November 2017

Iceland first

We arrived in Paris on Monday after a two-day stopover in Iceland. Two days was too short. A total of 4 or 5 days would have given us the chance to see more of the country and to experience some of the wonders of this place.  Despite the short time, we definitely came away with feelings about Iceland based on what we saw and experienced.

First, the terrain –in the south where where we toured – is basically lava covered with scattered fields of moss.  In many places it looks like what I think the moon’s surface must look like.  But, the moon is dead while Iceland is alive having been formed by a volcanic eruption under the ocean as the continental plates moved millions of years ago.  Iceland has rivers, waterfalls, lagoons, and “geyzirs”  which are bubbling and spewing up hot water (400 F) .  And, Iceland has people though not a lot.    The population is 330,000 with 220,000 in Reykjavik proper. Not only are there not a lot of people here, the people are all the same – of mostly Nordic and Celtic origin. And for over 1000 years they haven’t mixed with other folk nor have they allowed their language, Icelandic, to be changed much from the original Old Norse. There has been and continues to be a determination to maintain the language as it was (and is) without mixing in words from other languages. Fascinating.! The language is seen as the keeper of the culture. Check out this web site which has a summary of how Icelandiic is preserved.   https://gizmodo.com/icelandic-has-the-best-words-for-technology-1702697272   Fortunately, everyone we met spoke English.  Also of interest is that there is a book in which Icelanders are listed giving their ancestry.  Thus, people can check if they are cousins and how close the relationship is.  (I guess they have done well on avoiding untoward consequences of marriages with relatives because folks looked pretty healthy and hearty overall.)

Reykjavik is known as the cleanest capital in the world and may be the smallest capital as well.   It may explain why the Icelandic people we met were all friendly, warm, outgoing and helpful.  Despite the cold there is a cozy atmosphere here.  Our impression was that Icelanders are a proud, content and happy people.   We did hear a little bit of a complaint that there are 9 political parties in parliament.  Thus it is hard to get anything done. (Some problems are the same everywhere.)

We had a few experiences which give a flavor of the relaxed spirit we encountered.  At the hotel we overslept the second morning and thought we were going to miss our pick up for the tour we were on. I grabbed a bottle of water from the open refrigerated bin in the lobby rushed to the desk to pay for it. The receptionist waved me off and said, “later when you come back.”   Later when we came back she said, “oh – forget it.” Huh? That was a first. It happened again with stamps. I needed stamps for two postcards. The receptionist stamped the cards, but when asked her to put it on the hotel bill she said she couldn’t. I didn’t have any Icelandic money so we were going to charge it. The charge came out more than it should have and so she cancelled it and said, “Oh — Forget it.”… Again – we were really surprised. No one was looking to be tipped, either – at the hotel, or  at restaurants.  (Apparently, a small tip can be left, but is not expected)

We swam in the Blue Lagoon late on the first night we were there. (If you go remember to book the Lagoon at least a week a head of time). On entering the facility, a bracelet was attached to our wrists. It had an electronic device which gave us access to a locker, and allowed us to pay for drinks while swimming in the Lagoon. (Yes, while floating in the warm water, our heads cold, the moon ½ full and the mist rising out of the water, we sipped a cocktail – with 100 other people!.) On the way out, we paid our bill, put the bracelets down on the counter and then couldn’t find them. We had been told if we lost the bracelets we’d have to pay for them. So now what? The gal behind the counter said, “I’ll find them – don’t worry.” And with that let us out the gate. (Fortunately, I found them in our stuff and took them back to the desk.)

The second day we took an 8 hour bus tour the Golden Circle (I won’t go into it, but you can look it up)   Interestingly, in the 2 ½ days we were there we saw only one police car and one policeman;  only one dog being walked in the countryside; no fire engines or stations;  no ambulances; and only 2 taxis.  There are lots of private cars, public buses, and tourist buses.  There is a highly efficient centralized system for getting tourists around.  It was amazing and unbelievable at first.  We quickly learned to trust the system and to follow instructions.  Interestingly, flights arrive and leave Iceland in the wee hours of the morning and so we had to get up at 4 am to make our 7:40 flight to Paris.  It was a bit difficult, but worked out OK.

One other note — we couldn’t find decaffeinated coffee anywhere. Every time I asked if decaffeinated coffee was available I received a look as if it was a really weird request.  If you go, and are a decaf coffee drinker like me, take some instant with you — there is plenty of free hot water!

Upon leaving we thought we wouldn’t want to go back again, but as time passes I am feeling we might want to go back.  Coming in contact with another culture in a country only 5 hours away from the U.S. (and less from Europe) but which is so much more relaxed than ours is enticing.  And, I’d like another swim in the Blue Lagoon, with a massage or two thrown in this time to round out the experience.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland — mother church/cathedral in Reykjavik.Inside the cathedral.

Volcano in the distance — taken from the bus

Passage through gigantic rock formations leading to waterfalls (which we decided were at a distance too far for us to walk.) We did walk to the bottom of this rail which was a long way down.   (PS that isn’t us in the photo!)

But this is us!  Here at the ‘Geyzir Center’… one of two very hot spots in Iceland.  There is hot water all around however, with swimming pools all over Reykjavik which are used by the locals all year round.  The country is energy self-sufficient given all this hot water power that is bubbling from within this volcano-formed island.

A geyzir up close — this was one of the big ones.  Tourists are warned not to go near them or to be tempted to test the water temperature.  (400 F.)