North York Central Library Blog

Glacial lake Jökulsárlón, Iceland, against the evening sun (August 19, 2008) from Wikipedia Commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.

This time around, no, I have not been to Iceland, (the Nordic island nation) unfortunately. But someone close to me is about to embark on a few days adventure to the capital, Reykjavik, and I thought I would do some research on what this unique and exotic country has to offer. I have been getting more requests from library customers desiring to visit as well.

According to Rough Guides, Iceland is known for its Blue Lagoon, volcanoes, hot springs, and buzzing Reykjavik.

It is located on the edge of the Arctic Circle and on top of one of the world's most volcanically active hot spots.

Nature is its biggest selling point, in my opinion. The capital is modern and cosmopolitan, but other places where people live are small, for example, fishing villages and farms located along the coast.

The interior of the country is totally bare and uninhabited. This I imagine allows for the beautiful nature to thrive. Highlights include the ice fields, glaciers, infertile lava and ash deserts, naturally occurring hot springs, boiling hot bubbling mud pools, and violent volcanoes, which Icelanders have gotten used to.

So what to do in Reykjavik? According to Lonely Planet, the residents are quirky and creative, and the nightlife wild. There are Viking history museums to see, great art and cool bars and cafes, and fresh seafood to feast on.

In the background, you will see snow-topped mountains, wavy seas and breathe in the crisp, clean air.

The peak season is June to mid-August, when there is the best weather, long days and more selection of accommodation.

You can visit the National Gallery of Iceland to see paintings by Iceland's most treasured artists.

The Saga Museum brings to life Iceland's early history with realistic models and soundtracks of the Vikings.

For a tour of the countryside, you can'take the Golden Circle or other tours. You will see some of Iceland's natural wonders – the waterfall Gullfoss and the hot springs at Geysir.

For an example of Iceland's violent geography, check out the Volcano show.

And of course, check out the number one attraction, the Blue Lagoon, the geothermal spa, which is one of the 25 Wonders of the World. The water has silica, algae, and minerals and is a soothing 38 degrees Celsius.

Of course, this information is just the tip of the iceberg!

Please see the following books and ebooks the Toronto Public Library has on this majestic country.

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