Sunrise in the land of the last vikings

in #iceland7 years ago (edited)

                                                         Did Vikings actually die?

As I grew up in Norway, I often heard that Norway is the land of the Vikings. But if I have to be honest, I never really felt it that way. When it comes to Iceland, that's a totally different story! This is the Valhalla, this is the place where you can still find real Vikings. The amount of big and strong people there are surprisingly high, and there is no doubt that people of Iceland are proud of who they are. 


                                                          How about the landscape?

When it comes to the landscape of Iceland, it is just amazing. There is no other place like this, not even something that is close. Driving around the coast of the little island takes around 18 hours, but I can promise you that even a week in this place is not enough. To see how the landscape is formen by the many volcanos you will find, and that there is almost no trees to find there, is really something that makes it special. Instead the green you will find there, has a special green colour to it, and the huge glacier melting in to the ocean, creating beautiful rivers with a special crystal blue colour to it.


                                                        Any good tips about Iceland? 

Iceland changed a lot from my first visit in September 2016, and my fourth visit in December 2017. The amount of tourism now is insane, and in many ways it kills some of the beautiful mood that I had the first time I was there. Huge busses with tourist from all over the places, garbage that people don't clean up after them, and the prices that even got higher. The locals are tired of it, and it is easy to understand why. But if you want to have some privacy while you are there, then my tips would be to drive as far as possible from Reykjavik, no matter what direction. If you drive to the west, you will find yourself almost alone on the roads pretty fast, and the people you see are almost only locals. If you choose to drive east, you will less and less people the further you get. Follow the main road up north after you Stokksnes (a place you really have to see), and seek for the adventures up to where less people dare to drive.
Remember to buy as much food as possible in the big supermarkeds, as there are few big grocery stores around Iceland, and they are more expensive the further you go.

And once again, respect the nature, locals and the laws. We only have one Iceland!