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Abroad, Guests, Iceland

Adventure: Georgia Koseva in Iceland – Part one

posted by Dario
Dec 4, 2018 1105 0 0
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Land of Fire and Ice

Table of Contents

  • (Places you can visit)
  • Part one

(Places you can visit)

Part one

“Iceland is a living geological masterpiece, a peerless volcanic land of dramatic skies, bubbling earth, thundering waterfalls and thermal lagoons. If you want an insight into how the planet was sculpted by the forces of Mother Nature, exploring … will provide many answers.”

This little island state is positioned on the border of the Arctic circle and it is home to 300 thousand people only but it gathers thousands of volcanoes, waterfalls, mountains, hot springs, glaciers, rivers, lakes, canyons, volcano fields, endless black beaches… On the border between Eurasia and America, Europa and the eternal ice.

If you’re headed towards Iceland be prepared for sun, wind, snow, cold, rain and between the rain drops – a lot of smiles. Those were our first few days in the southern part of the island. Rainy but exciting. Setting up camp in the rain, our morning coffee accompanied by rain, sun for our short breakfast and then rain again. The waterfall and the rainbow in the rain and meanwhile the sun is glowing above us, but I wouldn’t exchange these days for something else. We spend couple of nights in Hamragardar camping site, which is minutes away from two quaint waterfalls – Gljúfrabúi and Seljalandsfoss and another one 30km away – Skógafoss.

Iceland has the staggering amount of 10 thousand waterfalls, which every single one is so different and impressive than the other ones. Those three are really special to me, because they’re “together”. Besides their close distance they fulfill each other and if there is something that you cannot find in one you can find it in the other. For the first waterfall you have to cross the river and then you pass between the giant crack in the rock just so you can lay eyes on it.

The second waterfall has a footpath behind it and you can actually go “around” the waterfall. The third waterfall, well you can see it from kilometers away. Quite hard to get close to it and you’ll be soaking wet if you do so, but if it’s a sunny day, the rainbow that the waterfall casts in a way, makes quite the unforgettable scene in front of you. From the camping itself you can see the first two waterfalls – so when was the last time a waterfall was the first thing to see when you open your eyes in the morning?

In the most southern part of the Iceland the small town of Vík. Only in the span of few kilometers you can find the most beautiful non-tropical beaches on the planet, but not only this. These beaches not only show their gracefulness, but the power of Mother Nature itself. When you look at those calm waves during the day when the tide is coming in and the beautiful sunset, suddenly they become these large destructive waves that hit the enormous rocks in front of them.

The southernmost point of the island is the small Dyrhólaey peninsula with its distinctive white lighthouse and its rock arch. It oversees towards the Reynisfjara beach when you look towards the west and when you turn around and look east, you can only see endless black horizon. At dusk this exact view kind of brings you back to the Viking times, sailors in distress which look for salvation at the white lighthouse.

Not far away from the southern coastline you can find the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. In contrast to the black beaches, on the bottom of the canyon lays a small, quiet river which was tainted with time. How long – 2 million years to be exact. Somewhere around that period during the Ice Age was the time when the canyon was formed. Only then when you stand on top of the edge looking down the 2-kilometer-long canyon, you can say that our live is few seconds long compared to the eternity of nature.

All of the glaciers in Iceland exist since the Ice Age. The biggest one of them is Vatnajökull which takes 1/10 of the area of Iceland. Jökulsárlón glacier lake is the perfect spot to see the ice cap. And if you listen carefully you can hear in the distance how large pieces of ice fall off the glacier into the lake. From the lake itself is the beginning of a small river which after less than kilometer flows out into the ocean carrying big chunks of ice with it towards the Atlantic where the waves are “polishing” them and take them to the “Diamond Beach” right next to the outlet of the river.

This beach is one of those places where you run towards the waves like a little kid and after when they’re coming towards you, you run away from them before they catch you. The crown jewel of the beach are the stunning “diamonds”. If I have to list one reason to go across whole Europe is just to get to this beach.

We spend our last night in West Iceland where the snow finally caught us. We camped in the coastal town of Grundarfjörður, where is the symbolic mountain Kirkjufell. Next to it there is a waterfall which is looking over the mountain and from there the mountain looks like a perfect triangle.

This is maybe one of the most photogenic places on the planet, but the thing that caught my eye the most was the little town next to it. We went out for quite a while, going around its harbor and small streets. A perfect symphony of nature and modest urbanization. A symphony of life. Who would have thought that an arctic harbor town will be more beautiful than the most cosmopolitan capital?

Not a single adventure in Iceland is complete without the hot mineral lagoons. For these we picked the valley of springs Reykjadalur. An hour hike during sunset while the mountain was literally smoking was simply breathtaking.

A fertile and moderate European country on one hand and a deserted frozen land in the Arctic on the other – Iceland is a place where you can see everything… but it’s not for everyone. There you can find everything, but the thing that makes Iceland special is there you often find the one thing you weren’t looking for and it will always have a place in your mind like in a dream, which it never was, but it will change your perspective towards the world as you know it…. forever.

Text and pictures Georgia Koseva.
You can follow Georgia and her adventures on her instagram profile

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Travel Blogger

Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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Let’s dive in together into the amazing world of Let’s dive in together into the amazing world of Costa Rica! 🇨🇷

To many, Costa Rica’s charm lies in its lush rainforests, unspoiled beaches and abundance of wildlife. With breathtaking landscapes and a myriad of creatures – from toucans to monkeys to jaguars – it’s easy to see why. 

Where else can you hike active volcanoes, zip line through cloud-covered rainforests and surf warm turquoise waters within the span of just a few days? In this compact but diverse tropical paradise, exhilarating outdoor activities are abundant. 

Nature-seekers will roam thick jungles while beachgoers will sprawl across the powdery sands. It’s hard not to admire all the splendors this “Rich Coast” has to offer.

#CostaRica #PuraVida #LatinAmerica
Heading to the next stage of life ~ Since soon I Heading to the next stage of life ~

Since soon I will celebrate my 30th birthday, I’ve been reflecting back to the person I was when I entered my twenties, and while I still feel young at heart, I’ve evolved into a completely different person.

I must confess, I have mixed feelings about turning 30. While I cherish the memories and experiences I have gathered during this time, I have also however, had my share of setbacks. The most important aspect that has inspired me are the experiences that I have gathered during my travels. Meeting new people, understanding their culture and trying new cuisines have changed my perspective towards life in general. While I am still a child somewhere in my heart, turning 30 is a big deal because it is assumed that I am an adult now.

Here are my 30 most precious travel experiences before turning 30:

1. Exploring my home country.
2. Travelling solo.
3. Supporting small local businesses and entrepreneurs.
4. Learning a foreign language.
5. Saving money for traveling.
6. Making friends while traveling.
7. Cooking traditional dishes.
8. Trying traditional food everywhere I go.
9. Overcoming my fear.
10. Trying something new.
11. Travelling with family.
12. Travelling with friends.
13. Travelling for myself and not social media.
14. Going out my comfort zone -  uncomfortable makes life more comfortable.
15. Living in a foreign country.
16. Packing like a pro.
17. Visiting my (some of) dream destinations.
18. Falling in love in a foreign country.
19. Blending in with different cultures.
20. Taking a piece of every place with me.
21. Learning to say no (in different languages).
22. Learning to take decent pictures.
23. Documenting my trips.
24. Valuing experiences.
25. Making memories.
26. Rediscovering my favourite places.
27. Planning elaborate itineraries
28. Keeping it positive and never regretting to have climbed that mountain.
29. Some people around the world are born disadvantaged, not biologically, but socially.
30. Realising that the most incredible thing I can witness happens twice a day, and it’s free.

#life #20 #30
Your positive friendly reminder… Travel is, at Your positive friendly reminder…

Travel is, at its very essence, a tool – nothing more… nothing less. Broken down to its very essence, it becomes an instrument to fulfil our desires, attain new experiences and to discover a difference that is at least a step away from our local surroundings.

One thing that we can often forget is that travel also has the added benefit of helping us build a pretty solid amount of confidence too, something that we all stand to benefit from in the long-term, in our own personal development.

Follow this 5 simple steps and enjoy the best ways to develop your confidence, which can be learned whilst travelling:

✅ Be positive
✅ Embrace strengths
✅ Acknowledge weakness
✅ Listen to your head and heart
✅ Be an assertive traveller

#travelling #positivethoughts #confidence
The Life of a Traveler: What It Is Really Like Ha The Life of a Traveler: What It Is Really Like

Have you ever wondered what it is really like to travel often? Living the life of a traveler is full of paradoxes. Full of strange feelings. Full of grandiosity. Let me tell you what traveling is really like.

Choosing this life is more than a temporary escape. It will completely and entirely transform who you are.

So are you prepared for a journey of beauty, adventure and heartbreak? Read the next few rows.

✔️ Traveling is saying yes to life.
✔️ Uncertainty is a traveler’s homeland.
✔️ Traveling is a life of extremes.
✔️ About the unknown driving force.
✔️ Discomfort as a teacher.
✔️ Traveling is falling in love deeply with the world.
✔️ Always a stranger, but at home in the world.
✔️ Experiencing exhilarating freedom.
✔️ Understanding different perspectives.
✔️ In the life of a traveler, nothing lasts.
✔️ Travel teaches you everything.

This is what the life of a traveler is like: Be courageous. Follow the calling of your heart. It will lead you to a million places you would have never expected. And you will grow big. You will grow beautiful. You will grow so full of life it will make your heart burst with happiness. Some of us simply belong to the road.

#lifeofatraveler #travelthoughts #travelinspiration
The magic of Spain 🇪🇸 Double trouble - Dou The magic of Spain 🇪🇸 

Double trouble - Double S

Dive in the magnificent atmosphere of Segovia and Salamanca - two unique, original and beautiful cities 🌆
Photo dump Spain 🇪🇸 ⚔️ Portugal 🇵🇹 Photo dump Spain 🇪🇸 ⚔️ Portugal 🇵🇹 

#Spain #Portugal #adventure
Dear Portugal, I would never have pointed to a ma Dear Portugal,

I would never have pointed to a map and picked you. I wasn’t sure we would even like each other. I came with only a few belongings and even fewer expectations. But I had the desire to get to know you and see if I would stay. And like two people making an acquaintance at a dinner party, we searched for commonalities: exploring, an insatiable appetite for rice and seafood, a bond to the earth and the sea.

At first I fell for the little things. The promise of discovering new things every single day. That dazed feeling after a few glasses of fruity vinho verde. The melancholy while listening to Fado music. The rissois, natas and feijoada, the melt-in-your-mouth queijo fresco, delectable sardinha and unforgettable bacalhau. And surprisingly, even lamprey and percebe.

I loved the quiet irony of your lavish, impressive buildings next to your ancient, dilapidated houses. I even adored your temperamental weather, sunny in the morning and sometimes tempestuous in the afternoon.

And I loved your people. The grandmas dressed in black with their soft faces and culinary secrets. The fishermen with their old fashioned hats. The shopkeepers who actually mean it when they say “obrigada.”

And then I began to love you for your words, and the new feelings they gave name to.  For that elusive feeling of saudade –– untranslatable but described so accurately by the Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo: “a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy.” Or the chamego — the sense of intimacy, infatuation, and cuddling, all in one word.

Of course, there are things about you that I will probably never understand. You’re an old soul and I’m too juvenile. I’m impulsive whereas you are cautious and pensive. I have this incessant desire to be happy, but you have this habit of enjoying being triste.

But I’ve lived many lives in different parts of the world, I’ve been running around, not caring where I rest my head, not knowing where I’d end up. Perhaps I met you, Portugal, because something inside me had really been crying out for stillness, for a safe haven where I could finally become myself.

#Portugal #loveletter #Lisbon #porto
At the very lowest point on earth lies a natural w At the very lowest point on earth lies a natural wonder replete with a unique ecosystem, breathtaking desert views, and mineral treasures that have been attracting visitors for thousands of years: The Dead Sea. 

Located in the desert between Jordan and Israel, it is also the world’s deepest hypersaline lake. Although the high salinity of the water makes it almost impossible to dive.

#Jordan #sea #lake
Jordan’s Photo Dump 🇯🇴 #Jordan #album #A Jordan’s Photo Dump 🇯🇴 

#Jordan #album #Asia
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