Hello, my name is Anna. This blog is about all the beautiful islands around the world.

my travels: iceland

Since I am not only a fan of snail mail, but I also love travelling, from time to time I will add here also some cards or stamps from my journeys to islands :).

I visited Iceland in 2010, actually only a few months after the big volcano eruption, and it was my first flight ever, so I must admit I was a bit nervous. But the minute I saw the island from the plane, I knew it would be an unforgettable experience!

As you can see I am a big fan of puffins, those incredibly cute birds living in the North Atlantic, but unfortunately when I visited Iceland they have already migrated to some other regions, and the only puffins I could find were those on the cards, or in restaurants' menus (they are a popular food in Iceland, but I have not tried them).

What I have tried however, was the Hákarl - a rotten shark meat. It has a (terrible!) ammonia smell, but it has to be fermented, since the fresh meat of the Greenland shark is poisonous.

Other food products especially popular on the island are hot dogs, Skyr - traditional dairy product similar to yogurt, and Prince Polo, the most popular chocolate bar in Iceland, which is actually from Poland!

On the panoramic card you can see a view over Þingvellir, one of the most popular and important places in Iceland. In 930 the oldest parliament in the world, Alþingi, was established in this valley (and remained there until 1798). It is also located just on the tectonic plate boundaries, and there are many evidences of the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates. Best known is probably the Silfra rift, located in the Þingvallavatn Lake, with caves and clear water that attract scuba divers.

Þingvellir is a part of a popular tourist route called The Golden Circle, which includes also the waterfall Gullfoss and the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. They are all of course impressive and worth visiting, but for me the best places in Iceland were those where I could be on my own, surrounded by the incredible nature, and overwhelming silence.

I have explored mostly the western part of the island, but it is relatively small, so it's quite easy to travel between different places, and you can see hundreds of amazing sights even in a short time.

Oh, and of course the main island is not the only one in Iceland. There are also thirty smaller islands, including Grímsey and the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago (so there are many more places to visit, and to include in the project ;)).

***

As you can see on the last photo, I have also found one more stamp from Iceland to show you, in a travel diary "Four days in Iceland" by one of my favourite illustrators, Lizzy Stewart. Apart from the diary, she also did a beautiful drawing of Icelandic landscape. It's unfortunately sold out, but you can still see it here.

source: me
source: me

8 comments

  1. This is a beautiful post. I'd like to travel to Iceland one day. But I'm afraid that this summer I'm going to travel to a sunnier place. I need to swim in the sea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Eva! Iceland is one of the most amazing places one can visit, I think,
      but I understand you too, I love the North so much, but sometimes I also need a bit more sun ;)

      Delete
  2. Nie wiedziałam, że maskonury mogą wylądować na talerzu :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you are a big fan of puffins, then you should visit Puffin Islands:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course! :)
      (and I actually have already seen puffins, on one tiny Scottish island!)

      Delete
  4. I have another suggestion for you, as you love post and puffins :D
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/antarctica/11416343/Apply-to-run-this-Antarctic-post-office-if-you-can-stand-the-penguins.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, I know, Port Lockroy seems like an amazing place :) so many penguins <3 !

      Delete

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My big dream is to receive postcards sent from every island in the world (at least those that have a postbox). If you would like to help me, please contact me at letters.from.islands@gmail.com.

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