Today marks Day One of our excursion to Iceland.  As I’m typing this it is almost midnight and it is still daylight.  It is truly a little off-putting, and not helping adjust to the 7 hour time difference, but I can’t say that I mind.  We get so little time here that the extra daylight will come in handy.

First things first, I met Tim at JFK last night where we had a couple drinks and nearly missed the boarding of our flight to Reykjavik.  Once on the plane we settled into Delta’s Comfort Plus seats which turned out to be a great bargain.  Too great perhaps as the nice lady across the aisle decided to splurge on the same seats for her two very young, and very loud, daughters.  So, we didn’t sleep.  Tim maybe got in 45 minutes.  I got nothing.

After seeing the Northern Lights from 36,000 feet, crossing the southern tip of Greenland, watching the sun come up at 4am, and descending through what appeared to be a massive cloud layer only to find out it was ground level fog, we touched down safely at Keflavik International Airport.

Baggage claim was interesting as well.  Right after boarding our flight the pilot told us that the aircraft was “overweight” and that they were going to have to remove some luggage but “not to worry” as they would “tell us if it was ours later.”  Tim and I immediately expected that one or both of us would lose their bag.  Waiting 30 minutes for Tim’s when came off immediately made that appear more of a reality, but favor smiled down on us for the first time, and his bag was there.

Favor smiled again shortly thereafter when the Avis rep decided not to look closely at my driver’s license and still allow us to rent a car even though the version I had was expired and had “VOID” literally punched through it.  The DMV hadn’t mailed me my new license yet so I was forced to go with the old one.  Fortunately Iceland cares as much about driving privileges as they do customs – why check?

Not only did they not look, they upgraded the car from an AWD Suzuki Vitara to a leather clad Mitsbubishi Pajero with a true 4×4 transfer case, diesel motor, and locking differential.  I was happy to accept it as my reward for a questionable license.

First duty was to get Tim going on navigation (which was more efficient when he figured out the onboard Nav System rather the crappy Avis paper map).  Ifn fact, eventually his navigation efforts became commensurate with his need to resolve to sleep deprivation.  Fortunately he didn’t snore (see my Instagram feed for explanation).

Stop number one was Thingvellir National Park inside Iceland’s “Golden Triangle.”  The Golden Triangle is home to much of the “outdoor” tourist activity as it is an easily accessible area from Rykjavik.  We wanted to crame as much of it into today as possible so that we could get away from the Tourists as quickly as possible.  We walked through the Visitor Center and realized that rather than hiking here we would be better off getting to one of the next attractions on our list.

Gullfoss is one of the largest waterfalls in Europe and handles runoff from Iceland’s second largest glacier.  We were so excited to get there, before we jumped out of the car, we slept for almost 2 hours.  We were exhausted.  The lack of sleep and winding roads finally caught up with us.  Once rejuvinated, the waterfall was truly amazing to see.  Multiple falls into a narrow but deep canyon.  The raging and frothing water continues long after the last drop.  The noise was amazing and truly something to behold.  We viewed it from the top and bottom levels, drawn to its power.

From Gullfoss we went to Geysir, which is exactly what it sounds like it would be: a group of geysers. The overwhelming smell of sulfur and craving for hard boiled eggs aside, it was a great experience.  While not necessarily Old Faithful, one particular geyser erupts roughly ever 8 minutes with spectaclur displays.  A short hike up a nearby mountain to watch from an elevated point with great results.  I was also able to successfully keep Tim from exploring too close the edge of cliffs as he is prone to do based on the voices telling him to do it…  All the women in Tim’s made the request that I assist in that regard except Susie.  (Remember Susie, I get a cut of whatever you collect.)

I was close enough, a little nudge would’ve been enough…

We rewarded ourselves with lunch at a cafe nearby where we each had some local food.  I had fish soup, Tim had a pepperoni pannini and an Icelandic salad with dried goodies and a light dressing.  Tim finished with the world’s, smallest, hottest, and most expensive cup of coffee.  Seriously, it was like lava in a shot glass and cost 4,000 Icelandic Krona.  Sounds like a lot, huh?  Roughly $8, but for the size, silly expensive.

On the drive from Geysir to Borgarnes where we would be spending the night, Tim returned to his solid navigating posture referenced above apparenlt suffering from the miniture cup of Joe into his Stretch Armstrong frame.  Fortunately I second guessed the onboard GPS and turned a two hour ride into a 4 hour exploration deep into a mainland fjord on the Western coast.  We saw more sheep that we thought existed on the whole planet, remains of a settlement 1,000 years old, and Tim even eagerly offered some sightseeing advice to a couple of locals.  (They weren’t interested.)

But strangely something happened that I didn’t expect, I fell in love with Iceland.  Sure, I’ve always wanted to make this trip.  Yes, I enjoy mountains and the ocean, and brisk air.  I knew I would enjoy it.  But this was different.  We happened to stop at one of the many roadside pull outs and walk down the hill toward the water, and I felt at home.  The place spoke to me.  The best way I can describe it is as a more primitive version of my native Maine.  The shore birds.  Rugged rocks.  Cold air.  Constant wind.  The smell.  It all worked.  I’m including a picture, but it seems hollow.  The country and I bonded in a way I didn’t know was possible.  I felt like I fit.  (Don’t worry Chelle, I don’t see me asking you to leave the desert.)

After another stop Tim said he had a similar experience.  After walking upstream from one particular waterfall, he felt connection.  Apparently he had been worried in the morning fog that he wouldn’t be impressed.  But that vanished in the mist of the falls.

So even after just one very long day, we are experiencing the magic of this country and feeling a deep connection to what it is.  Neither of us will ever be able to deny how special Iceland is.  I wonder how that feeling will deepen over the next nine days.  I guess time will tell.