Iceland: A Tease
Posted: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 | Category: Travel Stories, Travel Writing
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Iceland, though it lies so far to the north that it is partly within the Arctic Circle, is, like Norway, Scotland, and Ireland, affected by the Gulf Stream, so that considerable portions of it are quite habitable. — British explorer Harry Johnston
A rainbow on the lava fields
The young woman behind the reservation desk at our hotel was born in Nebraska. After graduating from college, she spent a year in Iceland, then went to Denmark for another year and returned to Iceland, where she has lived for the past 18 months with her Icelandic husband. She’s learning the language, little by little, and I’m impressed, because it looks impossible.
There's nothing like the Blue Lagoon in the morning!
Why Iceland, I asked? Because, she said, she admired the incredible spirit of independence in the people and she loved their tradition of storytelling. Icelanders are famous for their sagas, epic tales in both prose and poetry that recount stories of early Viking voyages and battles and the ensuing feuds between Icelandic families. One of the most famous sagas is over 100,000 words long. (For those who care about these things, that’s about the length of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.)
I went to Iceland with Tim and his mother because it was on her 80th birthday “bucket list” and she didn’t want to go alone. We were joined by my sister-in-law and two of Mom’s good friends from Brandermill Woods. We went on a “Northern Lights and Lava Fields” tour, run by MWT Associates out of San Jose, CA and even though the lights didn’t cooperate the week we were there, it was still a fantastic trip and one that I heartily recommend.
For one thing, you can book a flight that takes you into Iceland’s Keflavik Airport, spend up to seven nights in the
Small Icelandic horses under a big, moody Icelandic sky
capital city of Reykjavik and then go on to one of several European destinations with no penalty charges. Check out the stopover booking engine on Icelandair’s website for more details. But beyond that, Iceland is a revelation.
I’ll have lots more to tell when I get back. I’m off to Boston this week for the funeral of a dear friend. It will be tough; hold me in your thoughts, please.
Meanwhile, here are a few photos to whet your appetite for the full story. These are remarkable people living in a remarkable environment. Plan to go.
Buon viaggio!
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Beautiful images from a fascinating landscape. Can you compare the expense of visiting Iceland from the US, including currency conversion to a similar trip to Rome Italy?
I’m afraid I can only offer anectdotal advice. It seems to me that with the improving rates of the US dollar vs. the Euro (it’s about $1.29 right now) that your money might go farther in Italy these days than Iceland. While technically Iceland is part of Europe, it never adopted the Euro and is on the Icelandic krona system. An average glass of (not very good) wine was about $10 and a friend ordered a glass of Bailey’s as an after dinner drink and was charged $25. A simple bowl of soup averaged $7. Hotels, on the other hand, seem comparable in the two countries. Both regions are experiencing serious financial crises these days — Iceland’s banking system practically routed the country over the past few years — but my Italian pundits say that Italy will likely provide a more affordable experience in 2012 than it has in recent memory. My advice? Be prepared and go where you want to go. They’re both fantastic options.