This trip was slightly doomed. The break-up was followed by my employment termination, and the weather in Iceland was more unfriendly than the ex-girlfriend. However, the activity that I’d thought I would enjoy the least because of its commercial approach was what I enjoyed the most. Three hours of relaxed stay in the man-made hot spring; it would have been surreal if not for the military-like order of the facility. Still, it was what I enjoyed most in Iceland. I’m not saying that the Blue Lagoon is the most beautiful thing in Iceland. No, it’s not. It’s an experiment gone wrong and in our guide’s words, “a human disaster”. But the government was smart enough to turn it into a world-famous attraction.
We took the day tour to the west coast going around Snaefellsness
peninsula. With frequent showers throughout the day, it was difficult to enjoy
the tour completely, but we did come across some magnificent landscapes. For a
population of about 330,000, most of whom according to a recent poll, are
atheists, Iceland seems to have a lot of churches. They are beautiful though, some
with very interesting architecture. We also went through a 6 km tunnel, which
is below sea level. It was completed in two years and I couldn’t help thinking
that in that amount of time, in my country, we just may be able to build a
one-km flyover, which may fall off within the next two years.
We left Reykjavik three days later for another organised tour. Went around the Golden circle and the South coast. Amongst the many stops was a local farmer’s store. For someone from India, it was amazing to witness a store run on trust. There was no one to service you. Just the goods, a chart with the prices, and a box with cash. You pick what you want and leave the money in the box. The second day was a clear day by Icelandic standards, and our guide was smart enough to modify the itinerary to fit the cave walk and glacier hike on that day. We returned to Reykjavik on the third day through rough weather. The wind was so strong that the waterfalls were defying Newton’s theory of gravitation.
We left Reykjavik three days later for another organised tour. Went around the Golden circle and the South coast. Amongst the many stops was a local farmer’s store. For someone from India, it was amazing to witness a store run on trust. There was no one to service you. Just the goods, a chart with the prices, and a box with cash. You pick what you want and leave the money in the box. The second day was a clear day by Icelandic standards, and our guide was smart enough to modify the itinerary to fit the cave walk and glacier hike on that day. We returned to Reykjavik on the third day through rough weather. The wind was so strong that the waterfalls were defying Newton’s theory of gravitation.
I would be lying if I say I greatly enjoyed this trip. The fact is, I hate
doing organised tours, but as I can’t drive, there was no other option. Because
of the small population, the public transport is limited to Reykjavik. However,
I would love to visit Iceland again, the next time hopefully during the
summers.
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