Iceland: Siltanews – News Desk
A new project in Finland will bring artists and scientists together to raise awareness about the climate crisis.
A few years back I thought I knew some things about Iceland, and maybe I did. I have driven around the country and slept in the back of a minivan. I’ve visited dozens of waterfalls and even hiked behind one. I’ve visited many hot springs around the country, both well-known and secret. I’ve soaked in pools of varying temperatures at a public swimming facility.
I’ve spent a sunny afternoon watching recently calved chunks of glacier get alternately jammed up in a rushing river and then melt enough to roll over and be released on their way out to sea. Yes, I’ve eaten whale and puffin and fermented shark and many other strange delicacies as well as the delicious local lamb and the never-to-be-missed world’s best hot dogs. I’ve enjoyed a white Russian at the Lebowski bar, I’ve drank more Brennevin than I should probably admit, and I’ve even managed to regretfully throw back a shot of frighteningly sour, sweet and salty Opal. (That last one is not recommended for the faint of heart.)
I’ve even strolled down a black sand beach studded with incredibly beautiful chunks of ice and found one that looked like a giant diamond ring, which in a case of tremendous foreshadowing I only half-jokingly put on the finger of the woman who would later become my wife.
However, when I skied with a photographer in northern British Columbia who told me her boyfriend was a heli-ski guide in Iceland, I had to rethink all that I thought I knew about this fabulous land of fire and ice. Before that moment, I somehow had no idea they even skied in Iceland. It just goes to show, the more you think you know, the less you actually know.