Virtuoso Life - March/April 2009 - (Page 125) WANDERLUST GREAT OUTDOORS Where Vikings roamed: Geysir and (left) World Heritage site Thingvellir. (THINGVELLIR) SImoN TRaNTER PHoToGRaPHy/aLamy, (GEySIR) JoHN WaRbuRToN-LEE PHoToGRaPHy/aLamy Newly affordable, Europe’s westernmost country has natural beauty and adventure to spare. BY ANNA SACHSE Fired Up about Iceland I aRRIVEd IN IcELaNd aT midnight in November and was greeted by whipping 40-mile-per-hour winds. Guides from Abercrombie & Kent quickly ushered me and my fellow travelers to vans waiting to shuttle us to Reykjavík, the country’s sophisticated capital city about 45 minutes away, but it wasn’t fast enough – I still regretted my decision to wear a thin velvet jacket on the plane instead of my down coat. Despite the chilly welcome, upon waking to a serene day I discovered that there’s truth to the common saying, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.” Thanks to the Gulf Stream, summers on this tiny volcanic island perched on the periphery of the Arctic seldom reach 75 degrees, and winter temperatures are generally higher than those in New York or Boston, each about a fivehour flight to the south. This surprisingly temperate country settled by Vikings in the ninth century is home to approximately 304,000 people, who maintain a fierce national pride. Their patriotism makes sense when you consider that they boast one of the world’s highest life expectancies, a literacy rate of nearly 100 percent, and unlimited access to breathtaking natural beauty. Numerous writers (more per capita than any other country) have found inspiration in the smoldering volcanoes, thundering waterfalls, creeping glaciers, MARCH | APRIL 2009 125
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