Land of Fire and Ice- Iceland.

Iceland – The land of Fire and Ice.

In the huge vast Antarctic ocean laying landless, Mother Earth decided to make a new land. She created a new land mass from her womb and placed it right there. The creation is never easy. It is violent with all elements of nature in play in their most fierce display, but at the same time making the most beautiful creation ever. Nevertheless, the undying spirit of Human industry is making the best of this opportunity and creating a lovely nation living in harmony with nature.

So much different from the other places we have seen till now. From most weird looking Solidified Lava rocks spread along vast areas at a stretch covered with green moss, to the most amazing beautiful and big but dangerous Waterfalls ever, Multi coloured landscape changing even in a few hundreds of meters, Loooong Glaciers with some much adventure possible but with much danger, the unique natural Geysers which shoot boiling hot water fountains high into the air, more than 130 live volcanoes and arctic freezing temperatures. 

You can actually see the entire Iceland breaking into two! Yes the crack formed due to the movement of tectonic plates of Asia-Europe and America is splitting Iceland into two parts slowly, one Centimeter per year. You can actually see the crack in the ground.

Just when you think that it is not possible to live here you see these amazing people in amazing villages living in harmony with mother nature in small villages with beautiful small houses with large number of sheep grazing peacefully in surrounding hills sparsely covered with vegetation, unique breed of Horses which are so docile but still strong enough to survive arctic cold, villages having small geysers with smoke billowing out of cracks in the ground and Boiling hot water flowing out, instead of getting scared they have made it an asset by using Geothermal power as major source of energy.

A visit to the Blue Lagoon (yes, even I remember Brook Shields)! natural hot water ponds with supposedly medicinal mud in it. Whatever! we loved the experience of enjoying in a hot water pond under open night sky with millions of twinkling stars in freezing arctic temperatures. 'Fire and Ice' together.

I have seen Black beach, Red Beach but Diamond Beach?! Iceland has one...check it out. Large and small pieces of frozen ice from Ocean gets washed to this beach and in sun looks like diamonds scattered on the beach. You don’t have to be rich to be happy. So also, you don’t have to check-out the molecular composition to shine bright as diamond.

Visiting the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon (Jökulsárlón) was once in a life time experience. Huge chunks of broken ice (from ice bergs) gets washed ashore in this lagoon, shining beautifully with a blueish tinge and making lovely shapes floating in the lagoon till they melt. We could even spot a Seal in its natural habitat! The icing on the cake was, when a huge floating Ice chunk hit another one and broke into many parts with a loud cracking sound. It was like watching National geographic!

To Top it all the most amazing Northern lights. A true 'OUT OF THE WORLD' experience - This dance of lights in the sky is to be seen to be experienced. We were lucky enough to see the northern lights twice. As told to us by our tour guide the phenomenon of Northern Lights are ranked on a scale of 1 to 9, nine being best possible but very very rare. We were lucky enough to see them at 6 which again is a very rare.

The adventure of Snow Mobile- driving a snow mobile on the Langjokull glacier-Europe's second largest Galcier and racing with kids sitting as pillion riders, what can I say, Amazing! The drive to the glacier itself is an experience. In special trucks with huge tyres, then stop on a rocky path and reduce the air pressure in the tyres and then drive in very very thick snow to reach the extremely cold mountain top and then to the glacier. When we reached the huge snow-covered Glacier the Sun was shining very bright and very less wind- a very rare combination as told by the guide. Most amazing experience.

Iceland- truly amongst the best places I have seen.