The winter was surprisingly mild in Iceland this year and it seemed to attract the largest ever number of visitors. The idea of visiting Iceland in the winter might have seemed crazy to some but what these visitors saw and experienced was unlike anything most city dwellers could imagine. Scenes of beauty that defied description, a land that had changed totally from its summer appearance. Short days were forgotten as the nights filled with startling displays of the famous Aurora Borealis.
Now, with the advent of Spring, the weather initially turned paradoxically colder. That didn’t deter the birds, however, as they started arriving in droves, knowing that the cooler days were just the last fling of winter.
Following hard on the migrating birds come the photographers, eager to snap that special, unique photo for the ‘Bird for a Million’ competition up in the northern area of Trollskagi – the Troll peninsula.
As increasing numbers of tourists visit Iceland, they are realising that there are so many sites that are off the beaten track of the Golden Circle. More and more people are branching out, taking advantage of the tour companies’ new offerings to places such as Reykjanes or as far afield as Látrabjarg at the far westernmost tip of the Westfjords.
Others are coming to take advantage of the health benefits the country offers. Whether it is to get their eyes or their teeth fixed or their diet revolutionised, many are coming to experience a healthy lifestyle that they haven’t found in their own countries. There are so many top quality restaurants offering delicious meals made from local products that there really is no reason to eat unhealthily here.
We hope you will take good health back home with you after a refreshing holiday.
—Andrew Scott Fortune
EDITOR & GENERAL MANAGER
Einar Th. Thorsteinsson [email protected]
VIDEO & TV DEPARTMENT
Einar Th. Thorsteinsson Gabriel Rutenberg Sigurlaug Ragnarsdóttir
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Land & Saga Layout Team
SALES AND MARKETING
Anna Margrét Bjarnadóttir [email protected] Delphine Briois [email protected] Elín Sigríður Ármannsdóttir [email protected] Erna Sigmundsdóttir [email protected] Hrönn Kristbjörnsdóttir [email protected] Sigurlaug Ragnarsdóttir [email protected]
FRONT COVER PHOTO
Skarphéðinn Þráinsson
ARTICLES WRITTEN
BY Andrew Scott Fortune Anna Margarét Bjarnadóttir Elaine Marie Valgarðsson Hrafnhildur Þórhalsdóttir Júliana Björnsdóttir Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson Kelly Baumann Nanna Hlín Halldórsdóttir Stefán Helgi Valsson Steingerður Steinarsdóttir Súsanna Svavarsdóttir Vignir Andri Guðmundsson