Postcard of the Week: The Northern Lights in Iceland
I sincerely apologise for not extolling the virtues of Iceland on this blog sooner! It’s been a whole three months since my trip to Iceland and there is simply so much to write that I haven’t known where to begin! I’ll start with this postcard in the meantime. This is Hotel Rangá, in the south of this snowy, white country, located on the banks of a beautiful little river in the absolute middle of nowhere. Usually this location would be an utter no-no in my book. Why stay in a hotel that’s an hour’s drive to any sights? Well, Hotel Rangá’s location is actually its main appeal, as it’s far from the light pollution of cities. All the better for seeing the Northern Lights with! It claims to be the best place in Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis and it has a dedicated star-gazing hut and wooden sunbeds outdoors to recline on while watching this hypnotic light display. Apparently it’s also the most luxurious hotel in all of Iceland so we completely lucked out in staying there!
The Northern Lights however are by no means guaranteed to make an appearance, but obviously that’s what everyone is hoping for… We spent 4 anxious nights at Hotel Rangáand only on the final night did we see these beautiful green apparitions we’d been hoping for. To be perfectly honest, it was more a sense of relief to have seen them than pleasure in seeing them! Oh the effects of the modern-day obsession with bucket lists…
Below is a photo of the Northern Lights we saw, which I still found very impressive! Green is the most common colour to see, with pink and purple being far rarer. The rest of the holiday actually beat seeing the Northern Lights, and I have plenty more to write about Iceland. I was travelling with 12 others, family and family friends, and it was honestly one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. Perhaps because I didn’t know what to expect? In any case, Iceland is getting seriously popular with travellers so keep any eye out for my blog posts about Iceland.
Have you seen the Northern Lights? Which colours did you see and what did you think?
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About The Well-Travelled Postcard
Welcome! I'm Virginia, a travel blogger from the UK, graduate of MA European Politics and BA European Languages, serial expat, and travel is an utterly fundamental part of who I am. I hope to inspire you to get out and explore the world, through helping you find opportunities to travel, work, study and live abroad, and by sharing some of the amazing places I’ve encountered so far! Click here to find out more...
Where are you dreaming of jetting off to next?
Follow me on Instagram at @VStuartTaylor
New blog post! The big annual recap is finally up: covering all my trips in 2019 as well as the personal goals and milestones I reached, and the lessons I learned. This is possibly my favourite blog post to write each year as I love reflecting on all the memories and best moments!
I'm also keen to hear where you loved travelling to most, and what big moments the year held for you? What were your big lessons learned?
Looking back on 2019: Travels, Milestones and Lessons Learned
https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2020/01/12/looking-back-on-2019-travels-milestones-and-lessons-learned/ (link in bio)
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#travelblogger #travel #2019travel #newblogpost #instatravel #igtravel #travelgram #travelblog
New blog post! This one actually isn't related to travelling in the slightest, instead it's a guide to the wonderful part of London in which I live, called Earlsfield! It's sandwiched in between its more famous cousins, Clapham and Wimbledon, and is a fantastic base to live in between travels! Take a read and share with anyone looking for a nice leafy part of London to explore 🌳🏡
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8 reasons why Earlsfield is a great place to live in London
https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2019/12/31/8-reasons-why-earlsfield-is-a-great-place-to-live-in-london/
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#Earlsfield #Wandsworth #London #SW18 #SW19 #SWLondon #placetolive #home #londonparks #terracedhouse #southfields #LDN #Londoner #property #leafy
Looking back on 2019: a major highlight of my year was finally graduating with Distinction ‘cum laude’ from a Masters in European Politics, Society and Culture at @UniversityofGroningen & @UppsalaUniversity, three whole years after first stepping back into a classroom! Completing the 111-page thesis alongside full-time work was gruelling and undoubtedly my main low of 2019, which just goes to show that a low can transform into a high in the end! That hard work really does pay off and reaps rewards in the long-run.
The biggest lesson I learned in 2019 is exactly that: that perseverance, resilience and focus are the key to success, and the happiness and relief captured in these photos from my graduation day are testament to that! A huge thank you to everyone who supported me along this three-year journey - I was unbelievably lucky to have the opportunity to return to study, and it took a huge joint effort to complete it!
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#Masters #graduation #graduate #postgraduate #cumlaude #student #celebration #Euroculturemaster #EurocultureMA #euroculture @EurocultureMaster #Groningen #nothingtopsgroningen #universityofgroningen #perseverance #hardwork #resilience #thesis
I’m absolutely thrilled to finally share my Master's thesis, the product of 2 years of research, interviews, analysis and writing, conducted alongside working full-time in the UK Civil Service. My 111-page thesis analyses the impact of Brexit on EU27 citizens living in London and was the final step in completing my Double Master's degree in European Politics, Society and Culture at the Universities of Groningen and of Uppsala, from which I will graduate this Friday 29th November 2019! 🎓🎉🥂
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I am exceptionally grateful to my 22 interviewees for their openness and honesty on this significant topic, as my research has shone a spotlight on the underestimated impact of Brexit on the social identity formation of EU27 citizens and the resulting consequences for them, through presenting and analysing the real-life attitudes and reactions to Brexit of three EU27 nationalities in London: Italians, Polish and Romanians. 🇮🇹🇵🇱🇷🇴 Please take a look at this blog post (link in bio) to find out more, access the full PDF & summary slides.
I’ve already presented my research findings to a few relevant teams in the UK Government, to help inform and improve the way EU27 citizens are treated going forwards, and would love to share it more widely. Let me know if you'd like to discuss my thesis or if you know of relevant organisations / groups that I could present to.
In the meantime though, I'm super excited to return to @UniversityofGroningen to celebrate my graduation this week after several years of hard work! 🇳🇱
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https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2019/11/25/graduating-from-my-masters-degree-at-long-last/
My third and final summit of the #ThreePeaks was #ScafellPike, the highest point in England at 978m altitude, which I completed in August with my father - another excellent hiking companion!
Sitting in the heart of the Lake District, it’s such a beautiful part of the country that it deserves more than the fleeting visit of the 24-hour Three Peak Challenge people. Which is why we dedicated a whole bank holiday weekend to exploring the area around Ambleside. Wanting to avoid the crowds of other famous peaks, we deliberately chose the longest route to the summit of Scafell Pike from Langdale Valley, walking 21km over 9 hours! We had yet more unbelievable weather with perfect visibility, which is unusual for the peak. Our long route was one of my favourite and the most scenic hikes of the Three Peaks, although you can also hike it in under 4-hours if you follow the most crowded route.
We stayed in Ambleside for a few days to hike other valleys and trails, and you’ll find my Strava routes and more info about thosein my latest blog post: my guide to the more leisurely way to reach the #ThreePeaks. Enjoy! See the link below or in bio.
Have you summited Scafell Pike or the Three Peaks, or would you like to one day? Which would you go for: the 24 hour version or my more leisurely approach?
https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2019/11/04/my-guide-to-summiting-the-three-peaks-at-a-leisurely-pace-rather-than-in-24-hours/
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#hiking #hikers #summit #strava #hikingadventures #visitengland #3peaks #ambleside #scafell #langdale #lakedistrict @visitengland #LoveGreatBritain @lovegreatbritain
The day after summiting Ben Nevis, we set our sights on a revered hike nearby called the Ring of Steall. It’s a whole 20km long (almost a half-marathon), with 1,750m ascent, and it took us nearly 11 hours. Compared to the crowds on Ben Nevis, we only passed 10 other hikers the entire day - it was a truly stunning hike, satisfyingly challenging, with clear sunny skies too. All the ingredients for a brilliant hike!
Late in the day however, an unexpected thunderstorm rolled in and our visibility was reduced to a matter of metres - and my mother and I were both struck by a lightening bolt ⚡️ We’re both exceptionally lucky to have survived it, as a woman on a nearby mountain was also struck in the exact same storm, but she sadly died... I’ve written about the experience in my latest blog post, in case you’re wondering what it feels like to be struck by lightening!
Despite the storm, I would still class the Ring of Steall as one of my favourite hikes of all time, as the landscape was just mesmerising - I’ve included more details, including our route on Strava, in my blog post on summiting the #ThreePeaks: https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2019/11/04/my-guide-to-summiting-the-three-peaks-at-a-leisurely-pace-rather-than-in-24-hours/
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#hiking #hikers #summit #strava #hikingadventures #visitscotland #3peaks #fortwilliam @visitscotland #ringofsteall #steall #bennevis #thehighlands #scotland #LoveGreatBritain @lovegreatbritain #lighteningstrike #lightening
New blog post! I adore hiking up mountains and one of my #30before30 goals was to summit all of the #ThreePeaks of Great Britain: #ScafellPike 🏴 #BenNevis 🏴 & #Snowdon 🏴
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Instead of attempting the popular but gruelling 24-hour Three Peaks challenge, I took a much more enjoyable and leisurely pace, over three separate weekends. That way I also did other nearby hikes, and enjoyed it a huge amount more! So this latest blog post is my guide to the more leisurely way to reach the Three Peaks, with suggestions for other nearby hikes, hotels, restaurants. Enjoy! See link in bio.
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In June I happily reached the highest point of the UK by summiting Ben Nevis (1,345m) in Scotland with my mother - a brilliant hiking partner. We had exceptionally lucky weather and this rare, clear view from the top! It’s often covered entirely in fog / cloud. The hike was a 7-hour round trip in total and I liked it, although the crowds of other hikers dampened the sense of achievement somewhat!
Have you summited Ben Nevis or the Three Peaks, or would you like to one day? Which would you go for: the 24 hour version or my more leisurely approach?
https://thewell-travelledpostcard.com/2019/11/04/my-guide-to-summiting-the-three-peaks-at-a-leisurely-pace-rather-than-in-24-hours/
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#hiking #hikers #summit #strava #hikingadventures #visitscotland #3peaks #fortwilliam @visitscotland #LoveGreatBritain @lovegreatbritain
[Part 3/3 of filling in the gaps]
10. I don’t have gym membership, so to keep fit I instead cycle everywhere in London on the girliest Dutch blue bike with basket 🚴🏼♀️, I adore running 🏃🏼♀️ and hiking ⛰ and I post more on #Strava than I do on Instagram! I also love the competitive spirit of a race: my favourite is the free, weekly 5km #Parkrun all round the UK. I listen to #Audible audiobooks on my cycling commute.
11. I don’t watch TV 📺 although my guilty pleasure is murder mysteries like Midsomer Murders, Agatha Christie and Inspector Montalbano 🕵🏼♀️ so much so that I hosted a giant murder mystery party for 30 people for my 30th birthday this year! 🎂
12. A few of my biggest weaknesses: horrendous indecision, terribly slow eating & drinking, obsession with endless goals and to-do lists, overly high expectations leading me to be too hard on myself, both impatience and simultaneously procrastination, stubbornness 😬
13. These last 3 photos were taken 2 weeks ago in south-west France, on a beach I’ve been visiting since I was a little baby. 🇫🇷 Back in the 1960s my grandfather built a wooden bungalow out of pine wood from forests that line the sand dunes, and it’s in such remote and isolated spot that it makes for a gorgeous retreat from the world 🧘🏼♀️
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After these 3 overly self-indulgent and self-centred little posts, I hope I’ve filled in some of the gaps that don’t come across through the highlights curated for my Instagram story. Shout if there’s anything else you’d like to know, or if we’ve any of these things in common!
[Part 2/3 of filling in the gaps]
4. I recently finished my 111-page-long Master’s thesis 🎉 and I’ll graduate in November. I conducted qualitative research into the impact of Brexit on identity and decision-making of EU nationals living in London, through interviewing 22 Italians, Polish and Romanians in London. 🇮🇹🇵🇱🇷🇴 I’ll publish it on my website shortly, and am debating turning it into a podcast too, after recording my first podcast series earlier this year, called ‘A Journey Across Borders’. 🎙
5. My travel writing took a major hit when I started my Masters: 👩🏼🎓 I’m a perfectionist so I studied really hard for good grades, and all that research and writing left me with little drive or energy for blogging. 📝 I started my travel blog, The Well-Travelled Postcard, in 2012 and I reallllly want to get back into it properly, as I love the creative outlet of blogging whenever I do manage to find the time! I’ve a huge backlog of trips, experiences and itineraries to write up, so it’s not a lack of material that’s holding me back! ✈️
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6. Unsurprisingly, I love to travel 🌎 Visiting Australia in May this year marked my 65th country visited 🇦🇺 and I have long lists of places I want to explore. I’m becoming increasingly conscious however of my carbon footprint through flying, although most of my trips these days are in Europe so not quite as bad as long haul.... (Having said that though, I’ve just flown 8 hours to Nairobi 🇰🇪 - oops 🙈)
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7. Before all this, I studied languages at @UniofExeter 🇪🇸💃🏼🇮🇹🍕🇵🇹🥧 and I’m currently studying français with work 🇫🇷🍷🧀. Learning languages has allowed me to move abroad a lot (which I love even more than travelling abroad!) and I’ve spent a total of 1 year in Italy, 1 year in Spain, and other shorter stints living in Chile, Nepal, the Netherlands and Sweden.
8. I’m not a massive foodie, although I do have a very sweet tooth and I make ridiculously good ice-cream 👩🏼🍳🍨
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9. I am most definitely not a morning person, and the daily alarm is my nemesis. ⏰ I can’t function without at least a 30-minute snooze, and I bizarrely don’t like coffee or tea 🙅🏼♀️☕️
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[Part 2/3]
[Part 1/3]
Nowadays I’m guilty of only rarely posting actual pictures with captions on Instagram, and I’ve instead become hooked on the ease of posting stories: showing the edited highlights with hardly any commentary. A picture can tell a thousand words, but without words it lacks depth and seems superficial. It’s like visiting an art gallery with zero information about about the artist’s background or influences.
My Instagram bio is too short to do that job, so I want to fill in the gaps with a bit about the real person behind my stories:
1. Although my bio claims I’m a travel blogger, I actually work full-time for the UK Government. 👩🏼💻🏛 I’ve just finished a 6-month posting in the Department for International Trade, and I’m shortly moving to Defra to work on Fisheries negotiations with the EU! 🇬🇧🐟🐠🇪🇺 Although working in the public sector comes with sacrifices (think 40% pay cut 😬), I ultimately find it much more rewarding and interesting than my work in the private sector in my early 20s.
2. I started my career working in Tech, on a grad scheme for Spanish-owned O2. 📱 The advantages of the private sector included plenty of travel and the funds to buy a flat 🏡 with my sister @oliviamst in Wandsworth (south-west London), where I currently live with her and @katiellongman. We’ve renovated and converted the loft (a journey in itself I can assure you!) and it’s in a leafy patch just north of #Earlsfield 🌳🌲which is swiftly developing into a great little community of fellow millennials. Check out the cute Tara Theatre if you’re nearby! 🎭
3. My career change was the result of a quarter-life crisis aged 26: I took a 7-month sabbatical to travel 🌍 and volunteer with @RaleighInternational in Nepal🇳🇵and I then quit O2 in 2016 to start a Masters degree in European Politics (@EurocultureMaster) in the Netherlands & later Sweden. 🇪🇺🎓🇳🇱🇸🇪 My career change was the best decision of my entire 20s, so I’m a huge advocate of embracing change and making that leap into the unknown, rather than sticking to the status quo and always wondering ‘what if’...
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[Part 1/3]
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Cool you got to see it. My experience was much like yours.
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Very nice pic. We saw the aurora by accident! We were there in February for 3 nights. I even messed up booking our trip. I realized if I never messed up booking we would have missed it. We are dying to go back to Iceland. At first we thought it was a funny long whitish cloud that kept getting brighter.
http://jebusmewsandandrea.com/2015/03/10/an-accidental-aurora/#more-1934
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What luck! We were anxiously waiting every night!
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Wow!!
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