A Journey North....or to the Centre of the Earth?

Why Iceland? That's a question some people have asked me, including Mrs B. 

Its quite hard to offer a precise answer. I've never been to Iceland, so part of the attraction is that of visiting a new country. There's also a little mystery to Iceland - despite it having grown in popularity as a tourist destination in recent years. It has spectacular geology and geography - with hot thermal pools, glaciers and active volcanoes all packed into a island that's only slightly smaller than England but with a population about the size of Coventry.

My earliest memories of Iceland date back to childhood when I read Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. In the book the exploration to the centre of the earth began in Iceland at the Snæfellsjökull volcano.....and finished in Italy - so if I follow the travel notes left by Mr Verne I could go quite far off the beaten track! 

Not this Iceland!
 

This One!

Our trip (at the height of midsummer - so 24 hour daylight) will include a short road trip travelling along the South Coast, with a few detours, after an initial couple of days exploring Reykjavik. The plan (such as it is) is to experience some of the unique geology, landscape and culture and I've got a few walking trails downloaded for reference.


On the list of places to visit are Geysir, (from which geysers take their name) Pingvellir National Park and the waterfalls at Gulfoss and Skógafoss, but no doubt there will many more remarkable things to see.

So - a fascinating country , full of dramatic scenery and a rich heritage give plenty of reasons to want to visit this remarkable country - but there is of course one further and very important reason. I want to message our daughters with the simple statement: 

'Mum's gone to Iceland'