hen my family and I set off for Iceland, we didn’t quite know what to expect. Like most travelers heading to the Land of Fire and Ice, we prepared for unpredictable weather, packing the requisite puffer jackets, rain gear, and crossover boots, as every guidebook recommends. My only exposure to Iceland had been the hypnotic music of Björk, the country’s most famous avant-garde popstar who shocked the world by wearing to the 2001 Oscars a feathered frock fashioned into a swan. However, it was the 2013 film, , following the epic journey of the fictional Walter Mitty (played by Ben Stiller) across the otherworldly landscape of Iceland, that made my heart skip a beat. Watching Walter traverse snowcapped mountains and longboard through an erupting volcano catapulted Iceland to the top of my aspirational bucket list.
