I'm so thankful to have you in my life. Here in Iceland I've seen natural wonders that I can hardly describe. Right now I can step out of our campsite's communal room here in Mývatn and see the distant glow of the volcanic eruption reflected on the clouds. Today we went from skipping stones at the coast, driving in fjords, a tiny fishing village, up a mountain pass, tunnels and a moonlike landscape. Yesterday Asbjørn, Anna and I jogged from our camp in Skaftafell to the foot of a glacier tongue. Later Megan joined us for a 7km hike up to a lookout down onto the same glacier. There we spent a long time sitting in the sun with no one else around. We were all confused as to how we could be in such a majestic location without a huge crowd. Afterwards we hiked down to Svartifoss and saw incredible basalt columns with a waterfall rushing over them.
The night before all of that we arrived at Skaftafell unintentionally to camp for the night. Another campsite was our intended destination but I'm so glad we landed here. We set up camp and began to make a dinner of assorted soup and mashed potatoes with a bannock dessert. While making the bannock, using a recipe taught to us by Belgians, we realized the sky had cleared up and some northern lights were floating around. So there we were eating bannock and jam at a picnic table in Skaftafell 2km from the foot of a glacier under a starry sky and northern lights. Iceland continues to make me use large adjectives and I often think the word "magical". We've also seen Geysir, Gulfoss, and a glacier lagoon. I've been in a near state of perpetual excitement for the past few days. Just riding in a car in this country is a joyfull experience. Everything I've seen deserves its own post. But, my time for writing is limited and I'd rather not write that many posts at once. So I'll focus on my favorite place so far. Thingvellir.
A little after 900 AD Thingvellir became the meeting place of the Icelandic parliment. Here at the Althing and the Law Rock they laid down the rules of the land. It's located in a rift valley and is quite a magical place. One of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. But more importantly for me here in the year 2014 it became the meeting place of friends. I hitchhiked up to Thingvellir from Selfoss to spend a few nights. It took me three rides. The first ride was from a nice Icelandic man with a dead reindeer in his backseat which poked me in the back. He said he always tries to give rides to tourists when he can, it's his duty as an Icelandic guy to show us his country. I'm very thankful his attitude. The second ride came from a single mother of three on the way to her Summer house which she is rennovating. She was eager to talk and I was willing to listen. She hopes to save money and begin travelling when her two teenage sons are out of the house. Most of her free time is spent on Google Earth street view day dreaming. One day I hope she follows her dream. And finally I was driven to Thingvellir by a friendly young couple of Germans. The man is a cop and the woman studying at university. They took me all the way to the parking lot in the national park. Relying on the kindness of strangers is an odd way to travel but it's a lot of fun.
Once in the national park the real magic began. After a hike down into the rift I headed for the nearest campsite. It's here I had my first chance encounter. Jack, a touring cyclist from Canada that I met in Selfoss, was walking down a path toward me. We both left the same day and ended up together again. He's a friendly man with many great adventures to tell about. He has spent his life travelling in the Canadian backcountry and around the world. I continued to the camp and pitched my tent next to his. Not long after this I heard English from the covered picnic area so I walked over to investigate. Hearing "their so darn cute" I realized it must be Asbjørn (Esbian) talking about his cats. So I slid into view and we had a grand reunion. It had been days since we last met in Selfoss. I didn't expect to see him again here in Iceland but I'm so glad I did. That night Asbjørn, Jack, a couple Frenchmen and a very interesting man affectionately called Maxi hung out at the Chevro-let bar. Our new French friends convinced us to drink a bit of whiskey and coke. This turned into a long night of playing music and laughing. The next day Asbjørn and I hiked in the park down to the lake and back up by abandoned farms and fields. At the lake we shared a can of beans after he took a dip in the near freezing water.
That night a northern lights tour showed up to our humble homes and we enjoyed the company of so many new people. Particularly two friendly British girls from Nottingham. We stood in the field learning about how boring England can be while watching the lights amid Japanese tourists softly exclaiming "Aurora!" from time to time. And to add excitment to our night an elderly American took to a play by play announcement of it all. Also the incident in which two folks legs gave out due to joy, or age cold and darkness, added a bit of humor. A rather large earthquake must have struck that only they could feel. The next day our French friends had to leave abruptly but they left behind all of their groceries. This is where we met three Belgian medical students that taught us about bannock. At the end of the feast and at their departure we exchanged contact info, another new friend I hope to hear from soon.
And finally, the day after that my real adventure began. Anna and I had a bit of communication to plan her meeting me at the campsite between 12-1. Beginning around 11:30 I learned how a dog must feel waiting for its family to return home. I watched the parking lot hardly moving away from my post. Unfortunately I'm an old dog and my senses aren't the best. Around 1 I heard "Zeb?" from behind me in a voice I last heard way back in Boone. If I had a tail objects placed on a coffee table would be in danger of an unexpected flight. That moment may be the most excited I've been to see someone in a while. Sorry Anna about the excessively long hug. As I have no tail that's the only way I thought to express my joy. To see a familiar face in such a strange place was wonderful. And of course it was great to meet you too, Megan. They were kind enough to let Asbjørn ride along and add some Danish flavor to our adventure. He and I could barely contain our excitement at being in a car we wouldn't be getting out of. There was even music and heat.
And that's how I've been able to see so much and travel so far. Automobiles really are pretty incredible. We've since lost one of our crew, Asbjørn. He stayed behind in Djúpivogur to work on homework. It's such a cozy little town like one out of a dream. I'm sad to leave him behind but glad he's in such a nice place. He would have left soon after anyway as he's trying to take the "party ferry" back to Denmark. We'll stay in touch and I've promised to one day visit Denmark to see the gobbles, his island and to try a Danish hotdog.
It is thanks to my friends and the people I've met along the way that I've been having such a good time. Without the people my adventure would still be beutiful. I could still have seen it all. But maybe it'd be a bit like eating cereal with water instead of milk. Yes, it's still cereal. But it's so much better with the milk (which is my favorite part). So thank you friends for being the milk in my bowl. You enhance the experience and like the milk collect the memory of the cereal and all the sugary goodness to be had again once it's all gone. The cereal is of course Iceland. Maybe Captain Crunch Berries. Certainly nothing bland. And of course my friends are whole milk. There's nothing left out and there's no substitute like soy or almonds. If you're not a fan of cereal I'll simply say, the people I've met and have been with make my experiences much more valuable. Much of Iceland will be here and unchanged when I return some day, but the people will have changed. I've seen so many in a hurry to run and see a waterfall with no time for their fellow travellers. My advice to them is this, slow down to have a conversation or two and maybe even share a meal. The waterfall can wait a few hours but in that time so many people around will come and go. People with unique stories and backgrounds, travel tips and insight. Svartifoss taught me a lot but not nearly as much as my friends.
Sincerely,
Zeb
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