Adventures for Anyone: Jenn Picked One of My All Time Favorites....Iceland!

Okay guys! Let's go! Iceland is amazing and I love it there. Jenn has asked about it as a bucket list spot, and I wholeheartedly agree. Fortunately, this is one I know a little bit about. I went there in June for a couple of weeks once, and I've never forgotten it and plan on making a second trip there soon. It's right on my list for next.

First off, Iceland is one of those places that almost sits on the Arctic Circle (some islands north of Akureyri do). Therefore, when you see a beautiful sunset shot, it may have been taken around midnight (12:30 am to be exact). That's in the summer. In the winter, it does get cold, snows a lot and often there is a blue tint to just about everything as the days are short.

I'm going to dive right in. The land of fire and ice is one of the many things that Iceland is called. It's also referred to as the land of vikings, land where worlds collide, land of Leiffur Erikson, and many other phrases. What is Iceland?

Iceland is a volcanically active island nation that sits at the juncture of two tectonic plates that are separating. If you visit Thingvellir National Park, you can see the rift created by this process. In the warmer months, you can book a guided trip to go diving in the river created by the rift. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something like this as it is one of a handful of places that you can see where this phenomenon is happening.

Iceland was a Viking outpost, which has been referenced six ways from Sunday, so we know it to be true, but Denmark owned it until 1944 when it became an independent country. It's normally at the forefront of progress and is currently boasting the very first freely elected woman President in the world. One of the things you will find in Iceland is modernity in so many ways.

Obviously, being an island nation, we must fly or take a ship to get to Iceland. While you can take cruises with any number of companies or even book passage on a container ship, flying is the most common way to get to Iceland. The best deals will almost always be on Icelandair, which used to be very hard to connect with, but nowadays has flights from all across the country in the US.

Keflavik airport is where you will enter the country, and your trip gets interesting right there. Keflavik is a town and airport built on what used to be an American Naval Base that ran the airport and shared it with the public. Many years ago when I went there, the base was still there, and twice a day the airport was converted for the general public. Now, it's a regular airport, but it's still got an amazing runway. So, if you aren't much for runways that look like your going to die during landing, drink a lot of alcohol on the flight.

Your ride from the airport into Reykjavik is about 50 miles, but still the normal way to visit is to go into the capital to stay at least for your first night. From there, the world of Iceland is your oyster.

Reykjavik is a vibrant capital year round. It's old, it's new, it's cutting edge and it's gorgeous. The parliament building is old, the city hall is cutting edge. The shopping is amazing and comes in a wide variety of items and modes of shopping. The food comes in a wide variety and is delicious.

Entertainment is all over in Reykjavik, with old and new. The old harbor is home to a lot of food and shopping for tourists to try and a lot of boat tours to take a ride on. All of this is great to try out woolens, skyr, salmon, and lamb and get a great look at the ocean around the area. All beautiful and been a part of Iceland for hundreds of years.

Next to the old harbor is the newer part of town with high rises overlooking the harbor and the Ring Road running through town, and this is where you'll find Harpa. This lighted music hall is the pride of Reykjavik and caters to the world renowned music scene of Iceland. Their artists are known around the world as is their philharmonic, operas and musicals. Harpa is a modern venue with two theaters inside, and lights all over the outside that dance to music. It's breathtaking.

There's so much to do in Reykjavik that you may get lost in the northern city and all it has to offer. But, make no mistake, there is so much to see in Iceland that its capital is just a hopping off point. Enjoy some shopping, the Leiffur Erikson Cathedral and a show. Eat some Lamb Chinese Food and then get on with seeing the country.

From Reykjavik you can catch most any tour, cruise, ferry, bus, or rent a car and drive around the rest of the country. There is a subsidiary airport where you can fly to a few other cities such as Akureyri and save some time, but driving is something that I highly recommend as long as you stay on the Ring Road.

When you really get out and see Iceland you will find over 300 waterfalls to look at. Some of them are off the beaten path and need a good hike to reach them, some of them are along glacial lakes filled with icebergs, some are plunging directly into the Atlantic Ocean, and some of them are popular tourist attractions. Guilfoss is probably the most famous waterfall in Iceland, just ahead of Deitfoss and Skogafoss.

When in Reykjavik, you can book a day trip to go and see Guilfoss, called the Golden Circle Tour. They will take you to Thingvellir National Park to look at the rift valley, then on to the Geysirs to the north and end at Guilfoss before heading back to the city. I highly recommend it, because it's a great day tour, a great bang for your buck and amazing scenery. Don't drive. I did that, rented a car and we drove on our own, but it's out in the boonies, which is the real deal in Iceland. Save yourself and take the tour.

Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't drive into the wilds of Iceland, but be aware before you go and pull a stunt like that. There are signs along the way, and I took pictures of plenty of them, but it's not for the faint of heart. There are mostly dirt roads once you leave the Ring Road. There are few signs. The signs you see tend to come with some directions, which is good, but there are few bridges across the rivers. That can get dangerous if you don't know what you're doing in that situation. My advice is to take a tour when you can. A tour offered in Iceland. I've never taken a tour for a whole trip.

Wherever you go, you will see waterfalls, so if you're a lover like me, you'll love Iceland. You drive by them, they're stops for the bus that goes around the Ring Road, they're on hiking trips and in the national parks. They are everywhere.

When visiting the highlands or outback of Iceland, you can camp, do a farm stay, or even rent a farmhouse. I rented a farmhouse while I was hiking in the Eldga and it was a great option. We were in the thick of things and really got a taste of the lifestyle. We did a lot of hiking and there was a hundred foot high waterfall in the back yard.

There was no driving on that trip. I made arrangements with the owners for the hiking trip. We took the bus to the assigned stop. The landlord drove us through the rivers and across the wilderness to the farmhouse and we spent several days hiking the area. No driving. Avoid driving in the wilds of Iceland when you can.

Iceland is known for its 4 X 4 activities, hiking, skiing, and so many other winter friendly activities; you might be surprised to know that the national past time is swimming. That's right, swimming; and I mean outside.

Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice for a reason, and we all know that the reason is about 129 active volcanoes. Underneath Iceland is heat, and they put it to use. In addition to tons of hot springs that are utilized around the country up to and including the world famous Blue Lagoon, the Icelanders have found a lot of amazing uses for all of this natural heat.

There are over 200 swimming pools and waterparks around the country, and for the most part they are outside. They are open all year round except certain holidays and tend to be open until late at night. This phenomenon started in the 1990's and has become a nationwide obsession. So, if you do visit Iceland, bring a bathing suit.

Even better is to take spending time in an outdoor pool or hot spring and combine it with another national past time in Iceland, to look at the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis are visible on average 170 nights a year between September and April, making the country one of the best places in the world to see the lights. They are so bright you can even see them clearly in the city. There are several resorts that specialize in giving their guests the best views of the lights, so it's a great thing to try and book during the season.

All around the island along the Ring Road are most of Iceland's most notable towns and cities. Whether you're in the capital, Akureyri in the north, Hofn in the east or wherever; local flavor abounds. The north borders the Arctic Circle and is home of all things glaciers and pristine glass lakes.

The east is home to trees. That may seem like nothing, but Iceland was for centuries famous for not having trees. My dad was in the Navy and spent a lot of time in Iceland. The joke was that there was a available woman behind every tree.

Recent decades have brought trees back to Iceland through initiatives to regrow the flora in the country. The East has been the home to most of the efforts so that today, if you want to see a forest in Iceland, you can.

Iceland is also well known for its fjords. They are all around the country, east, north and west, but the ones on the west coast are the most famous. The western fjords are home to towns with harbors that get jammed with cruise ships in the summer. This is one of the hopping off points for a side trip to Greenland as well. Iceland is well known for ferrying people to Greenland for a visit.

In the western fjord lands, farmstays are king. You can stay on a farm, go riding on the world famous Icelandic Horses, hike and visit ice caves. There are ice caves around the country, but some of the most famous ones are in the western fjords.

One of the things that makes Iceland a conundrum of sorts is its climate. People expect Iceland to be freezing cold year round and the landscape supports that theory with its lack of trees and exposed rock. But, the truth is that Iceland sits at the end of the Gulf Stream and that makes its climate no more harsh than most of New England; it's just dark more. The Westman Islands sit off the southern coast of the country and make a great day trip by ferry from Reykjavik. The main island has a nice sized town on it and has its own subculture of fishing and old world charm. The islands are world famous for being a home for puffins, the adorable sea birds that you shouldn't miss seeing. You can take a puffin tour or an island tour or just catch the ferry in season.

As I've said, there is only one Ring Road and it circles the entire country of Iceland. There are many villages, towns and cities along the way, and Vik is one of the villages that I loved visiting. Vik is famous for its towering spire rocks and its black beach. You see that in pictures all the time. What you may not know about Vik is that it is home to one of the biggest woolens factories in the country. You can take a tour of the factory and get some great stuff at the shop after. It's a regular stop on the bus route and shouldn't be missed.

Iceland is an educational trip. Glaciers and volcanoes make the country what it is. Most of the existing glaciers are in the far north of the country. It's not that the south doesn't make glaciers, because Vatnajokull in the south has one of the largest in the country. Most glaciers are best visited by a tour or a guided hike, but they are fabulous. You can boat on the lakes around them, hike to them and on them or even ski on them in some places. It's never a good idea to take it upon yourself to go onto a glacier. Join a tour and do what your guide says.

Why shouldn't you take it upon yourself to go and walk on a glacier?

Because of the volcanoes, that's why. As we've all seen over the years, when a volcano in Iceland goes off, it can shut down the world. It happened a few years back and it lasted a long time. Air travel was disrupted all over Europe and it was a mess. The fact of the matter is that you don't want to be anywhere near one when it erupts.

Shortly after my own trip to Iceland, Vatnajokull erupted, taking out part of the Ring Road and making everyone in Hofn very nervous. Vatnajokull is home to the largest glacier in the country, but still erupted. Be careful folks. That one took out the farmhouse that I was staying in three months after our visit. You never know.

On the upside of that, volcanoes can be fascinating to tourists, and there are agencies that will take you to look at some of them. Be wise, book a tour, and do what you're told. It can be a great experience and it shouldn't be missed.

Iceland is wonderland all year round, whether it's summer and it's always light, or winter when it's frozen and blue. There are so many unusual activities that they are too numerous to name. You will find that there is never enough time to do it all. I would say, see a glacier, a volcano, some waterfalls, go swimming, maybe to a hot spring, and take a drive or a bus ride. Don't spend all your time in Reykjavik. I love it there, but there is so much else to see. If you're there in season, see the Northern Lights from a hot tub. You can't beat that. Spend some time with nature, because it's one of a kind in Iceland.

Iceland is a country that has embraced tourism like few others, and they love it when people visit. They have made it a point to connect themselves with countries in the Americas and Europe, and you can often get a cheaper trip to Europe by taking a weekend in Iceland along the way. You won't have to learn Icelandic, because almost everyone there speaks English as well. It never hurts to learn a few phrases, however, to impress the locals.

Iceland is full of ingenuity and creativity. They'll find a way to make their country great, no matter what lack of resources may come their way. Heat in Iceland is free, courtesy of an elaborate piping system created and instituted by the government to utilize the natural heat from the volcanoes. They have used that technology to heat greenhouses and farm their own produce. They got onto the fresh water craze early on and sell Icelandic Glacial Water around the world. They were a virtually alcohol free location for years, due to lack of ingredients and facilities, but those days are gone. They have made their country a world famous location to come and have an amazing visit.

They've weathered Covid-19 well with minimal cases in contrast to most countries, but always check guidelines before you go.

Also, there are thousands of websites with information about traveling to Iceland, because they are all about the tourism, but my favorites are Iceland Naturally and Iceland is.

So, I can't tell you enough how wonderful visiting Iceland is. There's nothing else like it. Choose your season, make some plans ahead of time and some when you get to Reykjavik. Be prepared for the unusual. Make sure you don't mind eating a lot of lamb and fish, whether the cuisine is European, Chinese, or Italian and enjoy!

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