ICELAND | LAND OF FIRE AND ICE

Iceland conjures up icy weather, hot springs, and an incomprehensible (to North Americans) language and culture. While that picture may contain some truths, it can not negate the reasons to visit this small, unique island situated close to the Arctic Circle in the cold North Atlantic waters.

Here are some of the reasons you should visit Iceland:

– It’s not that far away. From the northeastern airports of Canada or the U.S.A, it is at most 5 to 6 hours of flying. That’s the equivalent of flying across the continent for a vacation.

– Plus you can always break your journey to Europe with a few days off to sight-see in Iceland. (Though I would suggest, this country really deserves to be a destination itself.) You can also visit Iceland as a portion of a longer cruise itinerary on many major cruise lines.

Reykjavik, the Capital (Image: Pixabay)

Blue Lagoon (Image: Pixabay)

– The modern and busy capital city of Reykjavik (incidentally the northernmost sovereign capital in the world) belies the fact that the country is largely unpopulated with very few people per square mile. You do not have to venture far from the city to be hiking, biking or pony trekking in wide-open spaces with pollution-free air.

– if you love animals, the distinctive Icelandic pony is a must see and ride. Because this country is an island, there is also whale watching, sea birds to spot (take a puffin tour), and fishing.

– Iceland is both “Land of Fire and Ice” and also “Land of the Midnight Sun”. The largest glaciers in Europe have their home here coexisting with volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers. Icelanders co-exist quite well with their very active volcano environment, and put the geothermal energy to effective use for heating, and the natural hot water for swimming. The famous Blue Lagoon, a spa near the capital, uses the water from a geothermal plant to provide bathing in temps up to 102 Fahrenheit. The minerals in the water are supposedly curative.

Traditional Farm House (Image:Pixabay)

Icelandic Ponies (Image: Fabian Burghardt on UnSplash)

Puffins (Image: Pixabay)

– In summer with its position near the Arctic Circle, Iceland has little nighttime darkness (it’s more like dusk) but in the winter, the sun barely makes it over the horizon and only for a few short hours per day. The Northern Lights, also called the Aurora Borealis, makes its appearance between September and April. The best time to view this wonder of nature is September and October.

– Belying its name and position geographically on the globe, this country is not a land of continuous ice and snow. It benefits from the Gulf Stream to a certain extent so while it is a northern climate, the weather is not as harsh as one would expect. However, it is unpredictable!

– Another image that comes to mind with Iceland is the fierce Viking explorer. You can visit museums here dedicated to the Vikings (the Viking Museum where you can board a re-constructed long ship) or visit a historically correct farmstead (þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng). The Vikings began the very first parliament in the world on Iceland in 930AD, called the Althing, the site of which is now a national park and UNESCO world heritage site.

Land of waterfalls (Image: Luke Vodell on UnSplash)