ICELAND ~ The Land of Sagas

Iceland is by far one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. They call it the land of a thousand rainbows, though that could be because they have over 10,000 waterfalls dotting the countryside. Your first impression getting off the airplane may not be the greatest. The airport is located near the water, some ways away from Reykjavik, surrounded by lava fields. Not that the lava fields aren't neat, but if you land on a rainy day like I did you won't get to see much else. That is until the sun comes out (check out the pic to the right).

Even then, once you venture out to the countryside and away from Reykjavik the land becomes incredibly dynamic. Icelanders (of which there is only about 300,000 according to the 2008 census) still believe in elves, trolls, and giants. But don't ask them about it! They believes that talking about it can sometimes lead to attracting the attention of these mischievous creatures. Still, in taking one look at the surrounding landscape it isn't hard to see why.

Iceland's rocky landscape is mostly black, which just enhances the color of the shrubbery. It's craggy and the clouds are often low. It is reminiscent some ways of Scotland, and it brings the same feeling of the supernatural.

If geography doesn't entice you, this should; it's currency is currently valued way way way below the US dollar (or any other major currency for the matter). Reykjavik is also one of the world's biggest party locations. It is an incredibly young city and there are plenty of clubs, bars and restaurants to choose from. There are dive bars with live bands around every corner for those who want to get down with the locals; the ever clever (and ever touristy) ICEbar, made completely of ice; and clubs where you can find locals, English, Norwegians, and Irish there almost anytime of the year.

Anyway you slice it or dice it there is a little bit here for every adventurer. And for those afraid of flying - flights from NY are shorter to Iceland then to San Fransisco!

A neat time to go is for Iceland's Airwaves International Music Festival. It takes place during the rainy season, but the delicious foreigners more than make up for whatever scenery you might miss (and the music is pretty amazing as well)!