Page 7 - AAA Now! – AAA Akron Auto Club – Spring 2020

TRAVEL
TRAVEL MATTERS
financial crisis crippled the idea halfway through the building process. Thankfully, the government stepped in with the cash needed to help get it finished.
TURF CHURCHES
Rising out of the ground like small hills, turf churches are famous for being covered almost entirely in earth and grass. Very few survive from the medieval period but several date back to the 17th century. To experts, there are very different styles and materials to discern, but most visitors appreciate the heritage and faith that goes into making these wonderfully endearing “kirks.”
LANDMANNALAUGAR
Located in the Highlands of Iceland, Landmannalaugar’s hot springs and mountains sit on the edge of a 15th-century eruption. Famous for its hiking trails, with huts that constitute pit stops, the main attraction is undoubtedly the stark, barren nature of the orange rhyolite mountains and the pool (its multisyllabic name means “farmer’s hot bathing pool”), where hot and cold water mingle in perfect proportions.
WATERFALLS
Open all year round, the star of the Vatnajökull National Park is undoubtedly Svartifoss (Black Fall), a 12-meter cascade surrounded by the black basalt formations that give it its name. Almost
as impressive are the Hundafoss and Thjofafoss
waterfalls that feed it from the west, and finally, there’s the rather grand Goðafoss waterfall in the northeast, where the Norse idols were thrown when Iceland decided to go Christian.
ICE CAVES
Kaleidoscopes of colors (admittedly usually shades of blue), the caves that lie beneath the immense Vatnajökull glacier are one of nature’s greatest wonders. The whimsically shaped ice holes provide adventurous travelers with access to a dream world of swirls, ripples, waves, teeth and other phantasms – all suspended in motion. But it’s very seasonal: visitors must arrive in winter. Any other time means risking life and limb as the trance-like edifice becomes unstable.
BEACHES
Iceland isn’t often admired for its beaches. And yet, it possesses some of the world’s best. Where else can you sit on a “thermal beach” heated by hot water flowing into the bay (Nauthólsvík) or black sand beaches surrounded by columns of cooled lava (Reynisfjara)? Then there’s six-mile Rauðisandur (Red Sand) beach, which is so challenging to get to, you’ll almost always have it to yourself – even in the height of summer.
WILDLIFE
When it comes to wildlife, there’s plenty to see in Iceland. The Icelandic horses are world famous – It’s illegal to import any foreign breeds – and while
reindeer aren’t indigenous, thousands of them now roam wild on the east of the island. And in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, whales and dolphins can be spotted, as can puffins on little islands of Lundey and Akurey in Reykjavík Bay.
If these photos have convinced you of the reasons to visit Iceland, take a look at the Natural Wonders Of Iceland journey with Insight Vacations. For travel planning assistance, please call or visit your local AAA Akron office to speak to a travel agent.
SPRING 2020
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