Iceland
Read MoreIceland's Keflavik International Airport features 2 sculptures.
On the left is "The Rainbow" by Rúrí made of stainless steel and stained glass. On the right is "The Jet Nest" by Magnus Tomasson.
Keflavik is hugely controversial to native Icelanders. The airport and surrounding town were built by Americans during WWII and subsequently transferred to NATO. Icelanders deeply resent this ongoing military occupation of their country.The remains of a steel highway bridge destroyed by the catastrophic 1996 jökulhlaup.
A jökulhlaup is a glacial outburst flood that occurs when a volcanic eruption under a glacier causes countless tons of ice to melt - but remain trapped under the ice cap.
Eventually the heat of the steam causes the entire ice cap to rise up, and the melted water rushes out destroying everything in its path.
The 1996 jökulhlaup caused by an eruption of Grímsvötn released water at a rate of 50,000 cubic meters/second.Icebergs detaching from Vatnajökull flow to the Atlantic via the Jökulsárlón lagoon.
Jökulsárlón has become one of Iceland's premiere tourist locations and features a fleet of converted Vietnam era landing craft that allow tourists to get up close and personal with the ice flows.
Volcanic ash from the 2011 eruption of Grímsvötn stains the crystal clear Jökulsárlón ice.Lava fountains from the "Krafla Fires" between 1724 and 1729 could be seen all the way to the south shore of Iceland.
Rather than erupting from a cone, Krafla opened up as a series of fissure vents over a wide area. The lava flow from the fissures extended all the way to Lake Mývatn.
Krafla last erupted in 1984, and is still VERY active.Only a fraction of the tourists that visit Iceland go to the Western Fjords - the Ring Highway skips the Western Fjords altogether.
This is a pity as the landscape is spectacular. Látrabjarg is the westernmost point in Europe.
The Baldur Ferry connects the Western Fjords with the Snæfellsnes Peninsula by picking its way through the 40 or so islets of the Breiðafjörður.The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although they are small (pony-sized),they are long-lived and hardy.
The Icelandic Horse displays two unique gaits in addition to the typical walk, trot, and canter/gallop commonly displayed by other breeds.
They are highly prized in Iceland, and owning a large number of horses is considered a major status symbol. Horses are used extensively during the annual sheep round-up in SeptemberIn the 17th century, the Western Fjords were a hotbed of Icelandic witchcraft, and 21 Icelanders were burned alive for sorcery between 1625 and 1683.
Icelandic witches were 90% men as Icelandic witchcraft was based on written spells and women were largely illiterate.
Hólmavík is the home of the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft (a must-see attraction).One of the most bizarre exhibits in the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft has to be the Necropants.
This spell required the sorcerer to dig up a body and skin it in one continuous piece from the waist down. The sorcerer put the Necropants on his own legs - and of course, they immediately adhered to him tightly.
Next step was to steal a coin from a poor widow on Christmas or Easter and place the coin in the "pouch" of the Necropants. If successful, the sorcerer could then pull coins from the "pouch" indefinitely.The bird nesting cliffs at Látrabjarg - the westernmost point in Europe. Extremely high winds, frigid temperatures, and not a puffin in sight.
We were subsequently told that the fish on which the puffins feed are not returning to Icelandic waters, and as a result, puffin numbers are greatly reduced. The fragile ecosystem of Icelandic is feeling the effects of climate change in a very real and immediate way.The Lagarvergurinn Trek is approximately 55 km of some of the most spectacular scenery in Iceland.
It is considered one of the world's 10 best treks. It involves 4 days of backpacking and overnight stays in 5 mountain huts.
It also requires 2 long bus rides on specially equipped 4x4 buses that splash fearlessly through glacial rivers as required.