No one will deny that people are the heart of the country, and meeting the locals is one of the most important parts of any journey. After all, people are so tightly connected with their natural environment, so only meeting them allows to get to know genuine Iceland and to understand what it actually means to live there. Otherwise, it would be just another island in our huge world, wouldn’t it?

Here are several portraits we took in the land of Ice and Fire. It is our last post about this amazing cycling adventure, and we can’t help feeling a bit sad.

Portrets of Iceland

“Lego? No! Computer games? No! Cartoons? No! Fishing? Oh my God, Yes!”

Portrets of Iceland

“I was 16, my mother said: look out the window, but please, don’t be afraid. Slowly, I turned my head. I would never like anyone to see the volcano eruption.”

Portrets of Iceland

“…and then there is a special person who climbs the mountains to collect the remaining sheep. This person is called Mountain King or Queen. That’s me.”

Portrets of Iceland

“Iceland? Isolated country? With all this Facebook and stuff – not at all!”

Portrets of Iceland

Portrets of Iceland

“We go to the sea at 4 a.m., at 5 p.m. we are back and the next morning you eat our fish in the restaurants of Paris and London.”

Portrets of Iceland

“I knew a girl who learnt Icelandic with the help of this dictionary. Then she left it to me and said that it was my turn to learn English.”

Portrets of Iceland

“Icelandic agriculture has only four problems: winter, spring, summer and autumn.”

Portrets of Iceland

“There are no happier people in Iceland than sheep farmers. Sheep farming is not just a profession. It’s a lifestyle.”

Portrets of Iceland

“We are 78 years old, but my wife went again to the USA for shopping.”

Portrets of Iceland

“My geese and I are only making peace in the world!”

Portrets of Iceland

“We make this procedure once in 15 years. I’m retiring shortly. Feeling a bit strange.”

Portrets of Iceland

To conclude our Iceland story, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone, who made this journey unforgettable and who added a touch of warmth and humanity when we really needed it.

To Alex for this great fish bargain and useful fishing tips.

To all the team of Ukrainian sailors from “Firda” for this great excursion around your ship and delicious lunch that made us feel like in Kyiv.

To Særun who welcomed two strangers in such late hour.

To Sæmundur and Monika for hosting us in Reykjavik when we were in a pretty much desperate situation.

To Snæbjörn for saving us from the hail, face-rain and crazy drivers.

To Gil for motivating us and not letting us forget that after rainy bad days there will be sun and warmth.

To Dewi & Werner for sharing with us your catch.

To Hunstein for your awesome delicious present.

To the steel workhouse of Akureyri whose team fixed our tent metal parts after a horrible windy day.

To the librarian of Höfn who offered us our poster.

To Hulda for this awesome excursion in the wool factory.

To Svensbjörn for this great day in the bull-station.

To all the people who were kind to us and supported with cookies, sweets, chocolates or just warm wishes.

It were you all who made our trip around Iceland unbelievable. Thank you.

Portrets of Iceland

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From the best ever Iceland adventure.