Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis
What a beautiful video! Thank you for your time in editing, much appreciated.
Iceland is a country I have always wanted to visit but not achieved so far. My father was stationed in a camp near Reykjavik after the the British invasion of Iceland in 1940 (to prevent its capture by German forces).
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I have just got back from Iceland - no motorcycles involved. The country is lovely, and the people are probably the most polite and considerate that I have come across. The roads are in very good condition and there are off tarmac roads as well if that is your thing. There is a ferry to Iceland via The Faroe Islands
Highlights:
- Northern lights seen from a boat and from land
- Gullfoss waterfalls - not the biggest but wonderful, especially with the ice forming from the spray from the waterfall
- Blue Lagoon - a spa that describes itself as "one of the 25 wonders of the world" - I would disagree but they were good nonetheless.
- Reykjavik - the town around the harbour is a tourist hot spot / commercial centre. Like the rest of Iceland that we saw, it is well maintained and clean
- Reykjavik Cathedral - I am not normally one for cathedrals but this one was interesting - you are able to go up the tower for a spectacular view of the city and listen to the bells as they chime about 2m overhead.
- Silfra - this is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet - they are separating at the rate of about 20mm per year
- Virtually everyone speaks English which is helpful as I can't speak Icelandic
- The Museum of Settlement gives an interesting resume of the history of the island from when it was first settled by Vikings through to the present day
Low points:
- None really - the geyser we saw was having a quiet day so didn't spout more than about 2m rather than the 25m we were hoping for but it was still interesting.
It was cold - we had temperatures of down to -17C plus the wind chill made it seem lots colder than that. Even the Icelandic were saying that it was cold. On the other hand the clear skies at night allowed us to see the Northern Lights really well. Luckily I was dressed up to cope with temperatures below 0C - just not as low as -17C!
Would I go again - oh yes, without a doubt - I want to see a volcano erupting and the Northern Lights again.
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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.
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