My trip to Iceland was absolutely fantastic and impactful. Not a day or even a mile went by without me being in awe of everything I saw and everyone I met. It was truly one of the most special places I could have ever wanted to ride.
Everybody should visit Iceland; it’s breathtakingly beautiful, culturally intriguing, and it’s easy to get to.
Iceland is truly the land of fire and ice. It has 160 volcanos and more than twice as many glaciers. However, it’s the waterfalls that are overwhelmingly the star of the show. Iceland has more than 10,000 waterfalls. When compared to the population, that is one waterfall per 36 people.
I feel so fortunate to have experienced this island country.
There are a few things I learned about Iceland and most of them want me to return and dig deeper:
1. The country is made up of 350,000 people but they received about 2 million tourists annually, pre-COVID.
2. They are a very friendly country, however, they aren’t quick to make eye contact or give a big smile. Despite this, I found them to be wonderfully engaging when I initiated the conversation.
3. 100% of the country’s power is renewable with 80% coming from hydro power(think rivers and waterfalls).
4. Icelanders consider themselves a zero-waste country. It sure felt like that to me. It was one of the cleanest countries I’ve ever seen.
5. There are seven tectonic plates in the world and Iceland bridges two of the most major ones between Europe and North America. I got to stand on the two plates.
6. 1,000 years ago, the Vikings de-forested Iceland. There are no trees. Reforestation is a priority to the government and the people of Iceland.
7. Icelanders claim their country was one of the last places on earth to be settled by humans. This is easy to believe.
8. Many Icelanders believe in trolls and elves. I got to visit a legendary rock canyon where trolls supposedly reside.
While there, I truly felt like Iceland was “The outskirts of Heaven.”
Iceland is one of the most evolved countries when it comes to democracy, human rights, equality, environmental responsibility, and social inclusion. I sensed this was directionally correct, but I was really curious about racial issues since I only saw a few people of other races besides white while I was there.
I’m not done understanding this.