So, my friends after a long time I am here to take you at a place where nature shows the utmost oppositions at the every nook and corner of the place.
A place where the colour of the nature turns from green to black in a simultaneous ways and results in a peaceful white snowy vibes where the background shows the black again.
Iceland as the name suggests, a place full of snow where the average temperature remains five to six degree Celsius .It’s truly a place with the fire and ice stayed side by side .
And the waterfalls, always astonishing you with its unique natural scenery along with the existing surroundings.It’s like a magic to explore such beautiful scenery with your own eyes.
So, my friends, today we may start our journey from the picturesque, Reykjavik , the capital of Iceland.
So, my friends if we start Iceland as a circle from Reykjavik, it will continue as a big step from the centre to the periphery.
- Thingvellir National Park – It is the first stopover on the way from Reykjavik which is about 40 km in Southwestern Iceland and it is a very popular tourist destination having historical ,cultural and geological significance.It is designated as World Heritage Site in 2004.
It is so popular because of the presence of three key attractions known as Golden Circle that may include hiking trails , many water falls , lakes and mountains.
- Öxaráfoss – It is a waterfall in Thingvellir National Park , flows from the river Öxará The pool at the base of the waterfall is filled with rocks and is often extremely icy during winter . This is the main attraction of that place consisting of a nearby car parking place . It’s indeed a beautiful place to be with the amazing natural scenery.
- Geysir – It is a place of southwestern Iceland, sometimes known as The Great Geysir , was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans .
As the name suggest , the word Geysir derived from the English word Geyser ( a periodically sprouting hot spring ) . Here it lies in the Haukadalur valley on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill , which is also the home to Strokkur geyser about fifty meters south.
Here eruptions can hurl boiling water up to seventy meters in the air . It’s seems like a magical natural phenomenon.
As , I have told at the beginning that Iceland is truly a place of various natural phenomenons with certain oppositions.
- Gullfoss ( Golden Falls ) – It is a beautiful waterfall, you may compare it’s vastness with the Niagara Falls to some extent . It is located in the canyon of the Hvìtá river in southwest Iceland .
Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. Together with Thingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur ,Gullfoss forms part of Golden circle as I have told before , it is the most popular first day trip while you are starting from Reykjavik.
So my friends, next we will proceed to the another part of southwest Iceland for more and more adventurous road trips that consisting of mysterious attractions like waterfalls , glaciers along with the road itself .
- Seljalandsfoss – It is a waterfall which is located in the South region in Iceland which drops 60 meter and visitors can walk behind the falls into a small cave . It’s indeed a beautiful place to go for hiking .
- Skógafoss – It is the another waterfall on the Skógá river in the south of Iceland at the cliff making the former coastline.
The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country , with a width of twenty five meters and a drop of sixty meter . It’s indeed a very beautiful place to visit . As the amount of water is falling with the speed thereby consistently producing a single or double rainbow normally visible on sunny days .
At the eastern side of the waterfall, a hiking and trekking trail leads up to the pass between two glaciers.
In popular culture, this waterfall is been used for the various films or series all over the world . As for example it was the location for the filming of the Marvel studios “Thor : The Dark World” , as well as “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. The waterfall has been used as one of the locations of song “Gerua” in the 2015 Bollywood movie Dilwale.
So, my friends next we will go to the most iconic destination of Iceland, that is Jökulsárlón , which is a large glacial lake in southern part Vatnajökul National Park , Iceland.It appears as “ a ghostly procession of luminous blue icebergs ” such an amazing natural creation you will find here.
This place is so popular among the tourists as well as the film makers as it is the location for four Hollywood movies: A View to a Kill , Die Another Day , Lara Croft : Tomb Raider , Batman Begins, as well as the reality TV series The Amazing Race. In 1991 , Iceland issued a postage stamp , with a face value of 26 kronur , depicting Jökulsárlón .
The tongue of the Breiõamerkurjökull glacier is a major attractions for tourists.
Another interesting fact about this place is that The Glacier Lagoon flows through a short waterway into Atlantic Ocean , leaving chunks of ice on a black sand beach which is known as the diamond beach . It’s indeed a beautiful place to visit while romaine at Jökulsárlón.
In winter , the fish- filled lagoon hosts hundreds of seals.
It’s a car trip as I have told before, if you start from Reykjavik , it will complete as a circle while you travel by the car. You may have to stay at least for the two days at Theingvellir National Park and Two days to complete Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon .
So, my friends next we will have to be the place at Vik ì Myrdal which is a remote seafront village in south Iceland. It is situated in the foot Myrdalsjökul glacier , which covers the Katla Volcano.
It is an iconic place of southern Iceland which comprises of black pebbles, basalt columns and the Reynisdrangar offshore rock formations.The cliffs of Reynisfjall mountain are home to seabirds such as puffins and they are numerous in number.
Here is a wooden church situated at the beach top which is dating back to 1929. It is a beautiful church with a vast areas around it .
So , my friends here ,at this iconic place you have to stay for at least two days . You may call this extraordinarily beautiful place as the bay of seals .
So, my friends if you may complete the trip as a circle, you now return to Reykjavik, the beautiful capital city of Iceland with certain picturesque view and certain natural phenomenon.
- Hallgrimskirkja – It is a Lutheran parish church ,the largest church in the Iceland and among the tallest structure in the country. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pèturson , author of the Passion hymns.
- Harpa – It is a concert hall and conference centre at Reykjavik .The architecture of the building is inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland .
- The sun voyager – It is the sculpture by Jòn Gunnar Árnason which is described as a dreamboat or an ode to sun.
- Icelandic Phallological Museum – It is the world’s largest display of penises and penile parts .
- Perlan – It is a futuristic glass doomed revolving dining restaurant in park setting , with cocktail bar.
- The National Museum of Iceland which was established on 24 th February, 1863. It’s a must visit place to know the historical information about Iceland.
Apart from these places , there are many activities you may do here like Northern light midnight adventure from Reykjavik which may be the life time experience for anyone else .
The most popular foods at Iceland- As it is a small volcanic island country, the food is inspired by the local ingredients which include free -roaming sheep and fresh salmons and other fishes are a huge inspiration for Icelandic food culture.
- Langoustine Soup – In Iceland ,the Langoustine Bisque gets its unique flavour by first creating a fish stock made from Langoustine shells. It’s a must try thing at Iceland.
- Icelandic lemon -pepper baked salmon -It’s mouthwatering and palatable yet nutritious.
- Desserts specially with cherry and strawberry is a delicacy here .
Apart from that you may try certain traditional foods mainly prepped from lamb and fish.
The Vikings at Iceland- The Norwegian Vikings arrived in Iceland in open Viking ships in the ninth century and settled on this cold volcanic island in the north.The term Viking applies only to Scandinavian raiders although, not to Scandinavian generally .
So, my friends, Iceland is a place with fire and ice as I have told before. Maintaining proper COVID protocol, next time you must keep your bag ready to explore this amazingly beautiful yet small island country.
