Mar 1, 2012

{Author Guest Post + Giveaway} Tens List with Hannah L. Clark author of Cobbogoth


Today at Seeing Night Reviews we have author Hannah L. Clark here to tell us her top 10 things to do in Iceland. Based off the location of her novel Cobbogoth. Plus one lucky winner will win a signed copy of Cobbogoth!

Top 10 things to do in Iceland:

I’ve never actually been to Iceland 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. J 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. J 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   
1 Paperback copy of Cobbogoth
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9 comments:

  1. Lovely fun facts on Ireland.
    kimba88
    kimbacaffeinated@gmail.com

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  2. Love Ireland!
    Aurora M.
    veltara(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  3. Never imagined there were so many cool things to do in Iceland! Really enjoyed the links. Thanks for sharing!!

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  4. I hope Hannah really does get to go to Iceland someday. That would be awesome. And I hope I win her book! *fingers crossed*

    merryhenke{at}yahoo{dot}com

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  5. A blog tour is such a great idea!

    Susanpeteharris@gmail.com

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  6. A blog tour is such a great idea!

    Susanpeteharris@gmail.com

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  7. Thanks for hosting me and my book yesterday, Kristen! I really appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete