Although it’s called ICELAND, it is quite green. The first humans to visit Iceland have been Irish Monks looking for solitude during the ninth century. Soon afterwards, Vikings from Norway began to arrive in large numbers and founded Reyjkavik, the actual capital.

Icelanders developed the first parliament in Europe in 930. Each tribe chose a chieftain, and 38 of these chieftains met twice a year to discuss common concern and decide policy. With the introduction of Christianity, monasteries and schools were established. The Icelandic Sagas relate adventure tales of the Nordic countries.

Students celebrating their first day at the University of Reykjavik

It was Eric the Red’s son who left from Iceland and apparently beat Christopher Columbus to North America by almost five centuries.

The proximity of the Arctic Circle and the explosive activity from within the earth produce a singular land of fire and ice,  glaciers alongside volcanoes. Volcanic soil is  fertile and productive.

Notice the steam coming out a pond of lava. The area smelled of rotten eggs, the smell of sulfur.

The Icelanders have tapped the geothermal activity to heat swimming pool and generate electricity and heat in all houses. The Blue Lagoon came into existence as a byproduct of a nearby geothermal power plant.

The Blue Lagoon

People were quick to catch on to its health benefits and since 1976 this has been a popular spot for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Notice the steam emanating from the Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon owes its amazing turquoise color to the silica and minerals in the hot water. The color changes with different weather conditions. It can change from the bluest of blue to emerald green.

Cheers to Iceland

After three days in beautiful Iceland we crossed the Arctic Circle and were awarded a certificate by the Captain.

Our ship sailed toward Greenland that was far from being green!

Only 15% of Greenland is free of freezing for part of the year. The centered of the island is permanently covered with a blanket of ice that is 2 miles thick. If this frozen mass was to melt, the world’s oceans would rise 20 feet and most coastal cities would look like Venice.

There are only 50,000 people in Greenland. They are the real Eskimos. Eric the Red landed in Greenland in 982 and called it Greenland to trick migrants to come to this cold land.

Eskimos or Inuit live in closely knitted villages where mutual help is taken for granted. They are convinced that they live in the most beautiful place.

Icebergs are a common occurrence, but I didn’t like it at all when they told us that the Titanic sank around here.

We didn’t spend more than one hour ashore in Nanortalik and retuned to the ship that was ensconced in a cocoon of fog.

 Our cruise continued to Newfoundland. After four days at sea we reached our final destination and docked in New York.

Next cruise will take us to South America, Brazil for Mardi Gras and Argentina.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. Around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with passion.