The

The
raw beauty of Iceland is unlike anything I have ever
experienced. I wanted to take advantage of it every second I was
there. Travelling via camper van made this possible because our
home came with us everywhere we went. We weren’t chained to an
itinerary so could hike, eat, sleep and skinny dip whenever and
wherever we wanted. There was no reason to know the day of the
week, or check the time. It was life lived pure and simple.

Each morning we would wake up, make tea and oatmeal in the back
of our van (usually next to an epic waterfall or glacier lagoon),
pull back onto Route 1 and most likely stop within the hour for our
first adventure of the day. In May, the sun doesn’t start to set
until 11PM and it doesn’t get dark until around 1AM so our
excursions only came to a close when it became pitch black – we
simply couldn’t say no to exploring otherworldly landscapes while
any sliver of sun still shone. It was on our first night when we
were still sitting on a cliff overlooking the mighty Gulfoss at 2AM
with no one else in sight when we came up with the phrase ‘nature
never closes’. It became the mantra of our trip.

Some of our favourite moments include arriving at Jokulsarlon
during a breathtaking sunset; bathing in a dark and steamy
geothermal cave pool; stopping every five minutes to pet a horse,
lamb or reindeer; hiking and picnicking on the Vatanjokull glacier;
waking up to a dead battery at Skogafoss because I ran the heater
for too long the night before; and discovering the very best
cinnamon roll we’ve ever eaten.

Iceland taught us to live simply, minimally and close to the
Earth. It surprised us with its endless beauty; healed our achey
limbs in warm geothermal baths; took us to extremes with fire, ice,
and the strongest wind I have ever experienced; and it gave us days
of pure freedom in which everything stood still except for us and
our little home on wheels.

@likethecolor|
tealthomsen.com