Iceland

Iceland

Ísland

Iceland is a small Nordic island in the North Atlantic just south of the Arctic Circle. It measures 40000 sq. miles = 103.000 sq. Km and it has a population of 329.000. Most of the people live in Reykjavík. As you can imagine the rest of the island is vast open spaces which are formed by the lava from the 130 volcanoes on the island.

When I visited the Arctic Circle in the Scandinavian countries, I was at a higher latitude than here, and I was wearing short sleeves shirts during the day, in the mornings, and at night I needed a light sweater, so I figure that here will be the same. How wrong I was. It is freezing in here. I read about Iceland weather before coming here, and it said that despite the high latitude Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and that the summers are chilly. Well, this is not chilly, this is freezing. In the Arctic Circle in the Scandinavian countries, the landscape is green, here is tundra, so of course it is cold.

Oh well… live and learn.

I arrived at Keflavik International Airport two days before my granddaughter’s arrival. There is no public transport outside of Reykjavík, so I took a shuttle bus to Bus Hostel which is located at the bus terminal and an easy 15-minute walk to the center.

I visited the city, but I did not want to do much as I wanted to do it all with Hailey, so I went to visit one of many swimming pools. I went to Sundhöll Reykjavíkur which is located at Barónsstígur 45a, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland, which is a couple block from Hallgrímskirkja church, besides it was recommended by the hostel. Great place, all the swimming pools are thermal waters at different temperatures. There is also a couple of saunas and three hot tubs. You pay at the entrance and receive a bracelet. First thing is to get naked and shower in a typical women shower, meaning no partitions. There es a big poster signaling the essential parts you need to wash more carefully, and there is also a woman watching to make sure everybody showers with soap. If for some reason the woman is not there for a minute or two, the other ladies showering keeps a watch on each other, and if somebody doesn’t shower the proper way, they tell on you. I did not witness this, but I have been told that it happens. The reason for this is that there's a very low level of chlorine in the swimming pools, so, everyone is required to wash thoroughly before going in.

I love the hot springs and saunas, so I enjoyed myself very much, especially when, due to my age, I did not have to pay the 900 ISK = U$S 8.17 to get in. And if felt even better when they card me to make sure I was the age I claimed to be. 

When you are having fun, or you are late, time goes so fast; however, when you are waiting, time doesn't move. And here I am, seating at the Keflavik Airport waiting for her to arrive and to start our year together.

As she walked through the doors, at 6 am, my heart skipped a beat and tears flowed down my cheeks, and once she was in my arms everything felt right. 

So, here we commence our adventure.