I went to Iceland

I went to Iceland last month with a great tour company, Sights and Soul Travel.  They specialize in small group tours for women only.  I hadn't heard of them and gambled by booking, and I won.  It was a great trip with a great company.

I love Iceland!  And Icelanders love Americans, it was a win-win situation.

Things I learned and love about Iceland:

• Icelanders have a great sense of humor.

• They bake their delicious bread overnight in holes in the lava fields!
• They grow their fruit and vegetables, and coffee, in huge greenhouses.  The green houses are kept warm year round using the natural geothermal energy.
• They speak and read English.  English is taught as a 2nd language in their schools starting in 3rd grade.
• Most of their income comes from tourism.  
• When the Vikings discovered Iceland in the 9th century, there were no native people or animals. The Vikings raided Scotland and Ireland for slaves and women and brought them back to establish settlements in Iceland.  Icelandic male DNA is 90% Norse, and Icelandic female DNA is 50% Norse and 50% Scot/Irish!

• Icelanders take great pride in their Icelandic language, it's remained closer to "pure" Nordic than any other Nordic language.
• Icelandic horses are called horses, never ponies!

• They do not allow animals to be imported.  If an Icelandic animal leaves the country, it can not return.  The reason is to prevent a disease from entering the country.
• The have no snakes.
• They have earthquakes every day, many earthquakes.
• They have a place called Hell.

• Some of the streams flow with hot/warm water, and some with cold water.  

• Iceland rest on two Teutonic plates, it's half on the North American plate and half on the Eurasian plate.  Iceland is slowly, about 1 meter a year dividing.

In this photo, North America is on the left,

in the photo below Eurasia is on the left!

• They credit Americans for getting them out of the mud houses.

Before America entered WW2, we went to Iceland to support the British who had a base of operations there.  The British built the Reykjavik domestic airport and the Americans built their International airport.  They credit us with developing housing with modern conveniences like indoor plumbing and electricity.

There was only one thing I didn't love about Iceland, in the restaurants, there may be horse, whale, and puffin listed on the menu.  This is in traditional Icelandic cafes.

Sue, myself, Vera and Mary

I traveled with my sister, and there was another set of sisters on the tour, too.  We all had a great time.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,