I have been fortunate to have traveled both for business and personal vacations. I love to travel and experience new places, cultures, climates and geography; all with unique people, cuisine and cultures, traditions, language and accents. People and places are all very different, but with similarities that can be very colorful in their own light. After working my way up the corporate wrung, I achieved the position of vice president and traveled around the U.S. on a regular basis.
When I left that job, I traded the express air travel for road trips and a few international vacations. OH! And one cruise. This is more about amazing experiences than travel, although I believe all travel is amazing.
It was my turn to choose our vacation – our big vacation. My husband choose the last one, our honeymoon, four years ago in New Zealand. We ended up going to Iceland for two weeks in late August, early September of this year. It was the end of summer in Iceland and the average temperature allowed me to enjoy hiking and exploring without freezing my tush off.
We rented a car and traveled the entire country. It was a visionary delight coupled with friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere. I loved it. I started to read about Iceland after reading an article about the most beautiful places on earth. I think it is easy to find beauty if you’re open to it, and Iceland did not disappoint!
Originally, I was drawn to Iceland by the Aurora’s or Northern Lights. I have always been fascinated with the skies. I discovered that seeing the lights, other than in the winter months was not common, was pure luck of the skies and electrical currents. You had to be lucky. I never have been – a little, maybe. Anyway, because I tend to get cold in the summer – (even in Utah, a desert); winter was out. I kept reading and decided with or without the lights, I wanted to see Iceland.
It was all and more than I expected. My maternal grandfather, who I adored, immigrated from Sweden as a child, so the Viking history of Iceland was of special interest to me. Their progressive culture has made Iceland a champion of equality and women’s rights throughout the centuries. And of course, the scenery, geography and a landscape that at times could transport you to another world; Iceland truly deserves the title of The Land of Fire and Ice.
Needless to say, we enjoyed our vacation. Our last night in Reykjavik was our anniversary. We went to a good restaurant, and spent the evening packing and relaxing, preparing for an early flight. We went outside to smoke right before midnight. Sitting in silence, tired from the day and looking forward to going home, but sorry to leave, I looked up at the sky – and heard myself saying “Oh my God, look!” and there it was, an aurora, a beautiful green light swirling over the city.
That night, our anniversary, in Iceland, I felt lucky, very lucky – for many things. I still feel that way.
By A. A. Moore (@chaos_slc)
Allison Allen (Richeson) Moore (FB)
Do you have a great story, blog post, poem or other creative written content about Iceland that you want to share with our audience? You’re in luck! We’d love to showcase your work on IcelandNaturally.com. Click here to learn how you can get involved.
Comments
article Next
article