BootsnAll Travel Network



Icy Blonde People

The trip is finally underway!  I’m on day 3, actually.  I flew out 2 days ago and arrived in Iceland yesterday.  The place is fascinating, an active volcanic area covered with fields of moss-covered black lava soil, craggy rock piles and plumes of steam.  But before I describe it further, let me erupt into an expression of gratitude.

 I was touched by the outpouring of support and well-wishes from friends and family.  A special thanks to my brother, who stayed up half the night with me helping me with final packing decisions and technical matters.  Another special thanks to Sean, whose generosity with camera equipment is directly responsible for every photo you will see posted on this blog.  Thanks, too, to the Levy family and the entire Entourage (especially Adam, Rashelle, Aaron, Michelle and Sean again) for the farewell send-off.  Thanks to everyone at the office–my superiors who took me to lunch, all who approved the leave of absence, my understanding and supportive friend and supervisor Richard and all of my encouraging colleagues.  Mom and Dad, thank you for the very last sleeping spot, meal and warm “goodbye” on American soil, for never once trying to dissuade me from embarking on this journey, and, heck, for a lifetime of love.  Thank you, Grandma, for the special prayer for traveling mercies and fun.  If you are a praying person, reader, please pray for Grandma Lily´s health and comfort.  Finally, I want to publicly express my gratitude to the Lord, without whose blessings of health and time and money and opportunity the trip simply could not take place. 

Okay, on to Iceland.  I don´t have time to post photos at the moment, but for now, to get a sense of the place, think volcanoes, vikings, puffins, glaciers, whales, trolls, hot springs and Bjork.  (I heard her playing (recorded) a few times on my first day here.)  On the bus ride from the airport, I also saw a Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken, which detracted from the mystique.  By the way, the mostly blonde stewardesses on Icelandic Air wore full uniforms with cute little hats, reminiscent of the 1960s.  Purely for cultural reasons, I pressed the “help” button about 19 times.  It’s been raining off and on since I arrived, but not so strongly that you couldn’t go out and about.  I’m staying at a B&B near the center of everything, in a small A-shaped room upstairs.  The proprietor is a friendly French lady who keeps everything clean. 

The island nation sits where the Euro-Asian tectonic plate and the American tectonic plate collide.  The scent of sulphur is often discernible, including whenever you turn on the tap–the water here in Reykjavik, the capitol, is heated by underground thermal energy.  Because of that pervasive scent, one can be more adventurous in dining without worry over gaseous gastro-intestinal repercussions.  Those worries can be cast, as it were, to the wind!  I haven’t tried the reindeer, putrified shark or puffin yet, but they’re all served here.  For lunch yesterday, I went into a pub and asked the bartender if they served sandwiches.  She said, “Yes, many.”  I said, “I only need one.”  She said, “I think you should have 5.”  Despite her spunk, I only had one–grilled cheese and asparagus–but I did follow her recommendation for beer–Thule.  By the way, everyone here speaks English fluently in addition to Icelandic.  Which is cool because my Icelandic is rusty. 

 On an historical note, the country was settled by vikings from Norway in the 800s.  They intended to escape Christianity and instead practice their heathen religion.  They made a calculated error, though, in bringing slaves from Ireland.  Those slaves smuggled something along–their Christian faith.  Whoops!  By the year 1000, the Icelandic parliament adopted Christianity as the religion of the land.  By the way, that parliament was established in the late 800s I think, and still exists today, which makes it the longest parliament in existence.  There are 300,000 people living in Iceland, and 200,000 of them live in Reykjavik.

 The word for “goodbye” is “bless.”  Let me end this entry by reiterating how “blessed” I’ve been by the warm goodbyes.  So, for now, bless to you.



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2 responses to “Icy Blonde People”

  1. David Oulashian says:

    Congrats on finally making the journey, er, beginning the journey! Looking foward to living vicarously through you!

    Blessings,

    David Oulashian

  2. Phil says:

    Spencer,

    Glad to see you’re finally able to circumcize the globe. (I think Magellan did it first with his 500 ft clipper).

    Be careful “sucking the marrow out of life” – you may not be able to get penicillin in some parts of the globe. Did you get your shots before you left?

    By the way, when you get to Bangkok, you’ll have to go find the “Flying Chicken Restaurant”. If you order the chicken, the server douses it in lighter fluid, sets it ablaze and slings it across the room in a giant slingshot. Someone on the opposite side of the room, riding a unicycle and wearing a helmet with a spear on top of it, then cycles across and catches the chicken mid air with his helmet spear. I kid you not.

    There’s also the “No Hands Restaurant”, but I’ll have to tell you about that some other time as it’s not suitable for publication.

    Looking foward to seeing you “Down Under” (Australia, that is.)

    Phil

  3. Rich says:

    Spencer,nrSounds like a great start. You make me want to go. By the way, when did you get so sentimental?

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