By Elizabeth Strugnell (石室中学剑桥国际高中课程中心物理老师)
"在我年幼的时候，我经常和我的家人玩一种有关地图的游戏，而我总是对一个目的地情有独钟，那就是冰火两重天的冰岛"。今年暑假，我的梦想成真了，在我和丈夫冰岛游的三周中，当地的美景、热情善良的人们、"独特"的美食让这个夏天散发着迷人的光芒。
When I was a young girl, I would play a game with my family that involved a map of the world. One of the destinations that I always picked was Iceland. This country of fire and ice fascinated me. How can a country that is covered in ice in the winter still spew forth hot lava? How can an island be forming from two tectonic plates pulling away from each other? I knew that I wanted to go to Iceland one day, but I didn't know when.
This past summer, this dream came true! Mr. Strugnell and I spent 3 weeks circumnavigating the island by car from the capital anticlockwise around the island and back again. Every day we were amazed at the stunning scenery that we saw. Iceland has a raw beauty. It feels like we stepped back in time (using an A2 time machine) when the earth was just being formed. We saw many spectacular waterfalls pouring forth their fresh water, old lava fields completely covered in moss, separating rocks on the edges of two tectonic plates, gushing geysers shooting water 10m into the air, creeping glaciers moving down from their volcanic mountains and many peculiar puffins dashing to the cold sea to collect fish for lunch.
On one memorable day we saw some remnants of the Eyjafjallaj?kull volcanic eruption that stopped air traffic in Europe in 2010 and the end of the J?kulsárlón glacier breaking off into a small lake. What a land of fire and ice!
While travelling around the country, we got to meet some of the local people. The original people who settled Iceland were Vikings that came from Norway around 900AD. The Vikings were tough warriors but gratefully the people that we met were kind. One family that we met when we were camping shared their snack of Hangikj?t (smoked lamb) and Flatkaka (rye pancake) with us. This was very tasty. I am so glad that they did not offer me any Hákarl (rotten shark meat)!
Iceland has a unique sport called swamp-ball. This is when a football field is flooded so that it is covered in mud. Imagine having to run with your feet being sucked into the mud with each step! By the end of the game, it looks like everyone is on the same team as they are all wearing the same colour - muddy brown.
Our trip to Iceland far exceeded my expectations. I knew it was a unique place, but I didn't realize how amazing this country is. The natural raw beauty, the friendly people, the strange foods and the funny sports all contributed to a great and memorable summer holiday.