Iceland: a Real Life Fairy Tale (part I)

                                                        

Hello, my dearest readers,

I'm back after a long period of pause in which I had the opportunity to get to know a different version of paradise more and more deeply. I know I've intrigued you, so scroll down for more information!

This wonderful little piece of our Earth is called Iceland, and there are almost an infinite number of reasons that pushed me to simply love it. I hope to amaze you too, but first I think it is essential to illustrate the structure of the article and the story behind it.

As you surely already know my name is Marina, and I have friends spread all over the world. I've been dreaming of going to Iceland since the age of 9, and a few months ago I met the kindest person on the planet (and guess what...she's actually Icelandic). There's a stark difference between discovering curiosities via online and talking to other human beings. I've spent half my life accumulating knowledge about this island, but I only really got to know it thoroughly recently after long, interesting and fun chats. Among my many passions there is one in particular that I will never tire of: transmitting knowledge. Precisely for this reason.

I have selected for you a series of fun facts, breathtaking tourist destinations, bizarre customs, and many other things you absolutely need to know! 

My post will be divided into two parts: in the first you will find some curiosities that will leave you speechless, in the second something a little more particular (keep reading to find out more!). 

Ohh my beloved Iceland, how many wonders you hide…

•Stunning caves

If I were a primitive intent on finding an elegant, enchanting and aesthetically expensive shelter, you can be sure that I would choose an Icelandic ice cave. There are many otherworldly-looking tunnels carved into glaciers by lava here that, believe me, would astound anyone. Yep, you read that right! The island has numerous volcanoes, and the heat of the magma melts the ice (so these caves also change appearance over time). But let's talk about their colors instead…intense blue created over thousands of years with the pressure on the air bubbles in the water, pure white, light blue like the sky, gray and black caused by the ash. In short, these frozen walls are certainly surreal!

•Hidden people

It may seem crazy, I know this…but more than half of the Icelandic population believes in invisible creatures, supernatural beings such as elves, dwarves, gnomes, trolls, giants, fairies and spirits. They are said to live far from human sight and spend most of their time doing small household chores or playing pranks such as hiding keys, stealing gloves, opening windows, etc. It just so happens that, in writing this piece, I lost 3 pens...or maybe someone took them away from me! Anyway, not all of them are kind and mischievous. Sure, some tend to help, give wise advice and make people laugh, but many prefer to be greedy, scare, cast evil spells, bring bad luck and drive mad. 

My recommendation? Behave well so as not to make them angry, and if you see one these non-humans beings, run away for safety as it should not be in front of you but hidden from your eyes.

•To Beer or not to Beer, that is the question…

There has always been a sort of "problem" with alcohol in Iceland, which worsened especially following January 1915. What happened this month? 74 long years of prohibition began: the import, production, sale and consumption of beer were banned because it was considered a bit of a crime against the homeland (the island, engaged in an independence movement, and almost every other state associated beer to Denmark).

But let's be serious, who wouldn't want a beer? Exactly…

After many efforts, the Icelandic citizens managed to legalize this drink on March 1, 1989, the date on which “Beer Day” is now celebrated. Be careful though, as this doesn’t mean being completely free: beer and alcohol can only be bought in certain places at specific times and at rather high prices! 

•A different version of disco lights 

From September to March (the darkest and coldest months of the year) it is possible to observe the Northern Lights in the skies of Iceland, a true natural spectacle with bright moving neon lights. This mesmerizing phenomenon, also visible from space, is for scientists the result of the interaction between solar particles with atmospheric gasses in the Earth's magnetic field. For some Icelanders it’s instead caused by dancing spirits, or by spells from hidden people.

It’s a natural, unpredictable occurrence, capable of causing interference and certainly on many’s must-see bucket list, as who wouldn't want to watch vibrant and diverse colors moving above their head?

•Diamond beach

Black and a myriad of blue shades are the only possible colors to see in this fabulous place. Thinking of a beach everyone imagines an extended area of yellowish sand with palm trees, shells, calm waves or perhaps with some rocks and pebbles, not an area surrounded by dramatic angular cliffs with black volcanic sand, millenary mini icebergs resembling sparkling crystals, and very dangerous "sneaker waves" (they seem small and far away, when in reality are close, powerful, and capable of carrying people into the open sea). 

Without a doubt it’s a picturesque, photographable and instagrammable landscape, but I don't think I would ever set foot there and risk my life! I don't know about you, but for now I prefer to look at photos (like these below) on the internet and visit safer Icelandic places.

•"Vadlaheidarvegavinnuverkfæerageymsluskurslyklakippuhringurinn” 

No, they are not just random keyboard letters! And no, you don't have to force yourself to read this absurd word that neither I nor most Icelanders know how to pronounce! It’s a concoction of several terms that mean: the key ring to the tool work shed in the road works of Vadlaheidi. Crazy, isn't it?

(This language is insane in many ways...for example it has more than 100 words for wind, it has remained almost completely unchanged for many centuries, the alphabet consists of 32 letters etc.)

•Majestic volcanoes

Iceland is the land of water, ice and fire, and hence the colors blue, white and red in the national flag. Fire? Oh, yeah, but not the one with flames! The island is home to around 130 volcanoes (most of which are active) in 30 different volcanic systems. It’s made almost completely of basalt (lava that has become rock), and was formed below sea level following numerous superimposed eruptions. Did you know that a third of all the lava that has covered the earth's surface comes from iceland? I know, it may seem like a crazy statistic but...there are subglacial volcanoes that form new kilometric ice tunnels every year, eruptions that every few months force inhabitants to evacuate and flights to be suspended due to excessive smoke, craters so large to be able to enter without the risk of running into boiling magma, crevasses and fissures in the ground that form unpredictably from which lava comes out, so much geothermal energy that can be exploited in a sustainable way and which over time has created natural thermal springs and geysers….

Other than stunning, I don't know what to say! (and for all this the tap water in many Icelandic homes smells of sulfur)

Do you think I've finished listing the possible curiosities?! Not even jokingly, I only wrote seven little things. Still missing: the fact that there is no army and that Iceland discovered Greenland, the absence of trains and railways, the possibility for the inhabitants to access a website and trace their kinship with the Vikings, the failure to find dinosaur fossils due to their extinction before the birth of the island, the existence of 13 Santa Clauses called Yule Lads, the fact that a tenth of Icelanders have published at least one book in their life, the presence of a single species of horse considered the purest in the world, the possibility of witnessing the Midnight Sun and swimming in a small fissure between two continents (Silfra, between Eurasia and North America), the presence of a number of sheep approximately double that of humans.…

If after all this you tell me that you still don't like Iceland, I certainly won't believe you! If you want to book a trip instead, wait until you read the second part of this article to go prepared. Till next time, then!                                                                        

 

Today's Blogger

Hi everyone, for those who don't know me yet, I'm Marina Lostun, and I'm a student at the Braschi-Qurenghi high school. This bio is too short to contain all my interests, so, dear readers, you will discover them all gradually by reading my articles and posts. However, although I really like the idea of leaving you hanging, for now, know that I love travelling, nature and helping others.