Iceland sits high in the Atlantic Ocean and its northern shores touch the Arctic Ocean but thanks to the Gulfstream the
climate is surpriingly mild.
The island sports active volcanoes and ample geothermal activity which provides heating and electrical
energy to the 300.000 Icelanders. Most of them live in the Reykjavik area leaving the rest of the country mostly to sheep, birds and
tourists.
It was unsettled land untill in 874 AD a Viking called Ingolfur Arnarson had his homestead built near present
day Reykjavik. To discourage others he named his new country Iceland but that did not fool many and soon Norwegians,
Irishmen and Scotts arrived to claim their piece of the cake.
Iceland gained independence from Denmark
in 1918 and became a republic in 1944.
The country was hit hard by the banking crisis of 2008 but has recovered remarkably well..
For
the tourist it has a lot on offer, from mighty waterfalls and geothermal fields to imposing glaciers, active volcanoes and cuddly
puffins.
And you just have to follow the Ringroad (some stretches are still unpaved) to see it all.
Take the weather as
it comes, expect rain, fog, sleet, wind and even the occasional sunshine, but above all enjoy the fantastic scenery.
We
visited Iceland in July 2015.
When in a hurry click the highlights album.
