Writer Andrew J. Thomas finds Iceland inspiring

About the writer Andrew J. Thomas

Writer Andrew J. Thomas has just released the book Entanglement. The book is a  quirky mystery. It has a sci-fi twist that’s influenced by the humour of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Neil Gaiman. Here he writes about his experience and inspiration gained by visiting Iceland.

Yule book flood appeals

Stuck in Iceland? Yes, please. Any country that spends Christmas Eve reading books and drinking hot chocolate gets my vote. Jolabokaflod, or ‘Yule book flood’, is only one reason though, and being a lover of the outdoors, as well as having been introduced to Viking history by Norwegian relations some years ago, Iceland was always somewhere I was going to visit.

The beauty of Reykjavik and its funky architecture

Known for its black volcanic sand, turquoise hot springs and thundering waterfalls, what I wasn’t prepared for was the understated beauty of Reykjavík, combined with some of the funkiest architecture I’ve ever seen. Take the Harpa conference hall with its fabulous glass walls, and seating that seems to float in mid-air, or the Perlan exhibition hall, with its mirrored glass dome. Top of my list though, was the Hallgrimskirkja, a massive concrete church where the architecture echoes Iceland’s volcanic origins, while also looking like a space rocket ready to take flight.

Sci-fi worthy landscapes

Simply breath-taking. All that’s before you get out into a landscape, so other-worldly, you see immediately why it’s been used for many sci-fi movies. It must be the only place on the planet where Photoshop would find nothing to improve upon. After Reykjavík I ventured somewhere I’ve wanted to go for years; the Gullfoss waterfall. Something about the sheer power of water has always fascinated me and seeing how even granite hadn’t stood in its way, made them hugely impressive. If you want my advice though, take plenty of rain gear, as to see them from the point where the top fall ends, and the lower one shoots off at right angles, is like being immersed in nature. Just watch out underfoot, or you might get immersed in the river itself!

Paradise set in a barren landscape

The Geysir hot springs were next for me, where several times an hour, the Strokkur’ spout’ blasts water about 30 metres into the air, which is the height of about 9 coaches! The area is still fairly natural. This can’t be said of the Blue Lagoon, on the southwest corner of the island. Mixing modern facilities amidst lava fields, and black dunes just a few kilometers away. It is a paradise set into an otherwise barren landscape. Yes, of course, it’s been commercialized. It can get pretty crowded, but the pool itself is massive. Not going would be like visiting New York without going up the Empire State.

Get Iceland in your bucket list

As a writer, I inhale scenery to then reproduce on the page, so as the wilds of Scotland feature largely in my novel, Entanglement, maybe Iceland’s remarkable landscapes will be next. With two more books in the trilogy, who knows, and on my next visit to Iceland, I’ll be staying longer for sure, spending more time out in the wild, soaking up more of the local culture and with any luck, seeing the Northern Lights. My opinion? If Iceland isn’t on your bucket list, you need a new bucket.

Article by Andrew J. Thomas