First Days In Iceland

knew I would have trouble keeping this thing up. I am in Iceland now, and have been for two weeks. These past two weeks have been quite hectic. The first week here was spent in Reykjavik. There, we got oriented and just explored. One highlight of that part of the trip was experiencing my fist night in the “Midnight sun.” There is light here 24 hours a day. The sun hits the horizon and then starts to come back up. We went out one night, just to experience a night on the town, and the feeling of wondering around the city at 2:30am and the sun being out is a daunting feeling. With the help of thick curtains and a sleep mask; sleeping really hasn’t been an issue.

The city itself was spectacular. It was all very sheik and modern. With a population of only 200,000 people you wouldn’t expect much, but Reykjavik is by far one of the hippest places I’ve ever been. The people on the streets are dressed so nice, I felt like I didn’t even have the right shoes to be walking there. Rest assured, Icelanders have been really nice, from what I’ve noticed. Although, when they get drunk it’s a no holds barred affair. Here going out is not an event, it’s a circus, you never know what your in for.

After a week of exploring the city we headed out to Akureyri, the small city where I now live. To get there we spent two days traveling through the interior of Iceland. I can not even begin to describe the beauty of this country. There are so many shades of green and such a diverse landscape. There were moments as I sat on the bus that I realized that I wasn’t breathing. I was just consumed. It sounds all so very dramatic, but this is how it is. Everywhere is like a Sigur Ros music video. We stopped over night in a tiny mountain lodge called Kirklingerfjoll. We stayed in a small cabin with a glacier just a few miles in the distance. We also got a chance to stop and take a dip in a hot spring, which are all around Iceland.

Akureyri was a pleasant surprise. It’s a little town of 15,000 people located on a fjord. Despite it’s size it’s the second biggest city in Iceland and it really happening. In fact, right now they are celebrating a three month long art festival. Its very hip. I cant seem to emphasize enough how hip many Icelanders are. I met my host mother Auður, my first day here. She is a phenomenal woman with two grown kids (Sandra and Thora) and two grandchildren; but she is by far the prettiest grandmother ever. When I met her she had a trendy straight jet-black haircut, leather high-heeled boots, and a leather jacket. She speaks a little English but not fluently, she’s been halping me learn Icelandic while I help her learn English. Our first meeting was a little awkward, but she was very kind and accommodating, despite out language barrier. Her apartment is something out of an IKEA catalogue, very awesome.

The most amazing thing happened my first day here. Auður wanted to show me a good time, and the day I arrived was Independence day, so there was much celebration. She took me to the harbor and we boarded a ship called “Huni II” where an Icelandic sailor band was playing. It took off and sailed around the bay while this band played old Icelandic Sailor tunes while people danced on the deck, of course I had to partake in the dancing. It was the perfect start to my stay in Akureyri. This entry is long enough. More stories tomorrow.