Other places in Iceland

The isle of natural wonders

My first reaction when my daughter suggested Iceland for a holiday was disbelief, as we had previously visited places like Malta and Madeira.
However, I found myself on the plane to Reykjavik and as it landed, passengers peered curiously through the windows for a glimpse of what awaited them.
It was different from anywhere I have seen, with brown lava rock everywhere and sparse greenery, mainly around the coast.
Our courier told us that a few trees in a clump were considered to be a wood. Some tourists said that they were missing their gardens already.
On the coach from the airport to the hotel it looked like an end-of-the-world scene until we came to Reykjavik. As much of Iceland is uninhabitable, almost half the population lives here. It has the distinction of being the most northerly capital in the world.
The air was cleaner and there was no over-crowding, no queueing, no litter and hardly any graffiti.
We had no trouble making ourselves understood, as most of the people we encountered spoke English. Surprisingly, there were Filipinos working in the hotel in Reykjavic, in spite of the very harsh winters.
There were plenty of familiar foods to choose from, including chips, and of course, fish. Icelandic delicacies of putrefied shark's meat and ram's testicles were, we considered, more of a threat than a promise.
There was a lot to see, including natural wonders like glaciers, churches, shops, and good nightlife. We also saw a building where pagan marriages were held. The local tourist centre was a mine of information on excursions.
We visited the Blue Lagoon, assuming that the description of it as "a totally unforgettable experience in supernatural surroundings" was typical guide book hype.
We were wrong it was exactly that. We bathed in the outdoor lagoon in very cold weather in this soothing warm water in surroundings which were like something out of this world. Unforgettable.
Wearing two of everything, except boots, we went on a whaling boat, listening for the crew member's urgent shouts: "Whale at O'clock," and "Whale at four O'clock."
Whaling in Iceland is being discouraged on the grounds that taking tourists whale-spotting is more profitable.
Although I was initially impressed by the exchange rate, receiving krona to I found that it disappeared quickly. A pint of beer costs and a cup of coffee is
But my test of a good holiday is whether I would go again. Given the chance, I most certainly would.

Read more in our destination guide to Iceland.