Icelandic Tourist Board 

The Boston Herald: Visit Iceland for Adventure, Relaxation, Natural Beauty - By Christine McConville

Last spring, I joined a small but growing group: New Englanders who love Iceland.

With mountains to hike, waterfalls to admire and some of the best salmon and cheese I’ve ever tasted, I’m surprised there aren’t more of us. And when it comes to history, Iceland’s got New England beat. The world’s first governmental gathering was here, in A.D. 930

Bostonian Derek McClellan has been to Iceland five times in the past three years, and he’s already planning another trip. “For not a lot of time, and not a tremendous amount of money, you’re quickly transported to an unspoiled part of the planet,” he said.

Iceland was lush, green and always light when I was there last May. Just five hours after I boarded a plane at Logan, I was at Keflavik International Airport and on my way to glaciers and lagoons. I even saw a herd of reindeer, hanging out by the side of a road. After Iceland suffered a devastating economic crash a few years ago, officials there decided to push tourism as its next economic engine.
Their plan appears to be working. Icelandair, the country’s official airline, is doubling its daily flights from Boston and New York, and introducing direct flights from Washington, D.C.
The one thing going against Iceland is its reputation as a wildly expensive place; but as a budget-minded Bostonian, I didn’t experience sticker shock.  McClellan says he hasn’t either. “It’s less expensive than a weekend in New York,” he said.

If you go, here’s what to do:

Explore Reykjavik
It’s both chic and charming, with soaring Nordic-inspired structures next to centuries-old tiny and tilted buildings. Kristskirja, the Catholic cathedral, is breathtaking, and Kolaportio, the flea market, gives a good glimpse into Icelanders’ frugal ways. If you are into clubbing, the disco scene is reportedly world-class.

Head South
Vatnajokull National Park is a less-traveled part of Iceland and a five-hour drive from Reykjavik. When you aren’t ex-ploring the glaciers, check out Jokulsarlon, a blue-hued lagoon filled with icebergs. Many movie scenes have been filmed here.

Braver souls may want to plan their own trips, but I went with Icelandic Mountain Guides and I’m glad I did. I thought I did a good job of packing, until I found myself on top of a glacier without enough warm clothes. My guide had extra layers, great advice on using an ice pick safely and some chilling stories about explorers who went out onto the glacier and never came back.
This puffin-filled region is home to a number of moderately priced lodges with restaurants. To meet locals, visit a roadside gas station. They have cafeterias, where truckers, farmers and travelers gather for coffee, sandwiches and ice cream.

Relax at Blue Lagoon
No Icelandic excursion is complete without a few hours at the world-famous Blue Lagoon. The geothermal spa is located between Reykjavik and the airport, and set up to accommodate travelers and their luggage. A visit costs about $20, and most New Englanders spent their final morning there before boarding an afternoon flight.

When I returned home, friends were surprised to learn that Iceland isn’t, well, a block of ice. But my then-8-year-old nephew Will knew why. He told me a Viking explorer was so enamored with Iceland, he didn’t want to share it. So he called it Iceland, and gave Greenland its misnomer.

But not every knows that, and that’s probably why McClel-lan, a stylist at Liquid Hair Studios in the South End, gets many questioning looks when he talks about his Icelandic excursions.
“I tell people, ‘You’ve got to see it to believe it.’ ”

Read the full article in the Boston Herald.