Circle

We'd decided from the start that we'd wanted to hire a car to explore some of the island, but after reading a number of travel forums and blogs which warned of crazy winter road conditions - one dramatically claiming it was "suicide" for holiday makers to tackle them - we decided to scale back our ambitions slightly. We settled on hiring a 4x4 for two days, to cover the popular tourist route The Golden Circle - which we figured should be pretty safe as most coach tours do the whole thing in one long day.

On the morning we picked up the car our hostel for that night sent us an email to warn us that if we were unlikely to arrive by 1pm, not to bother trying as the roads were set to close due to a snow storm. So, taking on as much local advise as we could, we took to the road - sadly by-passing some of the sights we'd planned to stop at - to safely reach our destination. All I can say is I'm glad Paul drove that first day, and our hire car had studded tyres.

We still enjoyed that day, and filled the next with site-seeing - but definitely a lesson  in how different Iceland's weather is to the UK. Here's some highlights...

What we did...

  • Fontana - the roads were closed for almost 24 hours, which meant we shared this outdoor spa with very few other people. It was quite an odd experience being almost entirely submerged in a 40 degree geothermal bath while our heads were out in winds of 40mph!
  • Geysir - the actual geysir, which all others are named after, only blows after volcanic activity - so I'm pretty glad we didn't see it. Plus the smaller Strokkur is still an impressive and strangely mesmerising natural wonder - reaching heights of up to 30m, around every 10 minutes. I never expected us to watch it bubble and explode so many times.
  • Gullfoss - the 'Golden Waterfall' was another impressive natural attraction, falling over two stages - and we were lucky to see a beautiful rainbow shimmering over it in the sunshine.

  •  Hveragerdi - we actually only stopped in the town's little shopping mall here to grab a coffee and a cake, but discovered a small but fascinating exhibition about the earthquake they suffered in 2008 - and the ancient fissure under its foundations.

Where we stayed... and ate...

We both agreed that Heradsskolinnd hostel in Laugarvatn was our favourite accomodation of the holiday. The former school has been wonderfully renovated to incorporate much of the old classroom furniture, library books and educational posters, giving a really cool vintage feel to the place. We had a private double room with a shared bathroom and showers - which was not a problem at all. And they served great dinner and breakfast in their restaurant, which was next to a really nice lounge area which felt really cosy and snug - especially knowing we were essentially snowed in!

IN CONCLUSION...

The five days flew by and I can absolutely see the appeal - absolutely stunning scenery, good food, wonderful natural attractions...

Yes, it's a little pricey and definitely not a shopping destination because of that - BUT I genuinely can't wait to go back and explore more, perhaps next time, in the summer!

Have you been to Iceland? How did you find it and what would you recommend for my return visit?