Everytime I get ready to type up these posts, I try to remember all the great things I experienced during the day, but I always seem to miss something. I get frustrated for a moment until I realize that it just means I'll still have tidbits of information to talk about with someone wanting to know about this trip, even if they have read all my entries. Positive side to everything.
Okay, so today was the off-roading trip. It was advertised as a Super Jeep tour, but it was actually in a Toyota SUV.. It was still super though. Let me tell you.. We have absolutely nothing on the lifted vehicles found here. Off-roading here is not just done for fun, but in the winter it is a daily necessity. So their tires are usually over 35 inches at least, but many of the vehicles are well over that. I've got plenty of pictures of different vehicles to illistrate my point. But needless to say, I was excited.
Our trip headed out of Reykjavik for a drive over an hour so we had plenty of time to get acquainted. The two others in the vehicle were a couple from Scotland, and I could distinctly hear the difference in accent between English and Icleandic from that of a Scot. Never really been around that many different Europeans before, but they certainly do not all sound the same. We all discussed what we did, why we here, etc. The guide and Scottish man had a bit of fun discussing my accent, and the Scottish guy begged me to say "y'all". We critizied the States' (which is what most Europeans refer to USA as instead of just "America" which I agree with) system of measurement for a bit before we discussed how difficult and messed up the English language is. The guide tried not to laugh too hard at me as I struggled through pronouncing things once again, but the Scots weren't that much better at it, so I don't feel so bad. I mastered thank you and bye, which is Takk and Bless, but those aren't really that difficult. But hey, its something!
We stopped at the gas station to use the bathroom and get snacks before we started the tour. The guide and his brother were explaining to me the different beverages unique to Iceland, and I settled on a soda called "Mix" which is pineapple and blood orange flavored. It was wonderful! (And I'm sad I left the bottle in the car, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find again) But I did pass on the chocolate covered licorice, even though they assured me it "enhances the flavor". I think chocolate tastes just fine on its own, thank you.
From there it was on to Seljalandsfoss. The reason that Icelandic names are so long is because they mush a bunch of words together to name things. This name roughly translates to "waterfall where they milk goats". But the more I pay attention to the names of things, the more I understand the individual words. This language may not be so difficult after all. But anyways, the waterfall was beautiful, of course, but unfortunately it was rainy when we got there. And windy.. Plus it had been snowing on the way up there, but since there was a trail that led behind the waterfall, I wasn't letting that stop me. Braving the rain and freezing castoff from the waterfall carried by the wind, we all climbed the steps and followed the trail. And I'm glad, because on the other side I captured a photo when the sun was just starting to break through the clouds right behind the top of the waterfall and it was just amazing. I'm not a great photographer by any means, but I am so thankful for my present of the Nikon D40 camera from my mom, because otherwise these photos would not be possible. Thank you Mom! :)
From there it was a nice trip off the paved road through what used to be lake before the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. This was the volcano that erupted in 2010 and delayed the air traffic in Europe. The eruption broke the side of the lake that was beside it and since all the water rushed out, tours are now led into the remaining crater so you can actually go up to the ice cap covering the volcano. Seeing a glacier up close and personal is definitely something worth bragging about. It was snowing again as we walked up to it, and all the volcanic rocks contrasted against the white snow made me feel like I should be wearing a lot more snow-approved apparel. The view though was unbelievable, and I was really thankful for the panorama feature on my iPhone. I really cant wait to get these pictures up.
Then it was another famous waterfall, Skógafoss. There were tons of photographers with their tripods at the base of this waterfall, although most seemed to be unwilling to do the steep hike up the side of the moutain to overlook the top. I do regret not going myself, but I was getting a bit worried about my camera being in the rain so much, so I snapped a few quick shots, played in the black sand a good bit, and hopped back in the car.
While we were waiting for the rest of the group to get back, the guide was telling me about a few of his favorite Icelandic bands. He asked if I knew any, and I said I didnt think so, but once he started playing Of Monsters and Men, I instantly recognized them. Did not know they were Icelandic. He played two other bands who sang in Icelandic instead of English, but even though I couldn't understand the words, I liked the music.
On the drive back, we disccused everything from language to food, from movies to education, and tons in between. They didn't know what okra was and I did 't understand their strange word for Eggplant. They thought it was funny that out guide's brother had guessed I was Scottish at first because he said I didn't have an American accent. He then called me a "Georgia flower" when I told him where I was from and I had to explain that the phrase was "Georgia peach". It then dawned on me I hadn't seen any peaches and he said they only had canned. Such a shame to not know the taste pf fresh peaches. Now many people may be wondering why I would ever think they would be able to grow fruit in such a cold climate, but the geothermal springs allow them to power greenhouses where they grow all sorts of fruits and veggies.. Even bananas! Yeah, they're very resourceful.
But the movies part of our discussion was my favorite. I had learned on the plane that the movie Prometheus was filmed in Iceland and the guide I hashed out our opinions on Ridley Scott's directing styles. Then we somehow got to Quentin Tarintino and Tim Burton. We also discussed the goreyness of Koren movies (thanks Daniel). What was the guide's favorite movie? The Big Lebowski! They really appreciate movies and make a lot here as well. I'm falling more in love with this country everyday. But although the guide assures me its really tasting and definitely worth the try, I refused to eat horse. Just no. Or that fermented shark thing. Yeah, some of their food I'm just not brave enough for.
But the conversations had to have been the highlight of this day. Between the jokes, stories, and opinions, it was pretty awesome to see so many commonalities. You can't really experience a country if you aren't willing to get to know the people. The culture is an essential part and any trip lacking that is just wasted. I'll have the pictures to remember the sights, but the people will have no problem sticking out in my memory.
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