June2015_TRAVEL TOPIC

Iceland by Liz & Phil 

Many people asked us why we wanted to go to Reykjavik, and I have to admit that the combination of volcanoes, glaciers and wilderness fascinated us, including having seen the Top Gear episode in Iceland where they travelled over some amazing country.  However having been there I find my main memories are of the people, the history, the sagas, and the stories.

I hadn’t read any of the Icelandic sagas before I went, but I have now read some (the English translations) and wish I had read them before I went.  Iceland has a wonderful and very much alive and proud history, where stories of their Parliament gatherings and the importance of their law speakers are interlaced with stories of trolls and elves – still very much alive in the landscape – in a wonderful mix of seriousness and leg pulling.  I feel sure that the locals (including the young ones) could identify their relationships to the original Icelandic families, but don’t mistake that for being provincial.  The young are generally well travelled, well-educated and very cosmopolitan (and everyone speaks English).

Other than the cold, Australians will feel right at home in Iceland – it is big and open, and the cities are in general built for car traffic.   

Tune in to the next edition of the Dayboro Grapevine for the next instalment.  Don’t forget at Maverick Travel you can redeem your American Express membership reward points to pay for your trip:  10,000 =