Teri's Travels - The Wonders of Iceland
by Teri E. Popp, Tastemaker in Residence
Volcanos. Waterfalls. Glaciers. Geysers. Myth, legend and beauty. This, and so much more, is the wonder of Iceland. I had Iceland on my travel bucket list for years before I finally sat down to plan the trip. In retrospect, we should have gone there much sooner! While Iceland is a mere 5 hour direct flight from Minnesota, it is a universe away in terms of grandeur, epic scenery, and gracious people.
This island may look barren from the air (or even from the airport), but don't underestimate everything the country has to offer! In order to fully appreciate Iceland, I booked a private guide through Extreme Iceland, a tour group I would heartily recommend for travel to this exciting and dynamic destination. Our guide, Asgeir Johannesson Long, did a fabulous job of guiding us with his in-depth knowledge of the geography and geology of this geothermal landscape.
We hit the ground running to maximize our 6 days in Iceland. Amazingly, when talking with friends and acquaintances, I found that most people wondered what we could possible do for 6 whole days in this barren landscape. In the end, we found we put in two 12 hour touring days, four 8 hour days, and that we walked between 7 and 14 miles per day! And we only visited the southern and southwestern parts of the island!
On our first day alone, right off the plane, we spent a full day touring the Golden Circle and Thingvellir National Park. The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet in Thingvellir. These plates are pulling apart, forming a valley as they move. A lovely small church is located in this valley near Althingi, where the Icelandic parliament was first formed in 930 AD.
From Thingvellir, we travelled to see Geysir. When next you visit Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone, keep in mind that all geysers are named after the original Geysir found on Iceland. We not only saw Geysir, who erupts about every 10 minutes, but also viewed his little brother, Litli Geysir.
Next up, we visited Gullfoss, the most famous waterfall in Iceland, mostly due to its proximity to the Capitol City of Reykjavik, as there are quite a large number of impressive and beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. Be sure to pack your raincoat when you visit Iceland as you'll get plenty wet touring the many waterfalls of this breathtakingly beautiful locale.
