Natalia Boltneva

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I live in Moscow (Russia), traveled in Iceland twice (August and November 2018) as a solo traveler and planning several more trips for the simple reason I'm in love with this country and want to explore more of it. I don't drive and therefore always take guided tours.

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What to read before, during and after traveling to Iceland?

Natalia Boltneva

What to read before, during and after traveling to Iceland?

Hi all! I thought it would be useful to list some books about (or around) Iceland I read this year. Would like to hear your opinion on those, and I’d be grateful for any recommendations from you, so please share your book recommendations in the comments! Fiction Independent People by Halldór Laxness Classic and probably the most famous book written by Icelander, Nobel prize winner Halldór Laxness. The story of Bjartur, the farmer who fights for his independence. The character is controversial: respect for his struggle and stubbornness can be overshadowed by constant disrespect of the way

Natalia Boltneva

A day at the highlands

Hi all! Here is a small story of a fantastic super jeep tour to highlands I took with Gravel Travel in August 2018. I booked this tour as the last one for my 7-day trip considering it as a treat more than a must. Turned out this is one of the best tours during my stay. Jeep appeared on time at my hotel - a monster car! It has a claxon of a baby seal as I discovered later, what a mismatch. Driver aka guide got off to welcome me with a firm handshake and introduced himself as Thor (short for Þorkell). I sat in front (solo traveler priority!) which gave me great views, less shake on bumpy ro

Natalia Boltneva

Clothing for Iceland

This is not Iceland on the photo. This is Yakutsk in Siberia, Russia, and the girl's name on the photo is Nastya Gruzdeva. My name is Natalia and I was born and live in Moscow. Every time I go to Europe during winter in chilly weather they think I won't get cold because I'm Russian (thanks to such images of cool Siberian girls!). Let me assure you, I'm not that cold-proofed :-) The difference between winter in Moscow and in Iceland is the type of cold. Yes, we can have -25 or -30 degrees for several weeks in Moscow and down to -60 in Siberia, but we don't have such moist air, the rain tha

Lava Caves: Raufarhólshellir and Víðgelmir

Natalia Boltneva

Lava Caves: Raufarhólshellir and Víðgelmir

Hi all! For my November 2018 trip, I decided to go to lava cave, but there was a question which one to choose. It appeared there are plenty of them open for guided visiting and of course they all are different. If you struggle with the same problem, I recommend visiting at least two, just to compare. I'll tell you about my trips to Raufarhólshellir and Víðgelmir. Raufarhólshellir is very close to Reykjavik, it takes just 1 hour to get there. Usually, the transfers to and from the cave are operated on a big bus without additional commentary during the ride, so this tour is better to take wh

Glacier hiking at Skaftafell in November

Natalia Boltneva

Glacier hiking at Skaftafell in November

Hi all! Here is the story of the glacier hike I did in November 2018 at Skaftafell with Troll Expeditions. We arrived there around 14:00 with the small group of 9 people. Our guide took out the equipment: harnesses, helmets, crampons, axes and hiking boots for those who needed them. Suddenly one girl started getting nervous overthinking the whole thing. I guess what influenced her confidence is the huge advertisement on the equipment trailer; it's a picture of a guy hanging from a rope in the midst of a glacier climb. We tried to assure her this is not what she's going to do. Hiking is bas