Incredible Iceland & why traveling is my vice
By now you’ve probably created your own eco conscious habits or if not, perhaps it’s time. Global warming is no joke and definitely not fake news, even if the misogonyst, racist, homophobic president of the US claims otherwise.
Taking action is something that must be done on a personal level and we all can do better. There’s many ways to live more ecologically and perhaps one of the most powerful ways is to start checking what you put on your plate, three times a day. If you’re a newbie to this concept, I recommend not just taking my word for it, but educating yourself and an easy way to start would be by picking up the following documentaries; Cowspiracy, Meat the Truth, Forks over knives and Before the flood.
I’ve been vegetarian for the past 9 years, on and off vegan (or wannabe vegan as I like to put it) and can semi proudly say that my carbon footprint is most likely smaller than yours, if you consume meat that is. That being said, I am no saint and I definitely have a footprint as well as my vice happens to be traveling. The thing with traveling is though, that seeing new places and experiencing the beauty of our planet is my thirst, a thirst so strong it’s hard to quench. And even if jumping on jumbo jet is not ideal for our beloved mama earth, it is lesser of a harmful activity, than consuming factory farmed meat.
So traveling it is. The last 9 months or so have been quite the whirlwind for me; I’ve been back and forth to Mexico twice, traveled to Morocco, Italy, Sweden a couple times, Estonia, the US (LA) and now finally last weekend to the beautiful, incredible Iceland. But my thirst does not end there and I find myself constantly longing to hop on the plane and visit new & old places yet again. And yes, I am very aware of how privileged I am and do not take it for granted. That being said, I do feel like it’s a choice to a certain extent. Before getting all agro on me, I mean if you live in a welfare society, or the fact that you have a device to be reading this blog, says that you have some cash to your disposal and it’s merely a consumer choice where you like to put it. Some love Gucci bags, some booze and some traveling. It all comes down to your likings and I am not claiming your preference is worse or better than mine. I am simply sharing mine.
Choices. That’s what it all comes down to. Dropping the steak is simply the most efficient solution you can do on a personal level to fight global warming and the cool thing about is it does not cost a dime, more on the contrary, it will actually save a buck here and there. And not only is it a kinder solution for the planet and the animals, it’s simply a way healthier way of living and being. If you practice yoga, you’ve most likely come across the term “ahimsa”, meaning do no harm to self or others, so it’s pretty damn aligned with the yogic philosophy as well (hear hear yogis aka practice what you preach). If you need more reasons to drop that sausage or entrecote there’s a ton of articles and material on the world wide web of the benefits of a plant based diet.
Okay dokay, so now that you understand my choice of vice and my personal reasoning behind my choice of vice, I will circle back to my passion, traveling. Being the millennial nomad that I am, I want to share some of the beautiful shots from last weekends mini getaway to Iceland. And holy smokes, lemme tell ya, I’ve traveled quite a lot, but never ever have I seen beauty like this before. This trip was a reminder of how versatile and beautiful our Tellus is and how there’s just so.much.to.see. It also made me reflect upon my own consumerism and choices, hence this blogpost.
So Iceland, If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, I recommend renting a car (a SUV that’s 4X4), getting the full insurance and driving down south to at least these few locations (thanks Wille for the tips):
Seljalandsfoss
Skogafoss
Svínafellsjökull
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Diamond beach
Reynisfjara Beach (Black Sand Beach)
Reykjavik is also cool to see, but it’s pretty small, so you don’t need to spend to much time there. My recommendation is to just hop on the car and drive drive drive. You will be in awe of the beauty, at least I was. Below you will find a collection of some of my fave shots. I mean. Oh. My. Goodness. BEAUTIFUL!!!
I hope you enjoy. Feel free to tell me about what your vice is and how you perhaps counterbalance that vice with the choices you make.
Con amor,
Eva
