One of my readers nominated me for Reader/Writer Outstanding Achiever (Any Genre) in
Affaire de Coeur’s Reader/Writer Poll 2013 .
I would really appreciate your vote.
http://adcmagazine.com/readerwriterpoll2013.html#.U1gh6ILD-po
Please click on this link, and scroll three-quarter way down to see my name under Reader/Writer Outstanding Achiever (Any Genre) where you can vote next to my name.
Thank you so much for your support.
Mona Risk
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.
[Click on the pictures to enlarge them]
Christopher Columbus had crossed the Atlantic on a rudimentary sail boat and discovered America, right?![images[1]](https://monarisk.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/images1.jpg)
I figured it would be fun to follow in his footsteps–so to speak– and discovered unchartered territories like Iceland and Greenland. Although my idea of crossing the Atlantic involved a comfortable Princess Cruise ship, a summer trip, and several stops in new places. 
We started our voyage from Southampton, England, sailed the North Sea, and docked in Bergen, Norway, two days later. Too many clouds darkened the sky, and it was much cooler than I expected for the beginning of September.
Unfortunately, I caught a cold that turned into bronchitis. As usual I carried a stock of preventive medicines. I was able to treat myself and not miss the fun.
Akureyri is the capital of North Iceland, only a short distance from the Arctic Circle, and showed snow-capped mountains in summer.
One of the must-sees of the north is the area around Lake Myvatn known for its bizarre rock formation, of lava origin due to still active volcanoes.
The famous Godafoss is one of Iceland’s most accessible waterfalls. The name means Falls of the Gods. In 1000 A.D. Iceland followed the Norse religion. The chieftain Porgeir meditated for 24 hours on what he had learned from missionaries, then decided that Iceland should become a Christian nation. On his way home, he decided to underscore his decision by throwing his carvings of the old gods into the waterfall, hence the name of Godafoss.
Akureyri is an interesting city with all the comforts of home, Internet everywhere, even in public buses.
Tourism is the major industry.
One third of the world’s volcanoes are in Iceland, but fortunately most of them are of the friendly sort.
We left Akureyri under a stormy sky.
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.
Mona Risk 