"Iceland" in Old Norse means "icy country". This is the nickname given to the island by the first settlers who moved here from the Scandinavian peninsula in the middle of the IX century.
But contrary to its name and geographical position Iceland is situated near the Arctic Circle - it is not an Arctic country.
Icelanders are lucky - the shores of their country are washed by the Gulf Stream, which carries warm tropical waters from the Gulf of Mexico to the north.
But there are still eternal ice in Iceland. The ice fields cover the central parts of the island, occupied by the plateau, which rises above sea level by almost two thousand meters.
There are many lovers of the Icelandic impassability. They have even created their club. Christian is one of its members.
Christian:
- We all have all-wheel drive jeeps. We modernize them - we strengthen the suspension, but the wheels with variable pressure in the tires. I have invested a lot of energy and money on my own, while I have brought them to the right conditions.
Fans of SUVs have their base. The chairman of the Arn club showed me a modernized car capable of driving through the deepest snowdrifts.
Arn:
- Very big wheels are put on such cars. The air pressure in the chambers is very low. With such wheels, an SUV presses on the snow much less than a man with his feet.
Arn offered me to see for myself. It turned out that to do this, you have to stick your hand under the wheels of a jeep. I didn't feel any pain.
Iceland's glaciers, of course, are not only a huge range for various exotic equipment. They feed mountain rivers.
Besides, no other European country can boast of such an abundance of waterfalls - there are several hundred of them in Iceland.
Iceland has only three sunny days a year. Therefore, only when golden rainbow threads appear over Goldfoss Falls do you understand why they are called that.
The sea and mountains, glaciers and waterfalls were inhabited by the spirits of nature, gods and giants.
In modern prosperous Iceland, the worship of ancient pagan deities is rather a hobby. It is unlikely that even among the newborn pagans some believe that a volcanic eruption or earthquake is a punishment sent by angry gods.
In 1996, the Vatnajoküdl glacier, the largest in Europe, exploded. Liquid magma and boiling water rushed to the sea, carrying with them huge blocks of ice and crushing everything on their way.
Picturesquely sticking out of the stones, a curved piece of metal is not a fantasy of a modern Icelandic sculptor. This is all that is left of the bridge that once connected the banks of the river Skivirau.
Icelandic glaciers are several hundred thousand years old. They move - slowly slide down to the sea. It is warmer here than at the top, so the ice starts to melt.
Dark grayish deposits on ice floes are not industrial soot. In terms of ecology, Iceland is one of the most prosperous countries in Europe. This is a volcanic ash that has settled on the ice fields during numerous eruptions.
Nowadays, the most active geyser on the island is the geyser Stroker. With an interval of six to eight minutes, a column of water, steam, and sand breaks out of it at a height of twenty meters. From this geyser - a lot of streams flow out, the water in the streams smells of grey, however, as well as all the water here.
Icelandic geysers are not only a fascinating attraction for tourists. Geothermal springs are the main natural treasure of the country. Eighty-five percent of Icelanders live in houses heated at their expense. This means that there is no need to burn oil products. The treasury and the environment benefit greatly from this.
This unique heating plant heats the entire city of Reykjavik, which is home to almost half of Iceland's population. Pipes with free steam and boiling water, coming from the ground, stretch along the hills of Reykjavik.
They are sent to special heat exchangers, where they give heat to ordinary tap water. That's what it comes into the houses.
It also uses underground heat for numerous greenhouses and greenhouses. They grow the most exotic flowers and fruits. And it is at the Arctic Circle itself.
Iceland, for example, does not import bananas - it has enough of its own greenhouses. Some greenhouses are essentially parks. One of these parks with tropical plants is called "Eden". Residents of the capital come here to breathe in the warm southern air and at least for a short time to be among the greenery. After all, you won't see it everywhere outside the greenhouse even in summer. There are practically no trees in Iceland.
Once the forests covered three-quarters of the island, now it's barely one-hundredth of the island. The first Icelandic settlers are to blame. When their fields were depleted, they burned new parts of the forest and sowed barley on them. Gradually, the forests on the island disappeared, and today soil erosion is one of the main problems of the country.
But the lack of forests mainly worries Icelanders themselves. In the eyes of the visitor, the mossy, hilly wastelands with their formidable cliffs are as beautiful as they are beautiful.