The name of the country itself hints that the climate there is not very warm. And this is where all of its charm is hiding: it’s like the Snow Queen looking at you with her cold piercing eyes. And you can spend ages looking at this country: the waterfalls, the rocks, the volcanos, the beaches with black sand, and 8 months a year when you can see the Northern Lights. All these things make Iceland a country from a parallel reality that anyone would love to go to, at least for a little vacay.
We at Bright Side think that there should be things to fuel our dreams and this article does exactly that. Now is probably the best time to start saving for a trip to Iceland to see its beauty with your own eyes. It’s definitely worth it.
“My sister rented an apartment in the north of Iceland for Christmas, and this is her view.”
Before 1987, every Thursday in Iceland, there were no TV broadcasts.
The people from Iceland born before 1987 joke that they were probably conceived on a Thursday. The thing is, Thursdays were the days of communication when people were supposed to pay more attention to each other. This is why the only channel in the country at the time didn’t work on Thursdays.
Footage from the Icelandic TV show Keeping up with the Kattarshians, where cats are filmed living in a tiny home
Black sand beach in Iceland
“In Iceland, you can hand-draw a map on your mail, without an address, and it will still make it to its destination.”
- That’s because buildings are so far apart from each other and there are lots of distinct geographical locations, so it is easy to determine the location. The-Daily-Meme / Reddit
Blue Lagoon in Iceland is a geothermal hot spring that wasn’t open to tourists until the 1990s.
- That’s insane, it simultaneously looks like the hottest and coldest place on the planet. obamium-11 / Reddit
The people in Iceland can see the Northern Lights 8 months a year.
- Wow… one of the things I’d really like to see some time in my lifetime… FrayAdjacent / Reddit
“There are places in Iceland where you can be standing on the North American and European tectonic plates at the same time. This rift was from an earthquake.”
There’s a cave shaped like Yoda in Iceland. Do you see it?
“Iceland does not want to deal with your stupidity — and I think that’s beautiful.”
“Traveling within Iceland because we couldn’t go elsewhere. Found these guys sheltering themselves from the wind…”
And there’s a magnificent glacier in the background!
Glacier rivers in Iceland
- I used to have an art teacher who went to Iceland every year. He had hundreds of photos of the countryside. I have never seen anything like this country. The bizarre colors and shapes that naturally occur there are nothing more than breathtaking. JanJaapen / Reddit
A black church called the Heimaey Stave Church
- I was fortunate enough to see this church in person last year. There is a spring/fountain very close nearby with some of the cleanest and tastiest water I’ve ever had. Hard to even describe. Sletzer / Reddit
The Kerið Crater in winter is unreal.
“A photo of a road and landscape I took”
- Looks like wallpaper for an iPad pro. maurosauro / Reddit
- I’d be happy to sell it to Apple. thomyorkeftw / Reddit
The last McDonald’s cheeseburger sold in Iceland. McDonald’s no longer exists in this country.
“Stayed in an unusual hotel near The Golden Circle in Iceland”
“This crater lake in Iceland merges with a powerful glacial river. One of the most surreal sunrises I’ve ever experienced”
This very cozy street in Iceland
- This whole country is cozy. Seriously. I went there last winter and I’ve never been to a more cozy place in my life. dc-redpanda / Reddit
The view from some public restrooms in Iceland
“The puffins returned to eastern Iceland this week. I was lucky enough to see thousands of them in one spot.”
“This house my wife and I stayed at while in Iceland”
- Pretty much every building in Iceland has a view as good as this, that country is just insane. Chilis1 / Reddit
A sunset snowstorm in Iceland
I have the urge to set this as my phone’s wallpaper.
Would you like to travel to this amazing country?
Lady Informs Fiancé’s Family She Is Pregnant, ‘He’s Infertile!’ His Mom Says – Story of the Day
A controlling woman kicks her daughter-in-law out of the house with her newborn child, only to find herself in appalling conditions years later.
Abbie and Jonathan were married for three years when they welcomed their son, Timothy. They lived in Austin, Texas, with Jonathan’s mother, Susan, who wasn’t the worst by all accounts but wasn’t the best either.
Susan’s problem was that she wanted total control over everything, especially Jonathan’s life. To her relief, she was always successful since Jonathan was a “mama’s boy” who never went against her.
However, things began to change when Abbie came into Jonathan’s life. He began to devote a significant percentage of his attention to her, making Susan believe that Abbie was pulling him away from her.
Eventually, Abbie got the impression that Susan despised her, so she advised Jonathan that they move out. But he politely declined, saying, “Oh darling, come on! You know how mom is! She may seem harsh on the outside, but she is soft on the inside. She adores you just as much as she adores me.”
But Abbie knew that wasn’t the case, and her worst fears proved true one day…
Mrs. Norris wasn’t supportive of Abbie and Jonathan’s relationship. | Source: Pexels
“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE WITH THAT BABY!” Susan yelled at Abbie as she and Jonathan returned from the hospital following Timothy’s birth. She didn’t even go to the hospital for Abbie’s delivery because she despised her. And once Abbie was home, she already had a brilliant plan to get rid of her “pathetic” daughter-in-law.
“Susan, what’s the matter?” Abbie stared at her, bewildered. She didn’t understand why the woman would say something like that to her.
“Good Lord! Susan?” she whispered in disbelief on seeing her mother-in-law in such a terrible condition.
“What’s the matter with me?” she retorted. “That boy is not my son’s blood! He looks nothing like my son!” she lied, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Susan!” Abbie yelled back, teary-eyed. “How could you say such a thing? He’s your grandson…Jonathan,” she said, turning to her husband. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You know he’s—”
Before Abbie could finish, Susan cut her off. “Stop bewitching my son with those crocodile tears of yours! You’ve already wrecked his life. Pack your things and get lost!” she repeated and grabbed Jonathan’s arm, pulling him to her side.
Mrs. Norris ordered Abbie to leave the house. | Source: Pexels
“Jonathan….” Abbie looked at him with hopeful eyes, but he didn’t utter a word. Instead, he stood by his mother’s side and lowered his head in shame.
Abbie couldn’t believe Jonathan didn’t say anything to his mother, even if it meant losing his son! She realized whatever was happening to her was probably the worst thing she’d ever faced, but she reasoned it was probably for the best if she moved away from the toxicity. So she packed her belongings and left Susan’s home to live with her parents.
Several years went by and Abbie had raised Timothy on her own, giving him the finest of everything. Fortunately, she also healed from the pain of her toxic marriage with Jonathan and took the first step towards divorce and a happy life with her son as a single mother.
A few years after the divorce, she found love again when she crossed paths with a man named Edward at Timothy’s school. He was a widower with a daughter, Caroline. He and Abbie fell in love and got married.
Abbie felt her life was complete after marrying Edward. She had a wonderful family, an excellent job, two beautiful children, and a devoted husband. She never thought about the horrific past again until something unexpected happened one day…
Abbie took a drastic step and became a single mom. | Source: Pexels
After dropping Caroline and Timothy off at school, Abbie was on her way to work when she noticed an elderly woman dumpster diving for food.
“Good Lord!” she sighed as she came to a halt and glanced at the woman. “What misery did she go through to have to eat from a dumpster?”
Abbie reached into her handbag for cash and got out of the car to offer it to the woman. But as she got closer, something about the woman’s filthy clothes made her stop.
She recognized the woman’s coat and immediately came to a halt in the middle of the street until a car blew its horn, interrupting her thoughts. When the homeless woman turned around to face her, Abbie’s suspicions were confirmed.
“Good Lord! Susan?” she whispered in disbelief on seeing her mother-in-law in such a terrible condition. “Susan, what happened to you? What are you doing here?” she asked worriedly as she dashed over to her.
Mrs. Norris was looking through trash for food. | Source: Shutterstock
With tears in her eyes, the older woman stared at her. “Abbie? Forgive me for what I did, sweetheart,” she pleaded, bursting into tears. “Please forgive me! I’m starving! I haven’t eaten in days….” She fell at Abbie’s feet and wouldn’t stop crying.
Abbie never liked Susan, but she wasn’t so heartless that she would leave her like that on the streets. So she took a day off from work and accompanied the older woman to a restaurant.
As Susan finished eating, Abbie gently asked, “Susan, how did you end up like this? Where’s Jonathan?”
“All I can say is I paid for my sins, sweetheart,” she sighed, teary-eyed. “I lost everything I had. My Jonathan is no longer with me. He left me alone, and I was so miserable after that….”
Susan wouldn’t stop crying as she revealed that Jonathan was returning home from work one day when he was attacked and robbed by some hooligans. He tried to fight back, but he eventually succumbed to the injuries and died before reaching the hospital.
Jonathan’s death left Mrs. Norris miserable. | Source: Pexels
After the terrible accident, Susan almost lost her mind. Every night, she would sit for hours on her son’s bed, clutching his things and crying. She didn’t want to do anything or interact with anyone. She eventually gave up on life and began roaming the streets.
“I still have the house, but it’s so empty without him. It comes back to bite me when I go back there. I don’t want to be there. I want to run away from all the bad memories…All the bad things I did to you, oh, I regret them so much. Will you please forgive me? I beg of you!” she pleaded, trembling.
Seeing Susan’s dreadful situation, Abbie knew she had already had her fair share of suffering for her wrongdoings, so softening her heart for the older woman, she decided to let go of the past and forgive her.
“It’s all right, Susan,” she said. “I don’t have anything against you or Jonathan. In fact, I’m happy I went on with my life because I now have a beautiful husband and two wonderful children.”
Susan was surprised. “You remarried?”
Abbie was happy with her married life. | Source: Pexels
“Yes! And I am very happy with my life now,” Abbie replied, smiling.
Susan felt a tinge of jealousy, and she dropped her head in shame. But Abbie forgave her and decided to help her out, so Abbie started visiting her home and helping her around the house once in a while.
She also told Edward everything, and he was very sympathetic and supportive. Leaving the horrific past behind them, they now often invite Susan to their home and spend time with her so that she does not feel alone.
What can we learn from this story?
- One day, everyone pays the price for their wrongdoings. Susan ruined Abbie and Jonathan’s relationship and paid the price for it when she found herself all alone.
- Good things always happen to good people. Though Abbie’s divorce from Jonathan was devastating, it ultimately resulted in a much happier life for her and Timothy.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a mom who asks her old neighbor to babysit her children only to return home and find them missing.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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