Exploring Iceland
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
I’m working on my bucket list, and Iceland was definitely a country on that it. Not that it is as simple as setting foot in a country and checking it off, but it is much preferable to staying in the safe harbor.
I traveled with my sister-in-law and we shared a lot of experiences and made many memories together. We also met some wonderful people and were able to swap those stories of how we do things similarly and differently.
Here are some interesting little tidbits about Iceland that we discovered through our interactions with people:
Iceland uses geothermal energy for heat. But, because that energy is so free and abundant, they also use it to de-ice sidewalks in the winter and to heat up a small section of ocean so they can “go to the beach”.
There are many wonders of nature in Iceland including glaciers, geysers, hot springs and waterfalls. But there are so many other interesting details about the country. One of these is the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island in the bay near Reykjavik. This beacon is a memorial to John Lennon. It consists of a tall tower of light, projected from a white stone monument that has the words “Imagine Peace” carved into it in 24 languages. These words, and the name of the tower, are a reference to Lennon’s campaign for peace, and his song “Imagine”. Yoko Ono chose the site of Iceland for the beacon because of its peaceful history, beautiful landscape, and sustainable geothermal energy to fuel the tower. The light is turned on every year on John Lennon’s birthday, October 9 and it is turned off on the anniversary of the day he was shot, December 8.
The light was turned on while we were there and I could see it from a small fishing village 38 miles away. I was out searching for the Northern Lights and while I didn’t see them, I could see this beacon.
The Aurora Borealis are another item on my bucket list and I was hoping to see them in Iceland, but it was too cloudy while we were there. Fortunately, the lights are visible in other countries, including the US, so I am now contemplating other places on my list.
Please share with me items on your bucket list and make recommendations of what I might want to add to my list.