How can you tell a Floridian in Iceland? He’s the one posing his reflective sun glasses on an ice floe in an attempt to get a killer shot.
On a more serious note. Iceberg Lagoon is a stunning place to visit. But it also a place of somber contemplation when you read about the effects of climate change on this fragile island. Even Iceland’s ice is melting.
The Bridge Between Continents is supposed to be a symbolic connection between the separating Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Alas, people seem to come here from around the world to affix tacky stickers to the bridge and padlocks pledging Dick and Jane’s eternal love.
Dudes! The tectonic plates are drifting apart here!
If you are lucky enough to visit an Iceland waterfall when the sun is out, the rainbow is a bonus. But it doesn’t top viewing the falls from behind and looking out at the world through a curtain of cascading water..
It is an uncomfortable drive on a very bumpy road to get to this unimposing lighthouse near Grindavik. What makes the trip worth it are the remains of ships that have run aground on this lava sharp shore. And the tributes to sailors who never made it home.
Going to sea has ever been a dangerous business in Iceland.
Of all the impressive sights we saw, I found the cliffside village of Hellnar to be the most moving. A small, battered, weather-worn church sits on a hill and overlooks the village cemetery.
And all the headstones face the sea.
Tomato soup is a big deal here, and all the tomatoes are grown in huge glass greenhouses. It is not for nothing that this Land Of Glaciers also calls itself A Land Of Greenhouses.
What to say about Bardur Snafellsas? An epic hero of Scandinavian legend and a giant of a man, our Bardur is said to guard the island against evil spirits.
However, after viewing the sculpture of Bardur in the village of Arnarstapi l believe I know exactly which Viking warrior served as the model.
I did a separate blog about how the tiny fishing village of Stoovarfjoropur is trying to build a new economy through the arts. But I should have given more space to Petra and her amazing rock museum.
She spent her life scouring Iceland for rare and unusual minerals, and if you happen to find yourself in town, do stop by Petra’s place. You won’t be disappointed.
Listen, I saw the Robin Williams movie RV, and shuddered through the great fecal matter mishap. So we first time RV renters were a little hesitant to do the whole waste dumping thing.
Fortunately, the tech has changed a lot since the movie. So it was no big deal for three semi-educated men without adult supervision to pull off. So woah!
Long story short, circumnavigation mission accomplished with barely a loss of life or limb. Though my knee may never speak to me again.
Good on you, Iceland.
(BTW: Customs is very picky about tourists trying to sneak pieces of volcano out of the country. Not sure why, because if there is anything they have no shortage of here it’s volcanos. But there it is.)
FreeGNV 