Iceland

By Ann Abel Machu Picchu, the Great Wall and the Taj Mahal used to occupy top spots on many people’s bucket lists. But the “bucket list”—a term I’ve always despised—is giving way to a general desire to go big, splurge on an adventure and seek out dream experiences now, because we’ve

Reviewed by Richard West “The past flows with the present, Into the deep pool of Now.’ (Anon.) Visiting Iceland, even reading about it, is never a disappointment as when Friday visits Sunday. The landscape is Day Four of the Creation: huge glaciers, naked lava, hot springs and geysers, volcanoes, black-sand

By Julie Snyder Part One It was, I’ll admit, an ambitious itinerary. Five Nordic countries in 17 days. 1,524 miles by plane. 611 miles by ship. 465 miles by train. 72 miles on foot. Rather like travel speed dating. I called it a Scandinavian Sampler. My husband, Joe, called it

By Everett Potter Call it the ultimate ski safari, an around the world ski trip that encompasses five countries, three continents and 34 days. It’s a chance to ski the Alps, the Rockies, the Coastal Range of British Columbia, Japan and Iceland on one trip. It is potentially the most

More and more travelers are embracing fitness, adventure and active pursuits while on vacation, but this does not have to mean sacrificing luxury, service, cuisine or creature comforts. At a handful of the world’s top adventure-centric resorts and lodges, working up a real sweat can be followed by a cool

If you’ve seen Ben Stiller in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you realize that the diverse landscape of Iceland plays an important role in the movie. Other television series like Game of Thrones also adore the mix of fjords, mountains, and hot springs as their backdrop. A popular destination for Europeans

Getting Steamy in the Blue Lagoon. By Everett Potter There’s nothing quite like an active volcano to alert people of your existence. The eruptions of the  Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland last spring severely disrupted air traffic in Europe and put this North Atlantic island at the center of the news.

  Reviewed by Richard West Howard McCord, a medievalist professor for 43 years, grew up walking the New Mexico badlands on his great-uncles’ ranches, and in “Walking to Extremes In Iceland and New Mexico,” still loves “the gentle stupor of walking.” He also can coax literary music from lava and