Iceland
Iceland is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. Lying on the constantly active geologic border between North America and Europe, Iceland is a land of vivid contrasts of climate, geography, and culture. Overall, Iceland has a surface area of 103,001 square kilometres. However, that harsh geographical landscape is one of the reasons why it’s population remains so low (337,780 in 2018). Iceland has the lowest population density of all European countries at just 3 people per kilometre The capital and largest city of Iceland is Reykjavik, which is also the northernmost capital in the world and a major tourist destination.
Flag of Iceland
No place we have been seems as pure a showcase for the most raw and active geological features as this island with it’s mossy hills dotted with countless waterfalls, icebergs on top of volcanic ash, turquoise waters of the blue lagoon against the barren landscape, roaring white cap waves pounding against the black sand and the constant steam that fills the horizon from the geothermal activity the hot geysers provide heat for many of the country’s homes and buildings and allow for hothouse agriculture year-round. Beautiful fishing village where the salmon is the best I ever had, and the unpredictable weather that makes it seem like three seasons have passed in the course of five minutes.
Icebergs on top of Volcanic ash
Turquoise waters of the blue lagoon against the barren landscape
Black Sand Beach
Hot Geysers
We spent one of the days following in the foot steps of Walter Mitty from the movie “The secret life Walter Mitty” it was set in Iceland back in 2013 I was so impressed with what I saw in the movie I put Iceland on my bucket list of places I wanted to visit. That day we visited a number of locations that had been used in the movie. It was lots of fun.
Hallsgrimskirkja in Reykjavik
Beautiful Churches, Homes, Lighthouses and fishing villages in Iceland
A few things to note about Iceland. The best way to see the island is to drive, it is best to hire a car when you arrive at the Airport, Icelanders drive on the right side of the road. There are plenty of organised tours, but they are expensive and as always with organised tours you are limited to the time at each spot. You can visit the blue lagoon without having to pay 75 Euro to get into the hot springs, you can take some beautiful photos here and go into the spa area and have a coffee, there are other spa’s in Iceland that are just as good and a lot cheaper. Be very careful at the Black sand beach as the water has very strong currents, the water in Australia can be very rough but here is the roughest I have ever seen. Iceland is expensive, especially dining out, but then again, they had to recover from the 2008 financial crisis. But believe me when I say it is worth every penny. So, if you visit make sure to push yourself outside the comfortable confines of Reykjavík the Capital and see this amazing island for what it is. Iceland would be in my top 5 places in the world to visit
Amazing Scenery in Iceland
