Iceland, September 2019.
Following the last post, here are highlights #5-10 of our honeymoon trip.
冰島，2019年9月。
接著上一篇，這是我們蜜月旅行的 highlights #5-10。
Highlight #6
冰湖 & 鑽石海灘 / Glacier Lake & Diamond Beach
The same afternoon, we arrived at Jökulsárlón glacier lake. It was, undoubtedly, one of the most breathtaking sights I’d ever seen – majestic chunks of glacier ice floating in blue, calming waves…it’s so soothing to watch, I could sit there all day if it weren’t so cold.
當天下午，來到 Jökulsárlón 傑古沙龍冰河湖。一片蔚藍而平靜的湖水裡飄著白里透藍的浮冰，光是看著就讓人心沈澱。
The lagoon was formed by melted glacier water from Vatnajokull, which then washes out into the ocean, bringing chunks of ice onto the beach (hence the name “Diamond Beach”.)
這里的湖水來自瓦特納冰川的融水，再慢慢地匯入大海，所以旁邊的海灘里也有大大小小的浮冰，因此得名“鑽石沙灘”。
鑽石海灘上的黑沙
But this beautiful lagoon wasn’t always there. It was formed around 1920 when the glacier started melting at an accelerated speed, and in the past 40 years its area has increased over 50%, yet another alarming sign of global warming.
As our local guide said – the lagoon is very beautiful, but it’s very sad as well. While we admire this gorgeous pool of water, we also must reflect – what is it that we can do to protect the environment, to halt the disappearance of glaciers?
不過這片美麗的湖以前並不存在。大約從1920年開始，冰川開始加速融化才形成了 Jökulsárlón ，而在過去這40多年間冰湖的面積擴大了50% 以上，代表著令人心痛的事實 – 全球暖化正不停地加速冰川的融化。
正如當地向導所說：It’s very beautiful, but it’s very sad as well. 在面對這灘美麗湖水的同時，不禁讓人反思 – 有什麼是我們該做的，能夠保護環境，不要讓美麗的冰川消失呢？
Highlight #7
冰島小龍蝦這麼好吃！A Langoustine Feast
I was told to pack a solid supply of instant noodles to Iceland because the food there is expensive and not on the delicious side. Perhaps of this low expectation, I was pleasantly surprised by what I tasted on the island. There was even one restaurant that really blew my mind – Pakkhús in seaside town Höfn.
去過冰島的朋友都提醒我們一定要多帶泡麵，因為那裡的食物又貴又難吃。不知是否因為期待極低，我到了當地反而沒覺得有大家說的這麼糟糕，甚至還有一家令我非常驚艷的餐廳 – 在海港小鎮 Höfn 里的 Pakkhús。
The road from our hotel to the restaurant was so deserted that we wondered if anyone really lived in this town, so imagine our surprise when we stepped into the Pakkhús and found it completely packed! We were lucky to snatch the last table, and a waiting line formed soon after.
從酒店走到餐廳的一路上都非常清靜，讓我們一度懷疑這個小鎮里是否真的有住人。所以當踏入餐廳發現裡面完全客滿時（我們拿到了最後一張桌子，後面還開始排起了隊），那強烈對比感讓我們有點不知所措。
The langoustines here are absolutely heaven. We loved the roasted langoustine with garlic butter, though our neighboring table’s langoustine stewed in white wine butter also looked incredible – should’ve also ordered that instead of the lackluster salmon.
而且，這家的小龍蝦真的十分美味！我們選了比較能嚐到鮮甜原味的烤小龍蝦+蒜味黃油，不過隔壁桌點的白酒奶油烤小龍蝦看起來也非常誘人，早知道兩種都點了（我們選的另一份是鮭魚，比較普通）。
After dinner, a leisurely stroll by the ocean. Passed by two campers doing a picnic out on the hill, looking cold yet cozy at the same time.
飯後，沿著海邊散步回酒店。看見兩位 camper 在海邊的小野餐，感覺又寒冷又溫暖。
The mesmerizing light after sunset.
日落後的光，美得令人捨不得將視線移開。
Highlight #8
小鎮散步 / Small Town Charms
When our whale watching tour in Akureyri was cancelled last minute due to bad weather, we found ourselves with three extra hours. It was too early to check in to our hotel, and there wasn’t much to see in Akureyri itself, so we decided to drive North to Siglufjörður.
原本的計劃是在 Akureyri 阿克雷里參加賞鯨團，但可惜當日天氣不佳無法出海。突然空出的三小時，我們決定驅車往北，一路開到 Siglufjörður。
Siglufjörður is a tiny seaside village established on herring fishing back in the 1910s. We skipped the Herring Era Museum (which seems to be the only thing to visit here) and opted for a walk along the colorful houses, and eventually settled down at Sigló Hotel for its fire place, sea view, and hot lattes.
這是個靠捕捉鯡魚而興起的小小漁村，鎮上很多色彩繽紛的可愛屋子。意料之外地在這里發現了一家非常像樣的酒店 Sigló Hotel – 有暖爐，有海景，有熱咖啡…走累了，就來這里休息片刻吧。
There’s even an outdoor hot spring with a view.
入住酒店的話，還有室外溫泉可以泡呢。
前往 Siglufjörður 的路上，遇見開放小朋友玩的綿羊牧場。
On another note, the traffic light in Akureyri is heart-shaped. How lovely is that!
題外話，Akureyri 的紅燈是愛心形的，是不是太可愛了 😍。
If you are a fan of Walter Mitty, you might also want to visit Seyðisfjörður. The scene of the volcanic eruption was filmed here, and to reach this town you will also drive Route 93, where Walter Mitty did his skateboard trick!
除了 Siglufjörður，另一個值得探訪的小鎮是人口僅600多人的Seyðisfjörður。“白日夢冒險王” 里 Walter Mitty 就是在這里看到火山爆發的，而且去的路途上還能開到他溜滑板的93號公路哦。
白日夢冒險王拍攝地點
Siglufjörður 教堂前的彩虹磚頭路
Walter Mitty 的93號公路，我們也開過啦。
Highlight #9
各種火山 / Volcano Climb
After the glacier, it’s now time for the volcanos. The first we visited was Hverfjall (which hasn’t erupted since 4500 years ago), a rather steep but short climb of about 10-15 minutes. Being on this utterly dark mass was like being on another planet.
冰島是著名的“冰與火之國”，爬過冰川之後，該來看看火山了。第一個踏上的是 Hverfjall 惠爾火山，又被稱為 “偽火山口”，是座已經4500年沒有噴發的火山。上面連雜草都很少，一片黑漆漆的，似外星球般荒蕪…
Not too far from Hverfjall is Viti, a huge explosion crater about 300 metres in diameter. In contrast to the blackness of Hverfjall, Viti is filled with a gorgeous blue green lake.
在惠爾火山不遠處是 Krafla 克拉夫拉火山，這里的火山口湖 Viti 則有著迷人的藍綠色湖水。
Leirhnjuku right next to Viti is also worth a visit. This geothermal area is partly composed of a lava field that is still steaming 30 years after the last volcanic event.
旁邊的 Leirhnjukur 火山遺址也值得去走走。這里的大地滿目瘡痍，被硫磺熏得色彩斑斕，四處都冒著濃濃白煙，時不時還能看到翻滾著的岩漿泥。
An outdoor geothermal shower, why not?
不知誰在這里蓋了一個溫泉淋浴。
Passing through the geothermal plant en route to Viti and Leirhnjukur. Feels so surreal, like in a video game.
前往 Viti 和 Leirhnjukur 途中會經過地熱發電廠。是不是有種在電玩里的不真實感？
Highlight #10
如夢般的藍湖秘境 / Blue Lagoon, a dream.
We chose to end our trip at Blue Lagoon, the world’s largest outdoor hot spring. It was an exhausting 6-hour drive from our previous stop Akureyri, but well worth it for what we were about to experience.
To avoid the crowd, we stayed at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, a new hotel that just opened last year with its very own private lagoon, and 62 beautiful suites that blend into their natural surroundings.
在冰島的最後一站，我們來到藍湖 – 世界上最大的露天溫泉。距離上一站 Akureyri 車程將近6個小時，抵達時已累癱，但看到藍湖那美得令人屏息的藍，瞬間被療癒。
為了避開人潮，我們入住了去年才開幕的新酒店 – The Retreat at Blue Lagoon，不但有酒店客人獨享的私密溫泉，還有與自然環境融為一體的優雅套房。
Being Iceland’s first (and currently the only) five star luxury hotel, The Retreat comes with a rather hefty price tag. After some hesitation, we decided to splurge a bit and try it for one night, and completely fell in love with this unique experience!
這是冰島第一家（也是目前唯一一家）五星奢華酒店，整個酒店只有62間套房，可想而知價格不菲。我們在訂房時也猶豫了一下，但最後決定住一晚體驗看看。結果，完全愛上 😳。
The Retreat takes inspirations from its natural surroundings, employing shades of the moss, lava, and glacier as the main tones, linking the interior with the exterior to create a most harmonious flow. We chose the “Lagoon View Junior Suite” which offers a view of the calming blue water and green moss through floor to ceiling windows. The patio is perfect for sipping the morning coffee, some sunbathing in the afternoon, we even saw the Northern Lights for a second time from this spot.
The Retreat 用周遭豐富地景為靈感，取了苔原、熔岩、冰川色彩為主調，室內外景觀相呼應。在不同房型中，我們選了可以看到瀉湖的 “Lagoon View Junior Suite”。窗戶一望出去就是溫泉的藍和青苔的綠，早上坐在水邊喝杯咖啡、下午曬個太陽，晚上還非常幸運地在這里看到了極光。
With a view like this, it’s no wonder that no TVs are provided in the rooms.
有這樣的景觀，也難怪套房裡一律不提供電視。
The main draw of The Retreat is definitely its lagoon, which felt really private due to the limited number of guests at The Retreat (we were sometimes the only ones using it). To protect guest privacy, no personal phones and cameras are allowed in the hot spring and spa area, but the staff are more than happy to help you take photos. They are super sweet, know all the right angles, and will even switch between different shooting mode to get you the best shots.
由於 The Retreat 客人不多，泡溫泉時經常有包場的感覺，私密感滿分。為了保護客人隱私，在溫泉以及 spa 區內不能帶私人手機/相機，但服務人員可幫忙拍照。他們不但知道那裡角度最好，還會非常熱心地切換人像/遠景模式，拍出各種美照。
The Retreat also has a passage that leads to directly to the public Blue Lagoon, which the retreat guests can enter without queuing or extra fees. Though the public lagoon can get extremely crowded during peak hours, it is actually pleasantly empty early during the day.
The Retreat 也有直通大眾池的密道（無需排隊或另外付費），在一大早或者晚上關門前人不多時去，那煙霧繚繞的景象十分迷人。
Another detail that I loved about The Retreat is that you can wear the bathrobe everywhere (except in the fine dining restaurant) – to have breakfast, to visit the wine cellar, to read in the library…it’s as relaxing as being at home.
The Retreat 很棒的一點是在酒店裡無需穿正裝，不論是吃早餐、去酒窖、還是喝下午茶，都可以穿著浴袍到處逛，就像在家裡一般舒適自在。
There are countless little details that make The Retreat at Blue Lagoon a special place, read this post for more :)
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon 處處都是令人驚嘆的貼心細節，是我目前住過體驗最特別的酒店。由於篇幅關系，詳細的記錄我分開寫在這裡了。
And that was the end of our Iceland trip. It was an incredible 10 days of waking up to a wide-open horizon, of driving through mountains and fields, of climbing on to glaciers and volcanos, witnessing and fully absorbing the wonders of nature.
It was just what we expected, and much more.
冰島旅行，就這樣告一段落了。這十天里，每天醒來看到的是遼闊的平原，開車穿梭於壯麗的山和海之間，日行兩萬步爬上了冰川、火山、熔岩、苔原、瀑布…每天都豐盛到滿出來。
比我們所期待的，還要多出好多。
Iceland allowed for a temporary escape from the stress of city life, and opened our eyes to the possibility of another way of living. As we adjust back to our daily routine, we became more conscious in examining our daily routines – what is it really the kind of lifestyle that we want?
Indeed, the impact of Iceland lingers long after the trip ends. We can’t wait to be back again.
旅行的意義不單單是當下的感官享受，還有旅途中的所見所聞能給我們帶來什麼樣的改變。在冰島，我們暫時遠離令人喘不過氣的都市壓力，讓身心完全解放，迎接大自然的沖擊。即使回到熟悉的城市，也有意識地開始審視自己的日常 – 什麼樣的生活，是我們真正想要的？
冰島的後勁，我仍然感受著。