Iceland - 2017
Iceland is one of the most picturesque places I've been. It has fjords, mountains, glaciers, active volcanoes, geothermal springs and baths, and waterfalls galore! It also has great folklore with trolls, giants, dragons and fairies. It's a great place for solo trips for women, too, as it is one of the safest countries in the world (last year there were a grand total of 2 murders in the whole country). During the summer, there is nearly 24 hour daylight and during the winter there is nearly 24 hour darkness/twilight. In the winter, it is great location to see the Northern Lights.
Puffins in the wild
Spectacular views of mountains
Grabrok Crater and surrounding area
Taken from inside the bus, everywhere looks this pristine
Hvítserkur - the dragon rock. Icelandic tradition states that this rock was once a dragon, who did not get back to it's cave in time to miss the sunlight, and once the sunlight hit him, he turned to stone.
Another photo from the bus
Iceland's main farming livestock is cattle and sheep. The sheep are let loose in the summer and corralled for winter.
Iceland is full of waterfalls---both small ones like this and large ones
Goðafoss waterfall - Waterfall of the Gods. The Icelandic saga tells the story of the pagan ruler of Iceland who was given the choice of converting to Christianity or having his entire kingdom massacred. He took the pagan statues of the various gods and threw them into this waterfall.
This is what midnight looks like in the summer in Iceland.
As Iceland is volcanic, you will see a lot of igneous rock formations.
Námafjall Hverer - a geothermal location that looks like you are on Mars when walking around.
Iceland has a great reputation for whale watching, as the likelihood to see whales is very high.
The Fjords create beautiful scenery
Humpback whale sighting!
Can't beat whale watching here!
Fjords are long narrow inlets framed by tall cliffs caused by glacial erosion. Iceland has a lot of them!
Icelandic horses are only found in Iceland, as they are a breed developed and maintained solely within Iceland.
Tröllafossar - the Troll waterfalls. Icelandic tradition states that a Troll lived here and created the waterfalls by dragging her fingernails across the ground.
Tröllafossar again - the Troll then would lay in the nooks and crannies of the waterfall and fish from the comfort of her bed.
Glanni Watefall - Salmon swim up this waterfall.