On
a clear day in Reykjavik, one can gaze northwest and see the
shining Snaefellsjokull glacier, 60 miles away. Though the
glacier is nowhere near in size to some of Iceland’s others,
it is by far the most mysterious and popular. It was this glacier
that French Author Jules Verne chose as his doorway into inner
space in his fantastical book, Journey to the Centre of the
Earth. It rests near lands end on one of Iceland’s
most beloved landscapes -- the Snaefellsnes Peninsula -- and
its bright,
mysterious beauty seems to embody the entire region.
One of the reasons
why Icelander’s love the Snaefellsnes Peninsula so
much (aside from its enchanting landscape brimming with
lava caves, waterfalls, and mineral hot springs) is that
it is a veritable heartland of history. Some of the best
and most important sagas took place here, and it is said
that Christopher Columbus once spent a winter in Ingjaldsholl,
where he heard stories of lands to the west.
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