As many of you know, Lenny and I went with a group organized by Lauren Robbins of Second Wind Charters to Amsterdam and Iceland in June of this year. This was the first time for both of us to fly overnight, be away from home for two weeks and cruise the ocean. Our tour of Iceland took us to see many of Iceland's natural wonders.
Iceland is like no other place I have ever been before. Most of the places I saw were rocky, rugged and barren. I am used to seeing green grass, trees of all types and sizes, all kinds of animals and signs of life. As we drove around each day in our tour bus, I saw what looked like dead grass, sheep with their lambs, lots of rocks and an occasional "house." Many times, our destination was out in the middle of nowhere, marked only by a small sign that was the name of our stop: a waterfall, geyser, or bubbling mud pit. I was told by our Icelandic guide that these natural wonders had been given to the country by the family that owned the land with the condition that they would never charge admission or develop the land for industry (think electricity). These places were designated as Iceland National Parks. What altruistic and forward-thinking acts by these families! Their original way of life stayed the same, so no monetary gain from their gift but they also preserved these natural wonders for future generations.
I was also amazed at how pristine and untouched were all of the places we stopped. Even the ones that were on private land were well kept with wide paths and railing (tourists are required to stay on the path that led to the site). Also very noticeable was that there was virtually no litter anywhere and trash cans at the stops were not overflowing. This could be the result of the pride the Icelandic people have for their land, or jobs are scarce and picking up trash is a valued job. I saw an occasional water bottle thrown on the side of the road and was told it had to be a tourist because Iceland has the best drinking water in the world. Why would anyone want to drink that "nasty stuff" in a bottle? After drinking the water, I agree with them.
We stopped at a couple of working farms on our tour. Families seemed to stay together and work the farm. We stopped at a dairy farm and saw calves being cared for as we ate our freshly made ice cream. Dotted around the countryside were round bales of hay wrapped in white plastic. Obviously, this is done to protect this valuable resource from the elements, but they look like giant marshmallows. Our tour guide said that the children are told that these are marshmallows for the giant trolls of the area.
Another stop was at a greenhouse and restaurant. This was a large operation and also employed non-family members, but the family members were clearly in charge. This greenhouse grows tomatoes, and salad greens and we were told that it supplied 40% of Iceland's tomatoes. I am sure that everything served in the restaurant was either grown there or obtained from another farm in the area. This family also trained Icelandic horses and gave riding lessons.
The country is very, very protective of their horses. No horses can be brought into the country and if one is exported, it can never be returned to Iceland. Since there are no natural predators, not very much grass and very few fences, the sheep roam and graze everywhere. The sheep are gathered in the fall and put up for the winter and sheared in the late spring. I'm not sure how the farmers know whose sheep are whose, but it doesn't seem to be an issue as far as I could tell.
I didn't meet very many Icelandic people, mostly just tourists. But just from my thoughts about all the sights of the country I saw, I feel the Icelandic people as a whole must be very proud and protective of their culture, ways of life and country. It was a pleasure to visit and definitely would go back!
--Tina
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