Guest Post with author Hannah L. Clark

Top 10 Things To Do In Iceland

by Hannah L. Clark

So a big portion of Cobbogoth takes place in Iceland. I’ve never actually been there in real life, but I have been there many times in my imagination and through research—I think I’ve even been there once or twice in my dreams. If I could actually go there, however, these are the places I would visit.

1. 
   The Blue Lagoon. This is Iceland’s most famous geothermal pool, and you can bathe in it. It’s huge and is fed by mineral rich seawater that is heated by a nearby geothermal plant. http://www.bluelagoon.com/Geothermal-spa
2. Camp out in the middle of Iceland’s unpopulated tundra, away from all city lights just to watch the Northern Lights dance across the sky. http://www.iww.is/art/shs/pages/thumbs.html
3. Visit Gullfoss, Iceland’s most famous waterfall. Take a picnic and hope for a rainbow to show up in the midst of the falls—better yet, get lucky and see a double rainbow, and then ponder about what it could possibly mean.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullfoss
4. Hike Mount Hekla and know once and for all what the “Gateway to Hell” really looks like. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hekla
5. While in Southern Iceland, so close to Hella, visit Aegissida farm along the Ytri-Ranga river and check out the 12 Caves of Aegissida—yes they really do exist. These caves look like little houses squished up against a hill side, and were believed to be made by Irish monks before the Vikings even settled Iceland. There are even Celtic markings on the walls of the caves. http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/plofin_hellar.htm
   
   
6. While in Hella, stick around for the Icelandic horse races. Just southeast of town is a race course where Icelandic horses (mini-versions of our horses) race. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_horse
7. If the thrill seeking type—which I am not—visit Iceland during a volcanic eruption. That could be pretty cool, and possibly life altering—literally.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/photogalleries/100419-iceland-volcano-lightning-ash-pictures/#/iceland-volcano-lightning-1_19113_600x450.jpg
8. Visit the Black Volcanic beach in the town of Vik, located on the southern coast of Iceland. The black sand on the beaches is made from volcanic eruptions over the years, and the mountains close by the shore look incredible! http://www.flickr.com/photos/karnevil/513542117/
9. Of course, one should definitely visit Iceland’s capital, Reykjavic. I hear it’s one of the coolest cities in the Northern Hemisphere with great music, happy natives, and some amazing Viking museums. http://www.visitreykjavik.is/desktopdefault.aspx
10. Finally, I would check out some of Iceland’s cool elf rocks and their elf/troll museum in. I read an article once that Icelanders still believe that elves and possibly trolls exist, and that they live in the peculiar rock formations that have been created over years of volcanic eruptions and extremely harsh weather conditions. Apparently, if superstitious Icelanders come across one of these rock formations while building a road, they won’t blast through the boulder, or even move it; they’ll build their roads around them. I find that fascinating in today’s world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHvOeiGHgfw

About the Author: 

Hannah L. Clark was raised in the very small town of Oak City, UT with seven sisters and one brother. She spent most of her childhood daydreaming, writing stories, building forts, chasing after boys, and working really hard to earn money. (With six older sisters, her parents were really poor by the time she came along.) 

In spite of great learning difficulty brought on by dyslexia, Hannah graduated from high school with honors and was awarded a scholarship in English to Utah Valley University. In 2006 she graduated from UVU with her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and immediately began two of her most exciting adventures yet: Motherhood and writing her first novel. 

Five and a half years later, Hannah completed Cobbogoth, a Young Adult Fantasy-Adventure novel, and book one in a seven book series.    

She currently lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with her husband Michael, and their son. Hannah actively seeks to inspire kids and adults by speaking about her experiences of becoming an author in spite of dyslexia. 

Hannah still daydreams, writes stories, builds forts, chases after her boys, and works really hard to earn money. 

Favorite Quote: "Whatever you think you can or can't do, you're right." -Henry Ford 

Visit her online:

Website: www.hannahlclark.com 

Blog: www.hannieclark.blogspot.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/hannieclark