🙂 Landscape and scenery. Icelandic horses and their 5th gait. Northern Lights.
🙁 Expensive. Fermented Shark. – Hákarl in Icelandic.Sheep’s head. – Svið in Iceland. Brennivín – Black Death.
Currency: Icelandic Krona
FIVE things we did not know about Iceland:
- Iceland is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the world cup in football.
- Icelanders talk while they are breathing in.
- Family names do not exist: Women don’t take up their husband’s last name when they get married. Instead, they keep their last name throughout their lives. However, their last names usually come from their father’s first name. Their “family name” is therefore made of the name of their father followed by the word “son” or “dottir” (daughter).
- Population in Iceland is very small so everybody is related, more or less. To avoid genetic problems, people can check on a website if they are too genetically close to someone before having kids.
- Gender equality facts: Since the year 2018, it has actually been illegal to pay women less than men for the same job (which is, of course, how it should be). Iceland had the first democratically elected female president in the world, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. As well as the first only gay Prime Minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir.
A trip to Iceland was a massive Bucket List Tick! We based our selves in Reykjavik …with hindsight, we should just have driven and checked into local B&Bs. Our first excursion was to the Blue Lagoon – we were lucky enough to witness the Northern Lights, but we did no have our phones or a camera with us when we were outside, so no pics! The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa in southwestern Iceland. The spa is located in a lava field 5 km from Grindavík and in front of Mount Þorbjörn on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in a location favourable for geothermal power, and is supplied by water used in the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power station … not as pretty as expected! But warm water…
We hired a small car which was perfectly adequate to drive all around the little island.I wish that we had time to ride the Icelandic ponies – they have a unique 5th gait. This fifth gait is called the flying pace. This is a very fast movement, where a horse can go up to 48km/h during a short distance – from 100 to 200 meters. It is said that the Icelandic breed’s ability to carry heavy weights, their spirited temperament and their general hardiness means that they are considered horses by Icelanders and non-Icelanders alike.
Geysir, sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in south-western Iceland, that geological studies suggest started forming about 1150 CE. of the three major attractions on the world-famous Golden Circle sightseeing route, it is usually visited alongside Gullfoss Waterfall and Þingvellir National Park. The natural beauty of the area is shaped by the forces of the earth; fumaroles, hot-springs, mud-pits and other little geysers are littered around, and the ground itself is dyed vividly by elements such as sulfur (yellow), copper (green) and iron (red).
Gullfoss Waterfall is one of the most stunning sights in Iceland. No matter the season, the mighty Gullfoss is a must-see spot in the land of fire and ice. It was particularly impressive as it was frozen in a state of furious animation!
Basalt formations similar to Giant’s Causeway in N Ireland are found around the corner of Svartifoss at the black Reynisdrangar Beach, close to the little town of Vik.
There scenery is spectacular with many waterfalls along the way.
Jokulsarlon is one of Iceland’s natural crown jewels, and the nearby black beach has coined the name Diamond Beach, as the ice chunks lying on it resemble diamonds glistening in the sun. Thousands of people are drawn to Jokulsarlon year-round to watch the free-flowing icebergs, explore the lagoon on boat tours, and snap pictures of seals.
We drove to the other end of the island to tiny fishing villages.
A very interesting stay…food was good but wine was super expensive – Equivalent of £70 for a bottle of average Australian Plonk! We look forward to revisiting Iceland for a summer adventure!
