The day started before the crack of dawn. My alarm went off at 5 AM. I had done the hard work last night of completely repacking. I even packed my backpack and pulled the backpack traps out of my carryon. That way I had less to fret with since we were economy.
Down in the lobby we met up with Neil. He wasn’t going with us to the airport afterall. Our van was picking up another OAT group from the airport and taking them to Selfoss. They were at the beginning of their adventure. I have to admit that I cried. Neil has been a phenomenal trip leader and just an all around wonderful person. He’s become family. He never failed to educate as well as entertain me. Saying goodby is always such sweet sorrow but this time even more so. I was really going to miss him and his quizzes on Iceland. Shoot, I’m going to miss the beautiful, pragmatic island country that I have come to love so much.
Traffic to Keflavik was mild at this early morning hour. We made it quicker than I expected. We all got out of the van and went our separate ways. Most of the people with us were traveling Delta back home. We were on Icelandic Air for the first leg. We had to use a kiosk to check in and then it only gave us boarding passes and no bag tags. We had to go up to the desk and get those as well as new boarding passes. Oy vey! However, they could only give us one boarding pass although our bags were checked all the way to Tampa. We would have to get the pass from Boston to Tampa when we arrived in Boston.
Security wasn’t too bad. We both whipped through quickly and easily although Doug’s camera case got flagged. His water bottle had a quarter inch of water still in it. Crazy. After security we found a place to sit and began the long wait. We knew better than to go down to the gate. There was little seating down there.
We grabbed some breakfast in the food court. They actually scanned our boarding passes. That was different. Then I got a latte. They scanned it there as well. Before we settled in we grabbed sandwiches and chips for the flight to Boston. Since we weren’t Business Class, we knew we wouldn’t get fed. Icelandic Air doesn’t feed feed on this flight because it is so short. I was glad we knew this in advance so we could prepare.
We both read and the time passed. Waiting around in airports has gotten to be old hat although we have gotten spoilt with flying Business Class and waiting in the lounge. Today we were out with the rest of the travelers. It was no big deal, just not as comfortable and no free food.
When it was time to head to the boarding gate, Doug and I had to scan our passes. I made it through fine carrying his camera case while he took my carry-on. He seems to have the worst luck in getting “randomly” selected for further screening. I had to head to the gate by myself while he went to where ever they did the screening. Sigh…..
I made it to the gate only to find a HUGE line. It was actually two gates all in the same line. The gate people wanted to have room for the people exiting the two aircraft. As a result, the line was ginormous and getting longer. We were all hoping that we were standing in the correct line. It was impossible to tell. I figured that Doug would beat me on the plane. We stood there and stood there. Eventually the line began to move a little bit which beat just standing there twiddling our thumbs. It really moved when the gate people broke us back into the two separate lines. After that we stood there some more waiting.
That is when Doug finally caught up with me. The additional screening had taken him that long. It was my carry-on with all of my electronics that had slowed him down. They had to swipe EVERYTHING in it for bomb residue. Now I had downsized what I could since I knew I would be carrying it all day but it still had a camcorder, a still camera, iPad, Kindle, chargers, charging cables, backup batteries…..And that carry-on had a plethora of pockets, each of which they had to open and check. I don’t think Doug will ever carry my carry-on again :-). I don’t blame him!
It took what seemed like forever but eventually we were able to board the plane. Doug noticed as we did that there were two empty seats in Business Class. So after everybody was onboard, he explained our situation to the flight attendant. She couldn’t promise anything but she said she would ask if she could upgrade us. She came back a few minutes later and said she couldn’t. However, she did say that they would give us a meal and do all that they could to make us comfortable. I thought that was very nice.
At least I had been able to go online last night and chose seats for us. We got the last two aisle seats available that were across from each other. Actually I don’t know if there were any other aisle seats left at all. At least we weren’t stuck in middle seats. Doug was extra fortunate in that there was nobody in his middle seat. All of my row was full. The young man next to me liked to man-spread :-). At least I had the aisle seat.
Although we ended up not getting fed on the plane, we did get free alcohol which was nice. Since we had bought sandwiches and chips at the airport, the lack of a meal was no biggie. The 5.5 hour flight flight was fine. It passed quickly. I watched movies as usual. “The Judge” was good but sad. I rewatched “Music & Lyrics” with Hugh Grant and it was as cute as I remembered it being. I love a good movie that makes me laugh and cry. It was perfect.
We landed just fine on time in Boston. They had the new Global Entry machines that snap your photo which much easier than the old ones in Tampa so we scooted through that easily. We grabbed our bags which came out pretty darn quickly and then checked them in. Our biggest hurdle was getting our boarding passes for the flight to Tampa. I had tried and tried while we were in Iceland but couldn’t get them. The boarding person in Keflavik couldn’t give them to us either. Peachy! So we had to get them somehow. Fortunately, there was a lady where we turned in our bags that was able to do it for us. Whew! I was so glad that we didn’t have to go to the ticketing area and get it. and make the LONG walk to the terminal we needed to be in for our gate.
It was nice that we didn’t have to go through security again as well. I figured that we would but since we had we had a 4.5 hour layover there was more than enough time. We had plenty of time for almost anything. Since this was our chance to have dinner, we found a place to sit for a while, drink a beer, and grab something to eat. I got chicken nachos and Doug got a burger. It passed the time nicely.
On the flight to Tampa both Doug and I were in middle seats. However, we were in an emergency row so we did have extra leg room. However, the arms of the seat were solid down into the seat cushion and the seats were narrow so it was a bit tight. The good thing about that was no man-spreading into my seat :-). The flight itself went smoothly and quickly which was nice since it was over three and a half hours.
Once we landed, we got a text from Sam that she was in the cell lot waiting. Our luggage came out relatively quickly for Tampa. And soon we were loading out bags into Sam’s car and whizzing down I275 home. Leia, our basset hound (Sam’s actually) was in the car and she was SO happy to see us. She is happiest when her whole family is home. Dog hair was flying all over the interior of the car as her tail went ninety miles an hour and she wiggled in ecstasy at trying to lick up and get pets. Happy dog, happy people.
And speaking of dogs, I just realized that I forgot one sad part of our time in Greenland. While we were in Kulusuk two of Hailey’s puppies went to a new home. Jacob gave/sold them to a man whose dog died (or was put down, I didn’t get or want any details). We saw the pups being led away as we walked to the dock for our boat ride to the glacier. I found out later they were going to their new home. It about did me in. These puppies were so happy to be around people and loved attention. Now they were going to live in isolation, chained to a dog house to be used as a polar bear alarm. They will get fed a couple times a week and not get much if any human attention. Those happy-go-lucky puppies won’t be that way for very long. I could never be a Greenlander. My puppy kisses will always be one of my favorite memories of the post-trip.
But I don’t want to leave this phenomenal trip on such a sour note. The entire experience was one I will always cherish and unless you have experienced Iceland for yourself, you cannot understand the strong pull it has. How can I explain the beauty of the sun peeking through waves of fog lighting up iridescent green grass? Or the impossibly dark blue of the wild ocean as it crashes into rough basalt stretching up into the air as if to touch the sun? The verdant fields spotted with countless sheep grazing peacefully? The quizzical look in the Icelandic horse’s eyes as it trots across the open fields?
Then there are the people of Iceland, hardy, strong, warm, and generous. They are the embodiment of of the saying “that which doesn’t kill me makes me strong.” Homes buried under volcanic ashes, they shrug their shoulder and dig it out. The country crippled by the financial crisis and they dust their hands off and work to make it better. They just get on with it instead of feeling sorry for themselves and moaning about how unfair it is. They are resilient. They are intrepid. They are survivors. Of course, they are descendants of Vikings.
Despite this innate toughness, Icelanders are some of the kindest and warmest people I have ever met. Never once did I hear about crime unless it was centuries old. When unsure of how to get somewhere when we were on our own, they were always quick to lend a hand. A twinkle in their eyes and a smile on their lips and a generosity of spirit as deep as the sea.
These are the intangibles that I am bringing home with me, far more meaningful and lasting than coffee mugs or refrigerator magnets. I have seen the pot of gold at the end of a waterfall rainbow. It is the fire and ice of Iceland. Harsh yet beautiful. Young at heart yet eternal. Unyielding yet endlessly changing. Iceland is simply magical, full of hidden wonders and abundant nature.
Although our time in Greenland was short, it, too, cast its spell on me. So different from Iceland but no less majestic and beautiful. Harsh, barren mountains, harbors dotted with colorful buildings, startling blue waters sprinkled with icy sculptures created by snow, wind, and water. Rivers of ice flowing down to the fjord, deep blue and craggy all add to the beauty and mystery of this vast island in the north. The people who call this less than green land home are as tough as the land. They’ve had to be to survive here. Pragmatic, strong but warm and generous, these Inuit people hang on to age-old traditions such as the drum dance and hunting to bring meaning to life on this hunk of rock. It was a true privilege to see the small piece of Greenland and meet some of its people.
And as I promised, here are some tidbits that I gleaned along the way. There is always so much to share and usually not enough hours in the day to do it. So here we go….
No trip to Iceland is complete without the story of the Christmas cat. Likenesses of the cat are available all over the country. Now the Christmas cat story is not for the faint of heart. It certainly isn’t a love story, more of a horror story. One version of the story has the Yule cat being the monstrous house pet of Gryla a giantess who has an insatiable appetite for naughty children. She is the Yule Lads’ mother. During the holidays she comes out of her cave and searches out children misbehaving. She makes a stew out of them and gobbles it down.
The Yule cat is her pet. This giant cat lurks about the countryside and eats people who don’t get new clothes before Christmas Eve. Lovely holiday story! It is thought to have it’s roots in the wool business. Workers that helped process the wool from the fall shearing would receive clothes in return. The workers that didn’t help, got none. The story was a not-so-subtle threat to get people to work. Some versions of the story have the cat merely eating the food of the people who didn’t receive new clothing,
This tale and others about Gryla were popularized by good ole Snorri whose name should be familiar. He is one of the famous saga authors. The Gryla stories were from his Edda. The story of her sons, the Yule Lads, has been popularized in a picture book by Brian Pilkington. We saw it in every gift shop and bookstore in Iceland.
Now Ireland isn’t the only country that has the “little people.” Iceland has their version of fairies called the “Hidden people.” They are not little like leprechauns or fairies. They are more like elves. The “hidden” men are handsome and the “hidden” women beautiful. They have a sophisticated social system and are generous to humans when humans help them but harsh when they don’t. You definitely don’t want to cross a hidden person. Why do they have this belief in the hidden people? One train of thought is that it is a form of escapism. It developed because life here was difficult. Many Icelanders fiercely believe in them. In fact one neighborhood my first trip leader Gudrun lived in had a large boulder in the middle of the road. Hidden people lived there so they brought in a person who could talk to them. Apparently it was not a successful negotiation because the boulder is still there in the middle of the road.
How did the hidden ones come into being? There is a story for that, of course :-). Back when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they had many children. Most of the time Eve let them run and play and get dirty as kids will do. However, when she knew that God was coming, she would dress them in their finest and make sure they were clean. One day God showed up without notice. Eve gathered up her children who were still tidy and clean and brought them before him. He looked at Eve and asked where the rest of her children were.
“I have no other children. These are all.”
God did not believe her so he asked again. Yet again she answered that the children before him were all she had. Three times she denied her other children. At last God sighed and looked at her.
“Let it be so then. Those that are hidden from me today will be hidden from all from this day forward.” Eve never saw her hidden children again. They became the fairy folk. And now you know 🙂
And just maybe this tradition is responsible for the elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series of books. Tolkien visited Iceland and fell in love with the country and its language. He learned to speak Icelandic and used it as the basis for his Elvish language in his books. Even the countryside of Iceland shows up in his tales. Peter Jackson wanted to film the movies here because of the connection of the country to the trilogy. However, at that time the Iceland wasn’t thrilled about movie companies coming in. They told him “no” and the rest is history for New Zealand. However, now we know that many of the settings from the books, some of the mythology, and languages of Middle Earth have their roots in Iceland.
Of course now Iceland is more than happy to welcome film companies. They even offer the companies massive tax breaks to encourage them. However, the film companies have to agree that they will be in Iceland for a minimum of six weeks, thus insuring six weeks of income into the country. The Star Wars franchise has filmed here as well as the Game of Thrones television series, two James Bond movies, some of the Fast and the Furious franchise, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” (the new one with Ben Stiller), and the new version of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” with Brendan Fraser.
The film industry isn’t confined to Iceland. I was surprised to learn that a few things were filmed in Greenland as well. Of course we know that Dr. Knud Radmussen’s “The Wedding of Palo” was filmed entirely in Greenland in Tasiilaq. However, a few others have been filmed in part here as well. “Eight Below” which took place in Antarctica was actually filmed partially in Greenland. Scenes from “The Rise of the Silver Surfer” took place on Russell Glacier in Greenland. So now you know 🙂
And that wraps up this true adventure on two islands rich in history and natural beauty. Would I do this trip again? You bet I would, in a heart beat. For both places there is so much more to see and discover and I can’t wait to discover them.
Tales from the Trail 