The country of Iceland, an isolated Scandinavian island located in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, is known to be the least densely populated country in all of Europe. It has a wild and very special geography with geologically active areas, out of this world lava fields, cloudy mountains and the cleanest glacial rivers steaming with wild fish.
In many ways, Iceland is a paradise for filmmakers and photographers. People only need to visit it once and they fall in love with the country. In recent years, several of the major Hollywood productions were shot in Iceland using the beautiful scenery and scenic backgrounds for their films.
Some of the best-known productions include: HBO’s extremely popular and medieval television series Game Of Thrones, Ben Stiller’s comedy-drama called The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Tom Cruise’s Oblivion, and the latest high-profile Hollywood film Noah from the acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky. The Story of Noah (played by Russell Crowe), is the story of a man who suffers visions of an impending apocalyptic flood. He begins to act with the belief that he is doing what God wants him to do and begins to build a huge ark so that he can save as much life as possible in the wake of the new beginning of the world.
The movie about Noah ended up being a perfect match for the Icelandic landscape and because of this, most of the movie was shot there, even despite the very harsh weather. However, Iceland features much more than the endless landscapes shown in big-budget Hollywood productions. Iceland has the best salmon fishing in the world, some of the purest drinking water and a rich wildlife that includes whales, seals, rare birds like eagles, but also the Northern Lights in winter and sunshine almost 24 hours a day during summer. It is truly a photographer’s paradise.
However, Iceland caters to all kinds of visitors and especially foodies wanting to try some of the best lamb or fish in the world who should also be busy when in Iceland. Trying the healthy dinner recipes that the country offers is truly a unique experience. But Iceland doesn’t just feature great gatherings, it also has a variety of healthy vegetarian recipes to sample primarily in the capital Reykjavik.
Iceland’s top three main attractions include:
1) The Blue Lagoon: an open-air geothermal water spa that originates 2,000 meters below the surface. Here fresh water and sea water combine at high temperatures. It is then harnessed through the drilling of wells at a local geothermal power plant, in order to generate electricity and hot water for nearby communities. It is truly a special place to see and any visit to Iceland would not be complete if you had not bathed in the Blue Lagoon.
2) Thingvellir – a beautiful national park less than an hour’s drive from Reykjavik. Thingvellir is a site of great historical, cultural and geological importance for Iceland. Because of this, it is also one of the most popular tourist destinations. First of all, it is the site of a rift valley that clearly marks the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In fact, it is one of the few places on earth where such a sight is clearly visible. However, it is also home to great wildlife and the Thinvallavatn, which is the largest natural lake in all of Iceland.
3) The glacial lake of Jokulsarlon: It is a huge glacial lake in the southeast of Iceland. It is on the edge of one of the major national parks in the country and is a very spectacular sight for most visitors. Originally, the glacier in the area was turned into a lake after the glacier began to move away from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this unique lake has grown to its present size due to melting ice. Right now it is the deepest lake in Iceland and at the same time it is considered one of Iceland’s natural wonders.
