Describing Iceland as the greatest country in the world, is not only a bold claim, but of course, an entirely subjective one.
While this is just my personal opinion, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of reasons to show you why I’ve come to this conclusion. Who knows… maybe I’ll convince you too!
1. Beautiful black beaches
Black is the new white! There’s nothing quite so atmospheric as watching the ocean waves lapping back and forth. There’s something poetic about how the water leaves a veil of white across the stark black sand of Iceland’s beaches.
2. Unbelievable icebergs
It’s hard to believable something so pristine and otherworldly is so accessible. To this day, Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon is easily one of the most remarkable natural wonders I’ve ever seen.
3. Dazzling Diamond Beach
Ok, these are ice floes not diamonds, but when they look like this, it’s know wonder that this beach opposite Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon has been nicknamed ‘Diamond Beach’.
4. Basalt columns
It’s incredible to think that after such a violent eruption of lava, almost perfectly symmetrical ‘sculptures’ are born. So much order in the chaos! Iceland is full of basalt columns, there’s nowhere else on earth that can compare to the diverse geology of Iceland.
5. Abandoned cabins
Adding character to the landscape are abandoned fishermen’s cabins in all kinds of conditions and colours, from grey, battered and torn to well-preserved, painted and cute. Have your camera ready.
6. Gorgeous turf houses
Every time I see one of these gorgeous little turf houses, I possess a strong urge to throw my phone away, stop shaving my armpits, start a nudist colony, and grow my own vegetables. Wanna join?
7. There's even a turf house museum
In Glaumbaer, North Iceland, you’ll be able to see how they used to live in this wonderfully preserved farm dwelling which was inhabited until 1947.
A venture inside offers an insight into how the past used to live. Made from peat, it might seem primitive but this kind of cladding retains a lot of warmth, which is something poorer Icelanders didn’t have before they tapped into geothermal energy.
8. The world's only Penis Museum
Some people collect stamps whilst others collect… penises…
But what happens when your collection gets too big for your home? You open a Penis Museum. Obviously.
9. Mars-like landscapes
Forget about comparing Iceland to other places on Earth, look at Mars and you’ll be a step closer to reality.
10. Monopoly houses
Its capital city looks like it’s made up of Monopoly houses. Just look at how colourful this capital city is! For the best view of the city head to the top of Hallgrimskirkja church for 360° panoramic views.
Try and time your visit up Hallgrimskirkja with sunset.
11. There's a story in us all
Iceland has a strong literary tradition dating back to the medieval sagas, which are epic narratives that played a crucial role in preserving the history and culture of the Icelandic people. This tradition has fostered a deep appreciation for storytelling and literature.
12. Quirky sculptures with a philosophical message
I adore this sculpture located in Reykjavik. I don’t think there’s a better why to get the point across that working in a job simply to amass wealth will leave you completely enslaved.
Further reading: Quirky sculptures in Reykjavik & where to find them
13. Gay Pride is one of the biggest annual events in the country
There’s nothing quite like people coming together and using art to send out a message of celebration and acceptance. Skólavörðustígur Street located in the centre of town is painted in the colours of the rainbow.
Initially it was painted every year for Gay Pride, but being a source of happiness of many, for the past few years the locals have kept it permanently painted to have a constant reminder of respect, inclusivity, and love in town.
14. And when they're not in the streets, they're in the sky
Rainbows are an emblem for Iceland, you’ll often see them spring up over waterfalls and because the weather is so erratic it’s also common to see them in the sky when the rain is followed by sunshine.
15. Pretty fishing villages
My favourite is the small yet perfectly formed fishing village of Siglufjördur. Once known for its silver sea with its abundance of herring, thus giving it the nickname ‘Herring Town’.
Though there is no longer any herring, its heritage has been wonderfully preserved at the charming little Herring Museum.
16. Wild Icelandic horses
Icelandic horses are synonymous with the landscape. Why not jump out of your car to say hello or take a photo of these beautiful creatures? I
celandic horses are known for their unique tolt (a special gait) that other breeds of horses are not capable of!
17. Powered by geothermal energy
Due to the high volume of volcanoes, Iceland is able to heat itself (including the main roads which remain surprisingly ice free) almost entirely by geothermal energy aka clean power.
Iceland has several geothermal power plants that harness the Earth’s heat for electricity generation. The largest of these plants is the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station near Reykjavik.
18. Lake Mývatn
Although there are no mosquitoes, you won’t be able to avoid the midges at Lake Mývatn which translates to ‘Midge Lake’.
However, this means the area flourishes with birdlife (every cloud has a silver lining). It’s difficult to get a perspective of how weird and wonderful the appearance of this vast expanse of water is without seeing a bird’s-eye view. However, it’s still easy to spot the collection of pseudo-craters that sprawl across it.
19. Surreal formations at Dimmuborgir
Dimmuborgir is its own world of unique and bizarre lava formations, which make exploring extremely enjoyable.
The place has inspired much Icelandic folklore, believing Dimmuborgir connects earth with the infernal regions. It wouldn’t be surprising if Iceland’s elusive elves and trolls lived here too – I’ve read they do!
20. Hverir Geothermal Area
There’s a high chance that you’ll smell this place before you even see it! Hverir Geothermal Area is a large field of bubbling mud pools, fumaroles and sticky red soil. You only need to see the large volume of steam emitting from the ground to know this area is high-temperature and evidently volcanic.
FYI: If you’re heading to Iceland and want to know what to wear, this guide will sort you out: What to Wear in Iceland and the Arctic Regions‘ for more advice.
21. Hverfjall: an erupted volcano you can hike
22. Sorry Britain, but Icelandic fish 'n' chips are superior!
Oh my word, your tastebuds will jump with joy after tasting Icelandic fish ‘n’ chips. Light and airy, they’ll melt in your mouth and will leave you craving more.
Head to the harbour and ye shall find.
23. Hot Pools
Entering through a crack in the ground nearby Hverfjall, stop off at Grjótagjá Lava Cave . You’ll need to climb down through a low-ceiling tunnel before the space widens out, and a stunningly clear-blue steam pool appears.
However, unless you’re here in the winter, the pool is too hot to jump into during the summer so alternatively head to Seljavallalaug, one of the oldest pools in Iceland.
Gina Churchill-Straffon bathing in Seljavallalaug
24. No McDonalds
You know a country prides itself on individuality when it doesn’t subscribe to having a McDonalds. It did once upon a time before the economic crash in 2008 but has no desire to see the chain again in spite of its economic recovery.
25. Epic waterfalls
Waterfalls in Iceland may not be the tallest in the world, but they are the most diverse and beautiful.
Dettifoss (pictured) in North Iceland is the most powerful waterfall in the whole of Europe. Before you even arrive you can hear the thundering sound of the river dropping 45m with enough force to send spray hundreds of metres skywards.
26. Björk
All Icelanders should be proud to have this woman representing their musical achievements on a global platform. And even when she’s not singing I really enjoy listening to her interview other people including David Attenborough and Arvo Part.
27. Europe's first female president
28. A taxi driver turned comedian turned Mayor
Ex-Mayor of Reykjavik, Jón Gnarr, created a satirical political party which parodied real life events in Icelandic society but by making politics more fun, it ended up thrusting him into real life politics.
29. Home to puffins
30. Northern Lights
Although you can see the Northern Lights in several countries, Iceland remains one of the best places. If you’re staying in a hotel make sure you ask for a wake-up call if the Lights decide to start dancing across the sky in the middle of the night.
31. An adventure junkie's paradise
Iceland is the perfect place for adventure junkies. You can head inside glacier, descend into a magma chamber, snorkel between the tectonic plates, and go ice pick climbing to name just a few!
32. Europe's largest ice cap
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Europe and the third largest in the world (after the ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland). The glacier is so massive that each of the many tongues have their own names and are referred to as separate glaciers like Svinafellsjökull.
33. Not just fields, but lava fields
34. Smells like rotten eggs
If you have a problem with this smell then maybe you should avoid Iceland. I think it smells like heaven but that’s what love does to you!
35. Street art
Large wall murals not only transform otherwise nondescript buildings, they brighten up the streets during winter.
Read more: The Colourful Buildings & Street Art of Reykjavik
36. No Army, Navy, or Air Force
Iceland is one of the few countries in the world with no standing army, navy, or air force. Its defense is provided by a cooperative agreement with NATO, and the country maintains a small coast guard for patrolling its waters.
37. Skyr
There’s no looking back after you taste your first spoonful of Skyr. Described as a yogurt and eaten as a yogurt, it’s actually really soft cheese with virtually zero fat (seemingly impossible I know). I recently tried coconut flavour, if you find this consider yourself lucky as this flavour is harder to find in stores.
I was told the story about an Icelandic man who moved to New York and began making it in his flat because he felt homesick and it wasn’t available across the Atlantic at the time. After his friends tasted it they encouraged him to approach specialist stores and from that a booming business was born! You can read more about his story here.
38. The perfect thinking place
39. Sexy dad alert
It wasn’t me who said it first!
40. Film-locations from every direction
James Bond, Tomb Raider, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Game of Thrones – it’s no surprise why tourism is fast becoming one of the largest industries in Iceland.
41. The Golden Circle Route - a microcosm of Iceland in a day
If you only have a few days in Iceland it’s still possible to get a good impression of what the whole country is like in a day on the Golden Circle Route.
42. Significant in chess history
Before I started blogging and years before stepping foot on Iceland, the only real thing I knew about the country was that it hosted one of the most famous chess matches in history – The 1972 Bobby Fischer Vs Spassky match.
The world-wide attention of this game really put Iceland on the map so when Bobby Fischer ran into trouble with the law later on in his life, Iceland stepped in and granted Bobby Fischer citizenship so he no longer had to worry about being deported back to America where he awaited criminal charges.
43. They don't take themselves too seriously
44. Policemen don't carry guns
It’s not a coincidence that in one of the safest countries in the world the policemen do not carry guns.
45. Architecture inspired by nature
Even in the capital city you’re still constantly reminded of nature. Hallgrimskirkja church, the tallest building in Reykjavik looks exactly like basalt columns.
46. No mosquitoes
There are few countries in the world that can say they do not have any mosquitoes and Iceland is one of them!
47. Pure Water
You don’t need to keep buying bottled water, refill at your nearest tap, stream, waterfall or Lagoon – Icelandic water is among the purest in the world!
48. Insane rock formations jutting out from the sea
A statement like this really deserves its own blogpost, but in a nutshell don’t miss the ‘fingers’ of basalt rocks known as Reynisdranger in Vik; Dyrhólaey, a 120 metres high promontory where a huge arch-shaped rock is located; and Hvítserkur, a basalt rock formation at Húnafjörður.
I personally have a soft spot for Reynisdranger because you can see them wherever you are in Vik, Iceland’s most southerly and arguably prettiest town.
49. You can travel around the whole country on a single road
50. Photographer's Paradise
67 responses
ahhh this makes me miss that place! i need to take my third trip there soon! ive been wanting to get my boyfriend there because words and photos just dont do the landscape justice!
i love skyr. i have been eating it for decades and it is one of my favorite things about the country.
on the contrary, i always laugh when icelandic people pride themselves on not having mcdonalds. no offense to them, but there is a taco bell there. so taking pride in not having mcdonalds is kind of cancelled out by having something with even poorer quality food and standards 🙂
now im going to have iceland on my mind all day. i guess ill have to spend some of it watching delicious iceland (one of my fav cooking shows haha).
Haha touché, but still, the less we have of McDonalds the better!
I hope you get yourself to Iceland again with your boyfriend soon… it’s such an addictive country, impossible to go once, huh?
Mmmmm Skyr. Not heard of Delicious Iceland before, going to see if I can find it on Youtube. Scandinavian cooking programmes are awesome, but they always make me feel woefully inadequate (yet inspired) when I see them gather their essential ingredients from the wild!
Thank you for writing such nice things about Iceland. I am from Iceland ,married an American in 1958 and moved to America.Love it here,but go home to Iceland every other year to see my family and my beautiful country.
Skyr is also my favorite,miss not getting it here. I hope you tried the dry fish,´´ harðfisk ´.
Thanks again ,,Halla
Hello Halla, it was my pleasure to write this blogpost about your beautiful home country, if I’m honest I could easily have exceeded 50 reasons! 🙂
I have indeed tried harðfisk, and I was impressed to hear that toddlers are given it too as a healthy snack! I also tried Hakarl which was… interesting. In regards to Skyr, it’s available in America, so you should try to find out if any stores near you stock it!
You are very beautiful!
we have mcdonalds 🙂 its just called metro now .. its in skeifan
Iceland will now be on my list to visit in spring or summer 2016, after visiting and returning from Malaysia in January/February 2016 . A very comprehensive list of reasons along with nice and beautiful photos too. Lots to do and see. Who knows, the Icelandic tourist board might notice you and offer you a free trip there again and ask you to write and promote Iceland
Looking forward to the trip next year.
Glad you feel inspired to visit after reading this post Dad! I’m sure the Penis Museum will be high on your list mwah hahahaha. Seriously though, I think you and mum will love the scenery.
I truly recomend avoiding the touristic theme and hook up with local ppl when and where ever you can. 😉
I completely agree, hooking up with local people is one of the best ways to have an enriching time in another country. I’m not exactly sure what you mean by ‘touristic theme’… does that include places that attract tourists? If so, I disagree.
What a GREAT post, Shing! If it was possible for Iceland to move any higher up my priority list, it just has. Thank you x
Did your brother enjoy himself with his girlfriend? I know he didn’t have long there, but I hope he managed to get out of the city to see some of the Icelandic countryside on one of his days!
I hope you visit soon – Icelandair also offer free stopovers en route to the US! (actually, I think that’s what your bro probably took advantage of!)
ok, now I want to return so badly! Thank you! 😉
Iceland is waiting for you Kami! I’ll join you! 😀
Wow! Extensive list Shing, can’t wait to go back again. Can definitely vouch for Skyr too! No wonder Iceland has some of the strongest men in the world – they live off Skyr’s proteiny goodness! Also, the constant smell of sulphur that emanates from the Mars-like landscape helps to disguise my own production of sulphur…the perfect excuse to eat as many beans as possible ; )
Hahahaha funniest comment ever. Indeed, poop all you want and you can just blame it on Iceland. I think I’m going to have to update this post just so I can quote your comment!
And fantastic observation – there’s definitely a direct correlation between Skyr and why Iceland produces so many strong men 😉
I’m an Icelander living overseas. Thanks for bringing me such lovely photos and well-researched captions. Really good blog.
Hello Mik, it’s lovely to see a comment from an Icelander! I’m pleased you enjoyed reading about your home country through a visitor’s eye. Iceland is very, very special 🙂
I feel so lucky to call this place home!
Oh YOU are lucky!
I think you’re right, and I’ll be back one day. You’re so right about the fish n’ chip, and the food in general was a revelation for me. Reykjavik is such a magical city, and would be perfect for a city break, even without the daytrips to the countryside. I’d love it if there were direct flights to the east of the country!
I love that you called Reykjavik ‘magical’, you’re soooo right! 🙂
Oooh glad you hear you tried the fish ‘n’ chips and agree, they are obscenely good (seriously, I paused for a moment to think about them and my mouth just swelled up with saliva :-s)
Tell me about it, getting to the East is not made easy! However, the North is incredible and you can find very reasonably priced internal flights that take 45 mins from Reykjavik. I recommend it for your next trip Richard. Also, I know you know like hiring a car so there is also a highland bus journey that connects Reykjavik in the South to Akureyri in the North which is supposed to be an incredible journey!
Hi there. just wanted to say that within Iceland there are direct flights to the east. From Reykjavik to Egilsstaðir.
Hi Brynja, you are quite right, thanks for mentioning this. I hope to make it Egilsstaðir in the not so distant future!
http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/10/08/egilsstadir-london-direct-flight-2016?language=en 😉
We are so excited!!!
#51 Iceland is awesome for mountain biking.
Haha, I should definitely make this list bigger! I bet mountain biking in Iceland is an awesome challenge!
Well, I’ve always had the dream to go to Iceland, but after reading this… It may not be a dream anymore, after all!
Great post, Shing. Iceland was already in my top priority-travels, and these reasons just make me more excited to go there. The landscapes seem formidable, and although I come from a pretty sunny country (Portugal), I’d love to experience what it’s like to live in a nordic country.
Once again, amazing post! Cheers 🙂
Hi Ruben! I hope you get yourself to Iceland soon, it’s like nowhere else on Earth! Hailing from sunny Portugal, it would be interesting to know how you adapt to the much cooler climate! 🙂
I want to experience living in a Nordic country too 🙂
Cool list, glad you had a good time.
But “36. WARM WELCOME TO REFUGEES” is far from the truth.
The vast majority of asylum seekers and refugees repeatedly get rejected by our government’s department of immigration.
Just last week it was announced that the Albanian Telati family of five were to be deported. It’s shameful, to be honest.
So if you don’t mind I want to share this petion to let them stay.
https://www.change.org/p/%C3%BAtlendingastofnun-leyfum-alb%C3%B6nsku-telati-fj%C3%B6lskyldunni-a%C3%B0-setjast-a%C3%B0-%C3%A1-%C3%ADslandi?recruiter=407484243&utm_campaign=signature_receipt_fb_dialog&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&fb_ref=Default
Hi Baldvin, thank you for your comment and the link which you have shared – I’ve signed the petition. Clearly, I’ve overgeneralised, and have been influenced by the media, strangely enough Iceland is one of the few countries perceived as showing more compassion and offering more help but I suppose this is more representative of Icelandic people and not the Icelandic government? Being in the UK , I share this frustration.
Omg Shing, this is such a gorgeous photo collection! I love them all <3
Thanks Charlie, Iceland is a very photogenic country!
Nice blog 😉 Yes Iceland is an amazing place, lived here all my life and I still haven´t seen everything there is to see here.
So jealous that you live in Iceland 😉 There are so many nooks and crannies to this country that you can see something new every day… ahhhhh what a country!
#13 is my thing. Great idea!
And very thanks for the walk around. It’s always pleasure to take a look at the Iceland’s miracles.
Painting the streets in the colours of a rainbow can’t fail to bring smiles all around! 😀
Thank you, I’m happy you enjoyed the virtual tour of Iceland!
These are wonderful reasons why we should ALL be going to Iceland. The country is glorious, the view is amazing and you’ll see and experience things that you would never see anywhere else. I haven’t been to Iceland. Yet!
Hold the flight. I’m on my way!
Iceland is awaiting your grand arrival Victoria!!
Don’t forget the snow houses in the winter the native Icelanders live in. They keep you nice and toasty. You’d think a house made of snow would be cold but they have great insulating properties. The natives live off of a diet of whale and fresh fish. One whale could last a village the whole winter. The Icelandic sheepdog does a great job pulling their sleds when they need to get around.
Hi troll!
thanks for great posts and fantastic photos,and if you visit us here in Iceland again you should try to take a look the western part of the country,like Snaefellsnes peninsula where I live and have been taking photos all year in a rather small area that constantly changes because of daylight and weather.But again thanks for great blog.
I couldn’t agree with you more, I visited the Snaefellsnes peninsula and it was one of my highlights, I fell in love with a place called Djúpalónssandur, have you been? I should have included it in this list! I’ve not been to the West Fjords yet… hopefully that will be next 😉
Oh, I’m so eager to explore Iceland. My boyfriend hitchhiked around the ring road a few years ago and said it was incredible. I was interested to read that there isn’t a McDonalds and all the effort put in to gay pride. That just makes me want to visit even more!
Wow, I bet your boyfriend has some epic stories, what an adventure! You must, must, must go Katie! 🙂
The horses are not wild
I’ve seen so many, especially in the North without being enclosed, so I guess I see them being more wild than horses kept in the UK for example. If you have any more information about the horses in terms of their ‘wildness’ I’d love to know. I’ve changed the title to ‘Icelandic Horses’.
Thanks! Well you’ve said it right there in the article when you mentioned they were a breed. Breed = “man made animal” aka not wild. Even the “wild” mustangs that are known in the USA is a misnomer as technically they are “feral” (a domesticated animal born and “raised” in the wild so not tame). Even if the icelandic horses are not enclosed I assume they belong to someone and are tame? Even if not they are not tame, they are genetically still domesticated and not wild.
Iceland has been near the top of my travel wish list for ages and yet I still haven’t made it there. The landscapes look so otherworldly! I cannot wait to experience them in person. One of these days…
The landscape really is otherwordly Heather! I hope you get to experience Iceland soon…
I have the priviledge to show foreign guests around all those places in my work as a tourist guide. Great photos and great summary of what to do while in Iceland. Thank you Shing.
Great blog, Shing.
However, i would like to add some info to the mix… The Ring Road… When driving east, from Hornafjörður and further north.. Do NOT take the ring road just blindly.. PLEASE DONT!!!!! Take instead road 96 — i´ll tell you why… rd #1 goes up from either “Öxi or Ax” or Breiddalsheidi — BIG MISTAKE!!!! Trust me, i live in the region and what you will miss while taking that #1 road is a whole region of the East fjords… (www.visitfjardabyggd.is) That link takes you to the little villages along the coastline, many wonderful museums, bed&breakfast type of places, finer restaurants even, possibility to go skiing if you travel during winter, or whale watching… Very scenic, friendly people and just beautiful and peaceful…
Just some links to check out IF you´re interested:
http://www.hildibrand.is (apartment hotel in Neskaupstadur – very well equipped, great food)
http://www.visitfjardabyggd.is — a website about all the things you can do in the area, but i am sure, the list could be longer..
http://www.steinapetra.is — Mineral collection… an old lady in Stödvarfjordur, now passed, collected stones all her life.. Her home is now a museum, supervised by her children and grandchildren..
http://www.eistnaflug.is — if you are a metal fan this is the festival to come.. (in english it would be “flying testicles”)
i could go on and on about the East – the region people think they see, but never do, because of that damn (pardon my french), ring road situated on a gravel road, high up in the mountains, with bad phone reception someplaces, and VERY dangerous during winter, because of ice, snow, which is not cleared enough in the long months of winter.. And many times during that harsh time,, rescue squads are sent up there to safe tourists in the little rental cars that are not equipped for winter driving.. So.. C:\Users\Notandi\Desktop\kort_austurland480_ferdavisir.gif (c/p this link, and you will see the road nr 1… And then road nr 96.. Please, take that one… 😀 we want you, tourists, to come visit us.. Where you come as a stranger, but leave as a friend…. 😀 But thanks for your lovely photos and your view of my beautiful country….
I am officially moving here! So beautiful and magical! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi! I’m going there in June with my family and I can’t wait! We will only have 4 days there but I’m waiting forward to make the most out of them. I wish I had more time, but I can always go back there one day. And, guess what, I haven’t been to Iceland yet and I’m already in love with the country and I want already to go there “again” 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful info you shared. We are heading there end of September for a week. We are making changes to the typical 7 day self drive intineries they offer because we dont want to spend any time in the capitol. No offense to Iceland, but we live in Orlando, FL, USA and love getting away from the cities & enjoy nature. This seems like the perfect place for that. So cant wait. Thankyou again for sharing.
thankyou i really want to go now
Ah love this! Have wanted to travel to Iceland now for the last few years. Next year definitely!!
Nadine | Karateandcaviar.com
Hi, I just find out that Iceland exist making a research about the best places to live and have a peaceful life. This Blog make me want to move there as soon as possible. Love every single picture! Hope to go there soon. Thanks for the review 😉
I’m from SA live in the UK I enjoy traveling. I will add Iceland on my bucket list. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing
Dear Shing Yoong, What a great and professional and interesting report on Iceland. Yes, many of us love that country and all the interesting factors. But especially we like the Icelandic people. I spent a wonderful year there in 1959. I had many great experiences there. I was Contract Supervisor of a very large Communications center near Hofnfjord for the U.S. Air Force. There are many events I would like to tell you about my world travels, especially the North Pole, Thule, Sondestrom, Greenland, Goose Bay, Lab., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and my alt-favorite, Hokkaido, Japan, especially Wakkanai at the northern tip of Japan (and 68 other countries, not as nicely cool as the ones mentioned). I leave this one experience from well high over Vatnasokull Glacier. About five of us (and a five man band, with instruments who had been at our site to entertain the troops) were flying south from Hofn to Keflavik Air Base next to Reykavik. The plane was an old USAF C-47. The flight was about 400 miles. About halfway there the pilot came online and advised the flight Non-Com to open the rear door and discard it into the air. Note for these flights we all wore water immersion suits and parachutes. The pilot then said that the plane was in trouble, we were loosing altitude and he did not think we would make it to Keflavik and there were no other landing fields between us and Keflavik. He told the non-coms to empty the aircraft of everything not part of the airplance. This included all suitcases, briefcases, bags, packages, the coffee machine AND all the instruments belonging to the band. SAVE NOTHING he said as we all howled (especially the band, drums, guitars, amplifiers, costumes, etc) AND my clothes, cameras, rolls of exposed film, letters, pictures, cash money and company electronic measuring gear. Everybody was angry…the the pilot said for all to get ready to parachute out of the plane….that made all of us nervous. I was with a friend, a USAF Capt. (Ron C.) and he said no sweat , jump, say GERONIMO, pull the D-ring which opens the chute and enjoy the ride and the scenery. Helicopters would come and pick us up off the glacier. I knew that Ron had been shot down twice in Korea had bailed out each time, was not hurt and was easily picked up. Our pilot, after a 8 minute pause said he was dumping gas and we might just make it to Keflavik………WE did. The plane braked and stopped mid-runway. The pilot ordered everybody out and to run away from the aircraft at least 50 yards. We did. Last out was the pilot and as he ran toward our group he hit a sheet of thin ice on the runway, flew up and then down. A couple of airmen went to get him and we could hear his moans and groans from the pain of his broken leg! We all thought he deserved it! HEY….How about a joint glacier trek to get some well preserved musical instruments, some electronic equipment and don’t forget my new suitcase with two cameras, film, new clothes, money, pictures gently sitting on the ice waiting for us!
The capital of Iceland is nothing like anything you have in the USA! So enjoy the small capital of Iceland and the people of Reykjavik!
Thanks for sharing these special moments… Iceland is truly a beautiful country! We are doing the Ring Road in 7 days (super efficient and jam-packed).
Great story and amazing photos!! Planning to visit in March 2018! Can’t wait!! Checkout my travel blog https://footnotesbykaran.com/
My daughter, son in law and I traveled to ICELAND last May! We rented a small rv and traveled route 1 for 10 days! All I can say is GO!! Your blog was so on spot and brought back amazing memories. We took over 3000 photos. So come prepared. The only thing I want to add is always always check the weather reports so very important no matter the time of year you go. May was great for us because we were practically by ourselves. Not a lot of tourist except in the typical tourist areas.
WE DO PLAN TO GO AGAIN!
Gorgeous – the scenery and the subject in some of them 🙂
These photos are beautiful.
I like Iceland very very very much and it’s my dream to go to Iceland alone without any and enjoy the beautiful scenery.