First     Previous     Smaller     Thumbnail View     Select a new gallery     Bigger    

Our guide and bus driver was a self-made Icelandic man. He build the custom bus that traversed the gravel roads and forded the glacial streams. He is an example of what most Icelanders look up to - an individual who has worked hard and gained national respect. Back in the 1920's, Iceland was politically very left - almost communist. This transformed into a quite socialistic society which persisted well into the 1990's. But recently, the government has privatized many of the formerly government owned industries. Health care and education remain public, but the transition to capitalism has been smoothed by the people's embrace of Icelanders like our driver. Once again, Iceland provides an example of how apparent opposites can be wed to a new point of view that encompasses the whole.