"Isolated, Untamed, Iceland" - Time Out #47

So, the way my mind thinks, I always want to be on a trip on my summer birthday each year.

There are many reasons for this desire, but to be up with the current lingo, "it is what it is".

Several years back, I told my #1 travelin' buddie, Debbie,' I want to be in Iceland for my birthday this year".

Her return glance back at me and reply was like her neck underwent whiplash as she chirped "You want to go where?????"

"Yes", fellow world traveler I replied, "I want to experience Iceland".

We have been a tandem for 38 years, so she gracefully consented to go with her ol' Westwood Elementary alum of Our Town, me.

Most of you out there probably would have to go look at a map, globe or, most likely, go to an electronic device to find out just where this distant country is located.

Of course, that has been part of its appeal to me over the years, always wanting to visit it; it is a unique place for sure. I absolutely love out-of-the way places that are constantly calling my name to come see them.

Weird, no, I'd rather think of adventurous on my part. Debbie is occasionally somewhat resistant to travel at first, but almost always she has a good time once we arrive wherever out there.Our country count now is at 83.

So, now it's Iceland.

First of all, Iceland should be called Greenland, and vice versa. Even they are relatively next door to each other in the far north, their physical appearances aren't nearly the same. True, both display glaciers, but that almost totally describes all of Greenland, dominated by glaciers. Thus, the name Iceland (i.e., mostly glaciers) is more appropriate for Greenland. Iceland, on the other hand, is as green as it comes. Not sure it matches Ireland in that regard, but it's a close second. Only 10% of Iceland has glaciers. Long in the past, Iceland was almost totally clear cut of all it's magnificent trees over the entire island. Smarter heads have prevailed since then forward, fortunately, and many forests were replanted, and now are appearing to cover vast sections of the country.

Well, how do you get there?

Because it is definitely too far to swim from the USA to Iceland, most folks would choose to fly. Their national airline, Icelander Air, flies from many US cities non-stop to their well-known capital, Reykjavik. Your choice departure city may be as far west as Denver or as far east as Boston or New York. Other US carriers fly there, too, and our choice was our frequent flyer, Delta. We actually traveled with Insight Tours on this particular 11-day adventure, our first experience with them. They are a well-known vendor who runs all types of worldwide travel at several different price points. Their package appealed to me because they offered an 11-day all-inclusive one that completely circumnavigated the entire coastal area of the country, excluding the wild, remote nw section. This untraveled Westfjords area might just get me to return to this country, primarily just to experience it, too. Many different vendors offer land packages now with an array of prices.

I have also noticed many ocean cruise ships are now putting Iceland on their schedules more and more each season, so Iceland is rapidly climbing the travel recognition ladder.

Greater Reykjavik, located in the far sw corner of the country, comprises 75% of the island's population, and only 2% of Iceland's population lives in rural areas. These facts are pretty incredible when you consider Iceland is the 16th largest island in the world, and only Madagascar, Britain and Cuba are larger single independent island states. Most every living thing outside Reykjavik are sheep, sheep and more sheep, much like down under, New Zealand. Other domesticated animals such as their very unusual equine Icelandic ponies and horses, a few scattered cattle and all types of northern bird types are easily seen.

The people are quite friendly and are comfortable seeing foreign visitors to their little piece of paradise. The permanent population is merely over 300,000, but they host over 500,000 annual visitors. They are gaining momentum, but are still somewhat behind the curve regarding catering to western tourists. They have a few nice hotels and restaurants in Reykjavik and Akureyri (2nd largest town @ 17,000, and located along the mid-northern coast, only about 25 miles from the Arctic Circle). So, what is the prize of this island nation?

Hands down, the absolutely incredible scenery, and Mother Nature at her absolute BEST!

Iceland has some of the most spectacular waterfalls, fjords, glaciers, rivers, mountains, valleys, scenic vistas, thermal features and wildness of few locations on Planet Earth. You can barely travel a few miles without something taking your breath away with its natural beauty, and you are still breathless from the last scene only 10 minutes earlier.

Not to be overlooked, Iceland is one of the most ecological countries on earth, too, because of their geothermal energy sources. The northern part of Iceland, especially, has a Yellowstone-like area with geysers, mud pots, steam vents, fumaaroles, etc. They are the only country on earth that does not utilize any fossil fuels in providing its citizens energy, such as heating, cooking, electricity, etc.. All their power sources come from natural geothermal or hydroelectric means.

Last mentioned, but incredibly appealing, is their famous Blue Lagoon, located between Reykjavik and their modern international airport. It is Iceland's most popular tourist attraction with over 360,000 visitors/year. Briefly stated, it is a huge, outdoor, warm, natural, black lava pool/spa where bathers come to soak,relax and smear various natural white muds all over themselves.

On afternoon #1 in Iceland, yours truly, was one of those mud people, and I absolutely loved it. Debbie took many digital photos to prove she was with that old mud puppy.

That is Iceland, a country isolated, wild, untamed and waiting to be visited by you!