It was really hard waking up on the morning I had to leave Amsterdam, partly because it was weird knowing I was leaving, and partly because I had only gone to bed a few hours earlier (I was out enjoying my newly earned freedom from the rules of the hostel)
I got up, grabbed my bag, and headed for the train station with a couple of friends. Next thing I knew I was at the airport. Then I was through security, then I was on my plane in my exit row window seat. It didnt hit me that I was leaving until we started to take off, I was of course listening to Sigur Ros, and the beautiful music mixed with the emotion of leaving my home of the last 8 months brought a weird but sad smile to my face...
I just listened to music for the 3 hour flight, and as we descended from the clouds, and I cought my first glimpse of Iceland, Glósóli, the song I had been listening to hit its crescendo. I was plastered to the window and soaked in the bizarre Icelandic landscape. Huge clouds of steam rising from countless geothermal pools, not a single tree, just volcanic rock and brown grass. Strange brown hills and cracks, with snowy mountains in the distance. We landed, and I walked out of the airport into the cold air. It smacked me in the face, ok. Iceland is pretty cold...
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| ICELAND! |
I met Hilmar, and we drove into town. I dropped off my bag at his house and had a quick coffee (the 4th one that day) then we headed to the gym. While he was training, I wandered around a park near the center of Reykjavic, and realized that when the sun sets at 5pm - it gets even colder. But I sat on a bench and smoked and enjoyed the stares that I got from people. "who is this idiot in shorts and flip flops?!"
After training, Hilmar drove me around and showed me some of the sights, then we went and met up with a couple of his friends and ate hamburgers at a famous Icelandic place, where we saw 2 Icelandic celebrities. In a country with only 300,000 people - everyone goes to the same places.
After that, we drove around the docks and checked out whaling ships and the new Icelandic coast guard ship. We went to the new concert hall where Bjork was playing, and wandered around for a while and tried to sneak in... We didnt get in. Then we met up with Hilmar's girlfriend Sigrun, and a few of their friends and we went to the pool, a huge outdoor community pool where everyone hangs out in the warm water and talks. There where tons of different pools with different temps, and all the water is heated by the volcanoes. In fact all of the head in Reykjavic comes from natural geothermal water, and all the electricity is produced from the steam found in nature.
I sat in the 44 degree pool (thats over 111 degrees Fahrenheit!) while it was below freezing outside. And I went down the waterslide. Awesome.
Hilmar is going to let me use his car tomorrow to drive a 300km loop around the most beautiful sites in Iceland. A tour on a bus costs over 10,000 kronur ($100), and I get to do it in my own car at my own pace for the price of gas. Amazing. The only problem is I cant afford gas, Hilmar and Eyvindur and I went to all the hostels to look for people to go with me, I put up a flyer and this morning had enough people email me to fill the car. Amazing. So tomorrow I will set off with a guy from somewhere I dont know, a girl from Poland and a girl from Australia for a big all day loop around Iceland! Im so excited for a sick road trip.
On our way home, we saw the northern lights flash across the sky, and I crawled into bed around 3am and I slept like a baby.
This morning I woke up to the sound of Hoppípolla (one of my favorite Sigur Ros songs) and Hilmar made me breakfast of this crazy thick almost yogurt chunky milk stuff. And toast with cheese and coffee. Then he dropped me off in the city, and I have been wandering around. My first stop was a record store, and I listened to an entire vinyl record of this amazing band called Rokkurro. The music here is so amazing... Then I stepped back out into the cold, and now Im sitting at a cafe drinking espresso to warm up before heading back out to see what else I can find. I heard there is a salvation army store here, and I might try and find some pants... But I kinda like the stares I get :)
