A 77-year-old grandmother from Flower Mound, Texas had to be rescued in Iceland after the 'ice throne' she was posing for a photo on began drifting out to sea.
Judith Streng was touring Iceland's Jökulsárlón Lagoon with her son Rob, when they noticed a large chunk of ice sitting on the beach that resembled an ice throne. Streng couldn't pass up the opportunity to jump on for a photo.
But moments after she smiled for the camera, a wave broke the ice loose from the shore, and Streng, along with the ice, began drifting out to sea.
"It was shaped like an easy place to sit... I thought that looks like fun," Streng told Good Morning America. "When I got on it, it started to totter and a wave was coming in, a very large wave came in and made the throne kind of rock and I could tell I was slipping off.
"I guess I thought it was safe. I don't weigh very much, so it was a little easier to float off I guess," said Streng.
Photos of Streng's ordeal began to go viral after her granddaughter posted photos of a text conversation she had with her dad on Twitter.
“Lost her kingdom when she drifted out to see! [sic],” one of the texts said. “No joke. A coast guard rescuer had to save her and bring her back to shore!”
Fortunately for the 77-year-old, a boat captain trained in water rescues happened to be nearby and was able to bring the grandmother back to shore.
Streng told ABC News she believed the ice was safe enough when she initially sat down for her photo.
“I’ve always wanted to be queen … that was my chance,” said Streng.