I was in Iceland for no more than an hour and was already hit with this other worldly sight - Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavik. One of my favorite things about traveling to new places, especially other countries, is that magical moment when you feel the "new and different". You fully realize that you're somewhere you've never been before - seeing things, feeling things, hearing things you couldn't even go to in your imagination. You can't experience it by just looking at a picture in a book or online. You have to go there - feel the air, the ground, the essence of "there". It's one of my favorite feelings in the world and I try to soak in every molecule of it every time I'm somewhere new.
It also makes you more aware of how big and amazing this world is. There are people in other lands that not only speak differently, but live differently as well. It makes this world seem less small and possibilities more limitless.