Iceland, Land of Fire and Ice

Our European Vacation included a flight from Baltimore to Kaflevik, Iceland where we changed planes in the middle of the night on the way over to London. So, while we have technically been to Iceland, we never got out of the airport. I would not fly into Iceland again as the airport is not fully handicap accessible. We had a normal walkway when we disembarked the airplane. But, when we changed planes we had to go down two flights of steps to board a bus to take us out to the airplane. Then, we had to climb steps up to the plane. Luckily, I can still use crutches, so I was able to board. But, I do wish I had been told of this ahead of time. I was pleased to see them loading my scooter onto the plane as I feared it might not make it to London with us.

Iceland would be an interesting place to visit. And, Iceland had a connection to another place we visited several years ago, Newfoundland. In July 2000, the Viking Ship, Icelander (Islendingur) visited Newfoundland leading 13 other replicas of viking ships back to Newfoundland. They are visiting L'Anse aux Meadows for the 1000 year celebration of Leif Eiriksson's voyage to the area he called "Vinland." In 1961, Helge and Anne Stine Ingstadt discovered ruins of a Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, near St. Anthony, Newfoundland. Other ports of call include Port aux Choix, and other places in Newfoundland. And, they ended their 4 month voyage in New York where many events were planned according to an article in Icelandair's inflight magazine, Atlantica (Sept/Oct 2000, p. 9).

For the very first time, the US Mint has minted a foreign coin: the Leifur Eiriksson Millennium Commemorative Coins (one for the US and one for Iceland). This makes minting history. They are beautiful and detailed; and can be seen on the US Mint website.

Helpful Links:
Basic Facts about Iceland
Holiday in Iceland (takes a while to load)
Iceland Map
PBS Nature: Iceland, Land of Fire and Ice

© 2001 JKH