冰與火的國度，在東北大西洋上遺世而獨立。大多數台灣人對冰島是陌生的，在上中學地理課之前，我對冰島的認識就是倚天屠龍記中張翠山、殷素素所漂流到的島嶼。從此，我對冰島的想像充滿浪漫綺思，彷彿那裏是個可以和愛人廝守終生的美麗淨土。當然，小說畢竟和現實有些脫節，不少人有考證真正小說中的冰火島究竟在哪，有人說是在俄羅斯附近，但顯然不是冰島。不過，冰島的情景和小說中描述的冰火交織雷同。
An island having both ice and volcano. To most people, Iceland seemed remote and unfamiliar. To me, it was some novel like place before I took geography in high school. After traveling to Iceland by person, I think Iceland is really somewhat a magical place that made so many unrealistic scenery appear in front of me. Do visit Iceland someday, and the scenery here will impress you.
爾後在中學地理課中，得知冰島是大西洋中洋脊露出海面所形成的冰火之島。冰島的人口很少，大多住在首都雷克雅維克。冰島沒有鐵路。冰島曾經在2008年金融海嘯破產，但奇蹟似的重生。雖然冰島並不是什麼有影響力的國家，但是他曾經因為火山噴發，讓整個歐洲航空大打結。雖然冰島不是什麼政治軍事強國，但是進步開放的冰島人擁有世界數一數二的清廉政府，對於同志和變性者都相當友善。到了冰島才發現，美麗之島並不只屬於台灣，冰島這個寧靜、祥和的美麗島嶼，始終躺在那裡。在冰與火的壯麗景色中，我似乎看到宇宙的永恆，是金錢這種俗物絕對無法擊敗的。
Iceland is an island formed of the Mid-Atlantic ridge. Iceland has small population and most people live in the capital, Reykjavik. There are no railways in Iceland. The economy of Iceland collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis, but it magically recovered. Iceland is not a political or military strong country, but the Icelandic government is free from corruption and the country respects homosexuality and transsexuality. Iceland is a country of tranquility and beauty. Living in Iceland makes me feel the eternity of the universe, and forget about the worries in my life.
接著來介紹冰島的行程吧！我是10月底去的，已經過了夏季，許多夏天的熱門行程都沒了，但不要難過，因為十月也是極光季節的開始，幸運的話，真能看到北極光。當然，冰島交通並不方便，夏天時還能透過公車自助，冬天時幾乎沒有到觀光景點的公車(只有通勤用公車)，因此建議直接報名旅行社的套裝行程。
I traveled to Iceland in the end of October. Summer was over, and many tours are only available in summer. However, October is also the start of the northern lights season. If you are lucky enough, you will be able to see the northern lights. The transportation, however, is not convenient, especially in the winter. Therefore, I recommend participating in the tours offered by local tour companies.
至於要報什麼行程呢？藍湖(blue lagoon)、金圈(golden circle)和冰河湖(jokulsarlon)三個景點似乎是必帶，加上雷克雅維克市區觀光，對於四至五天行程者就差不多了。畢竟冰島這個島很大，在冬天時，北方相當寒冷，我是選擇往南方跑。
What tourist sites are recommended? The Blue Lagoon, the Golden Circle and Jokulsarlon are the three must visits in Iceland. In addition, touring around Reykjavik city is nice too. For me, since it is quite cold in the north, I decided to go to the southern coast.
再來就是選擇旅行社的部分。各家旅行社的行程都大同小異。聽說Bustravel Iceland比較便宜，但是我自己沒有報名這家。我報名了Extreme Iceland兩天一夜的行程，幾乎把南岸重要景點都包了。我選擇的原因是因為大多南岸單日行程都是由首都出發，如果要把所有景點看完，要花上至少兩天，中間的交通時間會讓我們錯過不少重要景點，兩天一夜可以省下交通時間，當然價格包含住宿會比較貴，不過整體而言我認為還不錯，而且Extreme Iceland回信速度非常快，有什麼問題都可以直接問他們。另外一天我選擇了藍湖加金圈，早上在藍湖待兩個小時，下午遊金圈。這種行程幾乎每個旅行社都有，我就選擇了最大的旅行社Iceland Excursions。我個人認為藍湖只待兩個小時有點趕，但我們的時間有限，只好取捨。
Regarding tour companies, I find them quite similar. I heard that Bustravel Iceland is cheaper, but I chose the Extreme Iceland two day tour. This tour includes most of the tourist sites in southern Iceland. My reason to choose this tour is because other tour companies separate this tour into two, which means that you will have to go from Reykjavik again the second day, whereas in this two day tour, I can save the time and visit some more places. However, since the two day trip includes a one night hotel, it will be more expensive. The tour itself was quite nice and the guide was professional. I also signed up for a Blue Lagoon+Golden Circle one day tour of Iceland Excursions, which is the largest tour company. The scenery was stunning but the schedule was a bit tight since we had to do so many in a day. I only had two hours in Blue Lagoon, which is definitely not enough. However, I only had four and a half day in Iceland, so I had to sacrifice some of my visits.
我的行程概要 My tour plans
10/31 抵達冰島首都雷克雅維克，進行市區觀光 City tour in Reykjavik
(參考 [旅行] 世界最北的首都 雷克雅維克 Reykjavík City Tour)
11/01 Extreme Iceland兩日遊 Extreme Iceland two day tour
11/02 Extreme Iceland兩日遊 Extreme Iceland two day tour
11/03 藍湖+金圈 Blue Lagoon+Golden Circle
11/04 回到瑞典 Back to Sweden
This trip to Iceland was definitely worth the time and the price. I was tired of seeing churches and castles in every European city, and Iceland offered amazing natural scenery that is so different from any other places in Europe or even in the world. When admiring the beauty of the scenery, I often feel that I am in the edge of the universe. This feeling was really remarkable. Still, I had to return after my trip comes to an end, but I will definitely come back some day!
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